Countryside Church of the Nazarene

Good morning my wonderful church family. May God lift you from any trial, pain or suffering you are experiencing. May he pull you from the pit of despair, from the mud and mire. Setting your feet on solid ground, steading you as you walk along. May he put a new song in your mouth, a song of praise to our God. May many see that in your life and be amazed, and turn to God. Today Joyce touches on how Satan tries to put doubt in our minds about God. We know who God is, and we kno...w who the enemy is. We know they are both real and if you read your Bible you know who is in charge. Time to put our faith in the one who is in charge amen! Let's see what Joyce has to say today. Defeating Unbelief Sometimes we unintentionally give the wrong impression about spiritual warfare. We know that our enemy is the devil and that we must fight daily to win, but that's not everything. If the Christian life were nothing but battles, it would be discouraging to fight every hour of every day. The Christian life is one of joy and peace. God gives us a great sense of fulfillment, and we're at rest because we know we honor Him by the way we live. In today's scripture, Peter wrote to Christians about their enemy--warning them and urging them to be vigilant, which is where we often put the emphasis. Just before he wrote those words, however, he said, "Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully" (v. 7). We must remind ourselves of God's love for us. Satan tries to destroy our faith with lies like: "If God really cared about you, why would He make you go through this trial?" "If God truly loved you, would He treat you this way?" If he can make you think you're not loved or that God doesn't have your best interest at heart, he can plant tiny seeds of unbelief. When struggles, trials, and hardships come your way--and they always do--you have a choice. You can heed Peter's words and give God your cares, worries, and concerns. No matter how dark the night or how evil the situation, you must remind yourself that God is not only present with you in those situations, but He also loves you and will provide for you. Pray: Dear heavenly Father, the enemy often tries to fill me with unbelief and make me deny Your powerful love for me. But like Abraham, I stand firm on Your promises. Thank You for the comfort I find in Your assurance that You're always with me. Amen. From the book Battlefield of the Mind Devotional by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2005 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved. Here is today's scripture 1 Peter 5:8-9 I pray you all have a blessed day keep marching for the kingdom and please get in the word so the word can get in you.

Good morning my brothers and sisters in Christ. May the Lord who loved you so much that he graciously sent his son as a sacrifice to wash your sins clean, and bring you eternal life with him. Today in the devotional Joyce talks about reading your Bible. I can't stress the importance of being in God's word. It is what Christ used when he was tempted by the devil and that example is the one we should follow. when Satan temps us it's the word of God that is our shield and sword....Continue reading

Good morning my beloved Brothers and sisters in Christ. May the Lord of heaven's army be with you today; strengthening you, protecting you, and filling you with peace, love and joy. Today's devotional is really good. I feel Joyce hits a home run with it. We see things in a different way than God does. 25 years was a long time for Abraham to wait for a son. I find it hard to wait for a month LOL actually a week. Well maybe even a day ha ha ha. But as we go through our struggle...Continue reading

Good morning my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ. May the God who created the world from an empty void fill every void in you with his Holy Spirit. Today's devotional pairs right along with my sermon yesterday. In case some of you do not know you can look at videos, and live sermons on this page also. The question that was asked in the sermon yesterday was from The book of Mark. Jesus asked "who do you say I am?" After you read the devotional by Joyce Meyers today think... of that question. Who is Jesus to you, what kind of relationship do you have with him, and do you expect him to only serve you or do you desire to serve him? Let's look at the devotional. Getting What We Want I usually know what I want, and I like to get it. I'm exactly like most people. When we don't get what we want, our negative feelings flare up. Too often, we Christians expect life to be perfect and for everything to go smoothly for us. We expect success, happiness, joy, peace, and everything else. When we're thwarted, we pout or complain. Although God does want us to have a good life, there will be times when we must be patient and endure not getting our way. These disappointments test our character and level of spiritual maturity. They actually show whether or not we truly are ready for promotion. Why do we think we should always be first? Why do we think we are entitled to the perfect life? Perhaps sometimes we think more highly of ourselves than we ought. A humble mind enables us to take a back seat and wait for God to move us to the front. God's Word says that we inherit the promises through faith and patience. Believing God is good, but can we continue to believe God and trust Him when we don't feel that life is fair? The secret of the Christian life is that we commit ourselves fully to God. If we surrender our wills to God, what happens doesn't make us angry. If God doesn't give us what we want and ask for, our faith is strong enough to say, "Not my will, but Yours." Pray: God, help me. I often have strong desires, and when I don't get what I want, I get upset. Forgive me. Remind me that Jesus didn't want to die on the cross, but He lived in total submission to Your will. I ask You, through Jesus Christ, to help me live in total submission and be content with what You give me. Amen. From the book Battlefield of the Mind Devotional by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2005 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved. Here is today's scripture Proverbs 3:5 - 6 I hope you all have a wonderful day. Seek the kingdom of God first, keep marching for the Lord, and stay in the word so the word will stay in you. Have a blessed day!