Written by Gary Fleetwood on 10/04/2018
Series: Weekly Devotional
Tags: God, Self Control
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
Have you ever met a really physically strong person? Well, I have a son and a son-in-law who are both very, very strong. They lift weights and work out a lot to strengthen their body. So, when I have some really heavy things to move, you can just imagine who I call to help me. The word “self-control” comes from a word that means “strength” or “to be strong”. However, it is not a physical strength that is referred to here, but a spiritual strength. When someone is exercising “self-control” they are allowing their life to be controlled by the Spirit of God. There will always be things that happen in our lives that will make us angry, this will cause us to react in a way that is not pleasing to God. This is the attribute of “self-control” really helps us. It keeps us from saying something or doing something that we might regret.
Sometimes I feel a little helpless, so what can help me to have this self-control?
Have you ever seen a really good athlete? What helps them to perform at a high level from game to game is that they are constantly training, always keeping their body in shape, and always practicing their sport to keep developing their skills. They watch what they eat and how late they stay up at night. To be a good athlete takes a lot of hard work and self-discipline. It requires staying really focused on what they are doing. Developing self-control is no different. It comes from developing self-discipline in our lives. I have a grandson who is a great athlete. He practices for nearly 4 hours every day after school to develop his skills. He is very good. In the same way, self-control is something that we have to work at every day. We guard our words. We discipline ourselves to make the most of our time and our opportunities. We do not overreact to things. We read our Bibles and meet with other Christians regularly.
So what does all of that do for me?
It’s simple. It builds spiritual strength into our lives. Proverbs 25:28 says this about a man without “self-control”,
"A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls."
What a great picture! It is a picture of a city that has had all of its walls broken down. That is what a person without “self-control” is like. They have no defense against the difficult moments which will happen in their life. They will find themselves just reacting to things and then trying to just pick up the pieces of their bad decisions. Over the years I have had to do a lot of marriage counseling, and one of the things that has become obvious to me is that the marriages that ultimately fail generally do so because either one or both of the marriage partners failed to exercise self-control in their life. They just yelled at their partner or their children. They were willing to hurt people. They would become angry and say very hurtful things. They made quick and bad decisions. Why? It is because they simply lacked “self-control”.
Can you give me an example of how this can work out in a practical way in my life?
One of the greatest areas that needs to be worked on is that of guarding what we say. Our tongue is always the first place that we fail because it is so easy to say something when we are frustrated or have been hurt. We just react, and generally without thinking. It is almost our way of getting back at someone. James 3:5-6 speaks to this so clearly when it says,
So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
So, guarding what we say is a great way to develop the quality of “self-control” in our lives. We have to constantly keep reminding ourselves that as we exercise “self-control” in one area of our life, that it will strengthen other areas as well. My wife has always had great “self-control”. I cannot remember the last time that I saw her over-react to something. So, over the many years of our marriage, her strength has become my strength. How good is that — to know that as we are strong in the Lord that God will use that strength to help others in their areas of weakness as well.
Pray this week:
Father, will you please help me to guard my words and the attitudes that cause those words to come out of my mouth? Please help me to reflect Christ in everything that I say.
Would someone think that you were a Christian by the way that you talk?
Written by Gary Fleetwood on 26/09/2017
Series: Weekly Devotional
Tags: Patience, God, Longsuffering
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
What should we do and how should we act when someone mistreats us or takes advantage of us? How should we respond when someone hurts us or says something ugly to us? Well, we can respond in one of two ways.
First, we can just react and become just like the other person — ugly. We can match them ugly word for ugly word. Or, we can respond the way that God would want us to respond — with what He calls “patience” or “longsuffering”.
What is “longsuffering” and how does it work in my life?
Have you ever met someone who gets angry very easily? You never know when they might just say very ugly things to you. Well, this word “patience” or “longsuffering” represents the exact opposite. It means to wait a long time when something does not go our way or when someone says or does something ugly to us and not get mad. As 1 Corinthians 13:4a says, “Love is patient and kind.” It means to simply remain calm when someone is saying or doing things that normally would annoy us. It is when we are wronged by someone, but do not try and get back at them.
So, what do you think would be the opposite of “longsuffering”? The opposite is ANGER, getting angry with someone. Think of it this way. When we feel ourselves starting to become angry with someone for how they are treating us, it is like a signal from God that we are not responding to that situation the way He would want us to respond. He wants us to remain calm and to not react in an ugly way toward that person. God would never want us to take revenge against someone who had wronged us. He never wants us to respond in a bad way or to become bitter and angry towards them. In James 1:20, we are told, “the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
Can God use an angry person?
Probably not. What if God became angry every time that we mistreated someone else or said something ugly to them? He does not do that, but just remains calm and does not become angry with us. He remains calm with us when we sin against Him, and that is the same attitude and response that He wants us to have with those who may sin against us. Just treat them like Christ treats us — gently, patiently, kindly, lovingly.
What do I do when I know that I have an anger problem in my life?
Over 30 years ago I had an anger problem where every couple of months I would lose my temper and become angry with my family about something they had done.The Lord began to speak to my heart and it was as if He said to me that because of my anger that He could not use me. It was during that time that I made a very simple decision that I would never become angry again, and for the last 30 years I have never become angry one time. I feel so much better because I know that no matter how badly someone may mistreat me that I will not become angry with them. It actually allows me to treat them as Christ would treat them. So, they get to see what Christ is like through my life and through my “longsuffering” towards them. It is like Christ is actually living His life through me — or through you. Wow! What an incredible idea — God living His life through our life!!
Recently someone drove their car in the front yard of our home late at night. They were spinning their wheels and going in circles and just ruined our whole front yard. I was away from home that week and when my wife sent me the pictures of the yard, I just felt sorry for the people that did it. So, I took some time to pray for them. I asked God to work in their life and to help them to come to Him. The grass and dirt in my yard are not really that important to me. I can easily fix the yard, but I know that only God can fix the heart of these people who damaged our yard for no good reason. It was great! I was not angry, but actually sensed God’s love for these people. In 1 Peter 3:9, we are told, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”
So, the next time that someone mistreats you or says something ugly to you — remain calm, exercise longsuffering, and just remember how God treats us when we do something ugly to someone. If we will do that one simple thing, we will find out how God is able to work through our life. Enjoy His journey
Pray this week:
Lord Jesus, if someone comes into my life this week and tries to make me angry, would you please help me to demonstrate “longsuffering” towards them?
Do you truly believe that you can respond to someone who is treating you in an ugly way with patience and longsuffering?
Proximity marketing refers to communicating with customers at the right place, the right time and with highly relevant and personalised messages, on their smartphones — be it greeting at the entry points, special offers in the store aisles, or getting feedback on a new product.
Legacy advertisements on television, billboards, radio and pamphlets could be appealing, but they lack the impulsive drive to avail an offer, or try a new product. However, digital technology, such as beacons have bridged this gap between offline and online.
For decades, traditional shopkeepers and business owners have been communicating with their customers at significant moments, but proximity marketing as a term got introduced to marketers in 2008. This led to brands and businesses sending location-triggered text messages to cell phones that were in proximity to a Bluetooth network and had "discoverable" Bluetooth mode switched on.
To understand how proximity marketing works, let us consider an example of a retail store.
Beacons are deployed at the storefront or in aisles with ongoing offers.
These BLE beacons transmit signals in its range. BLE signals are a combination of numbers and characters.
The signals are detected by any Bluetooth-enabled smartphone, in the transmitting range.
The smartphone then sends the ID number attached to the signal to the cloud server.
The server checks the action assigned to that ID number and responds accordingly. It could be a notification about a discount, or a product launch, a feedback form or just a greeting!
These notifications will then drive customers to a relevant form, a webpage or a markdown card (a Beaconstac card creative which works as a substitute for a website).
Location-based marketing vs proximity marketing
Businesses, especially retail and real estate, have been focussing immensely on location for the last decade. This is because reaching out to customers without being sure of the location is just digital marketing, which is not very effective for local businesses. However, marketers and business owners now realize that the targeting needs to be more specific than just GPS and geofencing. This is where proximity marketing steps in. Let’s understand in detail about their differences and when each one of them is useful.
Location-based marketing
Location-based marketing in simple terms means communicating with potential customers within a range. Let’s say, a coffee shop runs a campaign to introduce a new almond flavoured Cappuccino on their menu. Setting a location based marketing campaign would mean that all potential customers in the range of, let’s say 1 kilometer, are notified about the new coffee. This might also include reaching out to a user in the nearby ice-cream store.
This is done by calculating the latitude and longitude of the smartphone using GPS or cell tower triangulation method. It is hence defined as the kind of marketing that uses mobile to target customers in a particular geographical area.
Geofence is a virtual boundary which can range from over 50,000 meters to anything else. Ideally, for interactions above 80-100 meters, business owners must consider geofencing.
Proximity marketing
Proximity marketing however, is a more granular form of location marketing. For the same example discussed above, the coffee shop owner could decide to have a more targeted approach and reach out to customers passing his coffee shop, lets say in the range of 300 meters. This approach is more personalized and contextually relevant.
Proximity marketing is about reaching out to customers based on the accurate position and not a virtual geofence. This makes the communication more contextual and personalised.
Proximity marketing is recommended for highly targeted zones — within 100m of distance. Proximity marketing use-cases involve interaction with customers about a particular product, brand on a shelf, or any other similar application.
Proximity marketing solutions
Business owners and marketers have been using proximity solutions that do not involve technology, for decades – physical signage and banners. But in last few years, technologies have become much more affordable, and therefore, a lot of businesses have integrated them into their marketing strategies. Advanced technologies that make proximity marketing happen are — Bluetooth beacons, NFC, RFID and WiFi.
1. Proximity marketing using Bluetooth beacons
Bluetooth beacons are currently the leading proximity marketing technology. According to Proximity Directory Report Q4 2017, 86% of the proximity sensors deployed across the world are beacons. According to the same report, 7 18,763,000 proximity sensors were deployed by Q4 2017. Beacons are low energy transmitters, equipped with Bluetooth low energy, used to deliver contextually relevant notification on nearby smartphones.
There are two beacon standards :-
iBeacon: Apple first launched beacon standard in 2013. That is when physical and digital started merging. A lot of retailers like Macy's, Walmart and Starwood hotels stepped up to the plate to implement iBeacon in their store outlets. iBeacon allows apps on smartphones to receive BLE signals from the beacon.
Eddystone: Google introduced the Eddystone protocol in 2015. It is an open URL protocol specification that defines Bluetooth low energy (BLE) message format for proximity beacon messages. It has since become hugely popular among businesses and has only continued to grow. Eddystone protocol restricted the popularity of iBeacons in no time. Now, smartphones can receive Eddystone signals with or without apps.
Beaconstac beacons support both Eddystone and iBeacon.
UPDATE: On October 25, 2018 Android announced that Nearby will no longer be supported on Android smartphones after December 6, 2018.
2. Proximity marketing with NFC based systems
NFC was designed to enable highly secure payments and applications. NFC enabled customers to pay just by tapping smartphones against NFC-enabled devices. This technology did not fly off really well, even though it appeared promising in the beginning.This failure could be due to the following reasons –
Customers need an app to use NFC tags to receive messages.
NFC is a passive form of proximity marketing — which means NFC ads require customers to initiate the engagement. Unlike beacons, NFC systems cannot broadcast notifications.
It has a concise transmission range of 20 centimetres.
3. Proximity marketing with Wi-Fi-based systems
Wi-Fi has not traditionally been a proximity solution. However, with the widespread of public Wi-Fi, marketers are now leveraging Wi-Fi to send notifications. The Wi-Fi hosting website can send location-specific content to the consumer’s browser.
However, Wi-Fi requires users to consent to a connection each time they enter the business location. And, Wi-Fi-based systems are not very accurate when it comes to proximity marketing.
4. Proximity marketing with RFID based systems
RFID tags are used to track store product movement and inventory. RFID introduced in 2003, was considered a revolution. It quickly went from the little-known technology to the next big thing. However, this rapid growth was ephemeral. Here’s why RFID has limited adoption :-
The biggest hurdle in RFID adoption is that deploying RFID system requires many different components — necessary hardware such as tags, readers, reader control and apps. Retailers have to invest a substantial amount upfront on the infrastructure front, on both sender and receiver side.
Unlike most other proximity solutions, RFID does not come with inherent compatibility with mobile. It requires hardware to process signals at specific frequencies.
Information passed by RFID cannot be personalised based on location, frequency, time of the day etc. It is constant and is embedded in the tag.
Why is Bluetooth beacon better than competing technologies?
Proximity with beacons yield results way superior to legacy channels and other competing technologies.
1. 10 billion smartphones in 2018 are Bluetooth-enabled
Beacons broadcast notifications to Bluetooth enabled smartphones. In 2018, nearly 4 billion devices will ship with Bluetooth technology. The percentage of people having their Bluetooth switched on, varies from country to country.
Based on our research and statistics over the internet, approximately 50% of the users in Canada and US have their Bluetooth switched on. Russia has 25%, whereas the UK has 33% of the users with Bluetooth switched on all the time.
2. You do not need your own app to run beacon campaigns
With beacon technology, businesses may or may not leverage the experience of their brand app to communicate with their consumers. Using the Eddystone protocol, sending notifications using NearBee is a breeze.
NearBee has been designed to be better and far superior to Google Nearby. Unlike Google Nearby, it has the ability to send non-silent, rich notifications, non-duplicate and visually appealing notifications straight to the lock screen of Android users. NearBee will also have the ability to morph into a business’s unique branding once a customer enters the store. Customers will also be allowed to ‘follow’ businesses and receive controlled timely updates that can be sent even when they are no longer in the range of the beacon.
3. The click-through rate is far superior to competitor technologies
The click-through rate of a beacon campaign varies based on multiple parameters :
Usage of a brand or third party app
Deployment location and strategy
Nature of business
Schedule of the campaign (Days and time)
Notification copy etc
However, when done well, beacon campaigns have yielded a click-through rate (CTR) of 55% — 60%. However, this is not typical for all businesses. On an average, most small businesses see a CTR of 2% — 4%. With higher targeting and personalisation, the results get better.
A CTR of 2% is incredible for offline businesses given the results attained by other advertising channels. CTR of an average beacon campaign is 25 times that of a social media campaign.
4. Beacons have an excellent ROI
The three factors which contribute to the brilliant ROI of beacons are — low cost, long battery life and minimal efforts.
These tiny devices cost less than $20
Most beacons have an average battery life of 2 years. However, it varies based on the type beacon in use and its transmitting range
Beacons work out-of-the-box! This means business owners do not need an engineer onboard to start broadcasting beacon campaigns. It’s easy to use and seamless to configure
According to Unacast’s Proximity.Directory Q1 2017 Report, retailers can improve their position and increase the operating profit by nearly 9% with an ROI of 175%. This ROI figure shoots to 365% for small and medium businesses.
How to set up a proximity marketing campaign using beacons?
1. Choose the right beacon form factor for your business
Beaconstac supports various beacon hardware options which are found to be best in field tests. The hardware lineup consists of all-purpose indoor beacons, robust long range beacons, pocket beacons and keychain beacons.
The lineup includes beacons in various form factors to suit multiple business needs and applications. Learn more about the options we support on the Beaconstac hardware data-sheet.
2. Plan the beacon deployment strategy
Beacon deployment strategy depends on what the business wants to achieve. However, there are few tips for beacon deployment which work across industries.
Place beacons above the crowd level (approximately about 4 ft to 7 ft above the ground) for maximum reach. Installing beacons on ceilings also work well.
Place beacons in areas where people move slowly, or have a higher wait time, for, eg, traffic intersections, offices, waiting areas, etc.
Try to create a line of sight between a beacon and users’ phones. For best results, place beacons vertically, with the Beaconstac logo on top.
3. Create a markdown card/form (Or, an https website)
Beacon notifications can direct to a custom URL (any website), a form, or a markdown card. Markdown cards are creatives used instead of websites. Beaconstac provides markdown templates which can be easily modified to suit various campaigns. [Download inspirational markdown cards across verticals]
4. Assign it to a beacon
Assign the markdown card or form to the transmitting beacon. Watch the video to learn how to do it.
5. Create a notification
Beaconstac allows the notification creation in multiple languages. This helps marketers target customers in their preferred language. [Read more about dynamic notifications]
How are business using proximity marketing?
Beacon technology has changed the way brands interact with customers. Although advertisement remains the primary benefit of proximity marketing, marketers leverage it for a lot of other use cases.
1. Advertisement
Gone are days when brands were courting customers only by sending out advertisements on television, radio and magazines. In the last few years, advertisements have made a significant shift to a more targetable and data-driven option — beacons. Legacy ads cannot be micro sliced via location or demographics. This is why marketers are now relying on proximity marketing solutions to find, engage and most importantly, bring back customers.
2. Personalisation to enhance engagement
Brick and mortar stores can achieve the level of personalisation that e-commerce sites like Amazon and Walmart offer. With beacons in stores, marketers can achieve the following :-
Send recommendations related to their purchase history.
Upsell products.
Send recommendations based on shopping habits.
Personalization leads to positive experiences that, in turn, leads to more engagement, loyalty and sales. According to research by Marketing Insider Group, 78% of consumers say relevant content increases their purchase intent.
3. Loyalty programs
Customer loyalty programs are all about keeping current customers engaged and happy. These programs enable customers to automatically check in, get credit for their purchases and earn loyalty rewards. Big brands and local merchants are now using beacons to provide mobile loyalty among customers. Interesting use cases of beacon-based loyalty programs are :-
Send customized notifications on offers to patrons when they are closeby.
Deliver time-sensitive geo-targeted offers with greater precision.
Reward loyal customers for spending time with you.
4. Amassing offline data
Businesses today, rely heavily on sophisticated data gathering mechanism. This is because data-driven campaigns help in better understanding of shopping behaviour. Many successful retail brands like Macy’s, Walmart, Kenneth Cole are using beacons to gather extensive data for future campaigns.
With beacons, retailers can,
Track footfall
Create heatmaps of zones in the store
Analyse merchandising effectiveness
Gauge customer loyalty
Analyse the content type that drives consumers
Implement a proximity marketing campaign without an app?
Very few technologies have seen the kind of success that beacons have. And this is primarily because with the introduction of Eddystone; marketers did not require apps to communicate with their customers. Beacons communicate with Bluetooth enabled smartphones via two different protocols — Eddystone and iBeacon.
Eddystone beacons broadcast URLs that can be detected by smartphones even without an app. Services on the device such as Nearby Notifications, Samsung CloseBy or Physical Web compatible apps scan for and display these Eddystone URLs after passing them through a proxy.
On Android phones – Nearby is a Google service developed for Android phones. It scans for Eddystone URLs and detects packet if any.
UPDATE: Nearby will be discontinued from December 6, 2018. We have launched NearBee for Android that delivers non-passive, non-generic, rich notifications to the lock screens of Android users. Read our blog to know why it’s superior to Google Nearby. Download NearBee for android.
On iOS phones – To implement beacon campaigns on iOS devices, these devices need to have Physical Web compatible apps or browsers. iOS devices need third-party apps to scan and detect notifications. We have developed our app — “Nearbee”, which continuously scan for Eddystone URLs.
How to run proximity marketing campaigns on iOS devices?
Proximity marketing for iOS devices needs apps. This could be the brand app or a third party app that customers have on their phones
Proximity marketing campaigns which leverage their brand apps yield impressive results. Companies such as Heineken, Coca-Cola and Screenvision leveraged their brand apps to implement proximity campaigns and witnessed massive success.
Our NearBee SDK will quickly enable you to convert your app into a beacon powered app. If you are seeking to implement a wide array of complex use-cases, use Beaconstac SDK.
Businesses that do not have a brand app
Such businesses need high performing and innovative third-party apps to implement proximity campaigns. Third-party apps strike the right balance between respecting a consumer’s privacy while providing timely proximity marketing notifications. These third-party apps continuously scan for Eddystone URLs and display the notifications as soon as they detect an Eddystone URL.
Beaconstac has developed an app – “Nearbee”. This app scans for Nearby notifications and displays the notification on the iOS device.
Here’s how it is superior to any other third party app :–
Add an app intent to the campaign.
Allows delivering notifications at a specific time of the day, or days of a week.
The app is designed to run and scan quietly in the background. This means users get the notification even when the device is locked.
With the app, you can send telemetry information to the Google beacon platform where you can monitor the health of beacons.
Send multiple notifications from a single beacon.
Proximity marketing across industries
Proximity marketing in retail
Proximity marketing in retail has moved beyond push notifications and coupons. It is now in the next level of personalised content delivery. It has eventually become the biggest drivers of beacon deployments. Retail is leveraging beacons for attracting new customers, enhancing their store experience, building loyalty through personalised messages and collecting customer feedback.
Major beacon use-cases in retail
1. Inform Shoppers
Sharing information related to a specific place or object is one of the frequently used retail beacon use-case. Supermarket retailers leverage beacons to share useful information about a newly launched product, the brand or the description of the products they are selling. Restaurants also use beacon campaigns to inform users about the special dishes on the menu, chef’s recommendations and more. Car dealerships on other hand leverage beacons to inform users about the specifications of a car, price comparison with similar models etc. This not only makes information readily available on the mobile but also enhances the customer experience and saves printing dollars.
2. Boost in-store sales
Beacons are being employed in stores and malls to raise awareness about ongoing promotions and discounts, navigate visitors to venues, broadcast sales and discounts messages next to relevant products, and integrate POS to beacons to ease payments. Every retailer promotes the ongoing discounts to boost sales, however, getting beacons to do the job ensures that the pitched offers are relevant for the visitors and hence increase the chances of conversion.
3. Interact and engage with shoppers
In the era of experiential retailing, delightful shopper experience is the key. Beacon makes the visitor experience much more personal, customized and engaging. Motivate shoppers to visit more sections in your store, transform mannequin into talking salesperson, gamify the experience by rolling out location specific quizzes and treasure hunts. In an attempt to close the loop between physical stores and digital awareness, retailers are also linking beacon campaigns to social media channels. This enables users to share their in-store experience, online. Other ways to enhance the shopper experience are — enable booking/registering for a test drive through the smartphone, welcoming users into the store and informing them about one deal they should not miss out.
4. Help visitors navigate through your store
GPS is great for outdoor locations, however, it doesn’t work as expected when a visitor enters a building. This is where beacons are handy (GPS vs beacons)! Beacon powered apps use the triangulation method to detect the exact position of Bluetooth devices, indoor or outdoor. This is especially helpful for multi-storey malls, huge airports and museums. For the end-user, it functions just as a GPS. Beacon navigations can be marked with important locations such as important stores or art pieces, refreshment zones etc.
Proximity marketing in real estate
Real estate is one of those transforming industries that has recently picked up significant interest in beacon-based proximity marketing for boosting customer experience. The real estate brokers and agents are currently using beacons to attract home buyers, capture leads, push business cards and engage with them.
Major beacon use-cases in real estate
1. Driving traffic
Attaching a beacon to the ‘Open House’ sign can go a long way in attracting potential clients. The notification can disperse a lot of useful information about the house, previous owners and even a form that lets potential buyers fix an appointment with the real estate agent.
2. Enhancing the buyer’s experience
Instead of an agent explaining things about the house, beacons can do that. Every room that a potential buyer enter can have a beacon that sends out detailed information about it. This allows buyers to have their own personalized experience and more than one buyer can browse through the house without needing a dedicated real estate agent.
Proximity marketing in real estate
Real estate is one of those transforming industries that has recently picked up significant interest in beacon-based proximity marketing for boosting customer experience. The real estate brokers and agents are currently using beacons to attract home buyers, capture leads, push business cards and engage with them.
Major beacon use-cases in real estate
1. Driving traffic
Attaching a beacon to the ‘Open House’ sign can go a long way in attracting potential clients. The notification can disperse a lot of useful information about the house, previous owners and even a form that lets potential buyers fix an appointment with the real estate agent.
2. Enhancing the buyer’s experience
Instead of an agent explaining things about the house, beacons can do that. Every room that a potential buyer enter can have a beacon that sends out detailed information about it. This allows buyers to have their own personalized experience and more than one buyer can browse through the house without needing a dedicated real estate agent.
If you like thios anayltical research blogging let me know in the comments and I will kick it up.
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casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7
That night at the emergency room, black sorrow filled the air when the doctor said, “We lost him.”
Lord, how can that be possible? Joe was a leader in every way. He was the captain of his football team. He was the star player for his lacrosse team. Joe attended Bible study, encouraged anyone around him. His sense of humor and contagious smile lit a room.
He’s gone? Sleepless nights kept me tossing, trying to find an answer. Trying to seek God’s comfort and reaching for something, someone to ease the pain.
Is that what losing someone we cherish looks like? We long to fill the void, but cannot. We wish it were a nightmare and desperately hope to wake up and find all to be normal like before. And we secretly wonder, will peace ever come back?
But instead, peace becomes a foreign word. We drag grief like a chain that chokes with every step. And as we shuffle through life, we wipe one more tear and give one more sob.
But in the midst of all those emotions if faith remains, and if trust in God grows, He leans toward us and severs the chain of pain with these words: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)
That’s exactly what I was doing, mourning, terribly and constantly. But Jesus said I’d be blessed. I’d be comforted.
I leaned my head back, inhaling His truth and savored the promise. That’s when, ever so tenderly, His healing trickled into my heart. It came in five stages:
Belief that God’s love, unfailing and constant was available to me. In His tender care were my tears and my anxious moments. He said, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) In His hands I placed my hope for healing and my expectation of peace to come back.
I changed. Rather than speak of the void in my heart, the pain of my loss or my dark fate, I spoke of the life in God’s restoring love. I repeated the power of God at work in me. And I declared the beautiful truth that God extends compassion for those whom He loves. I spoke words out loud that gave life into my gloom. Always remembering that, “The tongue has the power of life and death…” (Proverbs 18:21)
I chose to forgive. Initially, I was convinced the man who stabbed my Joe 23 times had to be punished. Justice had to prevail, and he had to suffer the consequences for such a horrible crime. Anger and bitterness toward the man were justified. But in Mark 11:25 God instructed the contrary. "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." On my knees, I asked God to help me do the impossible. I begged Him to help me forgive. He did. And my complete, genuine forgiveness ushered freedom that brought on peace, deep and lasting.
Gratitude replaced bitterness. I looked back at the gift my Joe was to me for 19 years. And that’s when gratitude began to sing. I was grateful for the memories, of the laughter, hugs and the kisses from that young man. Each memory made my life rich. I thanked God for the nights I cried out because He was attentive to each one (Psalm 40:1). I thanked Him for the tears, for He stores them in a bottle (Psalm 56:8). I thank Him for the stale grief of today, because tomorrow will be fresh and new. (Isaiah 43:18)
Moving beyond my heartache, I chose to reach out. Every pain has a purpose. Some make us humble. Others make us grow, and others become the vessel God uses for His glory. And as His instruments, we can play the melody of God’s comfort to help ease others’ pain (2 Corinthians 1:3-4), encouraging others, showing them the path to peace and pointing them to Jesus is the formula that brings back our own joy.
Eventually, that joy changed my thoughts. I used to cry out, “not my Joe!” But because of my Joe, I came to know the reality of God’s comfort, the truth of His promises and the power of His love.
Pray this week:
Father, in the midst of my sorrow, speak Your truth to me. Grant me the heart to receive what You offer. Show me how to relish in the freedom that forgiveness brings, and help me prepare my heart to receive renewed joy. In Jesus name.
What needs to change for you to welcome joy once again?
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
Sin separates you from having a fellowship with God. “Sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4) It includes giving in to temptation. (James 1:13-15) Refusing to do what is right. “…whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (James 4:17) Even “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23) And “sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:15)
If this is true, there aren’t just “seven deadly sins,” are there? All sin is “mortal!” Classifying sins only hides that fact. We’ve all done and thought things that would make us God’s enemy: “On account of these the wrath of God is coming.” (Colossians 3:6) How can we get right with God again?
For the answer to that question, why go anywhere else but God’s Word? Keep reading for what God Himself tells us about sin and how to confess it.
Don’t hide or make excuses for your sins
What happened in Genesis 3 when the first people sinned? They hid from God. They blamed one another (and God). They tried to cover their shame. The temptation was a cruel betrayal. It brought ruin to their relationship with each other and with God. It also made us, their descendants, think and act the same way. We fool ourselves (Galatians 6:7) when we think we can hide, shift blame or minimize sin. It is always found out (Numbers 32:23). God promises, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).
Confess your sins directly to God
God created us for His own glory. (Isaiah 43:7) When we fall short of it, He is the first One Who is offended.(Psalm 51) You may fear His displeasure and His great holiness. But remember what Jesus did for you. Remember where He is now: “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).
After God, don’t forget anyone else you have offended. Confess to them and restore those relationships also. (Matthew 5:21-24)
Agree with God’s opinion of your sins
Adam and Eve were tricked into thinking God was keeping something good from them. (Genesis 3:1-2) This set them up to fall into direct disobedience. Hiding, covering up and shifting blame shows how little we think of sin, God’s wisdom, and God’s power. We can be tricked, but it’s a big mistake to think God is like that. (Psalm 50:16-23)
Faith will take us in a different direction. (Hebrews 11:6) Not only is God great, He is good to you. “No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11) Keeping this in mind helps us see how a sin started. As soon as you recognize a sin as sin, confess it in a simple prayer to God. Ask God to show you the whole picture. (Psalm 139:23) How would your holy, loving, all-knowing Father describe it? Learn to see sin the way He does.
Agree also about forgiveness
Finally and most importantly, leave the guilt behind you. Our scripture appears in a section of 1 John reminding us of God’s love for His children. John says it is written “so that our joy may be complete.” (1 John 1:4) How can sin grieve us enough that we humbly confess it, but still leave us in complete joy? Because of what follows:
“…God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 1:5-2:1)
God promises to forgive and cleanse us when we confess and forsake sin. Jesus Himself represents God’s children before the Father, in all His righteousness. Are you a child of God? Take a moment to let God search your heart for unconfessed sin and confess it for restored fellowship with Him. It is the only way you can “walk in the light” with Him. Once you have done this, be assured that He has kept His promise, and rejoice in the peace and fellowship that is yours!
Do you lack peace? Are you unsure if you are God’s child? Visit http://www.godlife.com/forgiveness to be certain your sins are all forgiven!
“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” (Romans 4:7-8/ Psalm 32:1-2)
Pray this week:
Holy Spirit, search my heart and reveal everything that keeps me from close fellowship with God. Father, show it to me for what it really is. Lord Jesus, thank you for what You did, and for Your mercy available to me.
REJOICE!
Father GOD is your Father because HE is The Father of the Fatherless.
PSALM 68:5 (Amplified Bible)
(A father of the fatherless and a judge and protector of the widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.)
SAY THIS PRAYER, AS OFTEN AS NEEDED:
In The Name of JESUS CHRIST, I command my heart & mind to know that I am NOT an Orphan. Father GOD IS MY FATHER, HE LOVES me and JESUS CHRIST is my Brother & HE LOVES me. I Am Whole and Lack Nothing.
HEB. 2:11 (Amplified Bible)
(Both Jesus who sanctifies and those who are sanctified [that is, spiritually transformed, made holy, and set apart for God’s purpose] are all from one Father; for this reason He is not ashamed to call them [a]brothers and sisters.)
God, who raises the dead to life and creates new things…
Romans 4:17b
It’s no secret that we live in a fallen world of sin. From infidelity in relationships, to cheating, to lying, to stealing, sin is everywhere! This sin ruins our life and tears us down.
However, though we live in a world of sin, God is powerful enough to forgive us! But why would he forgive us? And how does he do it? Here are the three pillars to understand about God’s forgiveness of your sins.
God Is The Omnipotent Creator
The Bible teaches us that with His wisdom and power He created the earth and spread out the heavens (Jeremiah 10:12). The prophets praised Him: God said “I am Powerful” (Psalm 62:11) and “Lord God, you stretched out your mighty arm and made the sky and the earth. You can do anything” (Jeremiah 32:17). The Lord says of Himself, “I created everything from the sky above to the earth below” (Isaiah 44:24), and He created all things to be good, in His own estimation — perfect, like Himself, without sin.
God Cannot Stand Sin
But people did sin. And since God “can’t stand sin or wrong” (Habakkuk 1:13a), the sin separated people from God. This is the natural order of Creation, just as darkness cannot exist in the presence of bright light. When you know you have done evil and are disconnected from your Creator, “Your sins are the roadblock between you and your God. That’s why he doesn’t answer your prayers or let you see his face” (Isaiah 59:2).
He Is Powerful Enough To Declare you Innocent
In the book of Exodus 34: 6-7, God declares that He is a fair judge. Just like He is merciful and patient with His people, He also has the power to punish those who sin. “But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away” (I John 1:9). In His great love, He “is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him” (Daniel 9:9).
God promises this miracle through Jesus Christ alone. When you believe in Him, you can pray, “I have sinned against; I have disobeyed you and have done wrong. So it is right and fair for you to correct and punish me” (Psalm 51:4) … “Wash me with hyssop until I am clean and whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7a). No matter your sin or shame, no matter who has come against you, we can be confident of His power to “keep you from falling and make sure and joyful in His glorious presence. Before time began and now and forevermore, God is worthy of glory, honor, power and authority. Amen.” (Jude 1: 24)
Pray this week:
Dear God, I have sinned against You. I believe that You alone have the power to forgive me and make my life right in Your ways. Please forgive me, in Jesus’s Name, amen.
O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!
Jeremiah 32:17
Don’t be scared when you see a big word like ‘Omnipotent.’ It simply means that God has all (‘omni’) power (‘potent’).
God’s power is all around us! His power is shown in many ways, but here are just three that the Bible tells us…
1. God’s Power in Creation
The ancient prophets praised God for creating “the heavens and earth” (Jeremiah 32:17). King David wrote, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship” (Psalm 19:1).
Our understanding of the “heavens” has changed over time. Now we know that there are many galaxies with many stars, separated by great distances. The more we know about the universe and everything in it, the more we can praise God for His mighty power.
2.God’s Power in Resurrection and Redemption
“I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead” (Philippians 3:10).
Jesus was tortured and killed by the Roman and Jewish leaders. But the grave could not hold Him; the Roman seal over the stone could not keep Him back. Just as He had predicted, God’s mighty power raised Jesus to life. We who follow Christ should not fear, because God has the last word — even over death. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55).
3.God’s Power at His Return
“Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory” (Mark 13:26). Many people today don't want to accept God. The day is coming when He will no longer be hidden. What is the result? “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11).
If you know Christ as your Savior, take comfort and rejoice in the knowledge that you are protected by the same power that created the heavens and raised Jesus from the dead. If you have not made that decision, don’t wait. Every person will bow in worship; will you bow with shouts of joy or tears of regret.
Pray this week:
Lord, I am amazed at Your mighty power. Help me to see more of Your greatness and to be more in awe of You every day.
Do you need help understanding about God’s power, or any of His other attributes?
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