Quiet Corner

[KakiMeow]

Three Biblical Ways to Overcome Temptation Every Day​

By Stephanie Solberg | https://makinghimknown.tv/three-ways-to-overcome-temptation/

Temptations. Every day, one way or another, we all face them. These may include the beckoning of sweet treats, the pull of popularity, or perhaps the appeal of earthly treasures. Temptation is the desire to do something wrong or unwise, often leading us away from God’s path. For Christ-followers, temptations lure us into acting contrary to God’s will through our thoughts, words, or actions.

What temptations do you find hard to resist? If you’re unsure, take time to reflect–because Satan knows, and he will use them to weaken your resistance and wear you down. But you don’t have to wave the white flag just yet – or ever! Right now, there are three things you can do to resist the enemy of your soul and overcome temptation every day.

One: You must know the strategy of Satan.​

Satan, as the original tempter, is still up to his old tricks. He uses the same strategies today that he first used with Eve and later with Jesus. Satan trades in untruths, causing his victims to doubt God and the truth of His Word. That’s what he did to Eve–he twisted what God had told her (Genesis 3). Satan is crafty in that way, giving his victims just enough of the truth to confuse them. Eve, instead of defending herself against Satan, listened to his lies, doubted, and then sinned against God.

So, what did Jesus do differently? He defended Himself against Satan’s lies by using God’s Word. He hurled the truth right back at Satan. It worked. Satan left. Like Jesus, you can successfully resist Satan, but to be victorious, you must know the strategy of Satan and arm yourself against him. You must know God’s Word so that you can recognize Satan’s venomous lies and counter them with the Truth.

“Hide God’s word in your heart so that you will not sin against Him” (Psalms 119:11).

Two: Keep Your Eyes on Jesus.​

Don’t focus on the temptation. When it stands before you and wants you to look at it, do as Jesus did–tell it to get behind you. Jesus recognized that the temptation is a “dangerous trap” and that the lies whispered in your ear come from “a human point of view, not from God’s ( Matthew 16:23).”

Don’t take your eyes off Jesus as Peter did while walking on water. Don’t let the whisper of lies distract you. The lie that you don’t need God. The lie that “just one time won’t hurt.” The lie that “God doesn’t really love you.” These are distractions, just like the wind and the waves that caused Peter to sink.

Instead, fix your eyes on Jesus. Study Him. He showed us how to stay the course by keeping His focus on God’s plan, even when it meant enduring the cross and shame. Jesus never lost sight of the joy that awaited Him, and His perseverance is the example we can follow to run our race with faith and endurance (Hebrews 12:2-3).

Three: Pray.​

Jesus was tempted but never sinned. He overcame temptation by using the Word of God, but he also spent a lot of time praying (Matthew 14:23 NLT, Mark 1:35, Luke 9:18, Luke 22: 39-41). Jesus taught His disciples to “watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”. (Matthew 26:41) When they asked Jesus how to pray, He included these words: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13
Paul reminds us that “no temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1st Corinthians 10:13) God will provide a way out—just ask Him. Go to Him in prayer.

Follow Jesus’ example.​

Pray with me:​

Because of who Jesus is and what He did for me on the cross, I approach you Father, with confidence, trusting that you will show mercy and grace and help me in my time of need (Hebrews 4:16). I know that faith is the victory that overcomes (1st John 5:4). Still, Lord, I confess that sometimes my faith feels too weak to overcome my desire to do what I know I should not.

Fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I can walk by the Spirit and not gratify the desires of my flesh (Galatians 5:16). Help me stay alert and watchful so that I can recognize Satan’s lies (1st Peter 5:8-11) and resist him. Your Word promises that You will not allow me to be tempted beyond what I can stand and that You will provide a way out (1st Corinthians 10:13). Lord, I stand on your promise right now. Show me the way out.
In my time of need, remind me of Your promises so that I can overcome Satan with the Word of your Truth. Thank you for standing with me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

 

[the only way]

 

[KakiMeow]

Are You Scattering Bad Seed?​

Oct 21, 2024

It was an unconscionable crime—grossly immoral and terribly destructive. In the middle of the night, he snuck onto the property of one of his enemies and ruined his crop. Knowing that this man had recently sowed good seed throughout his fields, he stealthily followed behind and sowed seeds he knew would spring up into weeds, thorns, and brambles. Though he knew his crime would go undetected for a time, he knew also that soon enough the weeds would begin to grow up alongside the crops to overwhelm them and choke them out.

This morning your wife began her day by reading the Bible and a brief devotional to go with it. She spent a few minutes praying and seeking the Lord’s blessing for the day ahead. Good seeds were planted in her heart. But did you then emerge from bed in a grumbling mood and immediately begin expressing your displeasure at her or your discontentment with life in general? Did you interrupt her worship or steal her joy? In other words, did you follow behind and sow weeds among the wheat?

On Sunday, your friend heard a sermon that blessed and encouraged him. He listened attentively as the Word was being preached and he meditated on a few ways he could apply it to his life. Good seeds were planted within, seeds that would spring up to love and good deeds. But did you immediately suggest ways the sermon may have fallen short or express your view that the pastor may not have perfectly exposited the passage? Did you tempt him to doubt instead of trust and to complain instead of rejoice? Did you follow behind and plant weeds among the healthy growth?

Every day good seeds are being sown into the lives of the people around us, the people we love and are called to serve. And every day we are tempted to plant thorns among them, to sow weeds among the wheat and tares among the crops. We are tempted to add doubt to faith, discouragement to hope, evil thoughts to pure and holy desires. We are tempted to do the work of the devil instead of the work of the Lord.

We are in every moment influencing the people around us with our words and deeds, with our actions and attitudes. And in every moment and every situation our sacred calling is to promote good growth instead of poor growth, to scatter good seed rather than bad. It is to do all we can to foster the kind of growth that will spring up into a bountiful harvest of love, joy, grace, and peace. And for that reason, each one of us must be willing to ask ourselves: Am I in the habit of scattering bad seed?

 

[KakiMeow]

The Sure Anchor of Faith | https://whiteestate.org/devotional/hp/04_30/​

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Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 1 John 3:2, 3.

Here the eye of faith is directed to God, to look to the unseen, not upon the things that are now apparent. Faith lives in expectation of a future good; it discerns inexpressible advantages in the heavenly gift. The hope of the future life is an essential part of our Christian faith. When we allow worldly attractions to come in between the soul and God, the world is all we can discern.... Look up higher, fix the eye of faith upon things unseen, and you will become strong in the divine strength.

Our faith increases by beholding Jesus, who is the center of all that is attractive and lovely. The more we contemplate the heavenly, the less we see desirable and attractive in the earthly. The more continually we fix the eye of faith on Christ, in whom our hopes of eternal life are centered, the more our faith grows; our hope strengthens, our love becomes more intense and fervent, with the clearness of our spiritual insight, and our spiritual intelligence increases. More and more we realize the positive claim of God upon us to purify ourselves from the customs and practices of a world that knows not God, nor Jesus Christ whom He has sent.

The more we behold Christ, talk of His merits, and tell of His power, the more fully we shall reflect His image in our own characters and the less we shall submit our minds and affections to the paralyzing influences of the world. The more our minds dwell upon Jesus, the less they will be enveloped in the fog of doubt, and the more easily shall we lay all our trials, all our burdens, upon the Burden Bearer....

Let faith pierce through the hellish shadow of Satan and center in Jesus, our high priest, who hath entered for us within the veil. Whatever clouds overcast the sky, whatever storms surge around the soul, this anchor holds firm, and we may be sure of victory.
52Letter 30, 1893.

 

[KakiMeow]

Moving Forward​

Joyce Meyer – Feb 21, 2026​

Adapted from Healing the Soul of a Woman

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.”

Isaiah 48:17 (ESV)

An important aspect of the healing of the soul is finding the courage to move beyond our pain. We may not be able to avoid all the hurts we face in life, but we can decide that we will not let them keep us from moving ahead. Sometimes when we are very wounded, we are tempted for various reasons to stay stuck in the pain, even though we can see that life is moving forward all around us. We can join in and go with what is happening, or we can stay behind, stuck in bitterness, resentment, hard-heartedness, and pain.

There are many reasons why people stay stuck in their pain. Maybe the “wounded person” has become their identity, and they even use it to get attention. Maybe they fear they will fail if they try to do something new. Maybe they do not feel strong enough to move forward. Or maybe their self-image has been damaged to the point that they have no confidence in themselves and no confidence that God will take care of them if they move into something new.

We can always choose to stay in our pain, but that will not lead to the good things God has for us. Jesus died to give us a life of abundance, but we can choose whether to embrace it or not. If we want what He has, we have to make the choice to move beyond our pain and risk following Him.
I once saw a movie about a very talented woman who suffered such deep wounds in her soul that she completely withdrew from life and from other people. After a stay in a mental health facility, she literally parked her van in someone’s driveway and lived in it for the rest of her life. The movie was a powerful picture of what can happen to people who either don’t know how to or will not deal with their pain, leave the past behind, and move ahead.

God will never park us in our pain and leave us there, and I hope we never allow ourselves to park in it either. He is always calling us forward. He never leaves us alone to figure out on our own how to move ahead. He makes the path clear to us and leads us, as Isaiah 48:17 says, in the way that we should go. He promises to bring hope, healing, strength, and restoration to our lives if we will believe His Word and trust Him to lead us. Plenty of people in the Bible chose to leave their pasts behind and follow God into something new. And you can too!

Prayer of the Day: Lord, give me courage to move beyond past pain. Heal my soul, restore my strength, and lead me forward into the new, abundant life You’ve prepared for me, Amen.

 

[the only way]

 

[KakiMeow]

Remembering to Forget​

Bible in a Year: Numbers 1-3; Mark 3
https://odb.sg/devo/dailybread/2026-02-21-remembering-to-forget/?ref=homepage-banner

Why, my soul, are you downcast? . . . Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.​

Psalm 42:5

Today’s Scripture & Insight:​

Psalm 42:1-8

Author Richard Mouw tells of a Black theologian from South Africa who struggled with dark memories of life under apartheid. Mouw wrote, “He told a story about an African child whose teacher asked her to define ‘memory.’ After thinking about it, the child said, ‘Memory is that thing that helps me to forget.’ ” Out of the mouths of babes! Her past held much she didn’t want to recall, so she wanted to remember the good things.

Many carry the scars of terrible, seemingly unforgettable things. But that child’s wisdom offers hope. If we learn to remember better things, those memories can strengthen us to move forward from our painful past. In Psalm 42, the psalmist feels like a deer running for its life. However, he also says, “These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng” (v. 4).

The singer’s memories of worshiping God encouraged him to praise, even in the midst of pain. “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (v. 5). Remembering who our God is—and that we are His—can help us move beyond the painful past we can’t forget.

By: Bill Crowder

Reflect & Pray ​

What dark memories of struggles and pains haunt you? How will you allow the God of all hope to move you beyond them?
Dear Father, You know my scars and wounds, my anger and grief. Please wrap me in Your goodness and mercy; give me healing from hurts long past but not forgotten.

 

[KakiMeow]

Recognition​

https://todaydevotional.com/

Scripture Reading — Luke 24:28-34

They urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening. . . .” So he went in to stay with them.
— Luke 24:29

One of the intriguing details of this story in Luke is that the two disciples who were walking and talking with Jesus didn’t know it was him.

I suspect that the impact of the previous few days had distracted them. These followers of Jesus had seen him die on a cross, and they had heard some women say he was alive again, but they couldn’t understand what had happened. As they headed back home, they were probably tired and disheartened. So when a stranger came up and began talking with them on the road, they wouldn’t have expected the man to be Jesus. Yet even though they were feeling worn and beat up, they had the presence of mind to invite this stranger in.

They must have wondered how this stranger knew so much about the Messiah and his suffering. He recounted a history that was accurate and compelling. They might well have thought he was some kind of rabbi or something. But then, in their home, “when he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it,” and gave it to them.

And suddenly they recognized that Jesus was right there with them. Then, just as suddenly, Jesus disappeared—and they realized they needed to share this news with their friends.

I wonder if we too recognize Jesus when we meet a stranger on the road, invite them into our home, or have a meal with them.

God, help us to see Jesus in the strangers we meet each day. Help us to hear their story and listen well. Help us to tell our stories so that others will meet Jesus too. Amen.

 

[the only way]

 

[KakiMeow]

He Opened Not His Mouth​

Joyce Meyer – Feb 22, 2026

Adapted from Beginning Your Day God’s Way

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

Isaiah 53:7 (ESV)

Isaiah 53:7 says Jesus was oppressed, and he was afflicted (ESV). He suffered for our sins. He took our punishment, and His heavenly Father sent Him to do it. We forget sometimes how God, out of His love for us, allowed His own Son to suffer, and then we complain when something is hard or inconvenient, which is foolish on our part.

The scripture continues, yet he opened not his mouth. Despite everything that Jesus went through, He did not complain. He didn’t blame God; He didn’t question God. At the very end, when His suffering was at its worst, He did cry out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Mark 15:34 ESV). He had to experience everything that we would ever experience, so in the end, He felt completely abandoned and forsaken.
We don’t even know what suffering means compared to what Jesus went through for us. He took our sin upon Himself, and because of that, we’re free! Hallelujah!

So, what do we have to complain about? If Jesus didn’t complain, if He opened not his mouth even when He was being beaten and oppressed, then we should follow His lead.

Prayer of the Day:
God, I am so grateful for what Jesus did for me. Help me never take for granted the freedom He died for me to experience. I will focus on my gratitude and keep my complaints to myself, Amen.

 

[KakiMeow]

Goodness​

By Shawn Thornton|Published On: February 22, 2026|Categories: Daily Devotional

“What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy.”
Micah 6:8

Goodness reflects the moral beauty of a life shaped by God. It is the settled decision to pursue what is right because it honors Him. Goodness is not driven by applause, comfort, or gain. It is shaped by obedience.

Micah 6:8 speaks with simple clarity. Act justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly with your God. That is goodness in motion. It shows up when we tell the truth, even when it costs us. It guides our decisions when no one else is watching. It shapes how we handle power, money, influence, and responsibility.

Goodness is not perfection. It is direction. When the Spirit forms goodness in us, He continually draws our hearts back toward what reflects the character of Christ.
In a culture that often measures success by visibility or results, goodness quietly chooses faithfulness. It confronts sin with love. It extends mercy without lowering truth. It seeks restoration rather than revenge.

Jesus embodied perfect goodness. Every word He spoke was true. Every step He took honored the Father. The Spirit now works patiently to shape our lives in that same direction.

Goodness chooses what honors God even when it comes at a personal cost.

 

[KakiMeow]

Wisdom for Today​

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Devotion by Billy Graham

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God ... and it shall be given him.
—James 1:5

Peace with God and the peace of God in a man’s heart and the joy of fellowship with Christ have in themselves a beneficial effect upon the body and mind, and will lead to the development and preservation of physical and mental power.

Thus, Christ promotes the best interest of the body and mind as well as of the spirit—in addition to inward peace, the development of spiritual life, the joy and fellowship with Christ, and the new strength that come with being born again.

There are certain special privileges that only the true Christian can enjoy. There is, for example, the privilege of having divine wisdom and guidance continually.

Why is it important to seek God’s wisdom when making a decision? Read Billy Graham’s answer.

Prayer for the day

Let me live so close to You, Almighty God, that Your wisdom will invade my mind continually.

 

[the only way]

 

[KakiMeow]

God Always Finishes What He Starts​

Joyce Meyer – Feb 23, 2026

Adapted from Mornings with God

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.

Philippians 1:6 (AMPC)

God chooses us according to His foreknowledge, and He begins a good work in us. Most of us struggle at times and feel we are not making any progress. We may even feel we are going backward in our spiritual growth. Today’s scripture is a great one to go to when you feel this way because He who began a good work in you, meaning God, will bring it to completion. He doesn’t tell us how long it will take, but He never fails to finish what He started.

Part of how long the good work takes depends on how responsive we are to the teaching and correction of the Holy Spirit. Correction is not a bad thing; it is really just direction about how to do the right thing. If we receive it graciously and thankfully, we can grow much faster than if we are stubborn and rebellious. God’s way is always the best way. Submit to it quickly, and your walk with Him will be much easier.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for beginning a good work in me. Help me welcome Your correction with gratitude, submit quickly to Your leading, and trust You to complete everything You’ve started in my life, Amen.

 

[KakiMeow]

Make Peace Today​

Christine Caine

February 23, 2026​

https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2026/02/23/make-peace-today

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9 (CSB)

I imagine one of the hardest things for any of us to do is extend an olive branch — to go and make peace with someone. It’s not easy to be the first one to say “I’m wrong” or “I’m sorry” or “please forgive me.” It’s not easy being the first one to overlook an offense, the first one to go out of our way not to keep a false sense of peace but instead truly seek peace.

But as difficult as it may be, it’s what God wants us to do.

Jesus tells us, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). Notice that Jesus did not say “blessed are the peacekeepers” or “conflict avoiders.” Pastor and author Rick Ezell writes, “Jesus did not say ‘blessed are the peace wishers or the peace hopers or the peace dreamers or the peace lovers or the peace talkers.’” No. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

Pastor Ezell also says being a peacemaker means being someone “who is actively seeking to reconcile people to God and to one another.” In fact, “the word make in the term ‘peacemaker’ comes from the Greek verb that means ‘to do’ … It is a word bursting with energy.”

This shows us two things:
First, being a peacemaker is not a passive behavior based on an easygoing personality or temperament. Instead, it’s solely based on who we are in Christ. Being a peacemaker reflects our identity and character as children of God. And when we extend an olive branch to someone to proactively make peace, there’s a blessing that comes with it. Remember that Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9, emphasis added).

Second, because we’re children of God, we have been reconciled to God and called to a ministry of reconciliation. It’s from this ministry God has given us that we actively seek to reconcile people to Him and to one another. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, “Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us” (CSB).

What love God has for us that He entrusted to us the message of reconciliation! He trusts us to go about doing all we can to make peace and bring reconciliation into every relationship where we have influence — particularly when we’re challenged to be the first to say, “I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me.”

God, please help me to be a true peacemaker. Help me to be quick to apologize, take accountability for my wrongdoing, and ask for forgiveness. Help me minister reconciliation. And help me overlook offenses more easily. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

[KakiMeow]

Your soul is just like…a garden?!​

Watering and weeding are not only for plants!​

May 16, 2024​

By Grace Thierfelder
https://www.catholiccompany.com/blogs/get-fed/your-soul-is-just-like-a-garden

The saints understood something beautiful that the rest of us often miss…

Our souls are a lot like gardens.

Just as a garden requires labor, care, and attentiveness to flourish, so too does the spiritual life demand nurture and vigilance.
St. Teresa of Ávila used the metaphor of a garden to describe the soul’s development in The Interior Castle. She wrote:
“The soul is like a garden enclosed, full of great beauty, abounding in delights, and rich with fruits. The owner of this garden is God Himself.”

Here, Teresa illustrates the soul’s inner life as a garden that must be tended with prayer, meditation, and contemplation. The gardener’s role is to cooperate with God’s grace in rooting out the weeds of sin and planting virtues, just as a gardener cultivates beautiful flowers and edible plants.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux used the imagery of flowers to represent souls. Each soul, like each flower, is unique and contributes its beauty to the splendor of creation, which she considered the garden of the Lord. She encourages us to offer ourselves as “little flowers” to Jesus, reminding us how even the smallest acts, when done with love, are a delight to Him.

Beyond being a useful metaphor, the practical act of gardening can also be a form of prayer.​

Repetitive tasks such as planting, weeding, and watering offer a rhythm that lends itself to contemplative silence, in which we can meditate on the word of God and the beauty of the natural world.
Moreover, the patience required in gardening—waiting for seeds to sprout and mature into flowers or fruits—mirrors the patience needed in the spiritual life, where growth and transformation often occur incrementally and beneath the surface. Just as a gardener cannot hurry the growth of a plant, neither can we rush our spiritual growth; both require patience, perseverance, and trust in a fruitful outcome.

 

[the only way]

 

[KakiMeow]

Obeying When You Don’t Feel Like It​

Joyce Meyer – Feb 25, 2026

Adapted from Managing Your Emotions

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.

Mark 10:29-30 (NIV)

One of the emotions we need to manage at times is the feeling that we simply don’t want to do something we know we should do. It may be inconvenient or uncomfortable, or we simply may not like it. In other words, we don’t want to sacrifice. But many times, obeying God does require giving up something or doing what we’d rather not do. To follow His will for our lives, we have to come to terms with the fact that it often calls for some type of sacrifice and to be willing to do what He asks of us.

In today’s Scripture passage, Jesus promises to reward those who sacrifice for Him. He says the rewards will come both on earth and in eternal life. Sometimes He asks for radical obedience, and radical obedience pays great dividends. It leads us to the personal joy and peace we experience when we know we are walking in God’s will and to the other rewards He has promised. God is always aware of what we sacrifice, and He knows how to bless us in ways that make us glad we have obeyed Him.

Obeying God always brings a reward. It may not be exactly what we think it should be, but it is always what is best for us. It may not come when we think it should, but it will come right on time. I have found that God is a great rewarder. When we sacrifice in order to obey Him, He blesses us in amazing ways.
Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me be willing to give up whatever I need to in order to be obedient to You and experience the blessings You have for me.

 

[KakiMeow]

Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy. Photo by Charles F. Stanley.

Finding Clear Guidance​

How does a believer hear God's voice?​

February 25, 2026
https://www.intouchglobal.org/read/daily-devotions
Psalm 25:12

How can you know you’re making the right decision? Sometimes it may feel as if God is keeping things from us when we’re trying to know His will, but that’s not how He operates. He wants to give us clear direction. So what must we do to hear His voice?

Clear the pathway. To receive the Lord’s guidance, we must repent of all known sin and make our desires secondary to His.

Exercise patience. Sometimes it takes great strength to stand still when everything within you is shouting, “Hurry! Time’s running out!” But if you rush ahead of God, you may miss His will.

Persist in prayer. The Bible instructs us to keep bringing our concerns to the Lord (Luke 18:1-8; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). As we continue to pray, He will gradually weed out anything confusing until we come to understand His thoughts about the matter.

Search the Scriptures. The Word of God provides wisdom for all of life’s challenges (Psalm 119:105), and the Holy Spirit points us in the right direction.
So often when we’re faced with a critical choice, all we want from the Lord is a quick answer. But He desires something so much greater—to deepen our relationship with Him. Don’t let the urgency of your need keep you from enjoying the intimacy of God’s presence as you seek His will.

Bible in One Year: Deuteronomy 12-14

 

[AK47Reds]

Heard this weekday segment from our local radio UFM1003 where listeners call in or message their views on a daily life question in order to get solution from dj or other listeners. It’s usually practical, sometimes controversial, and reflects common ground sentiments.

Question #1
“A female listener shared that she has been married for 3 years. Recently, her relationship with her husband’s side of the family has not been good. As usual during major gatherings like CNY reunion dinner, her husband’s ex-wife (mother of his eldest child) was also invited. She feels uneasy seeing her mother-in-law happily chatting with the ex-wife. When she raised her discomfort, she was brushed off as being petty.”

SummaComments from others:

• Don’t attend the next reunion dinner if no one respects you.
• Criticise the husband for not protecting his wife.
• Assert authority by proactively taking charge of the gathering.
• Be gracious and 大方 — lead by example for the children.

My Take:

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21, NASB)
It is unwise to respond with revenge or to repay hurt with hurt, even when others seem to be against you. Definitely not to repay evil for evil, but instead to overcome evil with good — by responding with kindness. So choosing to be gracious, kind, supportive, and respectful toward in-laws would be the higher path.

However, let’s be real — doing what is morally right in unfavourable conditions is difficult. When relationships are strained, emotions easily take over. Human beings are naturally driven by feelings of hurt, insecurity, and pride.

That is why we need more than self-control — we need faith. Faith that there is a higher authority whose commands we obey, and whose justice we trust. Acting rightly should not depend on whether others deserve it, but on whether we are willing to honour what is right before God.