God Meets Our Needs

Philippians 4:19

¹⁹ And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.  
NIV Bible Gateway.com

    Our heavenly Father has promised to provide everything we need. Let's consider some of the good gifts that are ours in Christ Jesus.
   One universal human need is love. Through faith in Jesus, we've been adopted as the heavenly Father's beloved children. But before this could take place, God's justice had to be satisfied. You see, we were all born with a sinful nature that is bent away from the Lord. Because of the Father's great love, He sent Jesus to take our place and experience judgment for our sin. Out of deep compassion for us, Jesus willingly suffered and died so we might become part of God's family and experience His rich affection for us (John 3:16). Through our relationship with Him, this need for love is fully met.
   In fact, by means of salvation, our Father also provided for two other basic needs - companionship and security. When we accept God's offer of forgiveness, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us, fulfilling Jesus' promise never to leave us (Heb. 13:5). This new relationship is permanent. What Jesus accomplished on the cross was fully accepted by God as payment for our sin debt. Furthermore, Christ Himself  promised that no one can ever snatch us out of His hand (John 10:28). Therefore, we can rest in the knowledge that we are God's children forever. That is true security.
   Our deep need for love, security, and companionship is satisfied in an intimate relationship with the Lord. Have you trusted Christ so you could be permanently adopted into God's family? 
Stanley, Charles F. "God Meets Our Needs." In Touch: Daily Readings For Devoted Living September 2016. Atlanta: In Touch Ministries. page 32.

What Is the Christian Life?

Titus 3:4-7

⁴ But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.  NIV  Bible Gateway.com

   The Christian life is just that - a life, not simply a set of rules. Sadly, a lot of churches preach Christianity as a list of dos and don'ts. Then faith looks like a formula: Jesus' saving grace plus doing good things minus doing bad things equal righteousness. Most of us have enough problems without worrying about whether we're following the extra-biblical rules of a church.
   A man-made formula for righteousness runs counter to scriptural teaching. Not only did Jesus condemn the Parisees' heavy-handed religion, but He Himself offered liberty through grace ( Matt. 23:1-4; John 8:36). Neither keeping God's law by self-effort nor adhering to extra rules makes a person free. Legalistic believers are in bondage and growing ever weaker.
   When a person accepts the saving grace of Jesus Christ, he or she receives a new life. (See Rom. 6:4.) This is not an uptight lifestyle of doing good works. A believer is a changed person - the same body but a transformed mind and heart. Christ lives through you. His Holy Spirit flows into your spirit just as sap runs in a grapevine. It's like getting a spiritual blood transfusion! Strength pumps into places where weakness once prevailed. Why rely upon your frail self when the courage and power to follow God's will are available through Christ?
   ... Depend upon Him to change you from the inside out, and trust that He will. Jesus is your life. He will never get tired of transforming you.
Stanley, Charles F. "What Is the Christian Life?" In Touch: Daily Readings For Devoted Living September 2016. Atlanta: In Touch Ministries. page 31.

The Unconditional Love of God

1 John 4:7-10

God’s Love and Ours

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  NIV Bible Gateway.com

   One of the biggest struggles many people face is a feeling that the Lord couldn't possibly love them. Yet, today's reading clearly tells us He does. Far from just saying so with words, God has also given us ample proof. Creation itself is an expression of the awesome way he cares for us. He designed this earth as the perfect habitation for humanity and provides us with the necessities of life. But the highest expression of His love is manifested in His provision for our eternal needs. He sent His Son to redeem us from sin so that we could be forgiven and reconciled to God - and then live with Him in heaven forever.
   Why, then, with all this evidence, do so many of us still doubt His love? Perhaps the reason is that we are looking at it form our own limited perspective: Since human beings cannot love others unconditionally, we doubt that the Lord can. After all, worldly logic considers it reasonable to be loving towards people who measure up to our standards but to hold ourselves aloof from those who don't.
   Or maybe we just feel unworthy of His love. Well, I have news for you: No one is worthy. God's love is based not on whether we are deserving but on His character - we need to understand that love isn't simply something God does; it's who He is (1 John 4:8).
   Divine love is a demonstration of God's commitment to our greatest good. It's like the ocean's tide. You can stand on the shore and say, "I don't believe in waves," but that doesn't stop them from coming. Likewise, nothing you do or feel will stop the Father's love from washing over you.
Stanley, Charles F. "The Unconditional Love of God." In Touch: Daily Readings For Devoted Living September 2016. Atlanta: In Touch Ministries. page 6.

Christ: The Key to Contentment

Philippians 4:6-7

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.    NIV   Bible Gateway.com

   While in prison, Paul penned precious words about the sufficiency of Christ. We tend to attach the idea of contentment to beach vacation spots and mountain retreats, but the apostle wrote that we are not to be anxious anywhere or at any time because we have the Lord's peace.
   Contentment is the believer's birthright. Peace is part of the spiritual fruit that's ours when we trust in the Savior ( Gal. 5:22); it is an inward serenity that passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7). Jesus lived through conflict with a sense of inner quiet, and because of His indwelling Spirit, that remarkable calm belongs to God's children, too. That is important because there are times when we come across a problem that has no earthly solution. In situations like those, we learn that self-sufficiency is a lie. We cannot cope alone, but Christ is all we need.
   Here is the flip side of the coin: "'There is no peace for the wicked,' says the Lord" (Isa. 48:22). Modern culture slaps the word wicked onto only the vilest actions and people, but God's definition is much broader. The wicked are those who willfully reject His right to forgive their sins and take Lordship over their life. If you are not a believer, you cannot experience true and lasting contentment.
   When we are born again (John 3:3-8), we become children of the living God and rightful heirs to every good thing He has to offer. This includes the deep inner peace and joy that can withstand any trial. What can man do to the one who belongs to the Lord (Heb. 13:6)? 
Stanley, Charles F, "Christ: The Key to Contentment," In Touch: Daily Readings For Devoted Living September 2016. Atlanta: In Touch Ministries. page 27.

Obstacles to Contentment

Matthew 6:25-30

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  NIV  Bible Gateway.com
Anxiety is a thief. The combination of fear and uncertainty robs many believers of the peace that the heavenly Father intends for them to have (John 14:27). But anxiety does not fit who we are in Jesus Christ. By putting our faith in Him, we have placed our life in the hands of a sovereign God who wants the very best for His children. What do we have to fear when we trust in Him?
   Believing in the Lord doesn't mean that we will never experience uncertainty. What it should means is that we choose to let go of anxiety and instead trust Him to provide for our needs in His time and His way. When we don't, fear and doubt can become entrenched in our thinking and develop into a stronghold. Then Satan will dig in and use every resource he can to build our apprehension. That is what sinful anxiety looks like - a sense of fear that overwhelms faith.
   Faith can be besieged and toppled when its foundation is weakened by unbelief. I'm not implying that an anxious believer isn't truly a Christian. However, in saying "I know God is capable of dealing with the problems in my life, but I'm not sure that He will," uncertain saints may look for ways to fix the issue themseles instead of waiting patiently for the Lord to act on their behalf.
   Th Lord sees the beginning and the end of every situation that we face. He knows the root of our anxiety, the best way to calm our heart, and how to turn our weeping into joy. He will do all of this without leaving our side, because He loves us deeply and desires to bless us richly. 
Stanley, Charles F. "Obstacles to Contentment." In Touch: Daily Readings For Devoted Living September 2016. Atlanta: In Touch Ministries. page 26. 

Getting Rid of Anger

Ephesians 4:26-32

²⁶ “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸ Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.      NIV Bible Gateway.com

    The apostle Paul wrote extensively about the character and conduct of believers. He said that as Christians, we are to "walk in a manner worthy of [our] calling" (Eph. 4:1) and to "be imitators of God" (Eph. 5:1). In his letter to the church at Ephesus, he explained what it meant to live a godly life.
   First of all, we must curtail some of our old habits and behaviors and replace them with new ones that are acceptable to God. The acts of the flesh are no longer to be a part of us - we now have a new nature and must conduct ourselves accordingly. Galatians 5:19-21 lists 15 specific behaviors that have to cease. These include enmities, strife, outbursts of anger, disputes, and dissensions. Notice the role anger plays in each of these. It fuels disagreements and inflames antagonism. And second, if we get angry, we need to apologize quickly (Eph. 4:26).
   The fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) should replace ungodly thoughts and actions. If we have been quick-tempered, then we need to gain patience. If our anger runs hot, then we are to become peaceful people. Foolishness in speech must give way to the wisdom of Christ. Change is possible because sin's power over us has been permanently broken. We have been set free to live in a way pleasing to God.
   We all struggle with some form of ungodly behavior, but happily, we need not continue in it. As new creations, we no longer have to be defined by who we were before salvation (2 Cor. 5:17). To exhibit the righteousness that is yours, cooperate with the Holy Spirit's transforming work. 
Stanley, Charles F. "Getting Rid of Anger." In Touch: Daily Readings For Devoted Living September 2016. Atlanta: In Touch Ministries. page 18.

Neva Coyle writer of Christian books for everyone!

A few of Neva Coyle books 

My introduction to Neva Coyle's writing began with overeating behavior. Her Overeaters Victorious Christian weight management concept was nonjudgmental and easily understood. A versatile author of fiction and non-fiction, Mrs. Coyle is also a gifted motivational speaker/teacher. Her understanding and love for people translates into everything she writes.

 
A Door of Hope is a novel. Karissa Hill, class of '57, eloped with the boy of her dreams. In November 1998, I wrote a review titled What does the future promise? In the review, I admitted that fiction was not my interest. Yet, this novel held my attention from the first page. I almost stayed up all night tonight reading it again. The author has a way of drawing in the reader. This is more than fiction. This is life! A person on the outside appears to have it all together; what is happening behind closed doors? Many of the readers will be able to identify with the characters in this story. We can see the hope each character received in the person of Jesus Christ. This same hope is available to every reader, no matter what has happened or what is currently going on in life.

Living by Chance or by Choice: How to Respond to Circumstances and Make Decisions With Courage and Clear Thinking explains that many of moments in life are crossroads. Things will never be the same. In the beginning, the author asks the reader, "Do you always see your crossroads as a crisis or a new start?... no book can change you... change and growth will involve an interaction between you and God." page 16 The book is divided into four parts with about eight chapters each. Read the rest of the book slowly; answer the questions, think clearly!

A devotional day-book, Learning to Know God ...and to Love His Friends offers 30 readings. Each one is complete with suggested scripture, thoughts and ideas to consider. The section headings include:

• God Knows Me
• Being God's Friend
• People Who Know God Change

Again in 1998, I wrote a book review. My goal was to explain how Neva Coyle gently leads the reader to a relationship with God. For me, this book brought tears. After reading the following scripture, tears of sorrow for the past choices that I had made instead of waiting or listening.

 ^{Jeremiah 31:3} The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
    I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. Jeremiah 31:3New International Version (NIV)

After reading the following scripture, tears of joy for God's love, grace and mercy to me!!!

^{John 15:9} “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love...." John 15:9 New International Version (NIV) www.Biblegateway.org