Topic: Taking the Pressure off Other People [Joyce Meyer Devotional 24 OCTOBER 2020]

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First of all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men.— 1 Timothy 2:1 (AMPC)

Love and acceptance are universal needs we all have, including the people in our lives. If we demand that people change to be more like us or to suit our liking, we’re putting a tremendous strain on those relationships, and if we continue, it won’t end well.

I remember the years I furiously tried to change my husband, Dave, and each of our children in different ways. Those were frustrating years, because no matter what I tried, it didn’t work. My efforts to change the people I loved weren’t helping matters. In fact, I often just made things worse.

As humans, all of us require space, or freedom, to be who we were created to be. We want to be accepted as we are. We don’t want people giving us the message, even subtly, that we need to change in order to be approved or loved. Nagging is not an effective tool for change. Only prayer and God’s love will do the job.

This doesn’t mean we accept sin in other people or merely put up with it, but it does mean that the way to change is prayer, not pressure. For change to last, it must come from the inside out, and only God can bring that type of true change. If we love people and pray for them, He will give us grace to love them where they are, and He’ll do the work that needs to be done in their hearts.

Prayer Starter: Father, please help me love and accept the people You’ve placed in my life, right where they are. Thank You for doing the work that needs to be done in them and for always loving and accepting me right where I am. In Jesus’ name, amen