03
Mar '22
Delight in God
03
Mar '22
Psalm 119:89-95
Recalling God’s faithfulness and control over everything that touches us gives us strength to walk with God even when we feel like giving up in despair. After all, our feelings and circumstances have not changed God. He is perfectly capable of sustaining us if we will only let Him. We simply need to choose to delight in and diligently consider God’s precepts (His principles and character) despite how we feel. Choosing to delight in God might not be easy. It might even involve hard work. But only God can revive and save our soul from spiritual lethargy.
Next time you feel spiritually drained or inadequate, remember that you have a choice. You can wrap yourself up in excuses and self-pity, or you can choose to draw your strength from an unchanging God.
When I read this portion of a devotion I felt someone needed to read it and be reminded of it’s words. So powerful. You have a choice.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
17
Nov '21
Total Trust
17
Nov '21
I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech. (Psalm 17:6)
Have you ever experienced a time in your life that God seems silent?
You keep praying, but you don’t receive an answer to your prayers.
Our natural response as humans is to become discouraged or doubt.
But God wants us to turn to Him in total trust, believing that He will provide an answer in the way that is best suited for us.
So, how do we trust God when we are suffering and questioning?
We do not lean on our understanding or look at our circumstances.
Instead, we look at who God is. We focus on His attributes because He never changes!
Holy Father, you are a God of miracles. It is in Your character to show Yourself and Your glory to us by working in the most impossible of places. So today, Jesus, I ask you to please show yourself in my life, heal my body, heart, and mind. Provide when the bills mount, and the finances seem impossible. Heal and reconcile relationships that need your special touch.
Holy Father, we thank you for being near. We ask you to draw close to us today. Fill us with Your mercy, compassion, grace, and overwhelming love that only You can provide.
Beautiful devotion…
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
10
Aug '21
My Strength and Shield
10
Aug '21
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. (Psalm 28:7)
God, nothing compares to how great You are! The heavens declare Your glory and the earth points to Your power. You are holy and set apart! You are above every area of my life, and it is by Your hand that my world is held together. All glory and honor belong to You alone! Hallelujah and Amen.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
29
Apr '21
Praising Through Guilt
29
Apr '21
Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. (Psalm 30:4-5)
I remember in my teen years getting into trouble once for missing curfew on a Friday night.
I didn’t miss it by a few minutes, but by a couple of hours.
In fact, my parents were supposed to be away for the weekend and my dad had to drive back home to check on me because I was not where I was supposed to be. There is more to the story, but that’s for another time. The part that I remember most is that Saturday.
My dad had left again to be with my mom at their weekend away as planned. I’d been briefly chastised, but woke up Saturday to an empty house and a deep sense of dread.
I knew I had messed up big time, and that my sentencing would come down Sunday night when they returned.
I spent the rest of that weekend alone in our home cleaning every nook and cranny I could. It was guilt cleaning. I felt so bad for what I had done, and was so worried about the consequences, I let my guilt drive my actions.
Many of us function this way with God. We mess up in our hearts, minds and actions and then we begin to operate out of guilt, trying to “work off” our sin, even though we know it doesn’t work that way.
Can I propose something new? Let’s praise Him through our guilt instead.
- Let’s Praise God for being merciful and gracious.
- Let’s praise Him for new mercies every morning.
- Let’s praise Him for letting us bring our confessions right to Him.
Don’t work your guilt off, praise through your guilt and let that praise get your heart and mind back on the path God has laid out for you.
Spend time today praising God for forgiving you for something specific you have said or done this week.
I pray you are just as encouraged by this devotion as I was. Remember to Praise Him through all things.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
13
Apr '21
Perfectly Just
13
Apr '21
Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. (Psalm 103:13)
Did you know that God’s love is based on His character? He is holy, just, merciful, and compassionate all at the same time. His characteristics are too many to name.
Because He is perfectly just, the Psalms tell us that He does get angry over our sin.
However, He lets go of it when He forgives us. And He forgets the sin!
God is merciful, and He withholds judgment. He is not passive-aggressive because He relates to us in love.
As far as the East is from the West, we are told that we are separated from our sin. How is this possible?
Because when we ask for God’s forgiveness, He sees us through the sacrifice His Son made for us. This should never be an excuse to sin, but instead, should prompt us to want to do what is right—out of gratitude for Jesus’ incredible sacrifice.
Thank you Jesus for your incredible sacrifice for me today. Renew my spirit and create in me a clean heart. Amen.
When I read this devotion it blessed me, I pray it blesses you too.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
29
Oct '20
Pursue Him
29
Oct '20
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. (Hebrews 11:8)
Do you ever feel like Abraham?
You know God is steering you a certain direction, but He won’t give you the specifics.
God isn’t ignoring you if you don’t hear him…
He wants you to build your faith.
If you love God and pursue him… you will know his heart, his word and ultimately His will for you.
We don’t decide what we want and hope God is with us.
We patiently uncover what He has already decided.
God is trustworthy to me and if I love Him in a mature way I become trustworthy to Him.
Be still, and know that I am God . . . (Psalm 46:10)
When I read this devotion two very important words stood out to me, pursue Him! Pursuing God is about realizing more and more that He has been pursuing you all along. Trust Him…
(A side note I felt needed to be shared) Pursuing God is about so much more than the actual action that honors Him. It’s about our soul attitude. It’s about seeking Him while doing laundry. Talking with Him while washing the car. Praising Him while talking with our neighbors. Our ordinary doesn’t have to be boring. If we begin to look at our routine each day and think through how we can pursue God, even the little things become glorious. Even the small acts of obedience become holy moments of worship.
Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day. (Psalm 71:8)
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
04
Aug '20
Wisdom
04
Aug '20
For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. (Proverbs 8:11)
Did you know that when an oyster receives an irritant in its’ shell, it releases a fluid that coats the irritant?
Layer upon layer of this coating is deposited, until a lustrous pearl is formed.
This natural defense mechanism in the oyster creates one of the most beautiful jewels on earth.
Likewise, when carbon is put under extreme heat and pressure, a diamond is formed.
Diamonds and pearls are some of the most beautiful treasures on earth.
But, the Bible tells us that God’s wisdom is even more precious and more desired than these treasures.
Often in life, we are faced with irritating situations.
Like pearls, we may have a defense mechanism that we fall back on to cope.
Or… we may even feel like a diamond under tremendous pressure.
But God uses the heat of trials to refine us and help us become more like Him.
The more we understand His word and apply it to our lives, the more like Him we become.
As we strive to be like Him, we will radiate, and shine His love to others!!
Help me filter my flaws, pressures, and irritants through you, Jesus. Is there a flawed thought process you need to turn over to Him so that you might radiate the beauty of Christ?
I love this devotion. We all struggle with this very thing from time to time but I pray you are encouraged to seek His word and apply it to your life. Psalm 34:10, they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. Seek Him!
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
09
Apr '20
Quiet Time With God
09
Apr '20
For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 3:14)
As much as we might hate to admit it, God doesn’t need or want us to tell Him what He should do. He wants to hear from us, absolutely, but what brings the Lord happiness is our devotion to His plan. That means prayer; creating open lines of communication with God that serve as a dialogue. It means both speaking and listening. We can pray anytime, anywhere. It’s a huge blessing to know that we can speak to God at any moment in our lives…the good and the bad moments. Prayer knows no rules so just pray. Pure, unplugged, heart-tuned-in communication with your best friend is all you need.
This devotion is right in line with our Sunday Devotion. We were challenged to say The Lords Prayer and Psalm 23 every single day for 21 days. Prayer is our lifeline to God, our spiritual breath. Make time today to communicate with God. Never doubt the power of prayer.
MATTHEW 6:9-13, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
PSALM 23, The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
31
Mar '20
God’s Love Never Ceases
31
Mar '20
It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
This morning when you awoke, what were your first thoughts of the day?
Did you immediately start thinking about what you needed to do?
Or perhaps you began thinking about current events, fears, and frustrations.
Did the “what ifs” start playing on a loop?
In Lamentations we are told that God’s love never ceases.
His mercies are new every morning and never come to an end.
Jesus’ love for us is so great that He extends it to us every. single. day.
As Jeremiah wrote Lamentations, he was personally experiencing uncertain times and terrible loneliness. However, he still had hope!
He knew that despite all the turbulence and sorrow surrounding him, God would keep his promises.
Jeremiah clung to the Lord and remained hopeful of future restoration and blessing.
As you begin your day, take the first moments to meditate on how great God’s love is for you. Thank Him for His incredible love and remember His mercies are new to you today!
When I awake, I am still with thee. (Psalm 139:18)
What a powerful devotion. I pray it gives you hope and encouragement today. He is always with you, even when you feel isolated, He is there, when you feel alone, He is there. God will keep His promises to you, remain hopeful. Restoration and blessings. Amen!