Fret-Free Friday: The Enemy of Peace Has Been Defeated

Fret-Free Friday: The Enemy of Peace Has Been Defeated
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Your biggest enemy against peace isn't finances, pressures of life, difficulties, or circumstances of any sort. Your biggest enemy of peace is the devil. He wants to keep you off balance, uncertain, insecure, and troubled about anything and everything that is happening to you or going on around you.

Before you knew Christ, the devil told you there was no hope for you. When you heart the gospel, the devil told you that God couldn't be trusted. When you put your trust in the Lord, the devil told you that you didn't trust God enough. The devil's plan is simple: He wants to keep you from the truth by tempting you to believe a lie. Lies are thieves that come to steal away the peace of God.

God's will is to keep you in perfect peace. Always stay on God's side, and always stay in God's truth. Knowing and believing God's truth empowers you to resist, reject, and refuse to listen to your biggest enemy of peace—the devil.

Keep your mind clear, and be alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour. Be firm in the faith and resist him (1 Peter 5:8-9 GW).

Hear His Voice
Jesus said that He is the good shepherd, and His sheep hear His voice (John 10:11, 14, 16). Here are two ways to tell His voice from the voice of the enemy:

• Jesus doesn't nag, confuse, tease, mock, bully, torment, belittle, degrade, discourage, destroy, harass, or falsify.
• Jesus frees, heals, releases, renews, restores, reassured, encourages, comforts, upholds, assures, affirms, edifies, and gives life.

The sheep follow [the Shepherd] because they recognize his voice. They won't follow a stranger. Instead, they will run away from a stranger because they don't recognize his voice (John 10:4-5 GW).

#meetinginthemeadow #hisvoice #roylessin #fretfreefriday #theenemyhasbeendefeated

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©2021 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Part 14: Knowing His Best...Walking in Rest!

Part 14: Knowing His Best...Walking in Rest!
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Knowing His Best...
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. Ephesians 3:16

Walking in Rest!
God wants to be glorified through all you do. He wants you to approach each task resting in the strength of His Spirit. He wants you to enjoy inward harmony as well as outward productivity. Trust Him to bless the work of your hands and to be the reward of your labors. Your efforts will never go unnoticed...your expectations will not be cut off...nothing you do "as unto Him" will be wasted.

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#meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #knowinghisbest #devotional #inspiration

©2021 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.

My Monday Prayer: A Servant’s Prayer

My Monday Prayer: A Servant’s Prayer
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Lord, may each step I take leave a reflection of Your glory, an imprint of Your love, a fragrance of Your presence.

Extend through me Your mercies and may my attitudes be a mirror of Your heart. Thank you, Lord, for the privilege I have to be Your child, to be set apart for Your plans, to be called according to Your purposes, and to be used as an instrument of Your will.

Bring through my hands, Your touch;
Bring through my voice, Your words;
Bring through my heart, Your love.
So allow me to touch, to speak, and to care.

I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much fruit. John 15:5 AMP

#mymondayprayer #aservantsprayer #meetinginthemeadow #praythis

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©2021 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Stacie Fossmeyer, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Fret-Free Friday: Not Forgotten

Fret-Free Friday: Not Forgotten
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

How much of your cares and concerns can you cast on the Lord? All of it! All worry, all anxiety, all concerns, all burdens. Do it once and for all, and then get out of the worrying business. Envision hanging a banner over your heart that reads, "Under the Management of the Prince of Peace!"

Be at peace. God has not forgotten you!

Sing, O heavens!
Be joyful, O earth!
And break out in singing, O mountains!
For the LORD has comforted His people,
and will have mercy on His afflicted.
But Zion said, The LORD has forsaken me,
and my Lord has forgotten me."
Can a woman forget her nursing child,
And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget,
Yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your walls are continually before Me.
Isaiah 49:13-16
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#fretfree #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow #devotional #notforgotten #fretfreefriday

©2021 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Roy Lessin, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Part 13: Knowing His Best...Walking in Rest!

Part 13: Knowing His Best...Walking in Rest!
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Knowing His Best...
But godliness with contentment is great gain. -1 Timothy 6:6

Walking in Rest!
Contentment is satisfaction with the place God has you at the present.

It is freedom from covetousness and from the feeling of having to have "a little bit more" in order to be happy. It delivers from greed and from the stress that comes in trying to lay up  treasures on earth. Contentment says that God has been good to me...that He will not fail me...that He knows what is best. A contented life has learned to go without instead of going into debt...has learned to wait for God's time instead of moving in haste....has learned to hold all things with an open hand instead of a clenched fist. Contentment seeks His kingdom first and trusts God to add all that is needed.

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©2021 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Roy Lessin, used with permission. All rights reserved.

#RoyLessin #MeetingintheMeadow #MeetMeintheMeadow #DaySpring #encouragement #KnowingHisBest #WalkinginRest #contentment #devotional

My Monday Prayer: Be Still and Know

My Monday Prayer: Be Still and Know 
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

BE - God, I say 'yes' to You. I choose to allow Your way to shape me and Your will to direct me in what is best. I surrender instead of resist, I yield instead of fight, I believe instead of doubt.

STILL - Father, may Your rest abide and Your peace abound within me. Quiet all anxiety that troubles my thoughts and unsettles my emotions. I bring my soul under the control of the Holy Spirit; I stand steady upon the unmovable foundations of Your kingdom; I receive the sufficiency of Your grace and the encouragement of Your promises as you calm my soul.

AND KNOW - Lord, thank you that Your word is sure, unchanging, and indisputable. Your word is true. I am certain. You have saved me from guessing, wondering, wishing, or pretending. I know! I believe!

I AM GOD - You are who You say You are. You do what You say You do. There is no other! You are the highest, the greatest, the best. You have no weakness, no lack, and no equal. You are my God, and my Heavenly Father. I find comfort in Your nearness, security in Your voice, courage in Your strength, hope in Your promises. You are enough. More than enough! You are with me. You are my refuge. I am safe in Your care.

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Psalm 46:10-11

#meetinginthemeadow #mymondayprayer #bestillandknow
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©2021 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Fret-Free Friday: God of Peace

Fret-Free Friday: God of Peace
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

The great evangelical preacher Octavius Winslow (1808-1878) shared this insightful wisdom:

Let the precious truth divest your mind of all needless, anxious care for the present or the future. Exercising simple faith in God, "do not be anxious about anything" [Philippians 4:6]. Learn to be content with your present lot, with God's dealings with, and His disposal of, you. You are just where His providence has, in its inscrutable but all-wise and righteous decision, placed you. It may be a position painful, irksome, trying, but it is right...Only aim to glorify Him in it.

Wherever you are placed, God has a work for you to do, a purpose through you to be accomplished, in which He blends your happiness with His glory...

Live a life of daily dependence upon God. It saves from many a desponding feeling, from many a corroding care, from many an anxious thought, from many a sleepless night.

Father, you are the God of peace—

peace transcending,

peace defending,

peace befriending,

peace descending,

peace unending.

-Roy Lessin

#meetinginthemeadow #octaviuswinslowquote #godofpeace #fretfree #fretfreefriday

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©2021 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Roy Lessin, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Part 12: Knowing His Best...Walking in Rest!

Part 12: Knowing His Best...Walking in Rest!
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Knowing His Best:
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Matthew 6:21, Psalm 57:7

Walking in Rest!
To be at rest, God must have your heart. This means that He is at the very center of your being. It means for you to live is Christ—all that you have is yielded to Him, all that you are is trusting in Him, all that you ever hope to be is depending on Him. He wants you to trust Him for your family, for He has a Father's heart...trust Him for your health, for He is the Great Physician...trust Him for your needs, for He is your Provider...trust Him with your life, for He is the Guardian and Keeper of your soul.

#meetinginthemeadow #knowinghisbest #walkinginrest

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©2021 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Shannon Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.

My Monday Prayer: A Prayer for Daily Bread

My Monday Prayer: A Prayer for Daily Bread
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11 KJV

My Father—You are my watchful Provider and my daily Supplier. Thank You that I am never out of Your sight or Your care. I am so grateful to be Your child—to be upheld by Your hand, to be strengthened by Your grace, to be renewed by Your mercies, to be covered by Your wings, to be kept by Your power, to be reassured by Your word, to be refreshed by Your Spirit, and to be given a place at Your table.

Thank You for the bread you place before me—not yesterday’s portion, but new and fresh—wholesome, nourishing, hearty. Bread prepared by Your hand to give me exactly what I need today. 

Thank You for not only providing my daily bread, but for breaking bread with me—being near, communing, listening, knowing my heart, being familiar with all my ways. I partake today of Your healing bread, sustaining bread, enabling bread, life-giving bread. Quicken my body, restore my soul, energize my spirit. Fill my hungry heart!

I know when I ask for bread You will not give me a stone. I rejoice in the declaration of the Psalmist, “I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging bread.” Come, Father, dine with me and I will be full, sup with me and I will be satisfied, be my portion and I will delight in your abundance.

Oh, Lord, You are my portion forever!

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Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And delight yourself in abundance. Isaiah 55:2 NASB

#meetinginthemeadow #mymondayprayer #roylessin #photobymarinabromley #prayerfordailybread

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©2021 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Fret-Free Friday: His Yoke

Fret-Free Friday: His Yoke (Fret-Buster 20)
Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light (Matthew 11:29-30 NLT).

When you are yoked to Jesus, you are not yoked to restlessness, strife, or worry.

Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression (Proverbs 12:25).

Anxiety is contrary to the very character and name of God, especially when we call Him "heavenly Father." If you find that you're anxious about something, ask yourself if you've prayed about it and fully committed it to the Lord. If you have and are still anxious, thank God in your heart and in your prayers for being in control of the situation. Prayer, commitment, and thanksgiving open the door to God's peace. And His peace often arrives before the answer comes.
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When you are weary, come to Me.
I will refresh you.
When you are troubled, come to Me.
I will quiet you.
When you are anxious, come to Me.
I will reassure you.
When you are restless, come to Me.
I will speak peace to you.
When you are uncertain of My love, come to Me.
I will share My heart with you.

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#fretfreefriday #fretbusters #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #photobymarinabromley

©2021 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Part 10: Knowing His Best...Walking in Rest!

Part 10: Knowing His Best...Walking in Rest!
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Knowing His Best...
We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear... Luke 1:74 NLT

Walking in Rest!
God's work is to deliver you from every enemy of rest — from fear that paralyzes, from worry that vexes, from unbelief that despairs, from legalism that condemns. His power overcomes weakness with strength, mental anguish with a sound mind, emotional distress with  inner-harmony, spiritual bondage with freedom and praise. His work will bring wholeness to your being...healing to your body...happiness to your heart. He will take you from emptiness to fruitfulness and from dead works to serve the living God.

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©2021 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.

My Monday Prayer: A Prayer for Blessing

My Monday Prayer: A Prayer for Blessing
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Father, I thank You for being the God of every blessing, the fount of every joy, and the source of everything good. I know it is in Your heart to bless the lives of Your children, and as Your child, I desire Your blessing upon my life. Thank You that Your blessings enrich my life, leave me without sorrow, bring me the treasures of Your grace, and express all the kindness of Your favor.

Thank You, Father, that Your blessings abound to me in Christ, they are mine freely because of the great price He paid. I thank You that because I am in Him, You have showered upon me every blessing that heaven could possibly give.

I receive Your blessings for this day as I walk with You—I ask for Your hand to cover me, Your power to keep me, Your face to shine upon me, Your love to fill me, Your strength to sustain me, and Your sufficiency to be my portion in every need I face. I ask You to bless the work of my hands as I serve You in your appointed place.

Father, I desire above all, the greatest blessing of all, the blessing of Your daily presence. My relationship with You means everything! I cannot live in the poverty of not knowing You. I want to know and love You more—to walk with You, break bread with You, speak my heart to You, and respond to You as I hear Your voice, see Your smile, and sense Your pleasure.

Father, bless me and make me a blessing.

Scriptures: Proverbs 10:22, Ephesians 1:3, Numbers 6:22-27, Genesis 12:2, Hebrews 6:14, Psalm 3:8, Psalm 5:12, Psalm 67:1, Galatians 3:14

#mymondayprayer #prayerofblessing #meetinginthemeadow

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©2021 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Roy Lessin, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Fret-Free Friday: Fret Buster 19

Fret-Free Friday: Fret Buster 19
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32).

God did not give up on us when we didn't know Him, and He will certainly not give up on us now that we are His.

Listen to Me [says the Lord], O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, you who have been borne by Me from your birth, carried from the womb: Even to your own age I am He, and even to hair white with age will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear; yes, I will carry and will save you (Isaiah 46:3-4 AMP).

There's no need to try and figure everything out.
God is omniscient.
There's no need to worry about where you are or where you are going.
God is omnipresent.
There's no need to do things in your own strength.
God is omnipotent.

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#fretfreefriday #meetinginthemeadow

©2021 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.