MOM'S FAVORITE PROMISE
In honor of my beautiful Mom, here is one of her favorite promises in the Bible and the devotion from Just One Word that goes with it:
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.
His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
DISPLACE
verb: to move physically out of position; to take the place of
It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Phil. 4:7 MSG
Are you a worrier? I am. I hate to admit it, but I really am. My first thought when I wake up in the morning is often something stressful.
What if…?
I don’t know what to do about…
How am I going to…?
This is too hard…
The center of our lives. Our hearts, our souls, our minds. Worry and fear are not supposed to have that place.
Christ wants to be there. He wants to calm us, heal us, hold us through the stresses and struggles. He can displace our worries.
Displace means “to move physically out of position; to take the place of.” That’s what boats do to water. A huge tanker stacked with freight, a ferry loaded with hundreds of cars, a weathered old rowboat. The mass of the boat pushes the water out of the way and literally takes its place.
So the displaced worries? They’re floating around somewhere. Of course we are going to think about the things in our life that concern us. But if we let Jesus be our lifeboat of peace, if we focus on him, those anxious thoughts get smaller as they drift further away from our hearts.
INVITE HIM IN
Take a deep breath. Think for a minute about your heart, your soul, your mind. What is taking up the center of you today? If it’s not Jesus, ask him to move things around. He can displace the fear, anxiety, and negativity and fill you with his peace, deep joy, and real hope. Allow the worry to float away from you and hold on to him. He knows what you need.
PRAYER
Dear Jesus, thank you that you care deeply about what concerns me. You know the weight of my stress, and you are willing to get in the middle of it all. Please let your strength and love and peace displace my worries and calm my heart. Amen.
Excerpted with permission from Just One Word, by Susie Crosby, published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 97408. Copyright 2018, Susie Crosby. www.harvesthousepublishers.com