Daily Prayer Devotional SATURDAY, February 20, 2021 By Tina Unsell Seamon
~ THE JOY OF THE LORD ~
“For the joy of the LORD is your strength.” -Nehemiah 8:10 KJV
LORD, sometimes my days seem so commonplace and I feel tired and worn. Thoughts, often invade my mind that the days are forever unchanging. Most days, finding it hard to experience any Joy, leaving me filled with lowness of spirit.
O, LORD, help me to earnestly seek to go about my days with a positive outlook on life. Renew in me a new attitude of mind, soul and spirit. Lord, direct my path and guide me in all Your ways. May my conduct always reflect a lifestyle in the manner that is worthy of you. Help me, Lord, to remember that life is a precious gift and that you ultimately hold the key to all Joy. Lord, lift up Your countenance upon me and cover me in Your Peace, which can only come from you. Remind me, Lord, that you are the Master planner of my life and it is ‘Your Joy’ that gives me strength. O, Lord, I can joyfully rejoice; because it is You, that is rejoicing in me. Amen.
…for the JOY of the LORD, is the Joy that fills God’s heart. When we are obedient to God, the Lord rejoices in us. In return, we too will experience the Joy of the Lord, and it will be our strength. Remember, this is God’s Joy, which we are privileged to share.
The other day there was a young lady that posted a prayer request in my Christian Women’s Group. She was struggling to move past something she had done in her past before she was saved. She was feeling very emotional and depressed about it, and was seeking advice on how to move past those feelings of condemnation.
Yes, Sometimes we allow the devil to bring up things from our past. Things that we did before we were saved.
If this sounds familiar to you… I want to remind you as I reminded this precious sister in Christ-that once you accepted Christ as your savior, all your past sins were washed out to the sea. Forgotten and never to be remembered again. You are a new creation in Christ. So, when you become a Christian – you are a new creation and you have a new identity.
2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Your worth no longer lies in what you do, how you look, or what other people say you are. Your worth lies in Jesus Christ, what He has done, and who you are in HIM!
Those thoughts invading your mind are from the enemy and the pit of hell! Don’t allow the devil to torment you over those things that Jesus has already forgiven you for.
Jesus has cleansed and redeemed you. Declare and take authority over those condemning thoughts in Jesus’ name.
Jesus bled and died for you on the cross of Calvary so that you may have eternal life with Him in heaven. He is the one to turn to when life seems unbearable. He cares. He loves you. He proved His love by dying on the cross for you. Yes, YOU!!
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” - John 15:13 KJV
If you are struggling to forgive yourself for something that you did in your past, I want to assure you that Jesus no longer sees that sin. You are clean!
If you ask forgiveness, He is faithful to forgive.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9 KJV
If you still cannot move past whatever it is that haunts you, then I urge you to seek the Lord. Seek Him with all your heart. With your arms stretched out wide say to Him, “Jesus, help me to forgive myself as You have forgiven me!”, “Help me to realize the price that you paid to redeem me on Calvary’s cross.”, “Help me to understand the greatness and significance of your sacrificial love.”
He will answer. He will give you the strength to overcome and bring victory over your thoughts, mind, heart, and life. He will comfort you and give you the peace you so desperately desire.
The enemy (Satan) is a slithery snake and ‘A LIAR’ and ‘The Father of Lies’, who comes to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus has come that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Amen!
John 10:10 tells us, “The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
John 8:44 also tells us, “You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” No one is immune to Satan’s devices. But we can claim victory over them in Jesus’ name. One of the ways he attempts to weaken the believers faith is by filling our minds with unwarranted thoughts and untruths.
When the enemy attempts to invade my mind with his deception and lies, I often take authority over them by telling the devil to, “Get Thee Behind Me Satan!’’ And I am not ashamed to say it FIRM, LOUD & PROUD! You can too. Take authority in the name of Jesus and the enemy will flee. Amen!
If this message is relevant to you in some way, I pray that you will find that overwhelming peace that surpasses all understanding. That which can only be found in the Christ Jesus and in Him alone.
I’m here to pray with anyone who may be struggling to overcome condemnation from things in your past. Leave a comment if you desire prayer and I will stand in agreement with you as we pray together.
In closing…
Remember, Jesus loves You.
Proven by His nail-scarred hands. Go and tell of it across the land. That Jesus is our blessed Savior; Sent down from the heavens above. He hung on a cross to prove His love.
Keep looking to the cross! It was there that your sins were forgiven.
Sometimes life isn’t always kind. And I am certainly a-witness to that. So often times it’s a test of faith And I can with all honesty say that I haven’t always past the test. More often than not I fail miserably.
But God doesn’t expect us to always get it right. But He does expect us trust Him And to use the trails we face As a way to learn and grow. To become more dependent on Him And not ourselves. Easier said than done, right!
He is the strength we need That will get us through the circumstances of this life. We cannot run this race alone. We need God! I know I desperately do!
He is our rock. Our shelter from the storms. He is the one to run to when the waves get too turbulent to withstand. He is the one who will hold us up and keeps us from drowning.
If I have learned anything by trying to do things in my own strength, It is that I will always fail…Undoubtedly!
God will and has always been the power, The strength and the defense to our problems. We just need to learn to rely on Him.
Because I can tell you from experience… Without God in the midst of our situations We will most assuredly drown.
Hardships are inevitably a part of life, But with Jesus as our anchor We can withstand any storm.
Simply put, our anchor is Jesus Christ. He is our only salvation from sin — the anchor of our souls (Hebrews 6:19) that holds firm, especially when the storms of life threaten and when the enemy’s temptations blow hard against us.
God in my waking – Walk with me daily, Lord God in my sleeping – Be Thou beside me as I rest. God in the center – In all that I say and do. Take my life – I give it freely to You. It is Yours – My life is not my own. I am the clay – As is with all of humanity. And You are the potter – Our Divine Potter. Make Me – After Thy own will. Mold Me – Shape me inwardly. Transform Me – Spiritually fashion me into a vessel fit for Your use. My Lord and King – Ruler and Master of all creation. I give you everything – I offer my body, mind, soul and spirit to You. I surrender it all – Not my will, but Thy will be done. Use Me – As Your Chosen Vessel. Fill Me – Holy Spirit have your way in me! Guide Me – Consciously surrendering my free will to Thy will. Everything I am – All that I am! And all that I hope to be – In Christ Jesus. I give my life… To the potters hands.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and You our Potter, and we all are the Work of Your Hand. (In this Passage is the gist of the great Salvation Message of Christianity. Only God can change the shape of the clay, thereby molding the vessel into shape and design that is desired, thereby mending the flaws and weaknesses.) – Isaiah 64:8
Click Here: Expositor Notes taken from -JSM Expositor’s Study Bible – KJV
What is love? Do you know it? That word is tossed around these days so leisurely. There are all kinds of definitions for “LOVE”, but what does it mean to you?
Is it the kind of love that means you never have to say you’re sorry.
Is it love that makes you feel joy. The kind that when you awake in the morning you feel alive inside.
Is it romantic love, that leaves you breathless.
Is is putting another’s wants and needs before your own.
Is the kind of love that says that you are enough.
Is it love that is, Patient Kind Does not Envy Does not Boast Is not Proud Does not Dishonor Others Is not Self-Seeking Is not Easily Angered Keeps No Records of Wrongs Does Not Delight in Evil But Rejoices in the Truth Always Protects Always Trust Always Hopes And Always Preserves (1 Cor 13:4-8)
All of these are beautiful examples or expressions of love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 is one of my favorite verses and so beautifully sums up what I believe a marriage should be, between a man and a woman.
However what does the word “LOVE”, really look like…The Ultimate Example of Love..
Is it the sacrificial kind of love that over 2000 years ago hung, bled, and died on a cross so that you and I might have eternal salvation with our Father in Heaven.
I believe that is what “LOVE”, really and truly looks like!
There is no greater love, than the love demonstrated by our Lord and Savior-Jesus Christ, that fateful day on Calvary Hill. (John 15:13)
What is love to you?
If you are feeling unloved today. Like you have no one in this entire world who cares for you. Family and Friends all but have abandoned you…
Remember this… YOU ARE LOVED! And you are not alone. Jesus loves you. He loved you enough to die for you and He loves you enough even still today, tomorrow and for all eternity. His love is everlasting.
Don’t place your value and worth into the heart of man, but know that your worth comes from the heart of God Almighty Himself. He says that you are worthy. He says that you are of value. He says that your life has a purpose. He will never leave or forsake you. He promises with Him you will never walk alone. He’s right beside you, every step of the way. He cares for you. You can trust Him!
GOD IS = “LOVE”
“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:8 KJV
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16 KJV
“We love him, because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 KJV
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 KJV
“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10 KJV
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 KJV
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,” Ephesians 2:4 KJV
“Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39 KJV
On, April 19, 2013, a couple years after I was saved, I wrote the following…
I was a new Christian and still trying to find my calling and purpose in this life. Even still today, I surrender daily to His leading as He continually guides me along the path He has set before me.
I share this with you in the hopes that it will reveal just a small piece of my heart, while traveling along my own personal journey. This is not intended for anyone other than myself and my personal growth and testimony. However, I am sharing it by my own choosing, along with an sincere and heartfelt prayer that it might be a blessing to you in your own walk and journey with the Lord.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Those close to me say that I have changed. My desires and wants are more clearly defined. I expect more and I want more. What’s wrong with that? Less is no longer good enough. Everything from my relationships to my walk with the Lord. I may not deserve more, but it is okay to want more! Isn’t it? I know that God wants to lavish His love upon me and give me desires of my heart. I want to be inspired. To inspire someone. For my life to have meaning. To give meaning to someone else’s life. Some have said that this is just a midlife crisis! To me – it is more like a midlife awakening. An awakening of my mind, soul and spirit. I want to mean something to someone. To make a difference in others lives. To say that I was here. I don’t want to leave this earth with regrets and things left undone. Words left unspoken. I want to know that I had a purpose. That I fulfilled the purpose and calling that God has ordained for my life. To know that I touched someone’s life in a positive way. I want to know that my feelings and thoughts and words were recognized, understood and validated. I want to love without bitterness, resentment and anger. I want to be loved for who I am. I want to love others for who they are. I want to feel like I am good enough. To make someone else feel that they are good enough. To share with others Christ love for them. My heart longs to be a stepping stone for others. To be a valued friend who supports and encourages others in their journey called life. More importantly, my heart longs to lead others to salvation. I want to be used by God. To tell others about Jesus and His love poured out and demonstrated on Calvary’s cross. Only God truly knows my heart and He is speaking to my heart, soul and spirit. I have always known that God was there. He has always been there, but I feel overcome by his presence. The more I seek Him, the more I find Him. His love is overwhelming me. I pray that He will continue to lead and guide me. My hope is that I can accomplish all that He expects of me in this life. As long as I know God is for me, it doesn’t matter who is against me. He is restoring, molding and making me whole. Lord God, thank you for loving me and making me a new creation in your son, Christ Jesus. Your, beloved daughter.
TINA UNSELL SEAMON 