Devotion: Term 1, Week 2
When you feel anxious and afraid, here are two things you should do:
1) Find a ‘faith friend’. When anxiety grabs your mind, one of the most powerful ways to break the worry spiral is to disclose it to a ‘faith friend’. When Israel went out to occupy the promised land, here is what God said to them: ‘Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too’ (Deuteronomy 20:8 NIV). Pessimism, fright, and discouragement are contagious. And so is courage!
2) Take action and face your fear. Sermons about how God will take care of you aren’t in and of themselves sufficient to remove anxiety from your life. You must do certain things, like stepping out in trust. The way to get God’s peace from your head to the rest of your body is to trust Him to the point where you can confront your fears head-on. So, with that in mind,
a) meditate on passages like Psalm 23; imagine yourself being shepherded by the Lord through green pastures and led beside still waters,
b) talk to your ‘faith friend’ before worry gets a foothold in your mind
c) use a ‘breath prayer’ such as, ‘God, I’m casting all my cares on You,’
d) exercise; physical exercise is one of the best ways to stop excess adrenaline from building up,
e) identify your fear and take even one small step towards confronting it, and
f) get sufficient rest. David said, ‘In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety’ (Psalm 4:8 NIV). Today, give your worries to God!
SoulFood: Num 8-10 Matt 10:11-20 Ps 107:10-16 Pro 3:19-20
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2024
https://vision.org.au/the-word-for-today-reading/give-your-worries-to-god-2/
It was a joy to launch our very first Faithlabs session on Monday 2 June! Led by Mr Lachlan Palmisano, this new group creates space for students to explore life’s big questions at the intersection of faith and science.
Jesus was rough on Pharisees: ‘Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness’ (Matthew 23:28 NLT). They put on a good front but were devoid of grace, mercy, and compassion. And Jesus called them on it! Because we live in an appearance-focused society, Jesus warns us about the dangers that come from dwelling on the outer life at the cost of developing the inner life. So, how do you keep that from happening?
It was fantastic to celebrate our students today as they received Character Strengths Awards at our Primary Assembly, recognising their growth and commitment to living out these values.
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