Isn’t it time to stop running on empty? No matter how hard it is to set aside time to rest, you must do it. Shut down your body, mind and emotions. Put them in neutral. Take a break.

If you’re having difficulty giving yourself permission to rest, let me do that for you. You have my permission to rest.

Jesus made time to rest. He would leave the demanding disciples and crowd to slip away to a lonely place. He needed rest from the pressures of the day.

We'll rest together this week.

KEY PASSAGE:

Matthew 14:18-23

“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.

RESOURCES:

Download the 21-DAY FRESH FAITH EXPERIENCE at www.retreatingwithgod.org.

Visit FRESH FAITH 24/7, a place where you can retreat with God and get to know him more deeply: www.freshfaith247.com.

Connect with Jon at jon@freshfaith247.com

There’s a good chance you’ll face someone or something that will interrupt your joy today. How you handle it will determine how you feel on the other side of that interruption. It will be a test of the depth of your walk with God.

The key is to be prepared before the surprise hits. That's our focus on today's audio devotional.

KEY PASSAGE:

Psalm 1:1-3

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law [or instruction] of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers."

RESOURCES:

Download the 21-DAY FRESH FAITH EXPERIENCE at www.retreatingwithgod.org.

Visit FRESH FAITH 24/7, a place where you can retreat with God and get to know him more deeply: www.freshfaith247.com.

Connect with Jon at jon@freshfaith247.com

Our lives are filled with stuff. So much stuff that storage units seem like the fastest growing business around. Three-car garages are popular, not because we have three cars, but because we need one slot to store all our stuff.

In Psalm 4, the Psalmist is speaking about stuff. Material wealth. He looks around him at all his neighbors’ overflowing blessings. And his response? Contentment. Joy. In fact, more joy than his neighbors are experiencing with their fabulous blessings.

Let's see how we can adopt that attitude in today's audio devotional.

Key Passage:

“Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.
Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.

There are many who say, ‘Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!’
You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.

In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety”

(Psalm 4:4-7 ESV).

RESOURCES:

Download the 21-DAY FRESH FAITH EXPERIENCE at www.retreatingwithgod.org.

Visit FRESH FAITH 24/7, a place where you can retreat with God and get to know him more deeply: www.freshfaith247.com.

Connect with Jon at jon@freshfaith247.com