"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 15:13, NKJV). How can you learn to better claim these promises? What attitudes or actions are holding you back?

It is very easy to base our lives on the way things appear rather than hoping in God and trusting in His power. When we doubt what God has said we reveal our lack of faith and our need for spiritual growth.

The only way to trust God more is to simply trust Him. There is not substitute for having a relationship with God. Each of us must experience God for ourselves. But it starts off with the little things. Trusting God with the little helps in trusting him with the big.

Just being religious, in and of itself, is not the answer. What is most important is having a personal relationship with Jesus, knowing for yourself His love and care. This can be done through daily reading of the Word, through prayer, through talking to the Lord as if with a friend, through contemplating His character as revealed in nature and Scripture. How much time do you spend getting to know the Lord for yourself? Might you need, perhaps, to spend a little more time with your Lord and Maker?

Prayer: Father thank you for your love , and your grace. Help us to spend more time with you and to trust you more. Keep us in your care. Thank you in Jesus name amen.

"A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones" (Prov. 17:22, NKJV). What does this text tell us about the link between the mind and the body?

To be cheerful ,happy , and light hearted has a medicinal effect on the body. This fact is supported by science. Paul E. McGhee, Ph.D. "Your sense of humor is one of the most powerful tools you have to make certain that your daily mood and emotional state support good health.

Humor and laughter keep us in a balanced mental and emotional state, but as the text also states, a broken spirit dries up the bones. A person whose life does not contain happiness, and joy can steal this from another.

Read Matthew 6:27–34. What is Jesus saying to us here? How can you apply these words to whatever is causing you fear and worry now? Are any of those fears too great for the Lord to handle? Is anyone beyond the loving reach of God? How can you learn to surrender these fears to the Lord and have the peace that He promise

When we worry about things we accomplish absolutely nothing. Jesus wants us to understand that He will take care us , and that we must trust Him. We must understand that God is all powerful and there is nothing that he can not handle. We can learn to surrender our fears to God by trusting these fears to Him little by little day by day. As we surrender to Him the little day by day ,it gives us a trust in Him that enables us to surrender all.

Prayer: Father I pray that you many grant us joy , and that you may grant us a merry heart. Help us to laugh ,and smile more. Help us to spend time with you in your scriptures that we may develop a deep relationship with you. Thank you in Jesus name amen.