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Christina Cook Lee

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Trusting and praising

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Topic: Fear

Focus: Trusting and praising

Psalm 28:7 (NKJV) The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.

The Lord wouldn’t have had to be both strength and a shield to David, the Psalmist, unless David was a target. Do you feel like you’re a target sometimes, too? It’s mentally and physically exhausting to be a target. Do you sometimes feel like you’re running out of strength? Does it sometimes seem like the enemy is closing in on you and there’s no where to turn?

When it’s clear that someone is out to get you—you need strength, and you need a shield.

When you trust in the Lord with all your heart, He will become your strength and shield in every area of your life. But having complete support and protection comes from truly making God Lord of your life.

You can be capable of believing there is a God, without making Him ‘Lord’ of your life.

When you aren’t putting your complete trust in God, He is not Lord of your life. When you say He is Lord of your life, yet you constantly confess you are ‘tired and afraid’, something is wrong. There is a trust issue that needs to be resolved.

(Read more below)

NOW, YOU CAN LISTEN AND/OR READ!

New Strength Inspirational Statement of the Day

When you don’t completely trust God, you put yourself in a position of having to try to find your own protection because you don’t trust Him to provide it for you. When you have to work at keeping track of where your enemy is—or where he might strike next—you will be tired and afraid.

David says in Psalm 28:7 that because he trusted in the Lord, he was helped by the Lord. Because of the help David received from the Lord, his heart greatly rejoiced, to the point that David sang and/or played a song on a musical instrument to show his praise to God for the help he received from Him.

David was humble enough to recognize that his help came from the Lord. When he received deliverance from danger, he didn’t exclaim with relief, “Well, that was lucky.” Not at all! David was fully aware that without the strength and protection of the Lord—he wouldn’t be able to live. He never claimed it was ‘luck’, he always gave God the credit.

When David had a victory, he didn’t focus the attention on his own contribution—once again, he gave all the glory to the Lord, God.

David knew that most of the time he was in conflict, he was out-numbered by enemies—yet God always fought for him and won his battles. David was faced with ruthless foes over and over in his life—yet God was always David’s strength and shield. God put Himself between David and his adversaries—so they were not able to harm him.

Many times, David was surrounded on all sides. From a practical perspective, there was no hope for him. But, no matter how many people were against him and no matter what his circumstances were—David gave God praise, and the Lord fought his battles. Of all the wars David fought in throughout his life—and there were many—he didn’t die in battle. He wasn’t killed by his enemies. David lived a long life and he died of old age.

You may be surrounded by enemies. You may be out-numbered. From a practical standpoint—there may be no way out of your circumstances. But, if you will trust in God and praise Him as the Lord of your life—He will fight for you. He will win your battle and you will have the victory.

David didn’t trust in the Lord after the battle was over and there was nothing to worry about anymore. He trusted in the Lord in the heat of the conflict. Are you doing that? When a trial comes your way do you fuss and fear—or do you trust and praise? We all need to get better at trusting and praising instead of fussing and fearing. When we trust and praise—God’s power is magnified in our behalf.

When you step on the accelerator in an automobile—it goes faster. When we choose to trust and praise, it’s like ‘stepping on the accelerator’. When we are all caught up with fussing and fearing—it’s like sitting still, or going in reverse, or just going nowhere.

Declaration: I will find new strength by truly trusting in the Lord with all my heart. I will choose trusting and praising instead of fussing and fearing.

IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO NEW STRENGTH DEVOTIONAL BELOW, A NEW SEGMENT WILL COME TO YOUR EMAIL EACH DAY.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, https://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/playlists?sort=dd&view=1

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.

Putting all of our hope in God

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Focus: Putting all of our hope in God

Romans 8:24-25 (NKJV) For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

As hard as it is to admit, the way most of us learn best is through ‘experience’. When embarking on life’s journey as a young adult, we think we know more than enough. We wouldn’t dream of asking for help—and we sure don’t want advice. During the young impulsive years, we often spend more than we earn and if we are able to get credit cards, we will probably end up with a pile of debt. We have ‘hope’ that we will be able to make our payments, but the truth is, we just don’t have a lot of wisdom. We don’t want to ‘wait’ for things. We want it all—and we want it now.

The result of not being able to wait for things is a common cause of depression and addiction. When we’ve allowed ourselves too much liberty, it becomes awkward to face the truth. No wonder so many people seek ways to ‘escape’ from reality. So much grief could be avoided, if we could only realize the benefits of learning to wait. Great peace comes when we put our hope in God and trust Him to provide for our wants and needs.

NOW, YOU CAN LISTEN AND/OR READ!

New Strength Inspirational Statement of the Day

When we have received consolation from the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, we become ‘a carrier’ of His mercy and comfort. It isn’t that we ‘become God’, it’s that we become carriers of the help He gives. When we are faced with someone who is struggling in an area where we have struggled, we are not only able to empathize with them, but we can lead them to our Heavenly Father, who is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

There is a beautiful story told by Jesus in Luke 10:30-35.

“A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed—leaving him half dead.

Now by chance a certain Priest came down that road, and when he saw the wounded man, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where the wounded man was. And when the Samaritan saw him, he had compassion. So he went to the man and poured oil and wine on his wounds and applied bandages. He set the man on his own animal, brought him to an inn and took care of him.

On the next day, when the Samaritan departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.”

There is nothing to prove my theory about this story, but I like to imagine that the Samaritan had once traveled that same dangerous road and was attacked in a similar manner. The Priest and the Levite had never been through anything like that. When they saw the wounded man they had no idea how to relate to him. They were only concerned for their own safety, so they passed by on the other side of the road—or ‘kept their distance’.  The Samaritan knew exactly how the wounded man felt and couldn’t leave him in that condition. It’s possible the Samaritan cared for the wounded man in the same way someone else had cared for him in his own time of need.

When you come to the place on your recovery journey where you are able to turn your attention to others, you will find you have the gift of being able to relate to their suffering on a special level. The important thing to remember is that you shouldn’t just ‘sympathize’ with them. Those who are wounded need to be taken to a place of true safety—our Father of mercies who is the God of all comfort. As you keep directing them to Him—in time—they may find the same comfort you found…and it’s possible they could receive their own ‘gift’ that they may someday share with others.

Declaration: I will find new strength by discovering that my gift is to share the mercy and comfort I have received from Father God with others who need Him.

IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO NEW STRENGTH DEVOTIONAL BELOW, A NEW SEGMENT WILL COME TO YOUR EMAIL EACH DAY.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, https://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/playlists?sort=dd&view=1

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.

Trusting and praising

By Leave a Comment

Topic: Fear

Focus: Trusting and praising

Psalm 28:7 (NKJV) The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.

The Lord wouldn’t have had to be both strength and a shield to David, the Psalmist, unless David was a target. Do you feel like you’re a target sometimes, too? It’s mentally and physically exhausting to be a target. Do you sometimes feel like you’re running out of strength? Does it sometimes seem like the enemy is closing in on you and there’s no where to turn?

When it’s clear that someone is out to get you—you need strength, and you need a shield.

When you trust in the Lord with all your heart, He will become your strength and shield in every area of your life. But having complete support and protection comes from truly making God Lord of your life.

You can be capable of believing there is a God, without making Him ‘Lord’ of your life.

When you aren’t putting your complete trust in God, He is not Lord of your life. When you say He is Lord of your life, yet you constantly confess you are ‘tired and afraid’, something is wrong. There is a trust issue that needs to be resolved.

(Read more below)

NOW, YOU CAN LISTEN AND/OR READ!

New Strength Inspirational Statement of the Day

When you don’t completely trust God, you put yourself in a position of having to try to find your own protection because you don’t trust Him to provide it for you. When you have to work at keeping track of where your enemy is—or where he might strike next—you will be tired and afraid.

David says in Psalm 28:7 that because he trusted in the Lord, he was helped by the Lord. Because of the help David received from the Lord, his heart greatly rejoiced, to the point that David sang and/or played a song on a musical instrument to show his praise to God for the help he received from Him.

David was humble enough to recognize that his help came from the Lord. When he received deliverance from danger, he didn’t exclaim with relief, “Well, that was lucky.” Not at all! David was fully aware that without the strength and protection of the Lord—he wouldn’t be able to live. He never claimed it was ‘luck’, he always gave God the credit.

When David had a victory, he didn’t focus the attention on his own contribution—once again, he gave all the glory to the Lord, God.

David knew that most of the time he was in conflict, he was out-numbered by enemies—yet God always fought for him and won his battles. David was faced with ruthless foes over and over in his life—yet God was always David’s strength and shield. God put Himself between David and his adversaries—so they were not able to harm him.

Many times, David was surrounded on all sides. From a practical perspective, there was no hope for him. But, no matter how many people were against him and no matter what his circumstances were—David gave God praise, and the Lord fought his battles. Of all the wars David fought in throughout his life—and there were many—he didn’t die in battle. He wasn’t killed by his enemies. David lived a long life and he died of old age.

You may be surrounded by enemies. You may be out-numbered. From a practical standpoint—there may be no way out of your circumstances. But, if you will trust in God and praise Him as the Lord of your life—He will fight for you. He will win your battle and you will have the victory.

David didn’t trust in the Lord after the battle was over and there was nothing to worry about anymore. He trusted in the Lord in the heat of the conflict. Are you doing that? When a trial comes your way do you fuss and fear—or do you trust and praise? We all need to get better at trusting and praising instead of fussing and fearing. When we trust and praise—God’s power is magnified in our behalf.

When you step on the accelerator in an automobile—it goes faster. When we choose to trust and praise, it’s like ‘stepping on the accelerator’. When we are all caught up with fussing and fearing—it’s like sitting still, or going in reverse, or just going nowhere.

Declaration: I will find new strength by truly trusting in the Lord with all my heart. I will choose trusting and praising instead of fussing and fearing.

IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO NEW STRENGTH DEVOTIONAL BELOW, A NEW SEGMENT WILL COME TO YOUR EMAIL EACH DAY.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, https://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/playlists?sort=dd&view=1

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.

Humility

By Leave a Comment

Focus: Putting all of our hope in God

Romans 8:24-25 (NKJV) For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

As hard as it is to admit, the way most of us learn best is through ‘experience’. When embarking on life’s journey as a young adult, we think we know more than enough. We wouldn’t dream of asking for help—and we sure don’t want advice. During the young impulsive years, we often spend more than we earn and if we are able to get credit cards, we will probably end up with a pile of debt. We have ‘hope’ that we will be able to make our payments, but the truth is, we just don’t have a lot of wisdom. We don’t want to ‘wait’ for things. We want it all—and we want it now.

The result of not being able to wait for things is a common cause of depression and addiction. When we’ve allowed ourselves too much liberty, it becomes awkward to face the truth. No wonder so many people seek ways to ‘escape’ from reality. So much grief could be avoided, if we could only realize the benefits of learning to wait. Great peace comes when we put our hope in God and trust Him to provide for our wants and needs.

NOW, YOU CAN LISTEN AND/OR READ!

New Strength Inspirational Statement of the Day

When we have received consolation from the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, we become ‘a carrier’ of His mercy and comfort. It isn’t that we ‘become God’, it’s that we become carriers of the help He gives. When we are faced with someone who is struggling in an area where we have struggled, we are not only able to empathize with them, but we can lead them to our Heavenly Father, who is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

There is a beautiful story told by Jesus in Luke 10:30-35.

“A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed—leaving him half dead.

Now by chance a certain Priest came down that road, and when he saw the wounded man, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where the wounded man was. And when the Samaritan saw him, he had compassion. So he went to the man and poured oil and wine on his wounds and applied bandages. He set the man on his own animal, brought him to an inn and took care of him.

On the next day, when the Samaritan departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.”

There is nothing to prove my theory about this story, but I like to imagine that the Samaritan had once traveled that same dangerous road and was attacked in a similar manner. The Priest and the Levite had never been through anything like that. When they saw the wounded man they had no idea how to relate to him. They were only concerned for their own safety, so they passed by on the other side of the road—or ‘kept their distance’.  The Samaritan knew exactly how the wounded man felt and couldn’t leave him in that condition. It’s possible the Samaritan cared for the wounded man in the same way someone else had cared for him in his own time of need.

When you come to the place on your recovery journey where you are able to turn your attention to others, you will find you have the gift of being able to relate to their suffering on a special level. The important thing to remember is that you shouldn’t just ‘sympathize’ with them. Those who are wounded need to be taken to a place of true safety—our Father of mercies who is the God of all comfort. As you keep directing them to Him—in time—they may find the same comfort you found…and it’s possible they could receive their own ‘gift’ that they may someday share with others.

Declaration: I will find new strength by discovering that my gift is to share the mercy and comfort I have received from Father God with others who need Him.

IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO NEW STRENGTH DEVOTIONAL BELOW, A NEW SEGMENT WILL COME TO YOUR EMAIL EACH DAY.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, https://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/playlists?sort=dd&view=1

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.

Fear

By Leave a Comment

Focus: Trusting and praising

Psalm 28:7 (NKJV) The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.

The Lord wouldn’t have had to be both strength and a shield to David, the Psalmist, unless David was a target. Do you feel like you’re a target sometimes, too? It’s mentally and physically exhausting to be a target. Do you sometimes feel like you’re running out of strength? Does it sometimes seem like the enemy is closing in on you and there’s no where to turn?

When it’s clear that someone is out to get you—you need strength, and you need a shield.

When you trust in the Lord with all your heart, He will become your strength and shield in every area of your life. But having complete support and protection comes from truly making God Lord of your life.

You can be capable of believing there is a God, without making Him ‘Lord’ of your life.

When you aren’t putting your complete trust in God, He is not Lord of your life. When you say He is Lord of your life, yet you constantly confess you are ‘tired and afraid’, something is wrong. There is a trust issue that needs to be resolved.

(read more below)

NOW, YOU CAN LISTEN AND/OR READ!

Link to New Strength Audio Version
New Strength Devotional Inspirational Statement of the Day

When you don’t completely trust God, you put yourself in a position of having to try to find your own protection because you don’t trust Him to provide it for you. When you have to work at keeping track of where your enemy is—or where he might strike next—you will be tired and afraid.

David says in Psalm 28:7 that because he trusted in the Lord, he was helped by the Lord. Because of the help David received from the Lord, his heart greatly rejoiced, to the point that David sang and/or played a song on a musical instrument to show his praise to God for the help he received from Him.

David was humble enough to recognize that his help came from the Lord. When he received deliverance from danger, he didn’t exclaim with relief, “Well, that was lucky.” Not at all! David was fully aware that without the strength and protection of the Lord—he wouldn’t be able to live. He never claimed it was ‘luck’, he always gave God the credit.

When David had a victory, he didn’t focus the attention on his own contribution—once again, he gave all the glory to the Lord, God.

David knew that most of the time he was in conflict, he was out-numbered by enemies—yet God always fought for him and won his battles. David was faced with ruthless foes over and over in his life—yet God was always David’s strength and shield. God put Himself between David and his adversaries—so they were not able to harm him.

Many times, David was surrounded on all sides. From a practical perspective, there was no hope for him. But, no matter how many people were against him and no matter what his circumstances were—David gave God praise, and the Lord fought his battles. Of all the wars David fought in throughout his life—and there were many—he didn’t die in battle. He wasn’t killed by his enemies. David lived a long life and he died of old age.

You may be surrounded by enemies. You may be out-numbered. From a practical standpoint—there may be no way out of your circumstances. But, if you will trust in God and praise Him as the Lord of your life—He will fight for you. He will win your battle and you will have the victory.

David didn’t trust in the Lord after the battle was over and there was nothing to worry about anymore. He trusted in the Lord in the heat of the conflict. Are you doing that? When a trial comes your way do you fuss and fear—or do you trust and praise? We all need to get better at trusting and praising instead of fussing and fearing. When we trust and praise—God’s power is magnified in our behalf.

When you step on the accelerator in an automobile—it goes faster. When we choose to trust and praise, it’s like ‘stepping on the accelerator’. When we are all caught up with fussing and fearing—it’s like sitting still, or going in reverse, or just going nowhere.

Declaration: I will find new strength by truly trusting in the Lord with all my heart. I will choose trusting and praising instead of fussing and fearing.

IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO NEW STRENGTH DEVOTIONAL BELOW, A NEW SEGMENT WILL COME TO YOUR EMAIL EACH DAY.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, https://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/playlists?sort=dd&view=1

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.

Fear

By Leave a Comment

Focus: Trusting and praising

Psalm 28:7 (NKJV) The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.

The Lord wouldn’t have had to be both strength and a shield to David, the Psalmist, unless David was a target. Do you feel like you’re a target sometimes, too? It’s mentally and physically exhausting to be a target. Do you sometimes feel like you’re running out of strength? Does it sometimes seem like the enemy is closing in on you and there’s no where to turn?

When it’s clear that someone is out to get you—you need strength, and you need a shield.

Now, you can listen and/or read!

When a trial comes your way, do you fuss and fear or do you trust and praise? --Christina Cook Lee, A Quest For New Strength
Link to New Strength Devotional, Audio Version.
When a trial comes your way, do you fuss and fear or do you trust and praise? --Christina Cook Lee, A Quest For New Strength
New Strength Devotional Inspirational Statement of the Day

 

When you trust in the Lord with all your heart, He will become your strength and shield in every area of your life. But having complete support and protection comes from truly making God Lord of your life.

You can be capable of believing there is a God, without making Him ‘Lord’ of your life.

When you aren’t putting your complete trust in God, He is not Lord of your life. When you say He is Lord of your life, yet you constantly confess you are ‘tired and afraid’, something is wrong. There is a trust issue that needs to be resolved.

When you don’t completely trust God, you put yourself in a position of having to try to find your own protection because you don’t trust Him to provide it for you. When you have to work at keeping track of where your enemy is—or where he might strike next—you will be tired and afraid.

David says in Psalm 28:7 that because he trusted in the Lord, he was helped by the Lord. Because of the help David received from the Lord, his heart greatly rejoiced, to the point that David sang and/or played a song on a musical instrument to show his praise to God for the help he received from Him.

David was humble enough to recognize that his help came from the Lord. When he received deliverance from danger, he didn’t exclaim with relief, “Well, that was lucky.” Not at all! David was fully aware that without the strength and protection of the Lord—he wouldn’t be able to live. He never claimed it was ‘luck’, he always gave God the credit.

When David had a victory, he didn’t focus the attention on his own contribution—once again, he gave all the glory to the Lord, God.

David knew that most of the time he was in conflict, he was out-numbered by enemies—yet God always fought for him and won his battles. David was faced with ruthless foes over and over in his life—yet God was always David’s strength and shield. God put Himself between David and his adversaries—so they were not able to harm him.

Many times, David was surrounded on all sides. From a practical perspective, there was no hope for him. But, no matter how many people were against him and no matter what his circumstances were—David gave God praise, and the Lord fought his battles. Of all the wars David fought in throughout his life—and there were many—he didn’t die in battle. He wasn’t killed by his enemies. David lived a long life and he died of old age.

You may be surrounded by enemies. You may be out-numbered. From a practical standpoint—there may be no way out of your circumstances. But, if you will trust in God and praise Him as the Lord of your life—He will fight for you. He will win your battle and you will have the victory.

David didn’t trust in the Lord after the battle was over and there was nothing to worry about anymore. He trusted in the Lord in the heat of the conflict. Are you doing that? When a trial comes your way do you fuss and fear—or do you trust and praise? We all need to get better at trusting and praising instead of fussing and fearing. When we trust and praise—God’s power is magnified in our behalf.

When you step on the accelerator in an automobile—it goes faster. When we choose to trust and praise, it’s like ‘stepping on the accelerator’. When we are all caught up with fussing and fearing—it’s like sitting still, or going in reverse, or just going nowhere.

Declaration: I will find new strength by truly trusting in the Lord with all my heart. I will choose trusting and praising instead of fussing and fearing.

If you subscribe to New Strength, a new segment will come to your email each day.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, https://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/playlists?sort=dd&view=1

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.