Daily Devotion Wednesday, June 28 “Turn thou me, and I shall be turned.” Jer 31:18 When we have been hurt, our first instinct is to retaliate. We know it’s wrong because the Bible says we must forgive in order to be forgiven (See Mk 11:25). We also know that bitterness can hurt us physically and emotionally. But sometimes we can’t bring ourselves to forgive, so we keep wrestling with it in our mind. Stop and think what happens in a wrestling match. You focus on your opponent, clinging to them and trying to control them. Your aim is to put them on the mat and bring them into submission, and it requires all your energy. Plus, you risk getting hurt in the process. The only real power you have over someone who hurts you is the power of forgiveness. So for your own sake, forgive them and move on! Even though you don’t feel like forgiving, pray, “Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God.” In other words, “Lord, make me willing to forgive.” The old saying, “To err is human, to forgive is divine,” is the truth. Now, small offenses can be forgiven quickly, but big ones require divine assistance. And you can have it: “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Php 2:13 NLT). Yes, you may want your offender to suffer, but when your greatest desire is to please the Lord, He will give you the grace to forgive. When you realize the blessings God has in store for you in the future, you will refuse to spend another moment stuck in the past.

Daily Devotion
Thursday, June 29
“Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness.”   Ps 37:3 AMPC
Sometimes when we have problems, we withdraw from normal life and spend all our time obsessing and trying to solve them.  We talk about them to anyone who will listen.  All this is unproductive activity which prevents us from doing what we should be doing, which is “doing good.”  If you want to experience the benefits of God’s faithfulness, you must do two things: (1) “Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord.”  (2) “And do good.”  When we have problems, it feels counterintuitive to focus on blessing others.  But it’s not; it’s actually a very powerful thing to do.  It takes your mind off you and your problem.  Plus, you’re sowing good seed that ultimately brings your good harvest.  Falling into self-pity, fretting, and talking negatively prevent God from helping you.  But trusting Him and persisting in doing good for others release Him to work on your behalf.  We may know it’s wrong to worry and yet continue worrying.  We must realize that none of God’s promises work for us until we actually obey His Word.  Knowledge alone won’t solve your problems; you must take action and be obedient no matter how you feel.  You might not feel like keeping a commitment or doing something to help someone else, but when you do it, God goes to work on your behalf.  So, one of the keys to overcoming fear and worry is doing what God has told you to do regardless of how you feel.