We closed out this month of January with our last week in the wonderful devotional book, Settle My Soul. If you have not read it, I highly recommend this one.

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“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
(2 Timothy 4:7)

It is always exciting to start a new task or journey. There is always a rush of delight when we complete a project. But it is often in the middle that we struggle.

Perseverance, or endurance, is what we need deep in our bones. Endurance has been defined as : “the ability to withstand hardship or adversity.” Endurance is what will keep us from growing weary and giving up.

The enemy loves for us to give up and not complete what God has called us to do. When we endure the hard things and press forward, we turn situations around and bring glory to God.

What are you most tempted to quit right now because it’s hard? Where do you believe God is calling you to stay the course?

Ask God to strengthen your steps and help you to finish the task.

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“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” (Ephesians 4:31)

The Scripture pretty much sums it up – it all has to go and we are the ones who must rid ourselves of it. This quote from the devotional is a powerful one:

“And God wants us to get rid of unrighteous anger because it is destructive to our own souls and has the power to damage the relationships we hold dear.” (Ruth Schwenk, from page 216)

We need to look into our hearts when we are angry and ask – “What is the root of our anger?” Often we are angry about the turn of events, or the loss, or a betrayal. It is what we do with these feelings, and with the anger, which will determine the outcome.

The devotional asks: What sinful desires are most often at the root of your anger? What is one way you can “get rid of anger” today?

If we do not deal with the root of our anger, it will lead us in the wrong direction. Look back up at the quote, unchecked anger is destructive to our own souls and can destroy relationships.

Let’s deal with our anger and protect both our souls and others.

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“Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him.” (Psalm 33:8)

So many times in Scripture we find the people in awe of God and down on their faces before Him. The power and presence of God moved them.

In the devotional the author used two words which piqued my interest:

• “We are easily entertained, but are we easily enthralled by God?” Enthralled = captivated.
• “One of the greatest risks to us in crazy and chaotic seasons is to have an underwhelmed soul.” Underwhelmed = failing to interest or astonish us; failing to impact.

We want, and need, to be in awe of God – of Who He is, and of what He does. We also need to be in appreciation of Him.

Have you lost your awe of God? Remember a time when you were in awe of Him. What is one way you can begin to slow down to pay attention of who God is?

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As we fight for our faith,
ridding ourselves of destructive emotions,
we will remain in awe of our God.

Photo 1: by chuttersnap on Unsplash
Photo 2: by Günther Schneider from Pixabay

Today I am joining … Tell His Story and Purposeful Faith and InstaEncouragements .