We are prone to stress and grumble when we do things without Jesus. My days can get super busy, especially with a toddler and newborn, but as I take time to slow down my thoughts and look to Jesus, I am filled with His peace and love.

When complaints arise in my mind, I am reminded to fill my thoughts with gratitude as I look to Jesus. I find that negative thoughts leave as I fill my heart with gratitude for Jesus and His love for me. 

When negative thoughts come, that is our cue to turn to abide in Jesus.

With Jesus, we can overcome negative thoughts that come our way. The flesh will always gravitate us towards grumbling and finding the wrongs in our lives, but we are to put off our fleshy desires and put on Christ (Ephesians 4:24). Jesus invites us to abide in Him always so that we may bear fruit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). 

Life is not always easy, but with Jesus, we can persevere and still bear fruit through difficult times.

Jesus says in John 15:4, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” Remember that Jesus is always with you. Jesus promises that we will bear fruit as we abide in Him, even during dry and trying times. You can fellowship with the One who is the source of rivers of living water.

The word “abide” means to remain or to cling to. 

So how do we abide in Christ? By choosing to cling to Him in our thoughts and actions. When circumstances tempt us to complain and pull away from Jesus, we must choose to remain in Jesus by encompassing all that He is such as being patient and kind.

To follow Jesus will require us to deny ourselves and carry up our cross (our willingness to die to our fleshly desires). Jesus says in Matthew 16:24, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

If we want to abide in Jesus, we must deny our fleshly desires and choose to walk by the Spirit in our thoughts and actions.

Our natural instinct is to do things with our own strength and ability. This is why sometimes God lets us go through challenges and asks us to do things beyond what we can do to show us that it is through Christ that we can do all things. 

Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” In our weakness, we can still experience the grace and transformative power of Jesus as we choose to yield to Jesus. 

No matter the hardships you are going through, remember that God’s strength is available for you. As you abide in Jesus and choose to lay aside your worries and whatever is of the flesh, you will find His supernatural strength.

Make this your prayer: Jesus, help me to do nothing apart from You.

Remember that you are not alone and God is here to help you live a victorious life through Jesus. God says in Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected so that we too can die in the bondage of sin and instead experience a life of freedom in Christ here on earth and for eternity.

We are called to live with God’s perspective and not our own. When we see from His perspective, we can believe in big things and have faith in the impossible. Ephesians 2:6 says, “and He raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…” 

When we accept Jesus as our Savior and abide in Him, we get to see from His perspective — a heavenly perspective. By the Holy Spirit, we have access to the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). 

Let us not dwell on negative thoughts but instead ask the Holy Spirit to show us His perspective.

May our knowledge of God through the Holy Spirit cause us to be kind, patient, thankful, gentle, long-suffering, faithful, and filled with self-control. Colossians 1:9-12 says, “We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.”

Let us not continue to live in our flesh, but rather walk by the Spirit that we may inherit eternal life with Jesus. 

God has given us His Spirit to strengthen us and conform us to His image — the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29). All we need to do is yield to the Holy Spirit and we will see Him strengthen us. So remember, abide in Christ.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for calming our minds and spirits when negative thoughts arise. May we always stay connected to you when life becomes too hard and always trust in Your ability. 

Listen to our Podcast “How To Abide In Christ”

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Recently, I was battling unforgiveness. I was asking God why it was so hard for me to let go and forgive. He then said, “It’s because you are beholding your anger. Behold Me and you will find rest.”

It was at that moment when I realized that, as long as I kept beholding my anger, I would be angry. But as I beheld Jesus and His love, I became love. As I focused on Jesus’s love towards me, forgiving the other person became easy because I remembered how much mercy God had on my life. As I beheld mercy, the only thing that filled my heart was mercy.

We can only extend love to others as we behold Jesus and receive His love. Instead of replaying your pain, replay God’s love. It’s only then that His love can fill your heart.

Whatever you are experiencing, will you look to Jesus and only Jesus?

The Lord is jealous after us. He doesn’t want anything or anyone to share our hearts with Him. He wants ALL of our hearts just for Him.

Why is He so jealous for us? Because He loves us so much. Jesus loves us too much to see us drift away from Him. He knows that if He isn’t first in our lives, we will eventually drift away from Him. He no longer will be the priority of our hearts but merely a means to an end.

There is nothing and no one more beautiful than Jesus, our lover and Savior. He alone deserves our first love.

It is He who holds all things together. When anger, fear, or worry fills your heart, choose to look to Jesus. As we see Him rightly, our hearts will be reminded to be still.

There is only one thing we need to behold and that is Jesus. The worries and cares of this world will matter less as we consume ourselves with the beauty of Jesus. Let us make Psalm 27:4 our prayer, “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

Will you give Jesus your whole attention and devotion?

As we look to Jesus, we will remember that He is…

Just amidst the injustice
Love amidst the pain
Peace amidst the worry
Beauty amidst the broken

Perfect peace comes on those whose mind is steadfast on Jesus (Isaiah 26:3).

The only way to be like Jesus is to abide with Jesus. When loving others becomes tough, run to Jesus and ask Him to fill you with His love so that you can love. We can only give what we receive. Receiving from Jesus requires abiding in Jesus.

When distractions and emotions rise, know that He is the only source for our healing and joy because only He was made to be our Savior. Our worries and pains disappear as we 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀. So remember to ask yourself, “What are you beholding?”

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for giving me your love. Help me to fix my eyes on you alone.

Listen more in our podcast “What Are You Beholding?”
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Please consider donating to the ministry if you have been blessed. You can do so by clicking here: GIVE
Every dollar counts towards spreading God’s truth. Help us reach more lives with the gospel of Christ.

I have struggled with many things, but anxiety seems to still find it’s a way to creep in now and then.

There would be moments when I would give in to my fears and start entertaining such thoughts. I became so afraid of my own thoughts because it would cause me to feel depressed even when I didn’t want to feel that way.

I was bound and felt like I no longer had control over my thoughts. Questions to God came like, when will these thoughts leave? 

God then gave me a dream that opened my eyes to the reality that I was already set free in Jesus. I dreamt there was a black cat that had rabies. I tried avoiding the cat but whenever I would call it out to go away or tried to close the door on it, the cat would come even closer to me. But then in one scene of my dream, I remember walking away from the cat and disregarding it, and the cat went further away from me.

Through this dream, Jesus opened my eyes and showed me that I didn’t have to struggle or fear such anxious thoughts that come and torment me. I needed to stop seeing my struggle as a battle that needed to be fought, but one that has already been foughten.

The moment I disregarded the cat, it left me. It was when I acknowledged the power of the cat that I became afraid and the cat came even closer to me. Jesus reminded me that He is in me and because He is in me every darkness has to flee.

1 John 1:5 says, “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” We have the choice to walk in darkness or His light. When we walk in His light, we have fellowship with Jesus and His blood purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

There is power in the name of Jesus, and we just need to believe it. Throughout scripture we see Jesus casting out demons and making people whole. That is who Jesus was and still is today.

He has given us the authority to walk victoriously over the enemy. Jesus says in Luke 10:19, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.“

We can be so afraid of the very thing that keeps us in bondage, but when we realize that we have been set free in Jesus, we have nothing to fear. Our old sin habits no longer have power over us because in Jesus we have the power to overcome anything.

We need to stop trying to change and believe that we are changed.

In Luke 13:10 we see Jesus healing a woman who has been bound by a spirit causing her to be crippled. Jesus goes to the woman and heals her and said, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity” (Luke 13:12).

Just as Jesus came to set that woman free, He also came to set you free.

Jesus longs to set you free from any bondage that is holding you back from living for Him. Any limitation we have that stops us from living for Jesus is a bondage from the enemy. Whether your struggle is emotionally, mentally, spiritually, or physically, Jesus wants to make you whole.

Jesus created you to thrive and to live in freedom. It’s time for you to believe and walk in the freedom that comes when you accept Jesus as your savior. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here.“

Are you facing any bondages in your life? Ask Jesus to touch you and to set you free.

When you are faced with temptation, say to yourself, “Jesus has set me free”. You will see the power of your words and faith transform you and bring your healing. Jesus says in Luke 17:19, “Your faith has made you whole.” Your faith in Jesus has the power to make you whole.

Jesus wants to set you free so that you can set others free in Him. Your testimony has the power to help others walk from darkness into the light of Christ. God has mighty plans for your life. Don’t let the enemy stop you from living your life to the fullest. So remember, live set free in Jesus.

Prayer: Jesus, I thank you that you have set me free to set others free in you.