BELIEVE: week twenty-four: Self-control

“The grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” Titus 2:11-12

There’s a conversation I had with renowned pollster George Gallup, Jr. that I will never forget. We were working on the assessment tool built around the thirty key ideas found in this devotional. We were discussing the virtue of self-control, and apparently I was pontificating on how Christians just needed to pull themselves up by their spiritual bootstraps and stop doing things they shouldn’t be doing. George interrupted me and said, “You’re not an alcoholic, are you?” I answered no.

Then he said, “Well, I am, and so was my father. When I took my first drink, it affected me differently than most people. I couldn’t stop. Even as a Christian, I tried and tried, and I couldn’t stop. Even as a Christian, I tried and tried, and I couldn’t lick it. Then one day I heard Jesus whisper, ‘George, if you never figure this out, it is okay. I already died for this.’ And I haven’t taken a drink in thirty years.”

It was because of this conversation that we added the words “through Christ” to the key idea below. The law of “have to” only makes us want to do the things we shouldn’t do more. But grace, when embraced in our soul, gives us the power to say no to those things that harm us and others.

Jesus offers you the same grace to overcome your greatest temptations. Hear him whisper this offer to your soul.

“I have the power through Christ to control myself.”

[Excerpt from Believe: 31-Day Devotional by Randy & Roxanne Frazee, pgs. 51-52.]

BELIEVE: week twenty-three: Peace

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

One summer day when I was a kid, I made a bet with two boys I met at the local farmer’s market. For every ball they hit over the fence, I’d give them fifty cents. For every ball I hit over the fence, they’d give me five dollars.

Within minutes I was down five dollars. I said I’d have to go get money at home and return with it. But I didn’t have five dollars at home, and I had no intention of coming back. I just ran off and hid in my bedroom with overwhelming anxiety, expecting to live out the rest of my days there.

God wants us to do the same thing. Whenever you feel anxiety or fear, don’t delay. Take it to your Father, and find peace that transcends all understanding.

“I am free from anxiety because I have found peace with God, peace with others, and peace with myself.”

[Excerpt from Believe: 31-Day Devotional by Randy & Roxanne Frazee, pgs. 49-50.]

BELIEVE: week twenty-two: Joy

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11

Nona, do you smile all the time?” These were my granddaughter’s words to my shocked ears.

“I do when you are with me.”

The truth is, finding joy in spite of my circumstances is one of my biggest struggles. If I’m not careful, even the smallest frustration can rob me of my joy. Apparently, my granddaughter has not yet seen this side of me.

Jesus told his disciples that there is a brand of joy that is complete joy—the kind he experienced even when he knew the cross was just around the corner. Now that’s a circumstance I have never faced. This kind of joy is available to you and me as well, if we stay close to him.

My granddaughter isn’t always with me, but Jesus is. If I stay close to him, I can experience joy in spite of any circumstance that comes my way.

Every time you choose to smile genuinely even though your circumstances are less than joyful, you give evidence that the same joy Jesus experienced in spite of the cross is in you.

“Despite my circumstances, I feel inner contentment and understand my purpose in life.”

[Excerpt from Believe: 31-Day Devotional by Randy & Roxanne Frazee, pgs. 47-48.]

BELIEVE: week twenty-one: Love

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:10-11

Parental love is likely the purest expression of love within the human race. Parents spend their lives depositing their love into their children. The children will never remember the caressing of their cheeks as babies, but the parents know it contributes to the overall physical, spiritual, emotional, and relational health of the children.

The greatest joy of parents is seeing their children all grown up and living a life of love—blessing their own children, their spouses, their neighbors. When the children decide to live a life of love, the parents know their love has been received and made complete.

This is how it is for God, your Father. He has been pouring his love into you all your life, even when you were too young to remember it. When you grow up and choose to live a life of love, you give evidence that God’s love has been born in you and has been made complete in you.

Do you want to give evidence that God’s love is in you? Go love someone else.

"I am committed to loving God and loving others."

[Excerpt from Believe: 31-Day Devotional by Randy & Roxanne Frazee, pgs. 45-46.]

BELIEVE: week twenty: Sharing My Faith

“Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” Ephesians 6:19-20

A husband came home from work after a very long and terrible day. Everything had gone wrong. He said to his wife, “I’ve had nothing but bad news at the office today. If there is one thing I don’t want, it is more bad news.”

His wife gently replied, “In that case, you’ll be glad to know that three of your four children did not break their arms today.”

There is a real art to learning how to share bad news. But delivering good news is so much fun. Why, then, is it so hardcore us to share our faith? Without question, Paul goes down in history as one the most aggressive evangelist ever to walk the planet. Yet he confesses that it is easy to hold back and that even he needs courage. If it is true for Paul, then it is likely true for you.

Maybe it helps to remember that the gospel is good news. Try this on for size: “You’ll be pleased to know that four out of every four people who ask for forgiveness and for eternal life in Jesus will receive them.”

I share my faith with others to fulfill God's purposes.

[Excerpt from Believe: 31-Day Devotional by Randy & Roxanne Frazee, pgs. 43-44.]