Honest Reflections

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Nehemiah 4-5 GW; Acts 18 GW

Tap into the source.

Surrounded by enemies, families stood prepared to defend their homes.  Rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem required sacrifice.  People opposed came prepared for battle.  Nehemiah, looking at God’s faithful servants, inspires them with his speech:

“Don’t be afraid of our enemies. Remember how great and awe-inspiring the Lord is. Fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” (Nehemiah 4:14 GW)

When preparing for battle, remember God’s power.  Before tapping into any other defense, tap into the ultimate Defender.  Our Hero doesn’t lose; God always wins.  When we utilize God’s strength, victory is ours.

Fight for your loved ones.  Whatever issues they are facing, battle for them in prayer.  Drop to your knees and connect with your Creator.  Ask God to do the heavy lifting.  Let Him know you’re available and willing to serve.  Pray for God to direct you in the brawl, showing you clearly what your role is.  

Confident, not Hesitant.

Tapping into God’s strength will make you confident.  Knowing God’s will for you gives you purpose and vision.  Understanding, God is in your corner creates security.  For me, praying “Confident, not Hesitant” reminds me of God’s power in my life.  When faced with a daunting divine task, knowing God is in my corner gives me courage.

We’ll do things for others we won’t do for ourselves.  When a friend’s granddaughter entered this world, she immediately quit smoking.  Her new grandbaby gave her a reason to stop the life-threatening habit.  Parents do things for their kids they wouldn’t otherwise do. Doing for others gives us reasons to do things we wouldn’t.

Access God’s power through prayer.  Seek His divine insight for the battle ahead.  Pray “Confident, not Hesitant,” knowing God has your back.

Lord, thank You for Your mighty power.  Forgive us for not tapping into such an essential resource.  Today, as we fight for our loved ones, equip us for the battle.  Defend us to our enemies.  As we pray, “Confident, not Hesitant,” fill us with Your strength.  Let us march boldly into battle, knowing victory is Yours.  In all things, the glory is Yours.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

Who needs you to battle for them today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Psalms 122 GW; Nehemiah 3 GW; Acts 17 GW

Prayer brings peace.

When life throws me a curveball, prayer brings me peace.  While writing this devotional, Ron is beginning a long day of driving for work.  Days of travel for my husband are anxiety-ridden for me.  PTSD from my days on the road conjures all kinds of images in my head, none of them pleasant.

Acknowledging my fears and anxieties, seeking God in prayer, having others pray for me brings me God’s peace.  God is in control, not the devil; one thing is for sure, Satan always loses.

Whatever anxiety you are feeling for your loved ones, take it to God in prayer.  Ask God to clear the path for your family and friends, allowing for smooth journeys.   Seeking God’s divine intervention for your loved ones does bring His heavenly peace.

Calm, not Anxious.

“Calm, not Anxious” is my three-word prayer for days like today.  Simple, easy to remember, and practical, the mantra from “Three Word Prayers for Everyday Living” helps me quickly refocus on God. In all things, God is sovereign; He knows what the day holds.  God doesn’t want me anxious; He wants me to trust Him.

Connecting with God allows me to give Him my burdens.  God reminds me, He loves Ron more than I ever could.  I struggle to understand how God could love Ron more than me, but He does.  As God calms my spirit, I’m able to trust Him, knowing God is always with me, no matter what.

God is with you.  He understands your anxieties for your loved ones.  God doesn’t want you to worry; He wants you to pray.  Give Him your fears, ask God to take care of your loved ones.  Trust God to take care of those most precious to you.  Ask God to “Make it go well” for them, then allow His peace to flood your spirit.

Lord, thank You for calming our anxious hearts.  Forgive us for thinking we know better than You.  As we move through our day, let Your peace reign in our Spirit.  Quickly answer when we pray, “Calm, not Anxious.”  Protect our loved ones, make it go well for them.  All glory is Yours.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

Who do you need to give to God today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Nehemiah 1-2 GW; Acts 16 GW; Psalms 66 GW

Fasting eliminates distractions.

Recently, I completed a ten-day fast of breakfast and lunch.  Like Nehemiah, a situation in life drove me to my knees.  Realizing I needed divine intervention, I began a fast to help me connect with God more profoundly.  Every hunger pang caused me to pray, drawing me closer to God, trusting Him to move in my circumstances.

“Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” (Joel 2:12 NIV)

Fasting helps align your heart with God’s.  Heartbreaking situations appear hopeless.  By bringing God into the situation, hope comes with Him.  Nothing is impossible for God, but if we don’t seek Him, we can’t tap into His power.  Fasting helps us access the source faster.

One of my regular activities is backing up my writing.  My laptop has two different USB ports, 2.0 and 3.0.  If I plug the memory key into the 3.0 port, information transfers faster than the 2.0.  Fasting is the same concept.  Praying plugs us into God’s power, but fasting speeds up the connection between our heart and God’s.  Our hunger pangs intensify the conversation.

Speed up the connection.

During a time of prayer and fasting, by eliminating distractions, we connect more intimately with God.  Often, the prayer language consists of heart-wrenching groans and sighs.  Typically, the depth of our emotions makes words difficult.  But the connection with God doesn’t need words; He speaks the language of the heart.

Fasting food is one option.  Giving up social media, television, or anything you feel gets in the way of your relationship with God will help you connect faster.  Eliminating the thing that is distracting you most from God will help you draw closer to Him.  Pouring out your miseries to the Creator through intense prayer and fasting will develop an intimacy with Him as you’ve never experienced.

Eliminate distractions through prayer.  Draw closer to God.  Allow Him to heal your broken heart.

Lord, thank You for answering our call.  Forgive us for not turning to You sooner.  As we begin fasting and praying, soothe our spirit.  Give us your peace that surpasses all understanding as You do Your thing.  All glory to You.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

How has fasting impacted your life?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading:  Amos 8-9 GW; Acts 15 GW

Jesus is kind.

Judaizers, the name for Jewish Christians, believed Gentiles should follow the law of Moses.  The Jerusalem Council was the meeting held to address the issue.  Speaking to the council, Peter reminded them of God’s choice to offer the Holy Spirit to those who believed, Gentiles and Jews.  After Peter gives his speech, Barnabas and Paul share the miracles they’ve witnessed.  In the end, everyone concluded,  Jesus’s kindness offers salvation to everyone.

I remember, as a child visiting my Aunt Margie.  No matter what time of the day it was, she welcomed me with open arms.  Even now, I can feel her arms wrapping around me in an all-encompassing hug.  Never judging me, she always listened to whatever problem I had at the time—loving me, no matter what.  Her welcoming spirit drew me back to her home time and time again.

Jesus is welcoming you.

Jesus is the epitome of hospitality.  Arms outstretched, He’s waiting for you to come to Him.  Just like my aunt folded me into her arms, Jesus wants to do the same.  Nothing you have done or will ever do will stop Jesus from loving you.  Jesus’s message is simple, “Welcome home!”

One way people can learn about Jesus’s welcoming spirit is through us.  When we create delightful environments, people want to come to them.  Just like my aunt’s home was always a relaxing respite from my troubles, Jesus does the same.  Having a role model like my aunt helps me understand, Jesus is an even better host than her.  Where my aunt was imperfect, Jesus is perfect.  And He is the King of Hospitality.

“My Fathers house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?”  (John 14:2 NIV)

Accept Jesus’ kindness.  Let Him welcome you into the family.  Feel Jesus’ arms wrap around you.

Lord, thank You for creating a place for us in Your family.  Forgive us for turning away from You, time and time again.  Today, as we surrender our lives to You, let us feel Your presence in our life.  As we search for You, let us find You.  Help us accept Jesus’ gift.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

How do you feel about Jesus’ love in your life?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Amos 5-7 GW; Acts 14 GW

Belief is necessary.

Lame, unable to walk, all the man needed was belief.  When Paul saw, the man’s faith, he knew a miracle was about to happen.  What about the man’s demeanor let Paul know the stranger’s belief could heal him?  I don’t know the answer to the question.  But Paul knew.  With belief the size of a mountain seed, we can move mountains:

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20 NIV)

Paul’s healing of the crippled man came after he preached.  Whatever Paul’s message was, he inspired the lame man’s faith.  Because of his belief, the years of misery were left behind as the cripple’s faith healed him.  As a result, the witnesses watching this scene in history began to worship Paul and Barnabas.  The apostles immediately tried to correct them, giving glory to God, but the crowd didn’t listen.  Instead, they tried to stone Paul to no avail.

Believe God can.

Because he believed Paul’s message about Jesus, the lame man walked.  We have to believe God can before He will.  If our faith doesn’t think Jesus is capable of healing the sick, then He won’t.  Believing something is impossible makes it impossible.  But the minute you have hope that something can happen, then the impossible becomes possible.

For miracles to happen, we must experience impossible circumstances.  Just like the lame man, if he weren’t crippled, he wouldn’t need a miracle.  If he didn’t need healing, the disabled man wouldn’t have believed.  His belief gave him new life in Christ.

Our disabilities vary, some physical, others emotional, all need faith to heal.  Whatever mountain you’re facing today, believe God can move it.  One glimmer of hope can produce a miracle.  Trust God can.  Watch as He does.

Lord, thank You for making miracles a reality.  Forgive us for our lack of faith.  Give us faith that moves mountains.  As we trust in you, make unbelievable things happen in our lives.  Open closed doors, right wrongs, heal sickness.  Help us believe in You.  Each day, let our faith grow stronger.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What area of your life are you lacking faith?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Amos 3-4 GW; Acts 13 GW

God gives life.

Thinking about God bringing Christ back to life or the many people raised from the dead in the pages of Scripture is one way God gives life.  However, I’ve experienced God’s life-giving in other ways as well.

Most recently, when one of life’s waves knocked me to the ground, God brought me back to life.  One of those moments when you feel like giving up.  Tired of trying with nothing happening.  Sick of fighting the good fight when no one seems to care is exhausting.  Maintaining the daily routine was the only thing keeping me going, which is why I found myself once again on the floor.

On my darkest days, I crawl into my prayer closet.  Created after watching “War Room,” our guest room closet became my meeting place with God.  Ever since Ron and I’s date night at the movies in 2015, the walk-in closet is my refuge.  Within the small room’s walls, God brings me back to life.

Let God rejuvenate you.

When I’m at the bottom of the pit, my daily routine is what draws me back to God.  Because I’ve practiced the same habits for years, I do them without thinking.  Just entering the place where we meet, closing the door, and pouring my heart out to the Lord gives me strength.  As I lay in my misery, God brings me new life.  Somehow, someway, every time, God rejuvenates me and gives me the strength to get off the floor.

God will give you new life as well.  Every day, when you turn to Him, God will rejuvenate you.  God never intended for us to face life’s battles alone.  Partnering with our Maker was always part of God’s plan.  But if we don’t turn to God, He can’t bring us back to life.

Turn back to God today.  Let Him rejuvenate your life.  Stop trying to fight the good fight alone; bring in the heavy lifter.

Lord, thank You for giving us life.  Forgive us for not turning to You more regularly.  As we struggle to maintain in the world around us, provide us with strength.  Bring us back to life on those days we don’t have the energy to keep going.  When the waves of life knock us down, put us back on our feet.  Give us life.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

How do you need God to rejuvenate you today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Amos 1-2 GW; Psalms 142 GW; Acts 12 GW

God knows your pain.

Whether you believe God understands your pain or not doesn’t negate Him knowing it.  Heartache and grief are isolating emotions.  Because the hurt is personal, it’s difficult for others to understand, but not God.

A few years into my marriage, Ron and I were enjoying an evening beside the campfire.  Working through a couples study, “Five Dates” by Mike and Jennifer Foster, led to an exciting conversation.  Each “date” came with a different topic.  The question we discussed was, “What two events from your childhood impacted your life?”  My immediate response was, “The death of my father.”  Ron’s were sports-related incidents.  

Ron’s response surprised me.  “Just because I haven’t gone through what you went through doesn’t mean I can’t empathize.  And it doesn’t mean you get to wear your pain like a badge of honor.”  Ron’s honesty freed me.

Don’t lose hope.

Ron empathized with my pain; God completely understood it.  Jesus died on the cross, God’s Son, innocent, yet sacrificed for our sins.  God knows my pain, and He knows yours.  Believing this truth will help you move through your pain.

God handles our pain with kid gloves.  Through the hurts in our life, we can choose how to deal with them.  For years, I didn’t manage my heartache well.  But when I started to give bits and pieces of the misery to God, He helped me begin to heal.  Through my husband, God illuminated specific areas I had yet to give Him.  After Ron spoke truth into my life, I started seeing the parts I wasn’t giving God.  Now, years later, I’ve become healthier than ever.  But first, I had to believe; God knew my pain.

Trust God knows your pain.  Don’t believe your feelings; believe your Maker.  He is with you in the pit.  God loves you.  Give Him your heartache.

Lord, thank You for knowing our deepest hurts.  Forgive us for not believing You do.  Please help us to lay our pain at the foot of the cross.  Begin the healing process in us as we turn to You.  Let us empty our hurts to You.  Fill us with Your love in return.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What pain are you holding onto today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Joel 2-3 GW; Acts 11 GW

God wants you back.

Repeatedly, throughout the pages of scripture, God calls us back to Him.  The entire book of Hosea is about returning to God over and over again.  No matter how far you’ve strayed from God, He’s waiting for you to come back to Him.  Whenever you knock, the door opens:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7 NIV)

God wants you to ask, seek and knock.  Patiently, God waits for you to realize, you can’t save yourself.  Nor can someone else save you.  Only God has the power to give you eternal life through Jesus.  All you have to do is turn towards Him.  Give God access to your heart, all of it.  Bare your soul to Your maker; every hurt you feel lay them at the foot of the cross. 

Let go of the pillow.

Our problem is we don’t honestly give our troubles to God.  Even when we think we do, we don’t.  In my last therapy appointment, we talked about letting go.  My therapist used a pillow to illustrate her point.  Each of us held opposite ends of the rectangular pad.  When she tried to take the pillow from me, I resisted giving it to her.  Her point was simple; we’re not giving it to God.  When God tries to take our burdens from us, we resist.  Just like I wouldn’t let go of the pillow, I don’t honestly give my cares to God. 

God wants us to give everything to Him.  The more earnestly we seek God, the more we release to Him.  Seeking God through fasting and tears is a profound journey.  Releasing all of the pain from within our being to the Creator is challenging but healing.  

Don’t hold on to the pillow any longer; let God have it.  Discover God’s peace that surpasses all understanding when you do.

Lord, thank You for Your unending patience with us.  Forgive us for holding onto our pain instead of releasing it to You.  Give us the courage to let Your light shine into every corner of our hearts today.  Help us release our burdens to You completely.  Every day, let us surrender to You again.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What do you need to surrender to God today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Joel 1 GW; Acts 10 GW

God remembers.

Cornelius, a Roman Soldier, was God’s servant.  Fearing the Lord, Cornelius prayed and did good works.  God noticed.  Now, at this crucial time in history, Cornelius is a significant player.  Immediately, Cornelius obeyed the angel, sending messengers to bring Peter to him.  

Meanwhile, Peter has his vision in the city of Joppa, opening the door for Gentiles (non-Jews) to become part of the movement. Cornelius’s messengers arrive, the Holy Spirit tells Peter to go with them.  So he does.

When Peter and Cornelius share their visions, they both recognize God’s hand.  Peter shares the message of Jesus with the crowd; the Holy Spirit shows up, life change occurs for all.

I picture Cornelius, a middle-aged man who always does the right thing.  Worked hard for his family, helped others to the best of his ability, and stayed connected to God. A regular, hardworking guy who thinks no one notices.  But God does; he never misses a thing.

God notices you.

You may not think He does, but God notices.  And He remembers.  When you held the door open for a stranger or kept your tongue when you wanted to lash out, God saw.  When you prayed to Him, God heard you.  Just because God doesn’t answer the way you want doesn’t mean He didn’t listen.  We work for God; He doesn’t work for us.  

And feelings lie, all the time.  Don’t allow emotions to dictate faith.  God knows you’re trying.  He sees your heart, God remembers.  Every day, your efforts are growing God’s kingdom.  Each act of love towards someone else is a building block.  Together, we build the Kingdom.

Lord, thank You for seeing everything.  Forgive us for thinking You don’t.  Help us understand; life is a journey  Each day, we’re becoming a new creation, leaving the old behind, starting fresh.  Let us have grace for ourselves as You do.  Soften our hearts, keep us pure.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What do you do when God doesn’t feel close?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 48 GW; Acts 9 GW

Prayer works.

Can you imagine this scene?  Tabitha, lying dead after suffering an illness, her body prepared for burial.  Peter arrived after receiving an urgent message from the disciples saying they needed his help.  Upon his arrival, widows surround him, showing Peter the clothing Tabitha, also known as Dorcus, sewed for others while alive. If I was Peter, I think the pressure of the moment might get the best of me.  But not Peter, he knew what to do, pray!

Even after following God for five-plus decades, I still have moments of doubt.  In my prayer journal, I often write these words, “God, forgive me for doubting.”  As many miracles I’ve seen God perform in my life, I still doubt.

But not Peter.  Kneeling, he prayed. Somewhere in Peter’s Spirit, God answered.  Knowing what to do, he turns to the dead woman and says, “Tabitha, get up!”  Her eyes open, she looks at Peter and sits up.  What an incredible moment in time.

Take the position.

When Peter knelt and prayed, he was placing himself in a position of submission.  I’m not saying we have to get on our knees every time we chat with God.  But I do believe placing yourself in a submissive position helps your heart surrender to God.  Each morning, when I end my prayer time, I get on my knees.  Something sacred occurs at this moment where my heart softens as I submit myself to God’s will.

One of the most powerful moments of my life occurred in Nags Head, NC, during my twenties.  Single, with a girlfriend, we escaped for a night away from life.  Honestly, I can’t remember why we were both struggling, but I know we were.  Sitting in our hotel room, we decided to give our struggles to God.  I will never forget both of us getting on our knees together beside the bed and praying.  Life changed at that moment, my journey back to God becoming more of a reality.  

Prayer precedes miracles.  Take the position.  Submit to God, let Him do the work.

Lord, thank You for working miracles in our lives.  Forgive us for trying to control things on our own.  As we humble ourselves before you today, let our hearts come into alignment with Yours.  Let Your blessing and favor cover us as we move through our day.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

How do kneeling and praying draw you closer to God?