Honest Reflections

4 minute read

“Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails.  Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.” (Psalm 143:7 NIV)

Ask God to answer quickly.

Christmas Eve comes with a level of stress felt no other day of the year.  For some, the day emphasizes feelings of loneliness and despair.  Others deal with quarreling families and tense filled moments.  And for some, the financial burden of gift-giving steals any remnants of joy left. Whatever the distress, ask God to answer your pleas for help quickly.  If you feel like you’re sliding into a pit, pray God swiftly pulls you out.

Whatever situation in your life is causing you the most distress, develop a prayer to address it.  Make the phrase into your mantra for the day, counting on God’s quick answer.  By thinking ahead, you can create a strategy to win the battle.  

Battle with belief.

Creating a prayer mantra for the day ahead is battling with belief.  For instance, when dealing with someone who makes my blood boil, I pray the same prayer—grace, not anger. Then trust, when my anger begins to rise, God replaces it with grace. So far, He hasn’t failed me yet.  If feelings of envy arise, pray, joy, not jealousy, knowing God will give you what you need.  Other prayer mantras I use in the moment that help me battle believing God will answer quickly are:

• Love not hate.
• Faith, not fear.
• Forgiveness, not justice.
• Peace not anxiety
• Self-control, not greed.
• Margin, not excess.
• Good, not evil.

When you develop a prayer mantra to tackle the day ahead, God will answer quickly.  He will give you what you need to move through your circumstances.  Control your thoughts with words you choose to focus on that will uplift and encourage you.  If we don’t tap into the source of our greatest strength, we’ll never receive it.  

The beauty of developing a prayer mantra, they are easy to remember and always accessible.  Some days, I use every one of the prayers listed above.  Other times, I only use one.  Different days require different prayers.  Once we travel through one situation, we move into the next.  Having go-to prayers make the transitions easier.

Every prayer mantra is something God wants for us.  He wants us to love, not hate.  When we pray that simple prayer, He will always answer quickly.  God pours His love into us when we open ourselves up to receive it.  But if we never ask God for His love, we can’t accept it.  Instead, we’ll respond in hatred, something God never wants.  Short and sweet doesn’t mean weak .  The length of a prayer isn’t what determines its strength.

Pick your mantra for the day.  Pray, believing God will quickly answer.

Question of the Day:

What is your prayer mantra for this day?

Further Reading: Zechariah 6:1-7:14 NIV, Revelation 15:1-8 NIV, Psalm 143:1-12 NIV, Proverbs 30:24-28 NIV

4 minute read

“So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6 NIV)

God’s Spirit will get you through Christmas.

Even though Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’s birth, for many, celebrating is hard.  Especially in this year of loss.  As I write, a young friend, only 22 years old, is battling for her life in the Cleveland Clinic.  Unforeseen complications turned a routine surgery into something far different than anyone expected.  Why my young friend suffers, I do not know.  Her faith remains constant in the face of adversity.  God is the source of all her strength; He has power for you too.

On Christmas day, many years ago, a child was born in a manger.  During that period in history, political upheaval and unrest similar to ours today existed.  Everything our world is enduring, the same as in the days of old.  What is different today than on the day Christ was born? We have His hope.  Jesus’s birth was the beginning of the hope we have today.  His life and ministry yet to come that blessed morning in Bethlehem.

Joy: Jesus, Others, You.

This year, look to Jesus for your joy, no one else.  Spend time reading Luke chapter two,  relive His birth.  Bake a birthday cake and sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus.  Celebrate Him like you would a beloved family member because Jesus is family.  He is with you on your tough days as well as your good days.  No one is closer to you than Jesus; no one knows you better than Him.  And He adores everything about you.  He is your hope.  In Him, you can find joy.

A teacher friend years ago introduced me to JOY.  Each Christmas, she finds ornaments spelling out the word.  Then she teaches them the principle of loving God, loving others, themselves last.  I’ve never forgotten the lesson.  Now, when I need JOY, I know how to find it. Remembering this simple acronym can help you find JOY!  

Each Christmas, I find a little “give-to-friends” gift.  Sometimes the item is something I make, other times not.  This year I’m giving away angels.  Some of the angels are crystal, some metal. Most of them are hand-delivered, a few mailed.  Praying over the winged ladies as I prepared them for their recipients brought joy to my heart.  The first one I gave away was to a sales associate working at the Dollar Tree.  Her smile as she peered at the ornament is forever in my mind, bringing me joy for years to come.

Enjoy the next two days.  Find strength in Jesus. Find JOY: Jesus, Others, You.

Question of the Day:

Whose strength are you relying on to get through the holidays?

Further Reading: Zechariah 4:1-5:11 NIV, Revelation 14:1-20 NIV, Psalm 142:1-7 NIV, Proverbs 30:21-23 NIV

4 minute read

“May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” (Psalm 141:2 NIV)

Praying pleases God.

When you pray, God listens.  He just wants you to talk to Him.  As you begin to converse with Him more, your prayers begin to change.  Each conversation leads to a deeper relationship with God, which, in turn, changes your heart.  Lifting your desires ends with wanting God’s instead.  His will becomes more important than yours.

“Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4 NIV) 

Our relationship with God is a heart bond. Placing your trust in God is an internal transaction.  Your heart connects with God’s heart.  When you pray, the language used is not verbal.  Yes, we say words, but God listens to the emotion of the heart.  When I am down on my knees in despair because of a circumstance in life, God hears the feeling I can’t verbalize.  Releasing the heartache to God gives it to Him.  He then replaces it with His peace.

Prayers don’t require words.

Think of a moment when something great happens to someone.  As a coach, I gratefully get to see this look often.  A student who is struggling to hit the ball finally hits it.  Or when a weaker student becomes “Champion of the Court” for the day, the look in their eyes is indescribable.  No words are necessary for me to know what their heart is saying.  On the other side of the spectrum, pain is visible as well.  If a child falls, the level of pain is seen quickly in their reaction.  Not hitting the ball ten times in a row brings a look easily interpreted.  And when a student loses, they all share the same momentary expression.  Heart language is different from verbal language.

Everyone has a heart language only understood by God.  Since He is your Creator, He wrote the speech.  Communication requires two things: sending and receiving.  In other words, God can’t interpret what you don’t send.  Relationships require both parties to act.  God is sending you messages of love; whether you receive them or not is up to you. If you aren’t talking to Him, you won’t receive the memo. Conversely, if you’re not sending anything to God, He’s not getting it.  He can’t answer what He doesn’t receive.

Talking to God will deepen your understanding of God’s love for you. As you begin to receive His love letters, your desires start to change.  Instead of doing all the talking, begin to listen. Don’t just send information; accept it as well. Let His desires for you become your desire for others. 

Question of the Day:

Are you doing all the talking when you’re praying?

Further Reading: Zechariah 2:1-3:10 NIV, Revelation 13:1-13:18 NIV, Psalm 141:1-10 NIV, Proverbs 30:18-20 NIV

4 minute read

“Rescue me, Lord, from evildoers;  protect me from the violent, who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day.” (Psalm 140:1-2 NIV)

God consistently protects.

People’s lack of faith this year is disappointing.  In a culture that receives most of its news from the internet and social media, truth has become subjective.  For someone to understand the truth of God, they must first know Him. People aren’t turning to God for protection because they don’t know they can.

‘Call to me, and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ (Jeremiah 33:3 NIV)

Faith defeats fear.

Placing your life in God’s hands is the best decision you will ever make.  He is conqueror of enemies, victor of battles, lover of our heart.  With Him, all things are possible.  Without Him, I can’t even bear the thought.  People in our country are living in fear.  Satan is stealing their joy without even trying.  They are living without God.

One of the joys of my life is my weekly tennis league.   Last week when I played, I realized our court was the only one having fun.  People were playing, but they weren’t enjoying themselves.  Disputes over line calls were tempering the mood.  I realized, as my eyes scanned the courts, COVID has stolen their joy.  Before COVID,  laughter came from all the courts.  Now, I saw tense faces and heard no chuckles.  My heart ached for the pain I saw.

Our role, as Christ-followers, is to lead people to Him.  None of us will ever save anyone.  What other people do isn’t our responsibility.  But we are to set the right example; that’s what Jesus did for us.  We are to take no offense when wronged, but instead, return it with love. Instead of forcing our beliefs on others, with grace and mercy, we agree to disagree.  And when we need protection, we trust that God has our backs.

COVID is a topic I don’t like to discuss.  However, I must discuss the virus because that is what people are talking about these days.  My husband and I both had the illness.  His case was mild; I was asymptomatic.  We quarantined and followed guidelines.  God protected us; we are grateful.  The truth is viruses spread.  God is the only one who truly protects. 

Remind people about God.  Our court laughed that day because God was in the center of our match.  All four of us agreed, God was in control.  When we discussed COVID, I reminded them of God’s sovereignty.  Once we started talking about God, the laughter flowed.  We all knew Who’s leading the way.

Lean into God’s protection.  Show others, they can lean into God too.

Question of the Day:

Who can you set an excellent example for today?

Further Reading:Zechariah 1:1-21 NIV, Revelation 12:1-17 NIV, Psalm 140:1-13 NIV, Proverbs 30:17 NIV

4 minute read

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me,  and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV)

Let God search your heart.

Shining God’s light into the dark spaces of our hearts brings freedom.  All of us are operating under some kind of lie.  We frequently believe things that aren’t true.  Our limited perspective allows easy deception.  If we don’t give God access to the nooks and crevices of our spirit, we will never know His truth.

Over the years, I’ve heard many messages on this passage.  Typically, the pastor talks about how brave you are when you pray this bold prayer over your life—in other words, actively asking God to search your heart takes courage.  However, for me, having God search my heart isn’t brave; it’s necessary.  If I don’t allow God into the crevices, I can’t live my life to the fullest as He intends.  Only with complete transparency can I live in total fullness.  Therefore, when I ask God to search my heart, I know the one who benefits most is me.

Transparency decreases anxiety.

When we are transparent with God, He reduces our anxiety.  Beginning a conversation with Him is necessary for God to act.  Asking Him to search your heart leads to peace that surpasses all understanding.  Peter tells us we are to:

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 NIV)   

Each of us have hidden things in our heart which are causing us anxiety.  Only when we open ourselves up for God’s inspection can He reveal what is unseen.  Then, we can truly cast our cares to the One who loves us most.

The other part to God’s searching, He reveals areas of offense.  For me, these revelations usually lead to an action.  Maybe my communication in a conversation wasn’t loving.  Or perhaps, I’m deceiving myself in someway.  The closer I grow to God, the more sensitive my spirit is to the sin within me.  None of us are without sin, only Jesus.  God showing us our sin, gives us the opportunity to repent and grow deeper into Him.

Allowing God to search my heart illuminated my fear of people.  Past relational hurts only feeds into the apprehension I have.  When God enters into the part of my heart where those hurts live, He brings healing.  God also shows me my part in the conflict, which helps me make amends.  If we don’t allow God to search our hearts, we never find our way to the place that is everlasting.  

Start small.  Open a piece of your heart to God you are afraid to give Him.  Let Him search you.  In Him, you will find life to the full.

Question of the Day:

What area of your heart are you not letting God into today?

Further Reading: Haggai 1:1-2:23 NIV, Revelation 11:1-19 NIV, Psalm 139:1-24 NIV, Proverbs 30:15-16 NIV

4 minute read

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;  with your right hand you save me.” (Psalm 138:7 NIV)

God preserves you.

God is the ultimate protector. We don’t even know He’s protecting us when He is protecting us. When people pull away from us, chasing after them isn’t always the best option. Sometimes, God removes people from our lives as a form of protection. Unexpected delays are ways God keeps us out of the wrong place at the wrong time. One of my favorite cartoons from years ago: a little boy sleeping soundly in his bed, meanwhile outside the window, a police officer is arresting a thief. The child had no clue he was ever in danger. How many times has God acted on our behalf, and we never knew it?

When I was in college, rebelling against God, He protected me anyway.  On more than one occasion, excessive drinking put me in perilous situations.  When I say, “By the Grace of God, there go I,” it’s the understatement of the year.  God protected me from car accidents, men who could have taken advantage of me, and my own bad choices.  Each day, He was with me and I was clueless.  One night, I walked over a mile in the snow, without a coat, to get home from a party.  Praise Jesus, I didn’t freeze to death.  He carries us in His hand.

His time, His way.

God has a purpose for each of us.  He knows why He put us here on earth, and what He wants us to do for Him.  When that time is up, we will go back home to Him:

“For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:21 NIV)

People often ask me, “Why did God let so-and-so die?”  In other words, “Why didn’t God protect them from death?” Death is a part of life we all have to come to terms with at some point or another.  God’s word is clear, a limit exists to our days on earth.  God protects us while we’re on earth so we can do His work.  When our job is complete, He calls us home. 

Whatever trouble you’re facing today, God is with you. He is protecting you, covering you with His hand. Trust that in His time and His way, this too shall pass. As you move through this storm, keep the Son in your eyes. Remember, Jesus calms the waves:

“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” (Mark 4:39 NIV)

God protects you in the storm. His peace reigns over any adversity.

Question of the Day:

How has God protected you in your life?

Further Reading: Zephaniah 1:1-3:20 NIV,  Revelation 10:1-11 NIV, Psalm 138:1-8 NIV, Proverbs 30:11-14 NIV

4 minute read

“How can we sing the songs of the Lord  while in a foreign land?” (Psalm 137:4 NIV)

How you live sings your song.

Psalm 137 is a lament of the Israelites and their exile in Babylon.  In this case, the refusal to sing God’s song for the Babylonians is singing with their actions, not their words.  The Babylonians wanted the Israelites to sing praise and worship songs verbally for their entertainment.  But the Israelites didn’t sing because they wouldn’t have God mocked.  Instead of using lips, their actions sang a song of commitment to their God.

We sing with actions every day of our life.  Not musically, but realistically.  When we study and apply God’s word to our situations, we’re singing.  Each step of faith we take is another note.  Sometimes we’re a little off-key; other times, we’re in perfect pitch with God.  Our symphony is playing on with each new day.   God captures even the smallest hum as we attempt to live our lives for Him, glorifying Him in all we do.

Stay in tune.

The only way we will stay in tune with God is if we seek Him daily.  Nothing substitutes for making God a priority in your day.  Whether you spend time with Him first thing or last thing, your rhythm is best when you include Him.  Whatever time you give God, He multiplies it in your life.  You’ll begin to recognize Him more in your activities when you spend time with Him.  As your relationship grows, you trust Him more, not less.  His truth becomes a necessary part of who you are as a person.  In Him, you find freedoms you find nowhere else.  But first, you must seek Him.

When I started reading through the Bible in a year, it took me about 15 minutes to do the daily reading.  My first reading plan was chronological, front to back.  About three months in, I stopped reading.  Immediately, something changed in me.  I lost a peace I didn’t realize I had found.  My life started downhill quickly.  Thankfully, God gave me a friend who sang her song into my life.  She had gone through what I was experiencing.  With love, she asked me if I had stopped reading my Bible.  When I told her I had, I realized immediately; I was missing God.  That day I started reading again.  Over two decades later, I still start my day with my Bible.  Only in His word can I find His peace.  When I find His peace, I sing His song.

We each have a song to sing to God.  As we get to know Him better, we’ll sing louder and louder.  Remembering, God cares more about who you’re becoming than who you were. Sing your song today!

Question of the Day:

What song are you singing to God today?

Further Reading: Habakkuk 1:1-3:19 NIV, Revelation 9 NIV, Psalm 137:1-9 NIV, Proverbs 30:10 NIV

4 minute read

“The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.” (Revelation 8:4 NIV)

God hears everything.

Recently, our pastor taught us about the word “censar.”  The term, in its original Greek, means bowl, something to fill up.  John uses the word twice in Revelation:

“Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.” (Revelation 5:8 NIV))

And:

“Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne.” (Revelation 8:3 NIV)

God hears our prayers.  He has them in a golden censer, and they are part of the final victory:

“Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.” (Revelation 8:5 NIV)

Your prayers matter.

What these scriptures are telling us, your prayers do come back to earth.  God hears what you pray; He pours out His answers to us. Some prayers have immediate responses; some take longer; some may not happen while you’re on this side of heaven.  But all prayers will return to earth, the victory God’s. 

Sometimes, the moment you utter the prayer, God answers.  When Daniel prayed, God sent Gabrielle immediately with an answer (Daniel 9:11-27 NIV).  Instantly, God answered Daniel’s prayer. He sent His response by special messenger. 

Other times the answer is sent to earth before you pray.  When my mother had emergency surgery to remove pancreatic cancer, God answered the prayer ten years earlier.  My prayer was for God not to take her from me yet.  In a prior surgery, she had scar tissue form.  Cancer grows towards scar tissue.  As a result, the tumor grew into her colon instead of up through the body, which is typical for pancreatic cancer.  Surgeons removed a mass that filled a bucket, along with most of her colon.  She lived another four and ½ years.  God gave me time to say goodbye. The answer sent before I prayed.

And sometimes, the answers aren’t on earth yet.  For over a decade,  I prayed healing for my nephew, who lived with Type 1 Diabetes.  He is entirely whole now; God answered my prayer.  But Cody lives in heaven, not here on earth.  One day, I will see him again, but not until heaven meets earth for all of us.

God hears every word you utter to Him. He will respond, in His time, in His way.

Question of the Day:

What prayer did God answer for you before you ever prayed it?

Further Reading: Nahum 1:1-3:19 NIV, Revelation 8:1-13 NIV, Psalm 136 NIV, Proverbs 30:7-9 NIV

4 minute read

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old,  from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2 NIV)

Jesus stands the test of time.

Micah, a minor prophet who lived about 800 years before Jesus’s birth, prophesied about Him.  The pages of Scripture contain over 300 prophecies about Jesus that He fulfilled.  In today’s verse, Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:1-6 NIV), ruled Israel (Luke 1:33 NIV) and, He is everlasting (Luke 8:58 NIV).  

Mathematics and Astronomy Professor Peter W. Stoner uses this analogy to explain the likelihood of Jesus fulfilling just eight of the prophecies about Him:

“That would be equivalent to covering the whole state of Texas with silver dollars two feet deep and then expecting a blindfolded man to walk across the state and on the very first try find the ONE coin you marked”

Jesus exists.

Not only did Jesus exist, He does exist.  The deeper you dive into life with Jesus, the more you will realize this truth.  According to Professor Stoner:

“Any man who rejects Christ as the Son of God is rejecting a fact proved perhaps more absolutely than any other fact in the world.”

If people don’t believe in Jesus, it’s because they’ve made a conscious decision not to believe in Him.  In a recent conversation with an atheist on the topic of God’s existence, He said these words to me:

“When I was younger, I prayed, and weird stuff happened, I know God exists, but God doesn’t exist.”

In other words, he’s made a logical decision that God doesn’t exist; therefore, he doesn’t.  A famous quote heard in sermons around the world is:

“People miss heaven by 18 inches.”

The room between their heads and their hearts are what cause people to miss out on eternity.  Faith isn’t logical.  Atheists have faith; believing God doesn’t exist is a belief, not a fact. Jesus walked the earth; people know that happened.  What they don’t think is He died and rose again.  One person described Jesus to me this way:

“I believe Jesus lived; I just don’t believe everything about Jesus.”

As Jesus becomes more real in our lives, He becomes more real to those around us.  When they watch Christ-followers deal with life through the lens of Jesus, people begin to understand who He is.  We lead others to Jesus with our actions.  Opening ourselves up to conversations with people who don’t share our beliefs is the first step in helping them understand who Jesus is. If we aren’t willing to talk about Him, how will others ever know Him?

Jesus stands the test of time.  Proclaim His good works so others may know Him.

Question of the Day:

What good works has Jesus done for you lately?

Further Reading: Micah 5:1-7:20 NIV, Revelation 7:1-17 NIV, Psalm 135:1-21 NIV, Proverbs 30:5-6 NIV

4 minute read

“Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind?Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak?  Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Surely you know!” (Proverbs 30:4 NIV)

God has capabilities we don’t.

When we question God, we’re questioning His Sovereignty, His supreme power, and authority.  Life is hard to understand.  Things happen that make no sense.  When they do, the common question is “Why God?”  We want to understand what we can’t because we’re not God.  The way God does things and the way I do them differ significantly.  But I’m not the one who travels between heaven and earth.  The wind and waters are not under my control.  Only Jesus possesses infinite knowledge; ours is limited.

Last week, I saw a funny cartoon.  A fish with a briefcase is explaining to his boss why he is late for work.  Beneath the picture is Moses parting the Red Sea.  When God moves in our lives, explaining it to others seems impossible.  But the more we learn to help people connect the dots of God’s actions in our lives, the closer they will grow to God.

Make the connection.

“God moments” are times when something happens that is undeniably God.  Some people call them “Winks from God” or a “God thing.”   If we aren’t looking for God to work in our lives, we’ll completely miss the moments.  Often, we don’t realize He is actively working on our behalf because we neither look for it or expect it.  But He always is.  Part of following Jesus is connecting the dots in our own lives to help others connect them in theirs.

Just the other morning, I was texting a friend my frustration with gaining a few pounds.  When I picked up my Bible, a scrap of paper fell out with these words on it:

“The beauty of life is, we cannot undo what is done; we can see it, understand it, learn from it, and change so that every new moment is spent not in regret, guilt, fear or anger but in wisdom, understanding, and love.” 

I have no idea where the paper originated or how it ended up in my Bible; I’m sure some study I did at some point.  Whenever I received the quote, God used it for a future “God moment” in my life.  He sent a message at the appropriate time for the current situation.  If we don’t look for Him, we won’t find Him.

Start connecting the God dots in your life.  Look for His presence, wait expectantly for Him to move.  As you do, you’ll find, God is always up to something.

Question of the Day:

What’s a recent God moment in your life?

Further Reading:Micah 1:1-4:13 NIV, Revelation 6:1-17 NIV, Psalm 134:1-3 NIV, Proverbs 30:1-4 NIV