Focus On Jesus

A Better Way

In this world you will have trouble.
But be brave! I have defeated the world!

—John 16:33 (ICB)

You tend to approach problems as if you were going into battle. The problem becomes the focus of your thoughts. Your mind and body tense up as you prepare to fight. It’s the ultimate battle: “You versus The Problem.” And if you don’t win a total victory right away, you feel defeated.

There is a better way. It doesn’t have to be a winner-takes-all fight. When a problem starts to take over your thoughts, talk to Me about it. Step back and get some space between you and your trouble. Let Me show you things from My point of view. You’ll probably find that it’s not really such a big deal.

There will always be trouble to face in this world. But what matters is that you always have Me on your side. When you remember that I’m the all-time Champion who defeated the world, big things get cut down to their real size. You’ll be able to see that your problems aren’t so serious after all.

-Jesus

From Jesus Calling For Kids iphone/ipad app


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What's On Your Mind?

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Philippians 4:8

"What’s On Your Mind?"


It takes a positive thought to replace a negative one. You cannot eradicate negative thoughts just but using your willpower. God’s Word tells us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).

If you read on, it also says, “…whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

So beloved, replace your thoughts of worry with thoughts of His pure, immeasurable and unconditional love for you. Turn your cares into prayers by casting all your cares to Him as you meditate on how He truly cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). Don’t hold on to your worries any longer. Let go and let God be the Father of favor, wisdom and supply that He wants to be to you. Keep meditating on His promises for you in His Word. Thank Him that because of Jesus, you have a blood-bought right to have a mind free of worries and stress today!




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Do Not Worry. Really.

Are you feeling sick?
Are you financially troubled?
Are you depressed?

Don't worry.
We all go through all that.

The BEST thing you can do is
to not worry about it and instead,
give it all to God.

You might tell me.
"It's easy for you to say cuz you are not in my situation. "

I say, yes.
Because it's easier not to worry.

Just try this. Stop thinking about your problem for awhile.

Read a simple verse in the Bible.
Like Psalm23 before you sleep.

Listen to praise music like that of the Hillsong, Kari Jobe, Darlene Zschech, BoB Fitts or Jesus Culture.

Just try.

And sleep well.







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Know And Believe God’s Love For You by Joseph Prince

Know And Believe God’s Love For You by Joseph Prince

1 John 4:16
16And we have known and believed the love that God has for us…

You may know that God cares for you and loves you, and that He demonstrated His love for you by dying on the cross for you, but do you believe it? It is one thing to know about the love that God has for you, but another thing to actually believe it in your heart.

It is one thing to know that the sun shines on us during the day. But it is another thing to believe that the sun is still shining even though we don’t feel its warmth and all we see are dark clouds. Sometimes we are slow in believing God’s love for us when we are going through a tough time. But God wants you to know and believe that He loves you in the midst of the deal falling through, when that job is slow in coming, when the boss is fault-finding or when your child still refuses to come home.

In the midst of the pain, He wants you to know and believe that He is wholly on your side defending and taking care of you. And if God, the most powerful being in the universe, is for you, can anyone or anything come against you successfully?

Perhaps you feel like you have messed up big time. God wants you to know and believe that though others may be angry with you, He will never be angry with you. Neither will He condemn you. The sum total of His anger against your sins fell upon Jesus at the cross. So He wants you to know and believe that He will never punish you because Jesus was punished in your place.

When you feel unworthy because you have just blown it for the umpteenth time, know and believe that your heavenly Father still offers you the gift of no condemnation. So come boldly to His throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace. (Hebrews 4:16)

My friend, know and believe that since He loved you and died for you while you were still a sinner (Romans 5:8) at your worst and ugliest, how much more is His love for you now that you are His beloved child and the righteousness of God in Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:21)



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Forgive And Let God Do The Rest by Joseph Prince

Forgive And Let God Do The Rest by Joseph Prince

Ephesians 4:32
32And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

People like to say, “I can forgive, but I cannot forget.” Have you heard that before? Now, in the first place, nowhere in the Bible does God tell you to forgive and then to forget. It is not in the Bible! The devil is adding something here to make the whole thing burdensome.

God only tells us to forgive because God in Christ has forgiven us a debt we cannot pay. When we do this, we do ourselves a favor because harboring bitterness and unforgiveness can sometimes destroy our health!

So just forgive and let God take care of the rest. When you really forgive, sometimes, He makes you forget. But sometimes, you still remember the incident because it was a major thing in your life. Yet, when you look back at it, the pain is no more there. The sting is gone and you are not bitter.

Joseph had forgiven his brothers before they came and bowed before him. He remembered what they did to him, but he did not remember it with bitterness. (Genesis 50:15–21) So you may remember the incident, but the bitterness is gone because you have put the cross in the picture — “God in Christ forgave me. Daddy, I forgive you. Mama, I forgive you. My cousin, I forgive you.”

When you forgive, forgive by faith, not by your feelings. We walk by faith, not feelings. (2 Corinthians 5:7) Some people are waiting for feelings — “I am waiting, Father, for the right emotion to come on me to forgive that person.” That “right emotion” may never come!

No, forgive by faith, and do it once and for all. Spend time in prayer. Take out your diary and write it down: “Father, I bring this person before you. You know what he did to me. Father, as You forgave me through Jesus’ cross, even though I did not deserve it, by faith, I now forgive this person and I let my anger against him go in Jesus’ name. Amen!”

Once you forgive by faith, you will see the sting of bitterness removed from your heart. You will experience the peace and joy of God filling your mind, and see a greater measure of wholeness in your body!





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You Are God’s Beloved by Joseph Prince

You Are God’s Beloved by Joseph Prince

Ephesians 1:6
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

At the Jordan river, Jesus heard His Father say to Him, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22) Later, in the wilderness, Jesus heard the devil say to Him, “If You are the Son of God…” (Luke 4:3)

Notice that the devil not only questioned Jesus’ sonship, but he also dropped the word “beloved” when he said to Jesus, “If You are the Son of God…” You see, the devil cannot remind you that you are God’s beloved because when you know this truth, whatever he wants to bring against you will not succeed!

Many girls are giving away their virginity because they need to feel wanted and loved. And young boys join gangs to feel accepted because they have been rejected and made to feel worthless by others.

But when you know that you are God’s beloved, no temptation can succeed against you, not even the “giants” who may taunt you. Consider David who slew Goliath. “David” in Hebrew means “beloved”. It takes a David to knock down a giant. In other words, it takes someone who knows that he is God’s beloved to win the fights of life!

You are God’s beloved not because of what you do. Christ did everything. He is God’s Beloved. But God put you in Christ. That is why you are “accepted in the Beloved”. And what God said to Jesus, He says to you today: “You are My beloved son. In you, I am well pleased.”

So if the devil tells you, “Hey, you call yourself ‘God’s beloved’ after what you just did?” have the assurance that it is not based on what you have done, but what Christ has done. And you are still God’s beloved because you are in Christ!

When you say that, I believe the devil screams in frustration because he has no power over you when you are conscious that you are God’s beloved. There is truly a place of safety when you know that you are His beloved.

My friend, we are not being proud when we call ourselves God’s beloved. How can we boast when we know that it is God’s grace that has made us accepted in the Beloved!


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Behold The Glory Of Jesus In You By Joseph Prince

Behold The Glory Of Jesus In You
By Joseph Prince

2 Corinthians 3:18
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

When you look in a mirror, what do you see? Of course, you see yourself. But God does not want you to see yourself in the natural. You may be sick, weak, broke and depressed, yet God wants you to see yourself the way He sees you — healed, strong, rich and whole because Christ is in you. (Colossians 1:27)

God wants you to behold as in a mirror the glory of His Son who is in you by His Spirit. As you do this, His Word says that you are being transformed from glory to glory — from poor to rich, sick to healed, loser to winner!

The world may say to you, “It can’t be that easy. You can’t be transformed just by beholding the glory of Jesus. No, you must do something about you. If you don’t put in effort, nothing will happen. If you don’t start making changes, nothing will change.”

But the world will never understand that as you are beholding the glory of the Lord, who is the successful one in you, you are being transformed from a failure to a success. And this is not accomplished by any effort of yours to get ahead in life, but by the Spirit of the Lord! (Zechariah 4:6)

As you behold the glory of the Lord who is the healthy one in your sick body, you are transformed from sickness to health. And this is not accomplished by any effort of yours to keep fit and eat well, but by the Spirit of the Lord!

My friend, what can be easier than beholding the beauty of the Son? So stop focusing on yourself and your efforts. Look away from these things and begin to behold the glory of Jesus who is in you right now, and you will begin to behold the miracles that you need!



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