If a person’s thinking is controlled by his sinful self, then there is death.
But if his thinking is controlled by the Spirit, then there is peace. Romans 8:6
(Life Application Study Bible)
Jesus Tells Us; There is a battle being fought for the control of your mind. The devil is using every weapon he can think of to win. He’ll distract you, with fun, with busyness, and with noise. He’ll plague you with fears, worries, and guilt, over past mistakes. He’ll do whatever it takes to keep your thoughts centered on yourself and away from Me. But you are not alone in this Battle. I am on your side, and I will fight with you. Your job is to call on My Spirit for help. Ask My Spirit to take control of your mind and keep your thoughts focused on Me.
Jesus Concludes: Then I will strengthen you so that you can withstand the devil’s attacks. And I will fill your mind with Peace
Romans 8:6; Isaiah 12:2 Study Notes
Footnotes Romans 8:5-6; Paul divides people into two categories: those who are dominated by their sinful nature and those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit. All of us would be in the first category if Jesus hadn’t offered us a way out. Once we have said yes to Jesus, we will want to continue following him, because his way brings life and peace. Daily we must consciously choose to center our lives on God. Use the Bible to discover God’s guidelines, and then follow them. In every perplexing situation, ask yourself, what does Jesus want me to do? When the Holy Spirit points out what God wants you to do, do it eagerly.
Passage Isaiah 12:2; Surely God is my salvation I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense, he has become my salvation.
Footnotes Isaiah 12:1-6; Isaiah offers his personal hymn of praise, another vivid description of the joy the people will have when Jesus Christ comes to reign over the earth. These verses preview what will take place as described in Isaiah 44-66. Even now we need to express our gratitude to God, thanking him, praising him, and telling others about him. From hearts filled with gratitude come deeply felt praise and the desire to share the Good News with others.
Jesus Tells Us is from the Jesus Calling 365 devotions for kids.
THE WORLD…we see history
George Washington
The effective, fervent prayer of a
Righteous man avails much.
James 5:16
George Washington and his Army’s escape from long Island.
After the humiliation in Boston, the British fleet retired to Canada to lick their wounds and repair their vessels, then sailed straight for New York City. Washington also moved his troops to New York and began building siege works along Brooklyn Heights. A handful of residents in New York, still loyal to England, plotted to assassinate him. His army was ragged and undisciplined, and his troops suffered illness and disease, including dysentery and smallpox. When British ships, carrying thirty-two thousand troops, sailed into New York, their masts tilting with the tides, they looked like a forest of trees swaying in the wind. One observer said, “I thought all London was afloat.” It was “the largest, most powerful force ever sent forth from Britain or any nation.” Washington didn’t stand a chance. The British invasion began before dawn on Thursday, August 22nd, and within days, the Revolutionary Army was trapped in Brooklyn across the East River from Manhattan and facing annihilation, which would have ended the War less than two months after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Late on the afternoon of August 29th, Washington gave the order to retreat. The escape of nine thousand weary, rain-soaked troops across a mile-wide river was a desperate gamble. If the British caught on, the entire army would be decimated. Many of the men wrote their last wills and testaments on the spot. Just after nightfall, the weakest warriors headed for the ferry landing as the retreat began. Immediately the weather became an ally. A strong northeast wind kept British ships from venturing into the area, yet at about 11:00pm, the wind died down, allowing Washington’s hastily assembled armada to cross the river without danger. Sympathetic New York sailors and fishermen mobilized, loading soldiers, horses, wagons, cannons, and all manner of equipment onto boats. Wagon wheels were wrapped in cloth to muffle their sounds on the cobblestones and not a word was spoken. The soldiers were told not to cough or make any sounds, and orders passed through the ranks by whispers. Campfires were kept burning to deceive the enemy. All night, boats silently ferried the army back and forth across the river, yet when the sun arose, a large portion of the army was still trapped. But a fog had rolled in during the night, thick as velvet, shielding the remaining evacuees, and it remained until the evacuation was completed. One soldier wrote:
In this fearful dilemma, fervent prayers went up to Him who alone could deliver. As if in answer to those prayers, when the night deepened, a dense fog came rolling in, and settled on land and water. Under cover of this fog, Washington silently withdrew his entire army across to New York.
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Another eyewitness said:
It was one of the most anxious, busy nights that I ever recollect, and being the third in which hardly any of us had closed our eyes to sleep, we were all greatly fatigued. As the dawn of the next day approached, those of us who remained in the trenches became very anxious for our own safety, and when the dawn appeared there were several regiments still on duty. At this time, a very dense fog began to rise off the river, and it seemed to settle in a peculiar providential occurrence perfectly well, and so very dense was the atmosphere that I could scarcely discern a man at six yards distance. We tarried until the sun had risen, but the fog remained as dense as ever. In the history of warfare, I do not recollect a more fortunate retreat. After all, the providential appearance of the fog saved a part of our army from being captured, and certainly myself among others who formed the rear guard.
When the fog lifted, the Americans were gone. Historian David McCulough wrote, “The immediate reaction of the British was utter astonishment. That the rebel army had silently vanished in the night under their very noses was almost inconceivable.” The evacuation occurred near the current site of the Brooklyn Bridge, and has been called the Colonial Dunkirk, referring to the similar, almost miraculous evacuation of the British Army from France during World War II. The “fervent prayers” of the army were answered. Thirteen years later, General Washington took the presidential oath of office at the old Federal Building in lower Manhattan, just a few moments’ walk from the spot he had stepped ashore in 1776, divinely shielded by the fog of war. America was forged by men and women who believed in fervent prayer. That adjective has largely been lost to us today. It means earnest, warm, persistent prayer. Imagine the silent but strong prayers rising to heaven from Washington’s desperate army. The Lord responds to prayers like that, for the Bible says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Source: https://www.robertjmorgan.com/shop/100-bible-verses-that-made-america/ Page 86