ANXIETY​​​​​​!

Philippians 4:4-7 – Devotional

Philippians 4:4-7

“Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 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.”

When I think of being nervous my mind goes to the character that Don Knotts played on the old Andy Griffith show. He was the ever nervous and always anxious deputy, Barney Fife. It was humorous watching as Barney’s anxiety over insignificant situations caused even more problems.

I always wanted to put a hand on his should and help him calm down and assure him that everything would be okay (but he was just playing a part).

What about our own lives? What are the things that cause us to tremble, shake, and lose sleep? Do you think the Lord is pleased with us when we allow our anxious thoughts to control our lives?

There are several thoughts I see in today’s Scripture that must be a part of our thinking in order to counteract anxiety:

1. Always rejoice
2. Gentleness that is evident to all
3. Remember that the Lord is near
4. Get rid of anxious thoughts, and
5. Always pray with thanksgiving

The Lord is in control — relax and enjoy Him!

Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today and be a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

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SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER!

Philippians 4:4-6 – Devotional

Philippians 4:4-6

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.“

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William Walford did not allow the fact that he was blind limit his service for his Lord. He was frequently called upon to preach in a small country church. He composed the sermons in his head and also was able to quote large portions of Scripture from memory. Some people thought he had memorized the entire Bible. He also composed verses as the Lord laid the words upon his heart. Above all—he was a man of prayer.

In the mid 1800(s), Thomas Salmon was visiting in England and became acquainted with Pastor Walford. As they were visiting one day the blind pastor quoted a few pieces he had composed. Since he had no one to write them down he had kept them treasured in the storehouse of his mind.

One of the verses he related to Mr. Salmon was, Sweet Hour of Prayer. Mr. Salmon eagerly scribbled the words down on a scrap of paper. When he returned to New York he sent the verses to the Observer and asked if they thought them worth preserving. The Observer did think them worthy and published them on September 13, 1845. The music was added by William Bradbury in 1861.

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SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER

1. Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer! That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne, make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief;
and oft escaped the tempter’s snare by thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

2. Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer! The joys I feel, the bliss I share,
of those whose anxious spirits burn, with strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place, where God my Savior shows His face,
and gladly take my station there, and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

3. Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer! Thy wings shall my petition bear
to Him whose truth and faithfulness, engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since He bids me seek His face, believe His Word and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him my every care, and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

4. Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer! May I thy consolation share,
till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height, I view my home and take my flight:
This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise, to seize the everlasting prize;
and shout, while passing through the air, Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!

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You can access the GloryScapes version of Sweet Hour of Prayer by going to https://gloryscapes.com/sweethourofprayer/

May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!

– – – Pastor Cecil

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THE REAL YOU​​​​​​!

Philippians 2:3-4 – Devotional

Philippians 2:3-4

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

If you were asked to describe yourself, what would you say? Without using titles, educational degrees or financial standing, what are the qualities that would best describe you? What makes you the person you are?

Some people feel if they attain a particular goal they have set for themselves, they have arrived! It usually is only a short period of time before they realize that “arriving” is not what they had expected. They may have met their objective, but it only left them feeling empty. They do things for other people expecting them to return the favor. If the response is less than expected, they are crushed.

I love the way Paul explains it in today’s Scripture. He boldly suggests that some people do good works for selfish motives. Their objective is to accomplish things so people will think highly of them. If they are not appreciated they feel that they are failures.

Now is the time for self examination. Are you doing acts of righteousness only to please the Lord or in order to gratify yourself? Let the real you do for others who will never be able to return the favor.

Blessings dear hearts walk with God today and become a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

Share a blessing by inviting your friends and family to subscribe to Pastor Cecil’s DailyEvotional emails by clicking on the Subscribe button above.

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If you have watched The Sands of Eternity video above and prayed the prayer at the end, please go to https://PastorCecil.com/ and use the form on the webpage to let us know so we can send you follow up resources and/or send an email to pastorcecil@dailyevotional.com and let him know.

GOD’S SUPPLY​​​​​​!

Philippians 4:19 – Devotional

Philippians 4:19

“But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

During my teen years I worked for a milk processing plant. Since I was always the lowest man on the list, it was not uncommon to be sent to the supply depot and deliver whatever was needed to meet the needs of whichever department needed it.

If that makes you question what it was that I did, you are not alone. I often asked myself the same question. The easiest answer is that I simply tried to do what I was asked to do in the best and fastest way I knew how.

You know, as I think about it there has not been much change. I have come to understand that the best way for me to serve the Lord is to keep my ears open for His instructions for me to follow.

The times in my spiritual life that I encountered problems were the times I failed to do the Lord’s will, or that I hesitated (drug my feet) before reluctantly obeying. Oh, how much easier it is when we respond without delay! Lead on Lord Jesus!

Blessings dear hearts walk with God today and become a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

Share a blessing by inviting your friends and family to subscribe to Pastor Cecil’s DailyEvotional emails by clicking on the Subscribe button above.

Share the Lord with someone by directing them to https://PastorCecil.com.

If you have watched The Sands of Eternity video above and prayed the prayer at the end, please go to https://PastorCecil.com/ and use the form on the webpage to let us know so we can send you follow up resources and/or send an email to pastorcecil@dailyevotional.com and let him know.

JESUS THE VERY THOUGHT OF THEE​!

Philippians 1:21 – Devotional

Philippians 1:21

“For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.“

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During a time that history calls the “Dark Ages” the church was in confusion. Christianity had become degenerate and corrupt. Moral standards of the people were a disgrace and shame. But God always has for Himself a remnant of true believers. One of those was Bernard of Clairvaux.

God used this man to pen the words to some devotional poems that have become some of our finest hymns, and today’s hymn “Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee.”

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JESUS THE VERY THOUGHT OF THEE

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
with sweetness fills the breast;
but sweeter far Thy face to see,
and in Thy presence rest.

O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek,
to those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!

But what to those who find? Ah, this
nor tongue nor pen can show;
the love of Jesus, what it is,
none but His loved ones know.

Jesus, our only joy be Thou,
as Thou our prize wilt be;
Jesus, be Thou our glory now,
and through eternity.

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CLICK HERE to watch the Jesus the Very Thought of Thee video devotional from GloryScapes.com.

Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!

– – – Pastor Cecil

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Share the Lord with someone by directing them to https://PastorCecil.com.

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS!

Philippians 4:8 – Devotional

Philippians 4:8

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.“

There used to be series of capital letters that seemed irrational until you grasped the meaning: GIGO. These letters meant: GARBAGE IN GARBAGE OUT! What we fill our minds with will result in the actions we take.

We live in a world that is like a cesspool of sin and depravity. That means we must be on guard constantly lest we be swept away with the ugliness that is so prevalent that it seems to have become the norm rather than the exception.

In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul is giving them practical advice to be able to contend with the sin that surrounds. He stresses that our thought life determines our actions. What we choose to put into our mind will determine how we act.

What about your thought life? Are you making an effort to spend time in God’s Word and edifying things? Do you set aside time each and every day for your personal devotions and communion with the Lord? THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS!

Blessings dear hearts walk with God today and become a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

Share a blessing by inviting your friends and family to subscribe to Pastor Cecil’s DailyEvotional emails by clicking on the Subscribe button above.

Share the Lord with someone by directing them to https://PastorCecil.com.

If you have watched The Sands of Eternity video above and prayed the prayer at the end, please go to https://PastorCecil.com/ and use the form on the webpage to let us know so we can send you follow up resources and/or send an email to pastorcecil@dailyevotional.com and let him know.