Category: Uncategorized

2 minute read.

Daily Reading:  Ezekiel 37 GW; Acts 2 GW

Daily devotion convicts.

Not a morning goes by that God doesn’t convict me of something.  Every morning, when I open my Bible, one scripture always speaks to me more than others.  Sometimes, God reminds me of something I did or said to someone else.  Other times, my guilt is over something I think I’m hiding from God, but in reality, I’m not.  But each day, when I seek God, He prompts me into action.

Many people receive texts, cards, or calls based on my morning time with God.  Confessing my sins to Him each day renews me and draws me back to my Creator.  Some days, I have to admit to others my wrongdoings as well.  But one thing is true; my daily devotion moves me closer in my relationship with God and others.

Devotion grows.

I remember the first time I read through the Bible in a year.  Around 30 years old, before Youversion, I had a paper Bible.  My reading plan was simple, read front to back.  Not at all how I would suggest someone read through the Bible the first time.  The Old Testament is brutal to get through if you don’t know Jesus.  I got behind at one point, eventually stopping.  During the period when I stopped reading, I noticed a difference in my spirit.  Unsettled and rattled are the words that best describe how I felt.  But as soon as I started daily reading God’s word again, His peace returned.

Now, a couple of decades later, I’m still reading my Bible daily, and how I know devotion grows.  From fifteen minutes a day, I’m now writing daily devotionals.  My time with God multiplied. The further I go in my relationship with Him, the deeper I want to go. My relationships are better than ever before, and God’s peace reigns in our lives, even in the storms.

Talk to God every day.  Read His word and apply it to your life.  Watch as you grow closer to God and others.  Your relationships will blossom like never before.

Lord, thank You for meeting with us every day.  Forgive us for the days we don’t show up.  Give us a desire to start our day with You every morning.  Let our devotion to You grow each day, helping us become a new creation in You.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

How is your daily meeting with God changing your life?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 36 GW; Acts 1 GW; Psalms 109 GW

Lying is innate.

All of us lie; we don’t need a lesson in deceit.  When you ask a three-year-old boy who has cookies all over his face if he ate the baked good, the toddler will instinctively say “No.”  Even caught red-handed, our instinct is to lie.  Human nature is human nature.  Understanding that you lie helps you forgive those who lie about you.  

Not only must we accept that we are liars, but we also must accept people lie about us. People tell falsehoods for many reasons. Perhaps they feel better about themselves by making someone else look worse.  Or maybe they’re ashamed of their behavior and are trying to cover it up by telling tall tales about someone else.  And making up stories about others is one way people entertain themselves.  People lie for all kinds of reasons.

But truth always prevails.  Bringing the facts to light may take time.  People become entangled in the lies they tell, as well as the ones they believe.  The difference between truth and a lie, the facts always come out.  Lies never stand against the test of time.

Wait for it.

When lies are swirling around you, wait for truth’s exposure.  False stories never last; the facts always come to light.  Right now, in our world, the truth about the past 18 months is beginning to emerge.  Manipulation through mass media is becoming more and more evident.  People realize you can’t believe everything you read or watch on the internet.  Fake news is more prevalent than real news.

But truth does survive.  Lies fall away quickly as the facts become apparent.  When you are the topic of the lies, weather the storm by standing firm on the truth.  Jesus endured many false accusations during His time on earth, but He grounded Himself in the reality of the Father.  God’s Son understood, lies don’t last; they always fade away.

Accept lying as part of life.  Trust that the truth always comes out.  Seek the facts, appreciate the truth.

Lord, thank You for exposing the truth to us.  Forgive us for when we lie.  Help us always to tell the truth.  When others tell lies about us, help us forgive them quickly.  Don’t let the devil get a foothold in our lives.   Let Your truth become our guiding light.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What lies have you told lately?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 35 GW; Obadiah GW; Psalms 108 GW

Truth enables decisions.

Our problem today is defining truth.  As my husband always says, lies go around the world three times before the facts catch up with it.  How are we to define reality in a world full of falsities? People spin narratives every day; whether they are factual or not doesn’t seem to matter.  When someone tells a lie, then corrects themselves later, most people never see the correction, just the false news.   How are we to make informed decisions if we can’t define the truth?

From my perspective, I have my truth, the way the world appears to me.  But my vision is narrow.  I know I can’t trust myself, because as God’s word says, the heart is deceptive:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 ESV)

Defining truth is a challenge in today’s world, but one thing stands the test of time:  God’s word.  Over the centuries, the words within the Scriptures have stood the challenge.  Putting them into practice in your life will help define truth.

Tell the whole story.

Objectivity requires the facts.  All of us are operating from limited perspectives; none of us knows everything.  Only God sees the whole picture; we see only in part.  Accepting our limitations allows us to invite God’s perspective into ours.  When we seek God’s view, we gain His vision.

For instance, a common prayer for me is, “God help me see people through Your eyes.”  When I pray this, God illuminates things I can’t see, mainly their pain.  What God sees that we can’t is people’s struggles.  When we gain His vision, we begin to see their suffering, which in turn softens our hearts and creates better relationships.  We make better decisions because God reveals the truth to us.

Recognize your limitations.  Seek the truth through God.  Ask Him to reveal the whole story to You.  Gain God’s vision.  Discover His truth, and you’ll make better decisions.

Lord, thank You for revealing the truth to us.  Forgive us for the deceptions we believe in life.  Illuminate truth for us today, show us the whole story in our life’s circumstances.  Soften our hearts as we begin to see those around us through Your eyes.  Please help us make better decisions based on all the facts.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What truth do you need God to reveal to you today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Jude 1 GW; Ezekiel 34 GW; Psalms 4 GW

False teachers require discernment.

Schisters know the right thing to say to get what they want.  We all know people like this; they could sell ice to an Eskimo.  When spirituality is the topic, false teachers abound.  To grow in discernment, you must steep yourself in God’s word.  Memorizing scripture helps you quickly discern when someone isn’t telling the truth.  Many people have done horrible things claiming their actions were because of God.

Throwing God’s name around isn’t something you should do lightly.  If what you’re doing contradicts God’s word, then odds are, you’re not listening to God.  Taking scripture out of context is something God frown’s upon:

“Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.” (Proverbs 30:5-6 ESV)

Focus on God’s truth

If you study the truth, lies are easy to spot.  When you know something so well, you can identify the slightest variation.  On a visit to rural Delaware visiting friends, I rode in the car with my adopted niece.  Carolanne loves all things farming; as we were driving by the many fields filling the countryside, she said something profound.  “When you know the fields as well as I do, you can tell whose field is whose.”  Her remark stunned me, because to me, they all looked the same.  How could she possibly know the difference?  But she did because she knew the area so well she could quickly identify any field.

The same thing happens when we know God’s word so intimately, we can easily spot the false teachers.  Even though they sound convincing, exposing their lies is simple.  God’s word never changes, no matter how hard false teachers try.  Memorizing scripture helps grow your discernment and identify schisters without much effort.  But you must focus on the truth; it will lead you through the lies.

Lord, thank You for Word which guides us.  Forgive us for falling for false teachings.  Help us today identify the liars in our lives.  Expose them to us as we seek You.  Implant Your word in our souls so that we know the truth so intimately, no one can fool us.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

Who has tried to trick you lately?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 32-33 GW; 1 Timothy 6 GW

Contentment is key.

Paul, writing to Timothy, is explaining contentment. He wants Timothy to “teach and encourage people to do these things” (1 Timothy 6:4 GW).  Paul wants people to appreciate what they have instead of yearning for things they don’t possess.  As Paul says, we come into the world with nothing and leave with nothing.  Praising God for the food and clothing He provides us is something we should all do.

But instead, we complain because we don’t have the newest phone, car or gadget.  Our salaries aren’t large enough, jobs aren’t good enough, and houses aren’t elite enough.  My attic needs cleaning out at the moment; I don’t even know what all we have in it.  Yet, I think I need more.  When in reality,  I have more than enough, as most of us do in America.  Storage units are a hot commodity business; they make anywhere from $361,000-$798,800 a year.  Find a place to store other people’s stuff for them, and you’ve got a gold mine.

Godly living isn’t about stuff.

The profits a Godly life bring aren’t monetary.  Appreciating what you have, realizing, all you need is bare necessities brings the fruit of the Spirit:

“But the spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control. There are no laws against things like that.” (Galatians 5:22-23 GW)

Contentment is a choice you make.  You either choose to thank God for the gifts you have or focus on what you think you need.  When we remember, all we need is food and clothing; we’ll begin to realize we’ve got a lot for which we should thank God.  As we lift our voices in praise, God fills us with His Spirit.  From the overflow of God’s presence, we’ll share His fruit with the world.

Choose contentment.  Thank God for what you have.  Live a Godly life, experience His presence.  Receive the vast profits that come only from God.

Lord, thank You for life.  Forgive us for constantly thinking we need more than we have.  Help us become content as we thank You for all our blessings.  Praise You for the food we eat and the clothes we wear.  Fill us with Your Spirit; let Your fruit flow from our lives.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What can you thank God for today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 29-31 GW; 1 Timothy 5 GW

Good deeds bring rejoicing.

Whether your acts of kindness are apparent or not, they don’t bring regret.  Knowing you did the right thing, despite the response received, is always uplifting.  God knows the condition of your heart; He understands your intentions.  Anything done with the right intent will eventually come to light.  God reveals all things in due time.

When a relational conflict occurs, the first thing I do is take inventory of my actions.  Reflecting on my deeds helps me take responsibility for my part in the disagreement.  For the things I did right, I rejoice, knowing the problem didn’t arise from them.  For instance, keeping my mouth shut instead of speaking is often something I rejoice over.  Words have power; using them wisely definitely brings joy.  But when words are spoken harshly, without thought, you will regret them.

Celebrate and fix.

One of my dear friends taught me to celebrate and fix.  As a sales director for Discovery Toys, a networking, at-home business, she had plenty of experience.  Part of her job was hosting parties in people’s homes to showcase the product.  After every event, she did a celebrate and fix review.  Celebrate the things you did right, fix the things you did wrong, a lesson I’ve not forgotten.

Everything is a mixture of both good and bad.  After finishing “Three Word Prayers for Everyday Living,” I had things to celebrate and fix.  After completing the last copy, I gave the book to two friends for one final proofread.  Both of them gave me feedback, celebrating what they loved, identifying last-minute edits.  When I thought I had nothing left to fix, I still did.  We are all a work in progress.

Feedback is necessary if we are to grow.  Everyone does good deeds.  Rejoice in the things you’ve done right.  Fix the things that need fixing.

Lord, thank You for all the good things You do for us.  Forgive us for not celebrating Your goodness more.  Help us shed Your light into the world by our actions.  In all we do, let our hearts align with Yours, sharing Your goodness.  Whatever issues we need to fix, help us become better.  Show us what we need to celebrate, help us repair what we need to correct.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What good deeds can you celebrate today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 27-28 GW; 1 Timothy 4 GW

People lie.

Paul, writing to Timothy about the prophecy at the end of times, is warning him.  People who once followed Jesus will desert the faith believing false teachings.  We live in a world where incorrect information is rampant.  If Paul worried about Timothy, can you imagine his concern for our world? One article I read said, on average, a stranger will lie to you three times in ten minutes of conversation, friends lie to you once in the same period.  Talking to my friend Wendy about friend’s lying, she immediately responded, “Yeah, they say “I’m fine.”’

Wendy’s response answered a question for me.  Thinking about my friends, I wondered what lies they told me.  “I’m fine” is the biggest lie we all tell.  How many times have you said the words?  I know I’m guilty of saying everything is okay when inside, I’m falling apart.  Friends don’t know you need help unless you tell them.  The next time someone says, “I’m fine,” follow up with another question, “Are you really?”

Seek truth always.

Seeking truth in today’s world is more difficult than ever. As Christ-followers, we must become diligent in verifying the information we receive.  Dredging through the billions and billions of pages on the internet to find truth is mind boggling.  If we follow the wrong rabbit trail, unknowingly, we could believe lies, which means we become liars.

Don’t believe everything people tell you, or what you read.  Just like, “I’m fine” is a subtle lie, so is the information we receive from the internet and mass media.  Slight word changes make for huge lies.  Bots, automated computers, have social media pages that deliberately post things to generate strong emotions towards people or movements.  Facebook removed over 3 billion fake accounts between 2018 and 2019.  Even with their diligence, about 5% of the 2 billion active Facebook accounts are bots.

Read between the lines.  Seek the truth through Jesus.  Allow God to guide you along the right path.  Don’t fall for the lies; avoid the scars.

Lord, thank You for unending grace and mercy.  Forgive us for lying to others and ourselves.  Give us discernment and wisdom to know the truth.  When we believe falsities, correct us.  Don’t allow us to go down the wrong path.  Protect us from the lies of this world.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What lies do you believe today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading:  Psalms 60 GW; Ezekiel 25-26 GW; 1 Timothy 3 GW

God trumps man.

People can’t do what God can do.  We blame God for our problems, but in reality, people are who hurt us.  When a friend betrays you, it cuts like a knife.  If someone ridicules you, it hurts profoundly.  And if you are ostracized because you aren’t on board with what the crowd is doing, you feel the isolation deeply.  God doesn’t do any of those things.  He never mocks us nor kicks us out for our differences.  God invites people into His family, and they reject Him.  God isn’t the source of pain; people are.

We must place our expectations on God, not man.  If you’re looking for a person to save you, then you will experience disappointment. God didn’t design people to have that much responsibility. We’re not capable of handling the pressure.  God wants us to rely on Him for assistance and stop looking to imperfect people for help.

Let people off the hook.

If I expect my husband to meet all my needs, I set him up for failure.  Our relationship would struggle, both of us miserable.  God never intended Ron to fulfill that role; he’s my husband, not my Savior.  Looking for Ron to do what only God can do dooms our relationship.  But when I put my expectations on the Lord, I let Ron off the hook.

“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” (Psalm 118:8 ESV)

Nestled in the middle of the Bible is one of my favorite verses.  When someone hurts me, I think of these words.  In the heart of God’s word, the Lord tells us where to take refuge, and it’s not in man.  Stop expecting people to do God’s job.

Whatever situation you’re facing today, seek the King for help.  Ask your Creator to assist you.  Then give Him time to work.  God isn’t on our schedule; we’re on His.

Lord, thank You for helping us.  Forgive us for looking to people to do what only You can do.  As we face the trials of this day, please help us.  Let us take refuge in You while you take care of our problems.  Help us let people off the hook as we place our trust in You.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

Who do you need to let off the hook today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 23-24 GW; 1 Timothy 2 GW

Prayer softens.

When you pray for someone, God softens your heart.  Not at first, especially if the person hurt you deeply.  I have people in my life who are extremely difficult to bring before God.  Pain inflicted intentionally isn’t easily forgotten, especially falsely accused.  But pray for them we must:

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matthew 5:44 NIV)

Our path to healing comes through prayer.  If we’re going to overcome the offense, then we must soften our hearts.  A prayer I’ve begun praying, “God, keep my heart soft,” illuminates how hard it is.  Every time someone hurts us, our hearts harden.  We build walls to protect us from further injury.  But walls don’t heal, they separate.  If we’re to become whole again, we mustn’t let our hearts become hardened towards our offender.

“Bless them, fix me.” 

Priscilla Shirer

Author Priscilla Shirer has a simple prayer she uses for praying for others, “Bless them, fix me.”  These four words are potent for hardened hearts.  Easy to utter, prayed on repeat; eventually, you genuinely want God to honor the prayer.  When you reach the point where you feel no more angst, your heart is once again soft.

What happens, over time, God reveals the truth to you.  Typically, whether God shows you something about yourself or the other person, it helps you see the humanity in the situation.  All of us are sinners in need of grace.  Prayer reminds us of that fact, which in turn helps soften our hearts.

Soft hearts produce kind actions.  Instead of causing more hurt in the world, you stop the vicious circle.  Healing people help others heal; hurting people hurt them.  You have a choice.  You can help solve the issue or become part of it.  Prayer enables you to deal with the situation without causing more harm.  Keeping your heart soft will help all of your relationships, especially the one with God.

Lord, thank You for keeping our hearts soft.  Forgive us for hardening them when we’re in pain.  Help us today seek You first and foremost.  Bless those who have hurt us, fix the things in us that need fixing.  Help us become healthy and whole, spreading Your light wherever we go.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

Who do you need to pray for today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 21-22 GW; Psalms 5 GW; 1 Timothy 1 GW

God is kind.

Paul recognizes God’s kindness in his life.  Once a persecutor of Christians, Paul now has new life in Christ.  Paul stoned and killed people for the sake of the law, yet one day, while walking to Damascus, God intervened. Forgiving Paul, God changed his world with one interaction.

Forgiveness is God’s kindness.  Whatever you’re beating yourself up for today, God forgave you.  When we place our trust in Christ, we receive unconditional love and forgiveness.  In God’s sovereignty, He knows our sins.   Thankfully, I’ve not killed nor stoned anyone, but I have committed sins that I find hard to forgive.  I know all the skeletons in my closet, and some of them seem unforgivable from my perspective.  But they are not from God’s.

God’s mercy never ends.

Understanding God forgives you is His kindness.  We must have faith to receive God’s mercy.  All God wants is for us to believe and accept the grace He offers.

My husband shows me grace constantly.  Recently, we had a miscommunication.  I misunderstood something he said; his communication wasn’t clear.  Both of us were at fault, but more me than him.  During our fight, I said words I regret.  But he forgives me, not holding them against me.  His act of grace causes me to love him more.  Ron doesn’t bring up our past arguments; once over, he lets them go.  Because of Ron’s grace for me, I’m learning to have more grace for others.

God’s grace is kindness.  When God says He forgives, He does so entirely.  What you deem unforgivable, God forgives.  If we’re to start fresh every morning, then we need to receive God’s mercies anew.  God wipes the slate clean; we get a chance to fill it with different choices.  

Receiving God’s kindness is genuine.  Grace is a free gift offered to us.  Nothing we do can earn God’s mercy.  God’s kindness leads to faith.

Lord, thank You for Your kindness towards us.  Forgive us for not accepting the gifts You offer.  Help us accept Your grace and mercy today.  As we receive Your kindness, help it build our faith.  Let us share what we receive with all we meet.  Help us shine Your light brightly today.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

How do you receive God’s kindness?