“Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.” Psalm 37:8
“A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless. A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of evil devices is hated.” Proverbs 14:16-17
“He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.” Proverbs 14:29
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1
“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.” Proverbs 16:32
“Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, For anger resides in the bosom of fools.” Ecclesiastes 7:9
“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” Matthew 5:22-24
“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Matthew 6:14
“Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,’ says the Lord. ‘BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:19-21
“BE ANGRY, AND YET DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” Ephesians 4:26
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:31-32
“But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.” Colossians 3:8
“For we know Him who said, ‘VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.’ And again, ‘THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.’” Hebrews 10:30
“This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20
For Someone Who Doesn’t Like Me
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.—Romans 12:10
“God, there is a person in my life who doesn’t like me. Or so it seems. If there is something I am doing to rub that person the wrong way, please help me recognize it and stop. Help me see myself as they see me, and give me the strength and humility to change the things that offend them. Establish a good spirit between us. I want a loving relationship with this person. Help me do what it takes to achieve that. Amen.”
When You Are Resentful
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.—Ephesians 4:31-32
“God, I am feeling resentful. Maybe there are good reasons for my resentment. Maybe there aren’t. Either way, take these feelings from me. Resentment is really just a desire to hurt another — but I am only hurting myself. Help me forgive. Make me bigger than my resentment. Amen.”
For the Power to Forgive
A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.—Proverbs 19:11“God, You told us to forgive those who hurt us. And yet, I find this hard to do. Deliver me from the hateful pleasure of nursing a grudge. It brings only misery. Instead, help me want to forgive. Then fill my heart with generosity. Make me bigger than my little self. Help me know the incredible pleasure of reconciliation. Amen.”
“My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:19
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13
“In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”
Romans 8:37
“Let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.”
1 Corinthians 3:21-23
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
John 15:7
“In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.”
John 16:23-24
“All things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Matthew 21:22
“Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.”
Mark 11:24
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”
Ephesians 1:3
“Whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.”
1 John 3:22
“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
2 Corinthians 5:21
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Philippians 1:21
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”
Ephesians 3:20-21
“God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.”
2 Corinthians 9:8
“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation.”
Psalm 68:19
(devotional written by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale from OurPrayer.org)
1. AFFIRM
Believe that God is good and wants to help you, affirm that you are now in the process of receiving His goodness. The flow of blessing is constant and is happening to you now. Affirmation is a powerful factor in effective prayer.
2. LISTEN
Arrange for selected moments when you can become quiet mentally, relaxed physically, and receptive spiritually. Practice deep listening, reaching for contact with God. This form of prayer requires no words; simply listen until you hear inwardly.
3. FRACTIONAL
When you pray in little snatches, you are praying fractional prayers. In the form of brief prayer while waiting for a bus, or for the outcome of a conversation about to take place, fractional prayers add up to an enhanced prayer attitude.
4. NATURAL
Talk to the Lord using everyday language. The simpler your words, the easier it will be for you to express your thoughts. Talk to God sincerely in your own natural language. He understands.
5. SURROUND
Deeply believe that you can send out a spiritual force that will surround your loved ones with protective and positive influences. Prayer is the transmitting carrier of affirmative faith.
6. BLOCKADE
The number one blockade of spiritual power is resentment. To overcome it, pray for people you do not like or have mistreated you. Love always dissolves resentment.
7. LIST
Have a definite number of people for whom you pray daily. Pray by name for everyone on your prayer list. You will help them by your prayers, and the by-product will be additional blessings for you.
8. SURRENDER
Practice surrendering everything into God’s hands, believing that He will help and guide you. Prayerfully try to do your best about things and then, confidently, leave the results to God.
9. RELATIONSHIP
Conceive of prayer as a personal relationship with the Father. Not asking for anything, but simply wanting to be with Him in a loving relationship, is perhaps the ultimate value in prayerfulness. It is the establishment of an in-depth relationship between the individual and God.
10. MIND
Prayer may be defined as a methodology by which we may contact the Divine mind. Then the knowledge and wisdom of God can flow unhindered into our human mind. Thus, we are on an operational level with the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Heavenly Father.
(from OurPrayer.org)
Death—it affects all of us at one time or another. If you are dealing with the loss of a loved one, take comfort from Psalm 23. Read it prayerfully, thinking about these things:
The Lord is my shepherd. He takes good care of you and those you love. Jesus is the true Good Shepherd (John 10:11). He promises, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).
I shall not want. A little girl who was trying to repeat the 23rd Psalm from memory said, “The Lord is my shepherd; that’s all I want.” She had the essence of what it means!
He maketh me to lie down. Each one of us must eventually lie down in the last sleep. But is it the Lord who brings us to that final rest.
He leadeth me. Whatever happens, God is with us. His loving hand is always in control.
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. When death touches us, there is nothing to fear. Our end here is our blessed beginning in heavenly communion with Jesus.
I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen!
- “All Things Work Together for Good” – Adrian Rogers (Love Worth Finding) September 6, 2010
- “God is Present in Dark Times” – Dr. Charles Stanley (In Touch) September 3, 2010
- “Add Up Your Securities” by Norman Vincent Peale September 5, 2010
- “God is With Us in Hard Times” – Dr. Charles Stanley (In Touch Ministries) September 3, 2010
- “Waiting Room” – Jonny Diaz (with lyrics) September 7, 2010
- “Forgiven” – Skillet (with lyrics) September 4, 2010
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Day of Fire - Day Of Fire - Fade Away
Thousand Foot Krutch - The Art of Breaking - Breathe You In
Skillet - X2008 - Whispers In The Dark
Pillar - For The Love Of The Game - State Of Emergency
Seventh Day Slumber - Finally Awake - Awake
Disciple - Scars Remain - Regime Change
Kutless - Hearts of the Innocent - Push Me Away
Kutless - All the Words
Falling Up - Crashings - Bittersweet- Day of Fire - Day Of Fire - Time