Escape the “darkness” of your circumstances

http://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/daily-devotions/the-source-of-identity?firstItem=8311aab1-12d9-4437-8a69-98abaef713a5

From the CANON on this blog:

      Solutions

1.    God is omnipotent and therefore can solve any problem.  He may choose to use the solutions listed below, but he often provides in ways you could have never imagined.  The poor should cry out to God for help, rather than depending on Baal.

 

From today’s scripture reading:

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,^g a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. ×

References for 1 Peter 2:9

Footnotes

“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”^h

1 Peter 2:9-10

From today’s devotional:

How often do we evaluate ourselves on the basis of our feelings rather than what God says? The problem is, our feelings are always changing. From one moment to the next, we never know what circumstances will arise to test our faith.

Maybe today is “one of those days”—the car didn’t start, the boss has been breathing down your neck, the mortgage payment is due, and money is short. During such times, it can be difficult to think of yourself with “sober judgment” (Romans 12:3 NIV). But remember, Satan will do whatever he can to divert your attention from the Lord. When we direct our focus toward circumstances instead of the Word of God, we accept what the situation seems to indicate or what others say, instead of what the Lord tells us.

So what do the Scriptures say about us? Today’s passage calls believers “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, [and] . . . God’s own possession.” And our purpose is to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

How encouraging it is to know that we’ve been called into God’s “marvelous light.” Yet unless we have help, we are unable to escape the “darkness” of our circumstances. As believers, we’re empowered by the Holy Spirit, who enables us to overcome Satan’s manipulative tactics.

When circumstances seem unbearable, remember the Lord paid a price to purchase you (1 Corinthians 6:20). Wake up each morning with the knowledge that you are valuable to your Father. Trust in His Word, not your feelings, and allow the Holy Spirit to change your self-perception.