WE'VE ALL KNOWN PEOPLE......

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice." Ephesians 4:31

We've all known people who claimed they'd be happy if only they were married, had children, had a big house, or had the right job.  But most people who are banking on circumstantial contentment  will find themselves in emotional bankruptcy sooner or later.

Unhappy people are not made happy by marriage, by children, or by any other possession they don't have at the moment.  An unhappy person usually needs a change of heart more than a change of circumstances.  I don't believe God will allow surrendered hearts to continue to long for things He will not ultimately grant in one way or another.

"Breaking Free - Day by Day"  Beth Moore

DO EVERYTHING IN DEPENDENCE ON ME.....

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians 4:31

Do everything in dependence on Me.  The desire to act independently - apart from Me - springs from the root of pride.  Self-sufficiency is subtle, insinuating its way into your thoughts and actions without your realizing it.  But apart from Me, you can do nothing; that is, nothing of eternal value.  My deepest desire for you is that you learn to depend on Me in every situation.  I move heaven and earth to accomplish this purpose, but you must collaborate with Me in this training.  Teaching you would be simple if I negated your free will or overwhelmed you with My Power.  However, I love you too much to withdraw the godlike privilege I bestowed on you as My image-bearer.  Use your freedom wisely, by relying on Me constantly.  Thus you enjoy My Presence and My Peace.

"Jesus Calling - Enjoying Peace in His Presence"

SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER EXPERIENCED......

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians 4:31

Someone who has never experienced rejection might wonder whether or not it's a serious form of suffering.  However, if you've been rejected by someone you love, you'll agree that few injuries are more excruciating.

So take heart in this:  God was pleased to make you His own.  Pleased!  He didn't just feel sorry for you.  He wasn't obligated to you.  He chose you because He delights in you.  You were never meant to get through life by the skin of your teeth.  You were meant to flourish in the love and acceptance of Almighty Jehovah.  When He sings over you, dance!

"Breaking Free - Day By Day"  Beth Moore

COME TO ME.....

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians 4:31

Come to Me with your plans held in abeyance.  Worship Me in spirit and in truth, allowing My Glory to permeate your entire being.  Trust Me enough to let Me guide you through this day, accomplishing My purposes in My timing.  Subordinate your myriad plans to My Master Plan.  I am sovereign over every aspect of your life!

The challenge continually before you is to trust Me and search for My way through each day.  Do not blindly follow your habitual route, or you will miss what I have prepared for you.  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

"Jesus Calling - Enjoying Peace in His Presence"

AS YOU SIT QUIETLY.....

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians 4:31

As you sit quietly in My Presence, remember that I am a God of abundance.  I will never run out of resources; My capacity to bless you is unlimited.  You live in a world of supply and demand, where necessary things are often scarce.  Even if you personally have enough, you see poverty in the world around you.  It is impossible for you to comprehend the lavishness of My provisions: the fullness of My glorious riches.  

Through spending time in My Presence, you gain glimpses of My overflowing vastness.  These glimpses are tiny foretastes of what you will experience eternally in heaven.  Even now you have access to as much of Me as you have faith to receive.  Rejoice in My abundance - living by faith, not by sight.

"Jesus Calling - Enjoying Peace in His Presence"

WATCH YOUR WORDS DILIGENTLY.....

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians 4:31

WATCH YOUR WORDS DILIGENTLY.  Words have such great power to bless or to wound.  When you speak carelessly or negatively, you damage others as well as yourself.  This ability to verbalize is an awesome privilege, granted only to those I created in My image.  You need help in wielding this mighty power responsibly.

Though the world applauds quick-witted retorts, My instructions about communication are quite different:  Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.  Ask My Spirit to help you whenever you speak.  I have trained you to pray - "Help me, Holy Spirit" - before answering the phone, and you have seen the benefits of this discipline.  Simply apply the same discipline to communicating with people around you.  If they are silent, pray before speaking to them.  If they are talking, pray before responding.  These are split-second prayers, but they put you in touch with My Presence.  In this way, your speaking comes under the control of My Spirit.  As positive speech patterns replace your negative ones, the increase in your Joy will amaze you.

I AM YOURS FOR ALL ETERNITY...

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord: "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians 4:31

I am yours for all eternity.  I am the Alpha and the Omega:  the One who is and was and is to come.  The world you inhabit is a place of constant changes - more than your mind can absorb without going into shock.  Even the body you inhabit is changing relentlessly, in spite of modern science's attempts to prolong youth and life indefinitely.  I, however, am the same, yesterday, and today and forever.

Because I never change, your relationship with Me provides a rock-solid foundation for your life.  I will never leave your side.  When you move on from this life to the next, My Presence beside you will shine brighter with each step.  You have nothing to fear, because I am with you for all time and throughout eternity.

"Jesus Calling - Enjoying Peace in His Presence"

LEARN TO ENJOY LIFE MORE...

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath,and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians 4:31

Learn to enjoy life more.  Relax, remembering that I am God with you.  I crafted you with enormous capacity to know Me and enjoy My Presence.  When My people wear sour faces and walk through their lives with resigned rigidity, I am displeased.  When you walk through a day with childlike delight, savoring every blessing, you proclaim your trust in Me, your ever-present Shepherd.  The more you focus on My Presence with you, the more fully you can enjoy life.  Glorify Me through your pleasure in Me.  Thus you proclaim My Presence to the watching world.

"Jesus Calling - Enjoying Peace in His Presence"

ENTRUST YOUR LOVED ONES TO ME.....

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from us, with all malice."  Ephesians 4:31

Entrust your loved ones to Me; release them into My protective care.  They are much safer with Me than in your clinging hands.  If you let a loved one become an idol in your heart, you endanger that one - as well as yourself.  Remember the extreme measures I used with Abraham and Isaac.  I took Isaac to the very point of death to free Abraham from son-worship.  Both Abraham and Isaac suffered terribly because of the father's undisciplined emotions.  I detest idolatry, even in the form of parental love.

When you release loved ones to Me, you are free to cling to My hand.  As you entrust others into My care, I am free to shower blessings on them.  My Presence will go with them wherever they go, and I will give them rest.  This same Presence stays with you, as you relax and place your trust in Me.  Watch to see what I will do.

Realize that God's unquestionable will.....

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord: "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians 4:31

  Realize that God's unquestionable will for you is your freedom from the yoke, but also trust that He has written a personalized prescription for your release.

     God may have used a method to set someone else free that doesn't work as effectively for you.  Perhaps the success of others has done little more than increase your discouragement and self-hatred.  But don't let the enemy play mind games with you.  God's strength is tailor-made for weakness.  We are never stronger than the moment when we admit we are weak.  Seek God diligently and ask Him to show you the way to victory.

"Breaking Free - Day By Day"   Beth Moore

I believe I can confidently......

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians 4:31

     I believe I can confidently and reverently say to you that God can put any broken person back together again, no matter what he or she has suffered.  I'm not just saying that God can cause a person to maintain his or her physical existence after tragedy.  Many people live through tragedy.

     Physical existence is not what Christ died to bring us.  He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.  As impossible and unreachable as this truth may seem, God can restore abundant life.  For now, you may just need to keep breathing, but you can learn to live once again.

"Breaking Free - Day By Day"  Beth Moore

If man could truly......

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

     If man could truly subdue all his fleshly appetites by the pure power of his own determination, he would simply worship his own will.  But if the Word of God is about anything at all, it is about God's will rather than ours.  Our liberty is paradoxically discovered through the will of God rather than our own.

     Through the might of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to say "no" to things we should - our excesses, withholdings, compulsions, and other harmful consumptions - and "yes" to freedom, moderation, and better health.  When we bow to God's authority, we invite Him to take control, and He is the one who does it.

"Breaking Free - Day By Day"  by Beth Moore