God has been looking to restore His name among the people. His intent has also been in changing and restoring His people!

Thus says the Lord God: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. Ezekiel 36:33

Thus says the Lord God: “I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock.  Like a flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.”’” Ezekiel 36:37-38

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1

The Lord desires to rebuild the cities, wash His people from sin, and allow them to become His flock. He wasn’t looking for just any kind of flock but a flock that is a holy sacrifice to the Lord.

In a world that it is all about individual gain and achievement, becoming a holy sacrifice is antithetical to a culture of selfishness.  If the main goals in life were personal gain and self-improvement, we should see happy individuals, strong marriages, low crime, and healthy children. However, the breakdown of every sphere of society is a reminder that selfishness does not win, and it eventually hardens people, erodes relationships, and breaks down society.

God revived His people and brought their dry bones back to life. However, in order for the people to remain alive, they have to be willing to be a living and holy sacrifice. The Lord gave us the solution to a full and fulfilling life. It is in giving that we receive, and it is in laying down our lives that the Lord gives us so much more than what we expect. The breath of God brings the dry bones back to life, and in becoming a holy sacrifice, we remain alive.

Becoming a holy and living sacrifice is not only our reasonable service, but it is also the only way we can remain truly alive! Any sacrifice on our part, cannot compare with the gift of salvation and the eternal life that Jesus bought for us. Furthermore, in our sacrifice others are touched, and we are blessed knowing that we are fulfilling our purpose.  Selfishness keeps us isolated, but in becoming a holy sacrifice, it opens our lives up for God to shine through us and glorify His name! 

Make a decision to be a living sacrifice this week. Be intentional and be willing to be inconvenienced. Suspend your fears for a week. Give of your time, attention, and heart to the Lord and others and watch how God will use it to glorify His name and bless others. We are His flock, and if we live as a holy sacrifice unto the Lord, our communities will change and the Lord is glorified!

 

God gave Ezekiel a vision concerning the condition of His people and His desire to revive their dry bones (See the previous devotionals). Since God is always purposeful and intentional about His work, why did He want to revive His idolatrous people? Ezekiel 36 provides a clear understanding of God’s heart and why He desired to restore their dry bones.

Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.  And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.  For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Ezekiel 36:22-27

God was looking to restore His name among the nations. His people were supposed to hallow his name and magnify Him on the earth. However, they walked away from His ways and chose idolatry and filth. Their actions hardened their hearts and led to God’s name being profaned among the nations.

The Lord wants to wash us from every filth that has contaminated us. He is looking to take away our stony hearts and give us a heart of flesh. Sin hardens our hearts.  When people in a community or a nation begin to celebrate sin, it leads to rebellion and anarchy. We are witnessing the breakdown of our social and governmental structures right before our eyes.

When I was in Washington D.C. this summer, I noticed many beautiful monuments recognizing our past presidents and leaders. Some of the writings on the walls displayed faith in our creator and recognized His protection and provision over our country.  While I was looking at those walls, I wondered if that is how our nation feels about God right now! Has honoring God become a historical memory from years gone by?

Where is God in our midst now? Why has Christianity become so offensive since it has been the bedrock of freedom for this nation and all other free nations? Sadly, 80% of Americans still claim they are Christian, but we are far from God as a nation. In my geographical area, only 4% of the population goes to church. Among the 4% Christians, we cannot even agree on specific Biblical issues such as life and marriage. If there has ever been a time that the church has opened the door to filth and idolatry, it is now!

There is much change that is required in our nation, but the change must begin with the church not diluting and compromising the Word of God in the name of compassion and justice. Jesus modeled this balance for us. He protected an adulteress from being stoned, but He did not excuse her sin. Jesus came to transform us and revive our dry bones and give us an abundant life.

Please don’t cheat people out of the gift of God’s grace! Jesus came to set us free from sin. His grace isn’t there to excuse sin but to overcome it! Please don’t offer people a lollipop of counterfeit acceptance to calm their pain. The greatest acceptance is when our Holy God reaches out to sinners and invites them to His kingdom and desires to adopt them as sons and daughters. Our ungodly acceptance of people is like filthy rags, and it will keep them in a state of bondage and false identity.

Let’s pray for the true church to rise and love people with a Godly love. People need the breath of the Holy one breathing onto their dry bones and reviving them to true life! We like Ezekiel stand between the living and the dead and speak to the dry bones. Our touch from God brings life to their dead bodies, and it glorifies our Lord!

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional. 

The Lord spoke through a vision to Ezekiel about the condition of the Israelites and their dry bones. Praise God for His solution to man’s dry bones! 

The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.  And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” 

Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!  Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.  I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”’” Ezekiel 37:1-6

The Lord’s desire was to restore His people, and He used Ezekiel to speak through the visions He gave him. Ezekiel’s ministry was primarily to the exiled Jewish people who were under the control of the Babylonians. The Jewish people had become idolatrous over the years. God used Ezekiel to speak to His people about the curse of disobedience and the blessing of obedience. 

Have you ever felt hopeless because of others’ disobedience and sin? It is very difficult to keep the faith in those kinds of situations and believe that things can change. A hopeless situation could be any number of cases such as: an unbelieving spouse,  a wayward child not repentant of their lifestyle.  a manipulative spiritual leader, a divided nation, or your own bad habits. 

The Lord asked Ezekiel if there was any hope for the dry bones, and Ezekiel responded by saying that the Lord had the answer. Ezekiel could have complained or grumbled against the people of God, but he had not lost hope for the people of Israel.  Ezekiel still believed that God had the power to perform miraculous work among His people.

To remain in a state of faith, we need to continually forgive those who sin against God or against us. We also need to surrender the situation to the Lord and ask for His intervention. Sometimes, God allows the situation to get to the point of dry bones before He intervenes. Many times, the situation is prolonged because the person/people have not admitted their sin and, therefore, have not repented.

So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.  Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Ezekiel 37:7-8

Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. Amos 3:7

God trusted His prophet and revealed his secret to Ezekiel. The Lord used His prophet to speak His Word over the people, and Ezekiel did what the Lord asked Him to do. Ezekiel remained in the position of faith and courage. He believed that by speaking to the dry bones, they would come back to life, and they did.

The Lord desires His people to be full of life and vitality. This was the reason that Jesus came to the world to give us life and give it more abundantly. We need to listen to God’s heart on behalf of our family, friends, church, and our nation. It is his desire to restore the dry bones, and the Lord uses His prophets to stand between life and death and proclaim the Word of the Lord.

What is God to speaking to you right now? Is God pleased with the division in your home, church, or your nation?

I will share in the next devotional God’s purpose for the restoration of the dry bones. 

 

We all desire a healthy spiritual life, but, sometimes, people find themselves dry spiritually. However, there is a level of dryness that is more severe. The scripture talks about the condition of having dry or rotten bones. Dry bones are a representation of disease, decay, and death. They symbolize lifeless existence. When the Bible speaks about dry bones, it refers to those who are dead spiritually or about to die from prolonged adverse conditions. 

Bones in the body are living and growing tissues. In childhood years, the bones grow very fast, and a child grows in size and height within just a few years. The bones are like a bank where deposits and withdrawals are made, which continues to go on through adult years. If there is more withdrawals than deposits, people can develop osteoporosis where the bones become brittle (From https://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/kids/healthy_bones.asp). 

This is also true spiritually. Tough situation, bitterness, un-forgiveness withdraw more from about our spiritual bank accounts than thankfulness, obedience, and forgiveness deposit life in our spiritual accounts. Therefore, people find themselves very brittle and weak spiritually. 

The scripture tells us why people experience spiritual decay or develop dry bones.  

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. Proverbs 14:30

Envy eats away at a person and causes them to dry up spiritually. They cannot appreciate what they have because they see others doing better than them. This also impacts their relationship with God. They begin to think that God doesn’t love them and that He has favorites. Their envy could also lead them to hating other people because they cannot stand seeing others happy and successful. Stress, anger, and anxiety becomes their daily food, and they begin to rot spiritually. 

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22

A crushed spirit is a wounded spirit. The person is in a position of depression and hopelessness, and they have lost their joy in life. This kind of spirit brings about spiritual dryness and sadness. There may have been long seasons of disappointments. The individuals may have an appearance of faith, but they are lifeless and depressed because they have not experienced the healing of the Lord. 

Do you know of anyone who is experiencing this condition? Sometimes a church as a community can experience this condition. In the next devotional, I will share about God’s solution and His miraculous work in dealing with dry bones. 

In the last few devotionals, I shared about the lives of Gideon, David, and Peter and how they showed courage in the midst of tough situations. God infused these individuals with courage through His promises, His will, and His revelation.

The Lord uses various resources to build us up in courage. One of the sources of courage is Godly people who support our faith in tough situations of life. Esther was able to be courageous because of the support she received from her Godly cousin! 

Supportive people

Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai:  “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.”  So they told Mordecai Esther’s words.

And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews.  For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai:  “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” Esther 4:10-16

The Israelites were faced with an edict that was supposed to annihilate the entire nation under the Persian Empire. Esther was the favored queen, but she knew that it would be a risk to her life if she approached the king without his invitation. 

Mordecai, Esther’s cousin, was a strong man of faith, and he had raised Esther through her childhood. Obviously, he desired the best for Esther, but he understood that it was time for Esther to take a risk and handle the situation courageously. Moedecai stated three important facts that Esther had to consider: 

1. Esther and her entire household were in danger. Although she was favored,  she would not be able to escape this edict.

2. God will find someone to deliver the Israelites, and He would not allow them to go into extinction.

3. Esther’s position could be God’s purpose to use her as an instrument of deliverance. 

Mordecai’s statements sobered up Esther. He was instrumental in giving her a holy push into God’s purpose! Esther became courageous, and she was willing to risk her life and go before the king. She saw the threat, but she perceived the deliverance.  

We may never be faced with the kind of threat Esther was faced with, but we will all be faced with situations that will challenge our positions, relationships, and even our reputation. There are all kinds of threats around us such as breakdown of marriages, carnality in our churches, corruption in the workplace, and unrighteous laws in our government.

We cannot live life on cruise control or assume that God has placed us in a particular sphere just for our benefit.  When we have an opportunity to speak up or act, we need to be courageous and do what God is asking us.  

Esther had her people pray and fast. Depending on the severity of the situation we may need to do the same. We also need people like Mordecai who love us but love God more to   help us see the situation clearly.  

Do you have a Mordecai in your life? Are you a Mordecai to someone else? Are you available to be God’s instrument of deliverance in your sphere of influence?

There will always be a fear element when we want to be courageous. However, once we understand it is the Lord leading us in that direction, we must step out, take the risk, and trust the Lord!

 

 

The Lord in His mercy gives us courage to accomplish His work on the earth. One of the sources of courage is God’s revelation.

God’s revelation 

Apostle Peter was naturally bold. He was the only one who wanted to walk on water. He was also the one who declared Jesus being the Christ. However, Peter was also the one who made a few mistakes. When Jesus told His disciples about His death, Peter protested against it, and he told Jesus that He was wrong about it! Peter was very sure that he would sacrifice his life for Jesus, but he ended up denying Jesus three times. Despite all the mistakes, Peter became a different man after the Day of Pentecost. 

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. Acts 2:14-15

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—  Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;  whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 22-24

On the day of Pentecost, after being baptized by the Holy Spirit, Peter became a spiritual giant! He was no longer walking in carnality and using his fleshly strength to do spiritual work. On the day of Pentecost, God gave him the courage to stand before thousands of people and tell them about Jesus’ work on the cross. Peter did not shy away from telling the Jews that they killed Jesus by their lawless hands, and neither did he fear their punishment.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit was Jesus’ promise to the believers. Jesus told them that they were going to receive power to reach people. Peter not only received power, but he also received the powerful revelation of the gospel! Finally, Jesus’ teachings, His arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection painted a picture of God’s plan of salvation for Peter. It all made sense because God took the veil off of his perception, and Peter was able to see.

We all need God’s revelation to be courageous in sharing the gospel. We are not called to just learn from others and regurgitate information. When we open our Bibles and God reveals His truth to us, it takes root in our spirit man. We own that revelation, and we don’t forget it. In sharing the gospel, God’s revelation gives us the courage to be bold. We are able to tell others about the Lord because we have experienced and witnessed Him for ourselves.

Do you rely heavily on commentaries or other people’s revelation of the Word? Or do you allow God to give you His revelation? Do you share the gospel with courage and confidence?

 

Knowing God’s Will

David, a teenage shepherd boy, did not shrink from battle in the midst of the pressure because he knew God’s will and God’s heart!

Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines.  The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. (1 Samuel 17:1-3)

And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers.  Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them.  And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. (22-24)

And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”

 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.  Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” 33-37

David was a simple young man who was disregarded by his own when it came to fighting the giant. On the other hand, his older brothers were skilled and trained military men who were afraid of fighting Goliath. Their training did not supply them with courage, neither did it gain them the victory over the enemy. David’s brothers may have had the technical skills, but David had the courage to fight Goliath and win the battle. 

God trained David from the inside out. He was a courageous young man because he knew God’s will. David was sure that the uncircumcised Philistine (Goliath) could not defy the armies of God! He knew that it was God’s will for His people to win the battle over the ungodly. He was not intimidated by the size of the enemy nor did he feel inferior for his lack of military training.

We live in a world of degrees, certification, training, and expertise. It seems like everything requires years of study and developing a level of expertise. That mindset has also crept in the body of Christ, and some think that unless you have special theological training, you are not qualified to teach or preach the word of God. It’s unfortunate that some theologians have intellectual expertise in the word of God but not an encounter with the God of the Bible. Their learning has not been mixed with faith to be effective in their lives. Their heart is not awakened by the truth that makes them bold and courageous. 

David knew God’s will, and it gave him the conviction and the boldness to risk his life. His heart was connected to the Lord’s heart. He took God at His word and trusted God’s character. The will of God had come alive in David’s heart. He had interacted with the God of the Bible. It wasn’t just a head knowledge for David.  He had learned to commune with God in the secret place. When he was all alone shepherding the sheep, he had his conversations with the Lord. Therefore, he was courageous to act upon God’s will despite of being the only one willing to fight Goliath.

You may be required to show courage this week! Are you willing to stand alone and act upon what the Lord is leading you to do?

As God’s people, we are called to be courageous. Courage is the catalyst for change. It allows us to exercise faith and walk in uncertain places and see God come through.  Some people are naturally bold, but to be courageous spiritually, it takes more.

We have many examples of courageous people in the Bible. In the next few devotionals, I will share about God’s sources of courage and how courage allowed His people to face obstacles and fulfill God’s purpose!

God’s call and promise

Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.  And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”

Gideon said to Him, “O my lord,  if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.” 

Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”

So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”  And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.” Judges 6:11-16

Gideon had been faced with continual disappointments in life. His people had been in tough predicament for years. Discouragement over a long period of time has a way of impacting our identities and making us feel weak and inadequate.

In the midst of it all, the Lord met Gideon and began to speak to him about seeing him as a mighty man of valor. He told Gideon that they were going to defeat the Midanites. Gideon had doubts about himself and about God. He had felt forsaken by God and did not think that he could save Israel. The Lord encouraged him again by telling him that He was going to be with Gideon and that He saw him as a mighty man.

The good news is that the Lord sees our potential far better than we ever can. When God gives us His words of affirmation, they make us feel six inches taller. His promises embolden us and redefine us as capable and powerful! His word spoken over us establishes our identity.

The first thing that God asked Gideon to do was to tear down the altar made for Baal and replace it with an altar for God. The Israelites had to be realigned back to God. The Lord also realigns our relationship with Him. We cannot be courageous and double minded at the same time. We cannot have the love of the world and the love of God in our hearts and think that we can be powerful in His kingdom.

Gideon continued to do what God instructed him, and He saw God’s promise fulfilled. The very man who saw himself as the least in his family was able to gain the victory God promised. 

 

Paul had learned to be content in every circumstance of life. He had found the secret of being content. Paul’s writings show us how he developed contentment.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 4-7

 

Rejoicing was a lifestyle for Paul. He did not wait until he was in a corporate gathering to sing praises to the Lord. He also didn’t expect perfect circumstances to rejoice in God.

Paul exercised his will to rejoice in God continually, and he remained humble and open before the Lord. He did not ignore the realities of life but exalted His God above everything else. His rejoicing and thanksgiving were acts of faith that he exercised regularly. Rejoicing and thanksgiving disperse grumbling, fear, and anxiety. They also fan faith into flame! 

In the atmosphere of faith, our prayers and supplications are more closely aligned to the will of God. The peace of God rests on us and allows us to be able to hear His voice when He speaks to us.

in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Paul tells the believers that thanksgiving is the will of God for them. How many times have we prayed to know God’s will for our lives!? We should start by doing the things that we clearly know to be God’s will for us. In this case, the scripture tells us in everything we are to give thanks. We give thanks to God for His love, His character, and His goodness. We give thanks because He is worthy of praise, and we know that He has a plan for our lives. The Lord is ordering our steps.  

Make the commitment to rejoice in God and give thanks throughout your day. At first, it will not be easy but continue doing it. Sometimes you will not feel like it but find reasons to rejoice and give thanks. Allow God to increase your faith and expand your vision.  As you begin this process, you will see contentment develop in your life. You’re also giving to the Lord room to work in extraordinary and supernatural ways. 

 

Paul reminded us that contentment does not come naturally, but it is a learned behavior and attitude. To remain content, we also need to maintain a certain lifestyle to guard the contentment we have gained.

Maintaining Contentment

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.Matthew 8:33

for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Romans 14:17

When we were first saved, our new relationship with the Lord became the most important thing in our lives. We cherished the new found joy and peace,  and we could not imagine life without it.

God also began his sanctifying process.  We allowed Him to prune our lives of those things that hindered our walk with Christ. We also took on new habits and relationships. We studied the Word everyday, and we joined a church and began serving.

However, over time, things changed. Nowadays, we can be cynical of church and Christians. We can also take for granted what God has provided for us. We don’t necessarily want to let go of our relationship with the Lord, but there are a lot of other things that are important to us as well.

Tasks, activities, and demands of life seem to choke the joy out of our lives.  We don’t have the peace we used to have anymore.  When it comes to serving in the church, we cannot commit because our children are involved in competitive sports.We are even too busy to go to church because we are season ticket holders for our favorite team. Life is too busy, and we can’t remember the last time we studied our Bibles. We find ourselves talking more about truth than living the truth we have professed.

Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. Matthew 13:22

When Jesus spoke about the condition of hearts, he gave the parable of the seed and the sower. In one of those environments, the cares of the world choked the life of the plant. Our lives are also continually challenged with various cares in the world. We should not ignore them, but we cannot give them power.

How did Paul handle the cares of this world? I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.