Psalm 4:8 says, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” How could David sleep? He relied on the Lord to protect him. His trust in the Lord calmed his mind, will, and emotions.

Verse 4 says, “Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.” In 2016 the Lord had me meditate when I woke up in the night. During that season of seven and one half months, He gave me insights that became 35 ebooks. From those ebooks came five paperbacks, each with the same subject matter. 

Meditating in God’s word is a powerful tool to shape our thoughts.. Psalm 1:2-3 says that when we meditate day and night, “He shall be like a tree planted by the river of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”

I often visit Psalm 131:2. It says, “Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned chid with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.” I have learned a lot about our sympathetic and our parasympathetic nervous systems. We are so fearfully and wonderfully made.

Do you know how to take yourself from fight, flight, or freeze into rest and digest when there is no present danger? Do you know how to bring calm to your whole body in a few minutes? Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

Our chaotic thoughts can produce a fight, flight, or freeze response even when there is no present danger. Have you ever gone to bed and your mind keeps circling the wagons? David wrote Psalm 131. He also wrote Psalm 4 when his son Absalom usurped his throne and he was running for his life.

The book of Proverbs was written by a king that God endowed with wisdom. 1 Kings 4:29 says, “And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore.”

Proverbs has 31 chapters. It is a worthy pursuit to read one chapter a day according to the date. Therefore today would be chapter 3. Verse 7 says, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.”

One way we can judge our opinions is from James 3:17. It says, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”

Here are some questions I need to ask myself about my motives. Am I being sincere? Am I expressing my opinion with a peaceful demeanor? Are my words gentle, forceful, antagonistic, calming or encouraging?

My dad used to say, “Convince a woman against her will, and she will be of the same opinion still.” Dale Carnage quote with my dad’s twist. As I was memorizing Romans 12:16, I took Paul’s words to heart. We often try to convince someone to go our way because we believe we are right.

The verse in the Amplified says, “Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty (snobbish, high-minded, exclusive), but readily adjust yourself to (people, things) and give yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits.”

It takes us back to James 4:1 which says, “Where do wars and fights come from among you?…” James 3:16 says, “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” Pride breeds contempt. One with a heart of humility is empowered with God’s grace to respond rather than react.

There is a great hymn, Make Me A Blessing. First verse and chorus: Out in the highways and byways of life, many are weary and sad; carry the sunshine where darkness is rife, making the sorrowing glad.…Make me a blessing to someone today.

Blessing opportunities abound. Make this your morning prayer. “Lord, help me to be a blessing to someone today.” Then keep your eyes open. Look for opportunities, and seize them in the moment.

I have a great delivery fellow. I asked his name so I can greet him by his name. I called the company that he works for. I wanted to write a letter of commendation. The gal I talked to asked me to tell her and she would convey the message. I ended our call, “May God bless you in a special way today.” She said, “Your kindness for your driver just did.” My actions weren’t scripted ~ just an answer to prayer.

Spouses know their partners better than anyone else. Our character is displayed behind closed doors and in the open. Conflict is a perfect tool that often triggers hidden fleshly reactions. Words can be spoken in haste. Buried hurts, offenses, resentments, emotional pain from the past surface unexpectedly. These pressures are part of conforming us to Christ’s image. 

Use blessing as a tool. Say that your spouse, child, or friend is depressed or disappointed. You can pray on their behalf, “Lord, I ask you to bless them in a way that will take the heaviness from their heart.” You can write them a card asking the Lord to bless them. Something like, “May the Lord grant you hope in place of your broken expectation. May He fulfill the longings of your heart.”

We cannot bring change to another’s heart. However, we can ask the Lord to do it. We see their need that keeps them bound. Then we ask Him to fulfill that need by blessing them.

Romans 12:9-21 is like a character forming template. Though Paul wrote it to the church in Rome, we can readily apply it to our lives. Verse 9 says, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” 

As I continued to memorize this chapter, I paused at verse 14. It says, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” In Deuteronomy 28, Moses detailed God’s blessings to the children of Israel if they obeyed Him. Then all the curses were detailed if they disobeyed Him.

Let’s think of the word bless. Strong’s definition is: speak well of, praise, extol, invoke a benediction, give thanks. In relationships with conflict, we can ask the Lord to bless that person with what they lack.

Interpersonal relationships create an atmosphere where hidden feelings surface unexpectedly. There are often clashes of will. There are misunderstandings. Those are pressures in life that test our character.

I had renewed my driver’s license but it never came in the mail. I called three weeks later to see why. When I was there the first time they didn’t do two things that would allow the system to continue. The kind man I was talking to set up my appointment to go back.

I went back. Three times the gal tried to register my thumbprint. Finally she had me go to another window. Twice in this process she thanked me for my patience. The whole time I was reminding myself that I am representing Jesus. 

When everything was finally done I said, “May God bless your day in a special way.” She smiled and thanked me. I walked out and said to the Lord, “The pressures of life really test our character.”

I like to think about the potter on a wheel. Once the prepared clay is set on the wheel, it takes a lot of consistent pressure to center it before it can be formed.

Affirmations affect our mind, will, and emotions. They defeat the lies that might surface, or the fiery darts that seek to penetrate. Faith affirmations are living truth that defeat and conquer what tries to take us down and away from trusting the Lord in the moment.

Consider faith to faith like a trapeze artist. They have to let go of the first bar they are holding onto. They cannot reach out and grasp the oncoming bar until they let go. Paul wrote something essential for us to grasp. 

Philippians 3:13 says, “…one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press…” The morning of November 9, 2018 the Holy Spirit spoke this. “The forgetting is in the releasing.” That literally empowered me to press into a new venture ~ now faith backed by a verse previously hidden in my heart.

Refer to yesterday’s devotional as an example of faith affirmations from Scripture. Psalm 97:9. Isaiah 54:17. Psalm 118:14. Psalm 18:2. I use those as faith affirmations, because those verses are hidden in my heart. The Holy Spirit brings them to my mind when I need them to anchor me.

David used faith affirmations. Psalm 18:2 says, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Here is another. Psalm 27:1 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Mark 11:22 says, “…Have faith in God.” Faith affirmations are not useless words. Just chanting them will not make a difference, because that is futile activity. Faith comes by hearing God’s word which is alive, powerful, and pierces deep down into our soul.