As I looked at my broken self I began to see that I couldn’t be fixed. I will never be whole in the way I was before again. But what I did see is that God does not fix us he fills in the cracks and broken pieces of our heart with Himself. Kind of like when you crack or break something like a vase and you fix it with super glue. God fills in those cracks and broken pieces of our heart with Himself just like super glue. But its better its God Glue!
Read MoreAs I prayerfully considered what direction the Lord would have me go with this devotional the Lord gently led me to the subject of ‘Change’. I sweetly told the Lord that the subject of change was good, but I was thinking about doing something else. After going back and forth with the Lord a few times and suggesting a few other topics, I decided to settle on the subject of ‘Change.’ Isn’t it amazing how God works!
Read MoreOne of my biggest struggles was when I was a senior in high school. I had the privilege of being born into a Christian home, went to a great church my entire life and had wonderful Christian parents, preachers, and teachers that taught me the Bible and how God wanted me to live. In spite of church 4 times a week, Christian education, chapel services, family devotion, etc., I still wasn't really sold out on this whole living for Jesus thing. I had watched several people graduate from our Christian school and immediately begin doing the complete opposite of what we had been taught our entire lives.
Read MoreI'm a planner! I want my day planned out, my week planned out, the next month planned out, even this year! So, not knowing what may get thrown into my lap tomorrow strikes a tinge of anxiety in my heart. I guess I want a crystal ball I can rub every morning that flashes what will happen in my day before it comes. God's GPS doesn't work like that. Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Read MoreThe table was furnished perfectly and then the servant would wait just outside of sight until the master had finished eating .The servant would not dare touch the table until the master was finished .Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table wipe his fingers, his mouth and clean his beard and would wad up the napkin and toss it on the plate. The servant would then know to clean the table for in those days the wadded up napkin mean't I'm done but if the master got up from the table and folded his napkin and laid it beside his plate the servant would not dare touch the napkin because the folded napkin meant I'm coming back.
Read MoreNow, I know there are unforeseen, horrible, and despicable things that can happen to a precious teenage girl that are beyond her control, resulting in a teen pregnancy that is in NO WAY what I am referring to. My heart breaks for girls in situations like that. However, in my story, this was a "let's try it once to see what happens" kind of thing. I'm going to be completely honest with you: these ones always sting a little more than the others. To know that soon their arms will have a wonderful bundle of joy to love, while my arms remain empty, is gut-wrenching.
Read MoreHow can I love the Lord with all my heart? We use this term loosely and without much thought. I believe God is asking us to love him with all our passion, all our feelings. There's things I'm pretty passionate about, my family (obviously), missions, politics, history, coffee.... Most of these things, just thinking about it, can bring me to great joy, anger, or tears. It's easy for me to get emotional and passionate about these things because I care about them so much. I've invested time, energy, and money into them. I think God is saying for us to love Him with all our emotions, our feelings, our passion. That will require time, energy, and frankly, money. (Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.) Honestly, loving God with all our heart might be the easiest one for us ladies since we tend to be more emotional creatures by design. That leads to the next one.
Read MorePreparing our spirit is a daily task. It’s just as important or even more important than preparing for our physical needs each day. We must be prepared both physically and spiritually to meet the pressures and demands that we face each day.
As Christians we know that this is true, and I’m sure that probably most, if not all that are reading this devotion, already practice this daily. Sometimes we need a little reminder, like I did, about a month ago when I came across this verse in Romans.
Read MoreI’ve mentioned Before Cancer and during cancer. Now I would say we are not done with cancer, but rather in recovery. Unfortunately, you are only one scan away from relapse. It’s a reality and truth that we don’t dwell on, but you can’t unknow that either! Some kids make it years and decades and some have to keep getting back in the battle against the beast of Osteosarcoma. That’s the stark reality.
Read MoreThe anchor is viewed as a symbol that represents "safety"... The anchor holds the ship in place, representing strength and security. The anchor is a symbol of our hope in Jesus!
Read MoreGrowing up in a Christian home, I was always in church, in Christian school, and in a church atmosphere, going to preaching conferences, church camp, Teen Convention, church teen activities, and going to Bible college...all the usual stuff...
Read MoreHave you ever wrestled with God? I have. The first time I wrestled with God was on a Wednesday night, May 22, 1985. One year and 15 days before, my husband gloriously got saved. As soon as he prayed the sinners’ prayer, he turned to me and said, “Now it’s your turn.” What love, what compassion were in those words! As a new believer, my husband was concerned about my salvation. Oh how we need to be concerned about other lost souls.
Read MoreI was a little frustrated that he wasn’t letting me pick the place to eat. I wanted to say, No… it’s my birthday and I’m hungry for Italian food and I’ve looked forward to this all day. I had not dressed for a fancy place and wasn’t prepared for this choice. After my husband kept driving toward the steak house, I surrendered my desires and decided to go along with his plan even though I didn’t understand. After all, he was the one paying for this date.
They chose, so stop pursuing. Be polite, pray for them. Care about them in that you want what is best for them. Don't actively get involved but don't completely close the door should they repent one day. We have a responsibility to be distinctively different."
Read MoreHope…helps you smile through the trial.
Hope…helps you to keep giving even when it hurts.
Hope…helps you to keep believing that wayward soul will find their way home.
Hope…helps you hold it all together.
Hope…helps you to never stop praying.
Hope…helps you find rest during weary and hard days.
Sometimes it’s hard to hope though.
Read MoreCall on your Heavenly Defender and Deliverer. (v1) It’s ok to tell the Lord that you’re
tempted and weak and need his strength to overcome temptation or discouragement! He should
be our first resource and not a last resort. Often times when we are feeling overwhelmed, we
want a distraction. Most of us are drawn to our phones where our minds can aimlessly roam and
scroll through meaningless nonsense that takes our mind off of issues we want to forget about.
But there’s no lasting peace there. Real rest only comes from communion with the Peace
Speaker. No wonder the psalmist cried “when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that
is higher than I”! We need Somebody higher than us to pull us up and there’s nobody higher than
Him!
Read MoreUsually when someone speaks those words it’s regarding a conversation about someone being upset or accused of something of that nature and they lash out and say…. I DON’T CARE I’M NOT CHANGING!!
I love God. I believe that you love God or you would not take the time to read this article. However, do I love God the way He deserves? That is a work in progress and, if I’m completely honest, some days are better than others.
The first step to loving God the way He deserves is to KNOW what the Bible teaches on this subject. Once we understand what God wants, then it’s just a matter of having the character to apply it to our lives every day.
t’s easy to be afraid when things aren’t going the way we want them to go, but God is wherever
we are. Don’t let circumstances get in your way of trusting the Lord, but rather allow your
circumstances to be a way for you to trust the Lord. I’m sure some of you are thinking, “But,
you don’t know what I am going through” and you are right...I don’t; but, God does!! We don’t
need to be afraid of what is going on in our life; we just need to trust in God.
Read MorePerhaps you are reading this today with a broken heart, hurting heart, shattered heart, crushed heart, bitter heart. Let me encourage you to keep on going. God's word says He healeth the broken in heart.
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