“Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and give up your sins — even those you do in secret. Then you won’t be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless. Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge, and your darkest night will be brighter than noon. You will rest safe and secure, filled with hope and emptied of worry” (Job 11:13-18 CEV).

The Bible says in 1 John 4:18, “Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear” (NCV).

So how do you learn to live in God’s love so that you can live free of fear?

Every day, you have to surrender your heart to God.

When you wake up every morning, before your feet hit the floor, you have to say, “God, before I even start this day, I surrender my emotions to you. I want you to be Lord of my feelings. I want you to control my mind and my emotions. I surrender my heart to you. I want you to fill me with your love.”

Job 11:13-18 says, “Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and give up your sins — even those you do in secret. Then you won’t be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless. Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge, and your darkest night will be brighter than noon. You will rest safe and secure, filled with hope and emptied of worry” (CEV).

There are three commands and eight promises in that Scripture. God says you do this, and then he’ll do that. Every promise has a premise.

First, he gives you the commands: Surrender your heart to God every day. Turn to him in prayer. And give up your sins, or confess your sins to God.

Then, notice the eight benefits: You won’t be ashamed, you’ll be confident, you’ll be fearless, your troubles will be like water under the bridge, the dark night you’re going through is going to be brighter than noon, you’ll be able to sleep well because you are safe and secure, you will be filled with hope, and you’ll be emptied of worry.

Wow! Who wouldn’t want to experience those benefits? You ought to write that verse on an index card and put it somewhere you’ll see it throughout today and this week. Let it remind you to do those three things — surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and confess your sins — so that God’s love will fill your life and cast out all your anxiety and fear.

Try it this week, and then watch how God fulfills his promise as he fills you with his love.

Blessings to each of you!

Rob Dunbar, Chaplain, Maj

“Since he did not spare even his own Son for us but gave him up for us all, won’t he also surely give us everything else?” (Romans 8:32 TLB).

The major cause of stress in your life is worry. You worry because you wonder if you will have what you need when you need it. But anytime you expect other people to meet your needs instead of God, you’re going to be frustrated and disappointed, because nobody can meet all your needs.

Only God can do that.

If you want a cure for stress, you need to learn to look to God to meet your needs.

Some people find their security in their job, and when they lose their job, they lose their peace of mind.

Others put their security in their marriage. Then their spouse dies or they go through a divorce, and they ask, “Who am I? What is my identity?”

Or maybe they put their security in their money. There are a lot of ways to lose money.

I recommend that you never put your security in anything that can be taken away from you. You can lose your job, your health, your reputation, your spouse, and your mind. But you cannot lose your relationship to Christ.

When you put your security in that promise, you can trust God to meet all your needs.

Romans 8:32 says, “Since he did not spare even his own Son for us but gave him up for us all, won’t he also surely give us everything else?” (TLB).

If God loved you enough to send Jesus Christ to die on the cross, don’t you think he loves you enough to take care of every other need in your life? Yes! Of course he does.

Every time you start to get stressed out, pause and say, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1 ESV).

God’s going to provide. He’s going to take care of you. Instead of stressing out, look to him to meet all your needs.

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. – Hebrews 2:4

If you’re a Christian, you have spiritual abilities . . . and it may be the case that you have some spiritual abilities that you’re not aware of—unwrapped gifts just waiting to be opened. The Bible says God’s given some people a gift for declaring His truth with power and clarity. Some possess the gift of encouragement—the ability to provide comfort and cheer, even in the worst situations. Some have the gift of giving; what fulfills them is sharing what they have to bless others in need. Still others have the gift of mercy; they enjoy helping people in hardship or trouble without blaming or judging.

When these gifts are used and developed, the church/ Christians becomes a dynamic place where lives are transformed and God’s Kingdom is built. When you find and use your gifts, you’ll see God’s love and generosity more clearly, and you’ll feel fulfilled like never before. Discover your gifts, and use them!

What is your Gift? Are you using it today?

God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called. – Unknown

Your spiritual gift tells you what to do for Christ; your passions tell you where to do it; your personality tells you how. – Jim White

Rob Dunbar, Chaplain, Maj,

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. – Colossians 3:13

The Bible’s central theme is God seeking and saving those in dire need of forgiveness. Jesus willingly died on the cross for you and me, even though we often don’t feel a need to be forgiven. And even though you and I all too often continue to exhibit a rebellious nature. Through faith in Jesus, God forgives us in spite of ourselves.

But there’s more. God’s forgiveness is a creative force. It spills out to you when you receive it and affects every one of your human relationships. You see, forgiveness is both a gift and a command of God. It’s God’s gift to us that allows us to have everlasting life; at the same time, God tells us He won’t extend that forgiveness to us if we’re not willing to forgive others.

Remember . . . we don’t deserve God’s forgiveness, and neither should we expect others to deserve ours.

To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. – C.S. Lewis

TODAY’S PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, my own sinful nature makes forgiveness so hard but your Holy Spirit who lives inside my heart empowers me to let go and forgive. I depend on you Lord to help me to forgive those who have hurt me. Amen.

Blessings,

Chaplain Dunbar

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. – Philippians 4:12

Do you think that our lives are out of control?

Economists have repeatedly warned that Americans have become addicted to spending and shopping, and at the same time they are crushed by debt all in an attempt to attain lifestyles beyond their means. Doctors and nutritionists speak regularly of the rising obesity rate and the danger it represents. Educators, pastors, and child professionals have long testified that generations of over-indulged American kids are growing up seriously lacking in discipline, direction, and conviction.

The common denominator here is excess. It’s become our way of life, and to put it bluntly, it’s destroying us.

I don’t think the question can any longer be: do we know? We must ask ourselves an even tougher question: do we care? The apostle Paul said that he learned to be content in all circumstances. We can take a lesson from him.

We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. – Frederick Keonig

TODAY’S PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, help me to find contentment and fulfillment in you. Forgive me for living a life of excess. Help me today, my Lord to take honest stock of the things in my life that are excessive. Amen.

Rob Dunbar, Chaplain, Maj,

Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you. – 1 Chronicles 12:18 NIV

Mary Pickford was “America’s sweetheart” in the early days of motion pictures. And along with Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith, she formed United Artists Corporation, a Hollywood powerhouse.

Miss Pickford had a simple yet powerful formula for success: She said, “This thing we call ‘failure’ is not falling down, but staying down.” Miss Pickford might have added that every time we get back up, we build character.

Life’s occasional setbacks are simply the price that we must pay for our willingness to take risks as we follow our dreams. But even when we encounter bitter disappointments, we must never lose faith.

Hebrews 10:36 advises, “Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised ” (NLT). These words remind us that when we persevere, we will eventually receive the rewards which God has promised us. What’s required is perseverance, not perfection.

When we face hardships, God stands ready to protect us. Our responsibility, of course, is to ask Him for protection. When we call upon Him in heartfelt prayer, He will answer—in His own time and according to His own plan—and He will do His part to heal us. We, of course, must do our part, too.

And, while we are waiting for God’s plans to unfold and for His healing touch to restore us, we can be comforted in the knowledge that our Creator can overcome any obstacle, even if we cannot. Remember that failure isn’t permanent . . . unless you fail to get up. So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and trust God. He will make it right. And don’t forget: the best time to begin again is now.

The difference between winning and losing is how we choose to react to disappointment. – Barbara Johnson

Blessings,

Chaplin Rob