Honest Reflections

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

4 minute read

“But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.” (Jonah 1:3 NIV)”

Everyone runs from God.

I spent my 20’s running from God.  Raised in church, I can’t remember not knowing God.  After my Dad died when I was 16, I decided I needed a break from God.  After all, He took my Dad from me; why would I want a God like that.  That period was the darkest of my life.  Not only did I alienate God, I alienated my friends and family as well.  My despair so great at losing my earthly father, I became irrational.  If I wasn’t close to anyone, I couldn’t get hurt, but that was a lie.  We are all made for community,  even me.

Jonah was running from God for a different reason.  God gave Him a mission He didn’t want to complete.  Just like cleaning the bathroom, this job wasn’t pleasant.  God wanted Him to go to a people Jonah despised and give them a chance to repent.  Jonah knew if they had an opportunity to turn back to God, they would.  He didn’t feel they deserved God’s grace and mercy, so he decided to run away from God.  Jonah’s problem is the same as ours.  We might run from God, but God doesn’t run from us.

You can’t outrun God.

God is always present in each of our lives.  He promises over and over again in His word; He will never leave us nor forsake us.  Running from Him is as futile for us as it was Jonah.  We end up in the belly of the whale, just like Jonah did.

The belly of my whale was rock bottom.  After alienating everyone in my life, I woke up one day all alone.  When I reached out to a friend, she pointed me back to Jesus.   A new journey with God started that day, one I’m still traveling.  As I looked back over that dark period, I saw God’s hand in my life.  I left Him, but He never left me.

Stop running today.  Turn back to God.  Whatever He’s nudging you to do, just do it.  Like Jonah, it’s the only way you will find peace.

Question of the Day:

What is God nudging you to do today?

Further Reading:Jonah 1:1-4:11 NIV, Revelation 5 NIV, Psalm 133:1-3 NIV, Proverbs 29:26-27 NIV

4 minute read

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” (Proverbs 29:25 NIV)

Fearing people is a snare.

In other words, if you care more about what people think than God, you have a problem.  The majority of people in your life care about themselves more than they care about you.  Not everyone, those that don’t, cling too tightly. Our innate selfishness is a chronic condition for all of us. Marriage highlights my battle with putting others first.  For instance, when serving dinner, I want the largest serving—giving my husband more than me is a minor internal skirmish.  I have to work at placing him before myself; it is not natural for me.

God doesn’t work to keep us top priority on His list.  We are His children; we are always on His mind.  Because He loves us so deeply, so passionately, He wants what is best for us.  I used to think God was a buzz kill, a strict parent who didn’t want me having fun. My thoughts were wrong.  Part of the blessing of obedience is protection from things that harm us.  When we lie, we cause harm to ourselves.  Truth always prevails, exposing lies.  Nothing good comes from lying, but freedom comes from telling the truth.  God’s ways are best.

Because He cares, we should care.

If God loves us more than any person, then His ways are the ones we should follow.  God isn’t going to lie to you.  He will never steal or cheat.  Murder is impossible for God; He is the giver of life.  God will never do to you what a human will do.  He gave His one and only Son just to have a relationship with you.  If someone loves me so much, He will sacrifice His Son; He has my best interest at heart.  Remember, God first loved you:

“We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19 NIV)

He loved us first; we should love Him first.  Actively loving God means obeying Him.  As you learn more about Jesus, do what Jesus did. Honestly, following Christ is that simple.  Spend time getting to know Jesus like you would a new friend.  When you read the parables in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, imagine yourself in the story.  YouTube “Jesus’s parables” and find out what kind of teacher He was.  Jesus is awesome.  He knows how to love people, learn from the Master.

Make a standing coffee date with God.  Each morning, with your drink of choice, sit down with Him for a few minutes.  Start with John, meet Jesus through his eyes.  Let God lead you where He wants to take you.  Care about what He thinks.  Don’t care about what man thinks.

Question of the Day:

Whose opinion matter to you more, God’s or man’s?

Further Reading: Obadiah 1:1-21NIV, Revelation 4 NIV, Psalm 132:1-18 NIV, Proverbs 29:24-25 NIV

4 minute read

“My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.” (Psalm 131:1 NIV)

Humble hearts take work.

In one way or another, we all have slivers of pride in our hearts.  Finishing a task brings a sense of accomplishment, which can lead to prideful thoughts. Our physical appearance has the potential to stroke our ego, as does any number of things.  Remembering, God is who gave you the ability to do the “things” removes the sliver of pride. To ensure our eyes are not haughty, we have to remember who gave them to us.  We could not see if God did not provide us with sight.  Our breath is from Him; without it, we cannot live.

“For the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33:4 NIV)

God’s goodness is in every breath.

Deeply inhaling oxygen is breathing life into the lungs God gave you.  He fills them with His goodness as we take in the air.  When we exhale, we make room for more of Him.  Every breath we take on this earth is a gift from God.  At a pre-determined time, known only by God, you will  stop breathing.  Until then, thank Him for the thousands He’s giving you now.  Gratitude for breath will help keep your heart humble.

Breath is our physical reminder; we are nothing without God.  Pride trickles its way into our life so subtly; guarding our heart from prideful ways is a never-ending battle.  We can use our breath to help us find humility.  But we must identify pride in ourselves if we want to fight the fight.

Pride identifies itself in my life when I compare myself to others.  If I feel like I’m better than them for some reason, I know I have a problem.  We are all equal in Christ. He didn’t just die for me; He died for everyone.  God doesn’t have cliques.  His club isn’t exclusive; it’s open to all who believe and trust in Him.  One thing repeatedly seen in the New Testament, each person Jesus encountered, He loved.  We are to do the same.  If I feel I’m better than someone for some reason, I’ve got a pride issue. 

And we all do it.

Everyone has someone in their life which they consider themselves better than for whatever reason.  Of course, no one says this publicly, but that doesn’t make it any less accurate.  Identify those people in your life; you’ll find where pride is living in your heart.  When you do, breathe.

Take a deep inhale. Remember, God gave you breath.  Jesus died for everyone.  In Him, we are equal.  Keep a humble heart.

Question of the Day:

In what areas of your life do you struggle with pride?

Further Reading: Amos 7:1-9:15 NIV, Revelation 3:7-22 NIV, Psalm 131:1-3 NIV, Proverbs 29:23 NIV

4 minute read

“I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.” (Revelation 2:19 NIV)

God knows everything you do.

Do you ever feel like no one realizes how hard you are trying?  God does.  He knows your heart, faith, and perseverance.  God understands; you’re doing more now than ever before for Him.  He’s cheering for you.

“God is a coach, but also a huge cheerleader for you to become who He created you to be.” Mike Cooke

God is your biggest cheerleader.  When getting out of bed seems impossible, He’s there cheering for you. God is encouraging you to try one more time.  He knows the aches your heart feels;  He knows when you need a little push to get you to the next mile marker.  God’s running beside you, yelling words of encouragement, “You got this!  You can do it!  Just try one more time.”  God is transforming you into who He created you to become.  

Remember, you’re becoming.

All of us are on a journey of becoming.  Every day, as we persevere in our relationships with God, we become who He designed us to be.  I am not the person I was 20 years ago, or even two years ago.  Currently, God is teaching me a new rhythm to life.  I’m on the verge of one chapter ending, another beginning as I finish out my last class in my Master’s program.  A common question I’m asked these days, “What are you going to do next?”  I have no idea.  Why?  Because I never planned on pursuing my Master’s.

Before starting my Master’s, I was on staff at a church.  The volunteer position was a full-time endeavor, which required more time than I had available.  As I sought God for what He wanted me to do, He didn’t appear to answer.  So I kept doing what I was doing until one day, he released me from my duties out of the blue.  At the time, more people were in small groups than ever before; I felt like I was impacting lives and doing God’s will.   Why would God pull me out of this job?  Because He knows who He wants me to become.

As God led me in the days and weeks after that day, I found myself back in school.  I began pursuing my life-long dream of writing.  One of the first things I learned, you must write every day to develop your skills.  So I started writing daily devotions, combining my two loves: God and writing.  My journey of becoming a writer is just beginning.

Let God lead you into who you are becoming.  Trust, He is your biggest cheerleader.  He knows where He is taking you.  Let Him lead.  Each day, the journey begins anew.

Question of the Day:

Where are you on your journey of becoming with God?

Further Reading:Amos 4:1-6:14 NIV, Revelation 2:18-3:6 NIV, Psalm 130:1-8 NIV, Proverbs 29:21-22 NIV

4 minute read

“Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them.” (Proverbs 29:20 NIV)

People who speak in haste have less hope than a fool.

The problem with speaking in haste is the connection between mouth and brain.  Emotions connect to our mouth much faster than thoughts do. If our mouth was a computer, it needs electricity to operate.  Our feelings are electricity; we’re emotional beings.  In other words, we’re always feeling something at some level.  Therefore, our first reaction is emotional.   Just like an “instant connection” takes a moment to connect with our device of choice, our minds take a moment to catch up with our emotions.  By the time they are in sync, the emotions can do some massive damage, sometimes unrepairable.  Hence, less hope for someone who speaks in haste than a fool.

Unfortunately, I can not count the number of times I’ve spoken in haste.  Gratefully, the older I get, the less I do.  Marriage has helped me learn to stop and think before speaking.  My biggest regrets in life are emotional moments when I said hurtful things to my husband.  The pain I’ve caused him with careless words, I can never take back.  However, once or twice of causing the person you love most in the world pain, you learn not to let emotions rule the mouth.

You have control.

Emotions are controllable; you don’t have to succumb to their wicked ways.  Feelings lie all the time. Just because we “feel” something doesn’t mean it’s true.  One of my favorite books, Talking to Strangers, by Malcolm Gladwell, discusses how we trust our instincts more than the evidence suggests we should.  In other words, we do not see the truth of the situation because we’re relying on our emotions.

For instance, “feelings” try to make me think when someone doesn’t respond to a text, they’re mad at me.  Sometimes they are, but the majority of the time, they’re just busy living their life.  For logic to take control, I have to recognize I’m thinking out of emotion.  How people control their feelings differ.  For me, I remind myself, the world doesn’t revolve around me. People aren’t at my beck and call.  When they have time, they’ll respond.  Until then, let it go—all things in God’s time (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV).

Give your brain time to connect to your mouth.  Knowing the first reaction is emotional, resolve not to react immediately.  Devise a plan to allow yourself to process what is happening in the moment.  For me, if I’m becoming overly emotional, I try to walk away.  Taking deep breaths helps refocus the mind. Find a way that works for you.

Take time to process.  Don’t speak hastily.

Question of the Day:

Who do you struggle not speaking hastily too?

Further Reading: Amos 1-3 NIV, Revelation 2:1-17 NIV, Psalm 129:1-8 NIV, Proverbs 29:19-20 NIV