​When King David and his men returned home from battle, they discovered that the Amalekites had burned their homes to the ground and taken their families prisoner. They were devastated. They wept until they’d no tears left. Then God spoke to them and said, “Pursue…overtake…and…recover all.” And with His help they did!

So no matter how bad your situation looks right now, don’t give up. Cry if you have to, then dry your tears and go out in God’s strength and take back what the Enemy has stolen from you. If necessary, take it an inch at a time, drawing on His strength and not your own.

Paul writes: “Let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint” (Gal 6:9 AMP). God won’t quit on you, so don’t quit on Him!

He has promised in His Word: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God” (Isa 43:2-3 NIV).

​Don’t give up—go through! It’s easy to quit, but it takes faith to go through. When your faith honors God, He honors your faith! And with Him on your side you’ll come out stronger than you were when you went in. So the word for you today is: “Pursue…overtake…and…recover all.”

“Pursue…overtake…and…recover all.” 1Sa 30:8

- http://www.jentezenfranklin.org/dont-give-up-go-through/ -

Esau's birthright as the firstborn son of Isaac was the double portion of the land, the priesthood and the kingship. Esau lost it because of his lust in eating. He was not the only one who lost his birthright, Reuben was another who lost the blessing of his birthright because of the defilement of his lust.

Both cases should be warnings to us. We should not loose sight on what's truly important and pay more attention to the things that are temporary. Many times, we belittle spiritual matters; such as taking the time to have a personal time with God in fellowship and prayer, spending time in God's word, preaching the gospel and caring for others. We tend to pay more attention to what's right in front of our eyes; our desires, things that makes us happy apart from God, pride, worldly enjoyment and material things.

In 2 Corinthians 4:18, we are reminded to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. In the book of Philippians, apostle Paul exhorts the saints to work out their own salvation.

​We have received God's eternal salvation; now we must carry it out by obedience which is to live a life that is in constant fellowship with God, under His guidance. We must redeem our time and not let a day go by without praying to the Lord. By living such a life, we will receive when a reward when our Lord returns and He shall say to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant".

Hebrews 12:16 
Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

Philippians 2:12 
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Ephesians 5:16 
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

- Diven

It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.
—Lamentations 3:22-23 AMPC

One of the things we can praise God for daily with a heart full of gratitude is that He is determined to have an intimate relationship with each of us. The only way He can do that is if He extends grace, mercy, and forgiveness to us continually. And the only way we can have that relationship with Him is if we learn to continually receive His grace, forgiveness, and mercy.

In case you are wondering, you have not used up all of God’s mercy for you. There is still an abundant amount available to you, and there will be as long as you live. God’s mercy is new every day! And it is a gift that can only be enjoyed if it is received freely. So thank God for His mercy today, live boldly by His grace, and be all He created you to be.

Prayer of Thanks: Father, thank You for Your mercy, Your compassion, and Your loving-kindness that never fails. I celebrate Your goodness today, and I am so grateful that I can have a personal, intimate relationship with You.
​
- ​http://www.joycemeyer.org/Articles/devotional.aspx -

Long before a giant shark attacked its first victim in Jaws, before Indiana Jones stumbled onto his first booby trap, and before zombies or vampires, one of the most terrifying scenes on the big screen was when someone stepped into quicksand. No Tarzan movie was complete until he had rescued some innocent soul from certain death in that awful ooze or the villain’s final breath had gurgled to the surface.

Like that quicksand, problems sometimes threaten to suck us under. The harder we struggle, the deeper we sink. But things are rarely as bad as they seem. Laws of physics make it nearly impossible for a person to sink more than about waist deep in real-life quicksand. It may be difficult and take awhile to get unstuck, but the person won’t go all the way under. Likewise, those who have a working faith in God can only sink so low or stay so long entangled in their problems.

Google “how to escape from quicksand,” and you will find a few pointers that together form a basic plan. Adapted to the faith approach to problems in general, those points go something like this:

• Don’t panic. That will cause you to sink deeper. Pray and try to relax. Control your spirit, and trust that God is in control of the rest.
• Shed unnecessary weights. Problems have a way of putting lesser things in perspective.
• Spread your weight. Lean on God. “Underneath are the everlasting arms.”
• Be patient. Slow, deliberate actions produce better results than frantic activity.
• Rest periodically. Clear your mind and refresh your spirit by meditating on positive, faith-building thoughts from God’s Word.

John 14:1 ESV
Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

- Anonymous

Advertising nowadays emphasizes mostly on one selling point which is “you are in control.” Potential customers/buyers seems to be able to be woo-ed with the promise that they are able to have full control of the services they are getting, the features of the product they are getting and such.

This practice has influenced and wired us as a person with the need to be in control of everything. So what happen if you are not in control during your present trial?

Generally, we tend to respond in two extremes – the more out of control things seems, the harder you try to control it or the total opposite of it is giving up and have a pity party. Both ways do not work for me, I’m sure it doesn’t to you too.  A prayer of surrender however, has been always a breath of fresh air. It can simply start as “God, I’m giving up control, because you can control the things that are out of control.”

When we try harder, we are trying to control things that only God can control, we get tired and frustrated. Let go of control and trust when we surrender to God’s will in our lives, He will make things right. You stay in control when you know Who is in control. Receive His peace. 

John 14:27
Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.

- John W.

What is success?Before we go any further, let's define success. Many people have the wrong understanding of it.

For Christians, success can never be measured by money. When people say to me, "That man's worth ten million dollars," that tells me he's wealthy, but it doesn't prove he's successful. In some cases, it could mean the opposite. For instance, if Mother Teresa, whom I consider a tremendous success, confessed she was hoarding a million dollars, I'd think she was a hypocrite. Money would prove her a fraud, not a success.
​
The measurement of success is simply the ratio of talents used to talents received. What you are doing with what you've got, plus who you are becoming. Are you a growing, maturing Christian? Whether you work in business, or in Christian work, or as a day laborer, professional, or academic, if you are a maturing Christian, using a large percentage of your talents, you are successful. Be glad.

The person doing the most with what he's got is truly successful. Not the one who becomes the richest or most famous, but the one who has the closest ratio of talents received to talents used.

Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master. Matt 25:21 (NIV)

- Adapted from http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/bible-answers/spirituallife/christianview.html?start=1 -