Don’t Let This World Take Your Joy
Day 1
Soul Search
Do I allow other’s wicked behavior to affect me too much?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, please guard my heart and mind from the wickedness all around me. As I allow Your Spirit to work through me, to shine Your light into the darkness, protect me from the slippery slope of the type of concern that quickly turns into excessive anxiety and worry. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen
Day 2
Commentary
Take Delight In Jesus
Too many Christ-followers go day in and day out without spending enough time with the Lord. The result is a distracted, uncertain, and anxious person. One who too often walks off course and ends up struggling.
Think of this world as a minefield; every step is critical, and danger lies just inches away — maybe even underfoot. Satan has positioned this world to not only rob you of your joy and to stumble you in sin, but to destroy you if possible.
There is blessing and protection for those who walk closely with Jesus. In living a life that is in full trust and obedience to Him, comes a delight that is unmatched by anything this world has to offer. It’s that feeling of great pleasure in living out God’s will for your life. When you do that, those land mines of this world cannot harm you. For the Lord your God will clear your path ahead and order your steps through the dangers that this world presents. With your heart focused firmly upon Him, the evils of this world cannot bring you down.
Soul Search
Have I come to truly know the delight of the Lord?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, as I focus my heart and mind upon You, let me find true delight in You. The kind of fullness that just can’t be found in anything in the world. May my heart be so aligned to Your will that all my desires are for the things You want. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen
Day 3
Commentary
Commit To The Ways of The Lord
If the world goes left, you go right. It’s far better that you walk alone, with Jesus, than have anything to do with the wickedness of this world. Things are backward; we live in an Isaiah 5:20 type of world.
Now is the time to be found doing the Father’s business. Though we are not to fret over the evil around us, we are to be bold against it in every righteous way possible. If you struggle with people-pleasing, like I have, then now is a great time to break free of that and focus solely on pleasing God with your actions. Don’t ever allow yourself to be pressured to approve of or participate in anything that you know is not right, that you know is against God and His moral standard.
As Scripture teaches, we fight not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual evil in this world and beyond. Your obedience to Jesus will be a light unto this world and make you an active part of the Holy Spirit-fortified shield that currently restrains the all-out takeover of this world by wickedness.
Soul Search
Am I fully committed to doing what God wants me to do each day?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, use me as You see fit, to be a refreshment and a comfort to those around me. Someone who looks and behaves differently, one who radiates Jesus to those around me. One who is a shield against the arrows of Satan. To You be the glory! In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen
Day 4
Commentary
Give Up Your Anger
If you’re anything like me, then I’m sure you’ve struggled at times with anger toward those who do evil. It’s difficult to witness the atrocities that go on so often and not start to build up an anger, even a disdain for those evildoers. This holds especially true when it seems like those doing evil are avoiding justice year after year and decade after decade.
It might be tempting to ask the Lord why, but understand that He has perfect timing, every time. You and I are to rest in His peace and remember to be expectant of His perfect justice. The reality is, you might be waiting for a long time. It might be that in God’s plan, the time of waiting is used to bring about something good.
When we hold on to anger and disdain for someone, we allow evil thoughts to enter in. In your mind, you might condemn that evildoer to Hell, but reality might be that God will use some event in 5 years from now to bring that person to Him. God is the Grand Architect and He will use even the evil actions of men to further His will — even take that wicked person and give them a new heart for Him.
Soul Search
Am I waiting patiently and expectantly on the Lord in all things?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, You know me better than I know myself. Help me, Father, to get rid of any anger that binds me up and to give it all to You. To not walk in the ways of this world, but to seek refuge under Your wings. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen
Day 5
Commentary
Wait and See God’s Goodness
I know it’s tough. I know your soul is troubled by this world. I myself go through each day feeling like Lot many times, troubled by what I see.
But we have a great promise to look toward. A day will come — a day that is already known to God — when He will repay those who did evil and rejected Jesus with justice. What seems like a long wait now pales in comparison to eternity. Those who appeared to “get away with it” now will spend eternity paying for their evil. You and I will enjoy the perfection of a new heaven and earth, where evil no longer exists and our God dwells among us, like He once did before the fall of man.
Meditate on this every time you become troubled to the point of worry. Know that our God is so good and He will work all things for the good of us who know Him. But He has a perfect plan and timing to do so.
Soul Search
Am I keeping my eyes the promises of God?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, You’ve told us so much about the ages to come. Let me meditate on those wonderful promises, knowing that one day, they will be reality for me. Thank You, Father! In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen
Commentary
Don’t Let Wicked People Bring You To Worry
Scripture exhorts the believer to avoid all evil and to expose it. We are to be aware of our surroundings, what goes on in our homes, communities, governments, and the world. But we’re also told in this Psalm of King David, not to allow evildoers to agitate us, meaning to bring you to worry. It’s easy to allow the wickedness in our world to make us fret. To go into a place of worry and anxiety over it. That is not what God wants for us.
While we can’t avoid hearing about or seeing the evils of this world, the believer in Christ must diligently seek the Lord, protecting our minds and hearts from it, understanding that God will deal with such people in His perfect timing. You and I should be shining a light on evil, while allowing the Holy Spirit to work in and through us as barriers against evil.
We’re tasked with the careful balancing act of active participation in the defense against the evils of this world, while not allowing it to overwhelm our hearts and minds. This is only achievable in the power of the Holy Spirit.