Abiding in Him

His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. Psalm 25:13

Remember last week?

We talked about fearing the Lord.

And when we do that, God instructs us in His best way for us.

The psalm continues this week as we note your soul abides in peace or well-being when you fear the Lord, trusting only in Him.

As a return for your loyalty, God brings you His peace.

Choosing God, your pitiful soul becomes full of God’s peace.

Filled to the top with God’s calm.

His protection.

Resting within His peace.

Not only that, but the psalmist also declares your offspring will prosper.

Godly moms and dads who surrender their households to the ways of God will not only have peace in the now but will influence their children to live for God.

God will be with you when you place Him first, spreading His ways to the next generation.

In this life, people do almost anything for peace in their cluttered lives.

You’re telling me that all I have to do for real peace is to live in fear of the Lord?

Yep.

Dethroning yourself daily and placing God on the throne of your heart will bring you peace.

Not only momentary peace, but you will abide in His peace.

Abide means to dwell.

I, for one, would like to dwell within the perfect peace of Almighty God.

You?

Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash

Clothed in His Love

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.  John 15:9

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Abide in God’s perfect love for you.

Reside.

Stay for a long, long time.

Rest.

When you are abiding in God and His love, there is no room for fear.

When you focus on His love, anxiety walks away and worry leaves.

Why?

Because you feel secure.

Loved.

Complete.

1 John 4:18 says There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. 

God’s perfect love casts out all fear.

When you abide in God’s love, there is no fear.

How do you abide?

Replace ungodly thoughts with God’s truth.

Use Scripture or words which have spoken to your heart.

Rest in God’s love.

Breathe.

And always abide.

Purpose your mind on it.

Focus your heart on it.

And stay.

Stay for a long, long time.

Abide.

Abide With Me

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Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.

Lord, the evening is here.

Literally and figuratively.

I am surrounded by dark thoughts.

Lies are sweeping into my head.

No one knows, but You, Lord.

You know my anxious thoughts.

Stay with me.

Right here.

Endure with me without yielding.

Because I can’t without You.

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Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see—
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

Lord, You never change.

You are always the same.

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Forever.

I can count on You every moment of every day.

There is nothing in this world that compares to You.

While I am surrounded by the cares of this world, I am reminded You are here.

Your patient care fills my every need.

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I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I need you every moment.

You made me strong, but Your strength is stronger.

Only You can foil the enemy’s plans for me.

I can stand only with Your strength pulsing through my veins.

Your constant guidance carries me throughout each day.

In days of happiness and sadness, You never change.

You are always here.

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I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Who should I fear with You at my side?

You, who died for me and raised to life again?

What can man possibly do to me?

The cares of this world are nothing compared to You.

They might weigh me down, but when I give my burdens back to You, I triumph still.

I win only with You by my side.

Thank you for patiently bearing my burdens, walking with me every day.

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Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies;
Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Remind me of what is really important.

You died for me.

You care deeply for me.

Your ways are higher than mine.

You have my best interest first and foremost.

I am in Your thoughts.

Your presence lifts the pressing darkness away.

You scatter it into a million pieces.

Your light and presence fill the room with peace.

And my heart rests, because You have and will always abide forever with me.

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Hymn by Henry F. Lyte, 1847

Photos by Dapo Oni , Jake Gard , Aleksandr Eremin , John Mark Arnold , Tyler Lastovich & Ben White on Unsplash

How Free Are You?

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.   1 John 4:15

If you confess with your lips…

If your soul longs for God…

If your heart knows it needs to be forgiven…

When you confess Jesus is Lord,

You are free.

God abides in you.

God is in you, through you, around you.

He is intertwined with you.

Your whole you.

Logically speaking, if God abides in you, why are you not free?

Why do you choose to stay in your old habits?

Your ugly selfish ways?

Why do you even listen to the lies Satan plants into your brain?

Because our free will allows us to choose.

It’s time to choose again.

Next time someone is hostile, abide in God.

Next time something doesn’t go your way, abide in God.

Next time you frown at your mirror’s reflection, abide in God.

The God who created all things sent His only Son to die so He could abide in you.

Unbelievable.

He came to set you free -to live abundantly.

Purpose your mind, heart, and soul to abide in God.

Because as a Christian, God is abiding in you.

 Photos by Joshua Earle & Ankush Minda on Unsplash