Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”   Our Bible verse for today: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Trust God and keep moving forward”   I love mementos. I always have. Mementos are items which remind us of something special. As I sit here right now in my office at home, I am surrounded by mementos. Just to mention a few, there is the shadow box and various articles from my career in the Navy. Off to my right, up on a shelf, I see a carved soap-stone statue I bought in Mombasa, Kenya in 1985. There are bows, arrows, and spears from deep in the Amazon Jungle. There is a small carved wooden treasure chest from Haiti; a coffee mug from the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.; many family pictures spanning decades; and of course, books, books, and more books.   Each of those mementos reminds me of something special and I love to sit here and savor the memories associated with the mementos. But there is one that is especially meaningful and helpful to me. It is a small rustic wooden box just 4 inches x 4 inches x 2 inches high. Inside it contains two things – a small brass compass and a brass medallion with the inscription, “Life is a journey not a destination.” It sits on the corner of my desk within my line of sight because I want to see it and be reminded of that truth frequently.   It’s an important perspective. Each day is another gift of life from God and it is another day on my journey through this world towards my real home in heaven. But as I approach each day, I realize that it is filled with unknowns. We never know for sure what a day will bring and therefore we must walk forward into it in faith.   Proverbs 3:5-6 is my primary life-verse. It is how I try to approach every day – seeking God, framing everything I see and hear in the context of a Biblical perspective, striving to stay in the center of His will, and then trusting Him to lead me – even when I don’t understand and even when the way forward seems uncertain. Then, if I combine Proverbs 3:5-6 with the promise of Jeremiah 29:11 (For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future), I have confidence and an eager expectation of adventure and discovery. My goal is to simply trust God and keep moving forward.   That truth has been especially important and helpful for me in the months since my wife Linda died. This has been the hardest season of life I have ever experienced. Even at this point, almost nine months later, I still approach most days by simply putting one foot in front of the other and walking it forward, trusting the Lord to lead me. The future is unclear and uncertain – I don’t know what it holds. But I do know that God is sovereign over it and that I can trust Him.   For all of us, whatever the situation is, the answer is always the same – trust God and keep moving forward.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”   Our Bible verse for today: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Encountering God in the silence”   I love the lesson of Psalm 46. It’s so calming, so reassuring. In this Psalm the writer depicts a world in chaos. He describes natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, as well as wars and nations that are in uproar. We get the sense of noise and confusion; threats and violence; fear; and of frantic people who don’t know what to do or where to turn. But in the middle of it all God says in verse 10, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The writer goes on in verse 11, “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”   This applies to us in our world today. The world is in chaos and people don’t know what to do or where to turn. Noisy, fearful, and frantic are good descriptors of our society. This adventure of the Christian life takes us through a world that is dangerous terrain with many challenging situations.   But God is sovereign over it all. And therefore, we Christians should not be running around like a bunch of Chicken Littles wailing that the sky is falling. The sky is not falling. The Lord Almighty is with us. So, we need to stop, chill, sit still, and know that He is God. This is the deep spiritual water we were thinking about in yesterday’s devotional. Let’s take a look again at Ian Morgan Cron’s definition of a pilgrimage:   “A pilgrimage is a way of praying with your feet. You go on a pilgrimage because you sense there is something missing inside your soul, and the only way you can find it is to go to a sacred place.”   “Go to a sacred place.” In other words, withdraw for a while from the noise and chaos. Potentially that could be anywhere. It could be somewhere far away and very special. Personally, I have always loved visiting great cathedrals. I have visited many of them around the world. I love to sit in the silence gazing at the stunning architecture and the beautiful artwork, all created to celebrate the glory of God. Doing that is a significant pilgrimage. But your pilgrimage could also be close to home. I like to go hiking in the deep woods alone and just sit with God. Sometimes my journey to a sacred place involves nothing more than going and sitting quietly in the sanctuary at our church and gazing at the large stained-glass window in the front that depicts Jesus with His arms spread wide and saying “Come to Me …” Sometimes, the pilgrimage to quiet time involves nothing more than going into my bedroom, closing the door, sitting in a comfortable chair, and being quiet before the Lord.   An important part of the adventure of the Christian life involves sitting quietly before the Lord. What are some of your favorite ways of doing that? I would like to hear from you.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”   Our Bible verse for today: “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Luke 5:4 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Venture into deep waters with Jesus”   So, what do you think, when Jesus instructed Peter to venture out into deep waters for a catch, was He really talking about catching a lot of fish?  “Peter, I know you are a fisherman and you make your living from catching fish. So, just follow my instructions and I will make you rich. I will fill your nets full of fish and you will have a big payday!” Was that the lesson?   Or, was this entire scene a metaphor designed to teach a spiritual truth? Could it be that Jesus wants to take us into deep spiritual waters and that what we will “catch” is a life of great adventure that produces meaningful results for the kingdom of God and also creates spiritual growth in us? Yes, I think that’s much closer to the truth Jesus was teaching.   Our theme this month refers to the Christian life as a great adventure (and it certainly is!) The Christian life is also often referred to as a journey. That was the metaphor I used as the theme for my book “Walking with Paul: A journey through the lesson of Ephesians.” Another way of thinking about the Christian life is as a pilgrimage. A pilgrimage is a journey (often a long one), made to a place that is sacred to us and which is done as a matter of religious devotion.   One of the best definitions of a Christian pilgrimage comes from author Ian Morgan Cron, “A pilgrimage is a way of praying with your feet. You go on a pilgrimage because you sense there is something missing inside your soul, and the only way you can find it is to go to a sacred place.”   This is the deep water that Jesus was inviting Peter (and us) into. In Peter’s case, he had to row his boat out into the middle of actual deep water so he could have a profound spiritual experience. For you and I our deep water might be a mission trip to some remote land; or it could simply be going for a hike deep into the woods; or maybe just sitting quietly in an empty church sanctuary.   There are many ways to go on a pilgrimage (long and short; far and near) to have a special encounter with God in deep spiritual water. But you will have to want it and you will have to be willing to make the extra effort. Going into the deep waters with Jesus is part of the adventure of living the Christian life.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”   Our Bible verse for today: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “The inspiring example of others”   This morning, I want to thank you for your patience over the past week as I was away on a mission trip and there were no daily devotional messages from me. One of the reasons I love mission trips is because of the inspiring example of other Christians that I get to meet on the mission field. I love to see what God is doing in and through other Christians in other places and their examples inspire me to try harder and to do better in my own work for Jesus here at home.   Take for instance, the El Arca Children’s Home in the Amazon Jungle of Peru. The home was founded and has been run by my friend Bud and Laura Lenz and their family. They have been in Peru for more than twenty-five years (Laura is now in heaven). Bud is my age now and says he expects to continue caring for children until the day he dies. Doing so is not an easy thing. Living and ministering in places like the Amazon Jungle can be a hard life. But it is what God has called Bud to do and the Holy Spirit has therefore empowered him and provided for him for more than a quarter of a century. His commitment and dedication are inspiring to witness and I love getting to sometimes be a part of the work during my short visits to see him.   In the Spring of 2025, we will take a team from our church to minister with our friends, the Gayhart family, in southeast Asia. They are Southern Baptist International missionaries on long-term assignment in a predominantly Muslim country. We are one of their sponsoring churches and so we get regular reports about their ministry efforts, and that is helpful – but being there with them for a short time will be much better. Again, their example is tremendously inspiring to us. It makes us want to do a better job on our own mission field right here in Cumberland County, Tennessee.   But God doesn’t call or equip most of us to do what the Lenz and Gayhart families do. That’s their adventure of being on-mission with Jesus. Your adventure with Jesus will almost certainly be different. We can participate in and be inspired by those who do work like the El Arca children’s home, and missions in Southeast Asia, or other ministry efforts like that – maybe even go there for short periods, but still, your adventure and my adventure with Jesus will probably look different – but it too can be inspiring to others. If you conduct your ministry with the same enthusiasm and commitment you observe in people like Bud Lenz and Jeff and Rachel Gayhart, other people will be inspired by your example too.   We will talk more about this in the days to come. The fact is that wherever you are; whatever season of life you are in; whatever your current calling from God is; life with Jesus is and should be a great adventure.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”   Our Bible verse for today: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “It’s time to go again”   Linda was the perfect military wife. She was strong, independent, capable, and determined. She saw her job in our family as taking care of things at home so I could focus fully on my career as a naval officer – and she was exceptionally good at it! Once I retired from the Navy and went into pastoral ministry, her attitude was the same. She told me, “My job is to take care of you, our family, and our home so you can focus on taking care of the people of the church.” And once again, she was very, very good at it.   Part of my calling from God as a minister was also to lead mission teams. Over more than thirty years I have led thirty-nine international teams and more domestic missions than I can remember. Once again, Linda took great care of things at home so I could go globetrotting with mission teams. However, once she had her stroke and brain surgery in 2007 it seemed to me that my traveling days needed to end – but Linda thought otherwise. She was determined not to be the reason I stayed home rather than going. So, with a combination of her fierce determination, and with the help of family members, church members, friends, and neighbors, along with great favor from God, between 2008 and her death in 2023 I was still able to lead nineteen international mission teams and many other domestic teams.   But in the last few years of her life that became increasingly impractical. Her health had declined to the point that she simply needed me to be home. And the truth was that I wanted to stay close to home. I didn’t want to leave her. (She still wanted me to go. I was the one who decided not to.)   Consequently, it has been five years since I have been on an international mission trip. But since Linda is now in heaven, it’s time for me to resume that part of my calling from God. As Solomon noted in Ecclesiastes 3:1 above, life unfolds in seasons. For me, sadly, a much-loved season has come to a close and I have moved into the next season – which will include going on mission trips.     This morning a mission team from our church will leave for a week in Peru and I will be going with them. Therefore, this will be the last daily devotional message until we get back. The next devotional will be on Monday August 12th. So, instead of reading a daily devotional message from me on those days, I would like to ask you to do two things instead. First, pray for our team. Second, prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you about the adventure of your own life as a Christian. Are you approaching this life with Jesus as a great adventure? Are you eager to see what each new day holds? Are you involved in ministry activities that excite you, bless others, and help to advance the kingdom of God on earth?   For me, it’s time to begin traveling for the Lord again. What about you? What is He calling you to do during this current season of your life? We will think more about this in upcoming devotionals. For the coming week, please spend extra time in prayer for our team, and for yourself and your own adventures with the Lord.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”   Our Bible verse for today: “For I know the plans I have for you – this is the Lord’s declaration – plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you …” Jeremiah 29:11-14 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “The possibilities go off the chart!”   The child’s game “Hide and Seek” has been around for a very long time. Historians have been able to trace it back to 2 B.C. in Greece, but it probably existed long before that. It’s a simple game where one child hides and the other child seeks to find him or her. Kids love this game! They will giggle and laugh and play it for hours. There’s something fun about seeking and finding.   And there’s something similar going on between God and Christians. Although God does not hide from us, He has chosen to keep his presence cloaked in a veil of spirituality that makes discovering and interacting with Him a little bit harder than if He were still here among us as a flesh and blood person (Jesus). You have to want God and you have to take action to discover Him. Initially, you will have to want Jesus and you will have to open your heart to Him to have your sins forgiven. That begins the relationship. From that point on, the entire rest of your time on earth is a matter of seeking and finding Him in deeper and more meaningful ways. That’s what God was saying through Jeremiah in 29:11-14 above. Walk through life with Him; call to Him; pray to Him; seek Him; and He will be found by you.   I have shared with you before one of my favorite quotes about the adventure of the Christian life. It is one I personally come back to frequently because it is such a good description of the adventure of the Christian life. It comes from author Jim Peterson out of his book “Lifestyle Discipleship”:   “One of the greatest gifts God has given us is the infinite opportunity for spiritual growth. But however much we have matured, there is always more beyond. It is in this that we find the adventure of living. There will always be new, unexplored dimensions of His person beckoning to us. The possibilities go off the chart.”   The best part of this adventure of the Christian life is getting to know God better and better. No matter how much you have grown and matured, God always has something more for you. The possibilities go off the chart!   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”   Our Bible verse for today: “The next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus.” John 1:35-36 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “The Christian life is a great adventure”   In 1993 the Christian singer/songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman released a song called “The Great Adventure.” At that time, I was in the early years of exploring my call from God to full-time professional ministry and I was wondering what it would entail. I was on the verge of retiring from the Navy and by then I knew I would spend the rest of my life in vocational ministry, but at that point the specifics of it were very unclear. All I knew was that I was in for an adventure and this song spoke to me in a powerful way. Here are some of the lyrics but I encourage you to Google the song and listen to it as part of your devotional time this morning:   Started out this morning in the usual way Chasing thoughts inside my head I thought I had to do today Another time around the circle Try to make it better than the last I opened up the Bible And I read about me Said I’d been a prisoner And God’s Grace had set me free And somewhere between the pages It hit me like a lightning bolt I saw a big frontier in front of me And I heard somebody say ‘Let’s go!’ Saddle up your horses We’ve got a trail to blaze Through the yonder of God’s Amazing grace Let’s follow our leader into the Glorious unknown This is the life like no other whoa whoa This is The Great Adventure Those two disciples of John the Baptist referred to in John 1:35-36 (above) were about to discover what an adventure it is to be on-mission with Jesus in this world. How about you? Do you approach your life as a follower of Jesus is a great adventure? Well, it’s supposed to be! All this month we will explore that idea and think about ways in which we can be part of the great adventure of following Jesus.   God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, T N 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Take care of yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t continue drinking only water, but use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.” 1 Timothy 5:23 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Give them the gift of a healthier you”   First, let me be clear that in this devotional I am not arguing for or against the use of alcohol as a beverage. We will leave that debate for another day. The reason I quoted the verse above was to illustrate Paul’s concern for Timothy’s health. If you read Paul’s letters to Timothy you realize that he cared deeply about him (he considered him to be his son in the faith). Evidently Timothy was a worrier and somewhat frail and sickly. At the very least, we know he had stomach issues and Paul was concerned about him. Wine was used for medicinal purposes back then and so Paul was essentially saying, “Son, be sure to take your medicine. I want you to be well.”   As we conclude this series on taking care of yourself, I hope you have found it helpful. I hope each of us has a new resolve to take better care of ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I pray that the scripture verses and the teaching have helped you to achieve better health. Please, take care of yourself. We need you to stay as healthy as you can for as long as you can.   One of the ways in which Timothy could bless Paul was by taking care of himself. Paul loved Timothy and was concerned about him. Timothy, in turn, could reassure Paul and relieve him of his concerns by taking better care of himself.     The same is true for you. Your loved ones need you to take care of yourself. So much so, that one of the best gifts you could give them is a healthier you. Maybe you never thought of it that way but your well-being is a gift to those who love you most. One of the most difficult and agonizing situations in life is to watch a loved one suffer. If there are things each of us can do to be healthier and to therefore suffer less, that will be a gift to ourselves but also it will be a gift to our loved ones.   I encourage you to give your loved ones the gift of a healthier you.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Take care of yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.” 1 Peter 3:8 (NLT)   Our thought for today: “There are no better people to do life with”   Mental health professionals report that loneliness is one of the greatest threats to the mental and physical health of Americans today. Loneliness has a serious negative impact on the overall quality of a person’s life, and it is rapidly increasing in our society. More people report feeling lonely now than ever before.   Steve DeWitt is the senior pastor of a large non-denominational church and has been the pastor of that church since 1997. He spent the first twenty-one years of his adult life (his description was “8000 nights”) as a single man. It’s not that he didn’t want to be married, he just never met the right woman (he finally got married in his forties and now has two children). One Christian magazine wrote that as far as they could find, Steve was the only single senior pastor of a mega-church in America.   Steve says that during those years many people assumed that because he was single, he must also be lonely. And, sometimes he was. But much of the time he was not. He noted that “Being alone and being lonely are not the same thing.” There are many people who are single and alone but who have full and rewarding lives; and there are many married people who although they are not technically alone, they are still lonely because theirs is not a good marriage.   Steve wrote a book about his experiences as a single pastor. The title is “Loneliness: Don’t Hate it or Waste it; Redeem It.” Although there are many helpful insights in the book for those whose life situations could produce a sense of feeling lonely, perhaps the most helpful insight pertains to the importance of being part of a good, healthy church family. Steve writes,   “God’s provision to a lonely world is a local, spiritually healthy, gospel-preaching, community-serving, one-another-loving, local church.” He also declared, “When a local church is on it’s A-game, there are no better people to do life with.” (Can I get an “Amen!”?)   We all experience loneliness at different times and for different reasons. You may be single and never married; or you may be divorced; or you may be a widow or widower; or you could be married but not in a good relationship; or perhaps you don’t have many friends; or, maybe, you are lonely for other reasons. But being alone doesn’t mean you have to be lonely. God’s answer for all of us is to be fully involved in the life of a good church.   When it comes to taking good care of yourself one of the best things you can do is to be active in a good church because, when a church is filled with healthy, spiritually mature Christians who truly love and care for each other, there are no better people to do life with.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Take care of yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:29-31 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Who are you going to believe about it?”   There is a scene in my mind, perhaps from a television show or movie, I can’t remember. What I do remember is there was a man who was just going about his business, apparently feeling fine and having a good day. Then two of his friends enter the scene, having conspired among themselves to play a practical joke on their friend. They approached him with looks of great concern on their faces and asked, “Frank, are you okay?” Frank replied, “Yes, I’m fine. Why do you ask?” The friends then said, “Well, you don’t look good. You look pale, drawn, and a bit haggard.” To that Frank replied, “No, I feel fine.” And the friends said, “Seriously, Frank, you don’t look good. You should go see your doctor and find out what’s going on. We’re concerned about you.”   After the friends left, Frank found himself wondering why they thought he was sick. Then he started wondering if perhaps he was sick. And soon, he wasn’t feeling so well anymore. The thing was, there was nothing wrong with Frank. But once the idea had been planted in his head, poor Frank began thinking that maybe he wasn’t well after all. And soon, he didn’t feel good anymore.   How we think about how we feel has a lot to do with how we actually feel. We can make ourselves feel better or worse depending on how we think about it. Even if we really do have some minor discomfort, we can blow it up in our minds by dwelling on it and soon convince ourselves that something minor is major, and we end up feeling a lot worse than our condition truly warrants. That’s true not just of how we feel physically, but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Self-talk matters.   A great remedy for negative self-talk about how we feel is found in Isaiah 40:29-31. There the prophet tells us to bring the subject of how we feel and lay it before God. Ask Him to relieve us of our feelings, and to renew and strengthen us. The promise we find there is that He will do it. So, if you believe God is good for His word, you can then embrace that truth, tell yourself that it is true, and make that the storyline that plays in your head. Tell yourself that God is renewing you and that you do feel better. Also, you can ask others to pray with you and for you about it.   Let me ask you, who are you going to believe about this – others, yourself, or God? As for me, I’m going to embrace God’s promise, believe it is true, then live like it is true. If I do that, pretty soon I will find that it is true. That won’t necessarily mean that the physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual thing that was dragging me down wasn’t real or no longer exists, it will just mean that God has helped me to rise above it.   If God says He will help me to rise above something, then it must be true. So, rather than believing what I say or what others say, I choose to believe what God says. How about you?   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571