When It Doesn't Come Naturally

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Matthew 5:44 (New King James Version)

God knows when the ability and willingness to obey His commands need to be developed in us. He knows when He must do a work in us in order for us to love, bless, do good, and pray for those who treat us as enemies….cursing, hating, misusing, and abusing us. As a matter of fact, it doesn’t even have to be that bad in order for me to see my need of God’s work in me. My flesh is riled when I experience being slighted in the smallest ways. Let someone walk past me as if I were invisible and I am in need of God’s grace and touch. Let someone speak an unkind word to me or about me and what God calls me to do becomes quite difficult. Exclusion of any kind brings my weaknesses and phobias to the surface.

I am so far from living out of today’s verse and God knows that. He also knows what He will use in order to develop in me a walk of loving those who don’t like me or may even hate me. It won’t be developed within the ease of friendships and wonderful moments. It will only come as I am confronted by difficult people and circumstances. My natural tendency is to back away from anyone who makes me feel uncomfortable or unloved. God’s ways are higher than mine. He calls me to action that He promises to bless and use. As I obey, He changes me! The people and circumstances may not change but I will.

As I encounter individuals who make me squirm (or worse) God wants me to take my eyes off them and how their actions or lack of actions are making me feel, and begin to pour my energies into His will for me. They may never change, but I am to pray for them. They may never come to the point of liking me, but I am to bless them. They may never have a nice word to say to me, but I am to do them good. They may become even more difficult to see or be around, but I am to love them. How? By the sheer grace and work of God in me. I cannot muster it up on my own but God is willing to instill it in me. The actions are never empty or in vain when driven by His love and heart.

As God continues to reveal to me areas that need His redemptive touch, He will continue to supply all that I need in order to be all He has purposed me to be. Jesus set the pattern when He walked among us. Now He duplicates His life in me as I allow His Spirit to work in me.

Father, help me not to live out of my own weaknesses and propensities. Infuse me with all that is needed to live out the truths of Your Word. Change me! Amen.

Make Me A Servant - Maranatha Singers
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0rznoe3zKxM&feature=related

He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. Job 36:16

Quietness Within

Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me. Psalm 131:2 (New American Standard Bible)

This is a verse of serenity and one which I want to experience on a daily basis. I know what it is like to live ruffled, disquieted, and in conflict. Far from peace and tranquility within my soul. The part of me that encompasses my life, person, appetites, mind, inner being, desires, emotions, and passions. The very core of who I am. Tranquility there? Peace and quietness in the midst of any circumstance, trial, or difficulty? If not there, then no where!

We often wait for life around us to be serene before we hope for serenity but that just serves to show us where we are placing our expectations and confidence. Peace, contentment, and quietness don’t come from without, they come from the inner workings of God in our life. They come from fixing our eyes, heart, and mind on the one Source that desires our attention and affection. If I am looking to anyone or anything other than God to bring me to the point of a “weaned” soul, I will walk with profound emptiness and in turmoil. While He certainly uses people in my life, they cannot be my source. While He brings influences and opportunities to me, they cannot be my source. While growth and freedom become evident, they cannot be my source. None of the afore mentioned blessings can be what I look to for the quieting of my soul.

God repeats to me on a continual basis, “Look to Me, at Me, and for Me at all times and in all circumstances. Fix your eyes on Me, direct you attention toward Me, follow Me.”

I often marvel that God will use the very things and people in my life that He knows may become my focus. Then He lovingly and persistently allows my “search” to result in disappointment and pain in order to redirect my attention back on to Himself. I long to see my times of focusing on Him to become longer and stronger. To come to the point when all else dims in comparison to Him. To perk my ears to the sound of His voice above all others. It is His goal for me as well so I know it will come.

Father, don’t allow any focal points in my life outside of Yourself. Help me to keep my eyes on You at all times. Amen.


As The Deer
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VIlGBQfdzL4&feature=related

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

Moving Away From the Mountain

You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north. Deuteronomy 2:3 (New American Standard Bible)

I have been trying to find a verse that epitomized the recent activity of God in my life and this morning I finally found it! The moment I read it I thought, “That’s it!!!!” It capsules the words of 2 Corinthians 10:5 which tell us to take every thought captive.

I once heard an illustration of what it means to take thoughts captive. It gave me a picture of cattle roping at a rodeo with the cowboy lassoing a cow and bringing him down to the ground bound. While that is an excellent illustration it was only part of the story for me. I was missing the other aspect. For me, it is more helpful and necessary to follow the pattern of Philippians 4:8 with its list of things on which to think and meditate.

I have had two areas of thought that have wreaked havoc on my life for the past year or so. One has been allowing my mind to remain focused on a former relationship and the other has been to habitually dwell on misperceptions. In both cases, God is calling me away from the mental mountains. He is saying, “You have circled and camped on this mountain long enough….turn north. Redirect your attention onto that which is uplifting and encouraging. Think on Me, other people, and other situations in your life that will keep you far from the emotional pits.”

Guess what? It WORKS….when I choose to do it! This morning God has given me a mental picture of this process. He helped me picture myself walking this journey but my ankles are shackled (because the issues are still a part of my life) and the shackles have a chain between them. As I “walk” through my day, the chain is lengthened as I take my thoughts captive by dwelling on good things and it is shortened when I dwell on wrong desires and misperceptions. My stride and progress is either hindered or helped by the mental choices I make.

Along with all of this, God has added one necessary step. Ask another person to keep my feet to the fire by frequently asking me how I am doing at applying this step of obedience. I already know who He would have me to be accountable to and I believe the accountability will be a powerful reinforcement for me. I marvel at God’s wisdom and direction. His commands are ALWAYS followed by the “how to” steps and His promise to help me take those steps is embraced!

Father, I long for the freedom You have desired for me all along. Now that You have shown me what to do, help me to daily do it! I follow You! Amen.

Painting Pictures of Egypt - Sara Groves
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZcIA4Cnj6j4


He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. Job 36:16

My Distinguishing Mark

Your sail was of fine embroidered linen from Egypt so that it became your distinguishing mark. Ezekiel 27:7 (New American Standard Bible)

Ezekiel 27 describes the city of Tyre as a majestic ship and gushes with elaborate details. The best wood, the best material, the best workmanship, the best….everything. Its presence commanded respect and its distinction was borne out of the exquisite embroidered linen with which its sails were made. As my eyes landed on this verse I was struck by the phrase, “it became your distinguishing mark.” I have spent the last couple of hours pondering what my distinguishing mark is. What is it that sets me apart with distinction and uniqueness?

I know what I often try to make my distinguishing mark. While it may vary from time to time it is usually found within the scope of abilities, relationships, personality, and successes. The truth of the matter is that none of those things actually are my distinguishing mark. My distinction comes from my relationship with God through Jesus Christ and His work in me. He and He alone gives me my worth, value, and significance. He and He alone has stamped out a unique plan and purpose for my life. As a master Potter, He is molding and transforming me into a one of a kind image of His own Son.

The fact that He is faithfully doing that astounds me but the way He goes about it at times pains me. Lately it seems that His technique involves exposing the worst parts of me to myself. He shows me what has to go and that is when I begin to cringe and squirm. Be it an attitude, a perception, an emotional rut, or a mindset, I often put up a fight before finally opening my closed fist (and mind) to His persistent pleading. The most recent “episode” took about 24 hours!

The truths that are so easy to share via devotionals are often the most difficult to live out and appropriate to my life. I take comfort in the fact that while I am so far from where I want to be, I am at least farther than I use to be. I am grateful for the friends who will come along side me during the dark times but even more grateful for a God who knows me thoroughly and still loves me. Even in the times when I cannot bring myself to confide in another person the deepest thoughts and hardest struggles, He remains my faithful Counselor and Comforter. I praise Him and need Him.

Father, the storm is subsiding and Your peace is returning. In the stillness of this moment I worship You! Amen.

Who am I - Casting Crowns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGU76is9BuY

He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. Job 36:16

Seeing the Impossible Made Possible

Looking at them, Jesus said, With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God. Mark 10:27 (New American Standard Bible)

Continual defeat in an area can lead one to believe that area stands outside the realm of all things being possible with God. Where there seems to be no strength, power, ability, or possibility is the place that most needs the realization and reminder of the availability of might, fortitude, virtue, and the ability to excel. One’s focus must be redirected from personal failure to the all inclusiveness of God’s promise and pledge. Everything collectively in one’s life is to be wrapped in the power and provision of God’s Word. Nothing, absolutely nothing is excluded from future victory.

These thoughts have found a home in my heart as I have come to see the Christian life as a walk of progress rather than a demand for absolute perfection. God’s call to me on a daily basis to review and compare. Review the times I have failed in a certain area and compare those times to present instances when situations were handled in a better way. I find that God will often have me go through similar circumstances to help me see that growth really has taken place….even if in a small amount. The very things I use to strain at or cringe over exude a less threatening presence, if I will but look for the smallest ground gained in victory rather than repeated failure.

It is imperative that I find the measurable aspects of an impossibility becoming possible. Maybe it is simply seeing that patience held out a little longer or that there was an improvement in my tone of voice. Maybe a thought that use to send me spiraling down is beginning to be defeated by actively choosing to think on something or someone else. Maybe for the first time a thought of thankfulness overcame a heart of discontent and grumbling. Whatever the case may be, whatever the area of struggle and turmoil is, God urges each of us to look for progress, not perfection.

Some areas see progress more quickly than other areas. God is willing to take our entire life time to bring about the deliverances and victories that He as well as we want so badly. God’s willingness to work over time gives me permission to do the same. It becomes a journey of learning to cooperate with Him, acknowledge my weaknesses and failures, and seeking His work in me as I walk with Him. He of all individuals is urging me forward and compelling me to not give up! Any victories in any area stand as banners of hope in the face of all “impossibilities.” With God is the power and the promise.

Father, hopelessness marks the walls of no area in the life of ANY child of Yours. I wrap myself in the truth of You! Amen.

When I Call on Jesus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwMw16eocuU

He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. Job 36:16

Working Out What is Being Worked In

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:12,13 (New King James Version)

Let‘s not misread Paul‘s words to the Philippians. Working out our own salvation is not referring to being saved by our works. It is referring to the demonstration of our salvation in the areas of spiritual growth and development. It is the on going process in which each of us are energetically and persistently involved. It is the process of our spiritual maturation in Christ. The very things we are doing should be done to produce results in our life and reflect what God is doing in us.

There are a number of things involved in my growth as a Christian. At times, I have a book or two that I am devouring that target issues I am facing. I count it a privilege to metaphorically sit at the feet of numerous authors and draw from their vast storehouse of wisdom. Music can often bring a message home that solidifies a truth for me. Sermons and teaching from within the walls of my home church help with my growth and development as a Christian. Taking in the truths from God’s Word and actively applying those truths on a daily basis is like a dose of “miracle grow” for my spirit. Last, but not least, taking in the counsel and wisdom of others through talking and sharing aid in my process of maturing.

When any of those “pieces” are missing from my life I notice and must take care not to let it stagnate my walk. I take Paul’s comparison to heart when he refers to things being done in his presence and more so in his absence. I know what it is like to live out my daily walk with someone watching over my spiritual steps. There is something about another set of human eyes on my life that bring me a sense of security. Often times, though, God will allow that for part of the time and then bring me to a point of practicing the truths on my own.

Presently, that is how an accountability partnership is working for me. We talk and watch as God brings some wisdom to the forefront. Then it is time for me to step out of her home and presence and live out what I have been shown. All the while, God is faithfully and consistently doing His work in me. I am not on my own in any way, shape, or form!

Father, thank you that You never intended my lot in life to be one of isolation. Your internal work in me is often affected by the external tools You choose to use. Amen.

Made Me Glad - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0Zc_VWJJoI&feature=related

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

Times, Reasons, and Seasons

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 (King James Version)

Realizing that God has a time, a reason, and a season for everything in my life brings great comfort when I am going through a trial. I want to know the uncomfortable circumstances in my life serve a purpose and that there is an end in sight. I want to know life will not always be like this. I want to know that somewhere down the road there will be joy, laughter, and freedom. I want to know that the roller coaster of emotions will bring me to a place of rest.

But I am coming to realize this verse also applies to the good things of life. Those things that make me comfortable, those things I enjoy, those people who become precious to me, those relationships that put me on cloud nine. Anything I hold near and dear to my heart must be held with hands that have this verse inscribed on them. I must realize that nothing and no one this side of heaven can be considered a permanent part of my life. Just as the seasons change, just as nature itself changes, and landscapes change, our lives change. We cannot stop that. Our interactions with people will go through changes. It is natural and it is necessary.

The problem comes when I fight the change. Some people can come in and out of my life and it doesn‘t affect me much. With other people, their removal from my life can seem devastating. When I realize they are gone or the relationship has changed I can take a nose dive in my emotions and soul. I can feel that my world is falling apart and lose all sense of security and stability. It is then that I realize I have grabbed hold of them in a way I should grabbed hold of God. They have become precious to me and I don’t want to give them up.

God knows if I never experience these changes I will not draw closer to Him. I will not depend on Him as I should. I will live unsatisfied and stagnate. That is the difference between a pond and a river. A pond has life but it is very limited. A river is always moving forward and affecting the things around it. I want my life to be a river designed by God. I want Him to place the bends, the forks, and the banks in all the right places.

Father, all of life around me is changing but You and Your ways never change. You are the One constant in my life and I cling to that! Amen.

Draw Me Close To You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALzCQn8LA4M&feature=related

God and Others

And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again. Philippians 1:25,26 (New King James Version)

There are times we set limits on ourselves that God never intended for us to set. Times when we attempt to do without the very things God purposes for us to embrace. Scripture is meant to be a pattern for us. It shows us truths we can digest and upon which we can live. I am in need of balanced truth this morning and Paul’s words to the Philippians are becoming my personal instructions. They are addressing an issue with which I am still wrestling. I stated it to a friend in an email just yesterday morning and it is this….finding the balance between going to people and going to God. My “all or nothing” mentality still rules much of my ideas, responses, and actions.

God knows each reason I hesitate to allow others to be a part of my progress and joy of faith. He knows where the skewed thinking is embedded. He knows where truth has been replaced by lies and how those lies seem like the truth. And He knows when I am keeping at arms length the very ones He has given me as gifts of encouragement. Somewhere along the line, rejoicing in others became idolatry. Asking for help became a dependency issue. Receiving instruction became wrong.

Then I come across Paul’s words to fellow believers and I see him connecting himself with their spiritual growth and journeys. He sees himself as a necessary part of their Christian lives. It is at this point that God once again encourages me to take down the “no trespassing” signs over relationships and learn to allow others to be what God intended them to be for me and me for them. I heard a speaker once say that “people are meant to be the icing and not the cake” and God sees the times I attempt to live with an uniced cake!

I want to reacquaint myself with the joy of fellowship. I want to joy in others and see them as “permissible” in my life. While my journey continues to be about learning the truth about God, He wants me to also learn the truth about others. He knows my fears and apprehensions. He knows how I distrust my own heart. He also knows how He will bring me to the point of healing and wholeness.


Father, help me to get it! Help me to see what others already grasp. Help me to reach out my hands and receive the gifts of friendship YOU are offering me. Amen.

Thank You - Ray Boltz
http://youtube.com/watch?v=UFrdJ2V3r7Y&feature=related

He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. Job 36:16

His Unremovable Love

"For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken,“ says the LORD who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 (New American Standard Bible)

My present journey began in the spring of 2004 with the realization that God’s love was not dependent upon what I was doing. That journey continues with precious, continual reminders that His love will never be removed regardless of my attitudes, actions, and weaknesses. The security of that truth wraps itself around my spirit on an ongoing basis. I thrive under it, I revel in it, I rejoice over it, and I remain awe struck by it! As God pours out His love, peace, and compassion on me, I am changed.

This morning an “even then” list is formulating in my mind and it is having a powerful effect on me. When I fail Him, even then His love remains. When I live out of my flesh instead of my spirit, even then His love remains. When I look to others to give me what only God can give me, even then His love remains. When I give in to the things He desires to free me of, even then His love remains. When I react and respond to others in a non Christlike manner, even then His love remains. When I place my wishes and will above His own, even then His love remains. When I attempt to walk in my own strength and ability, even then His love remains. When I allow something or someone to take precedence over Him, even then His love remains. When negativity marks my mind and my mouth, even then His love remains. When I hold on to that which He asks to be released, even then His love remains. When I fear circumstances more than I trust His ability to carry me, even then His love remains.

It is not a sentimental, stoic, abstract kind of love either. It is a love that will intervene, correct, discipline, and instruct. It is a love that sings over me and under girds me. It is a love that wants the best for me and will not allow anything to come into my life without passing through His own hands and heart first. It is a love that will introduce and remove all the things necessary for my growth and His glory. It is a love that remains and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

God is the only One who patterns this kind of love. Some individuals give me glimpses of it but only He can display it on a never ending basis. Only He can put traces of it into my own heart. Therefore, I look to Him and follow.

Father, I spent decades misunderstanding Your love for me. Thank you for the clarity and consistency of that love. May I live out the rest of my days marveling over You and Your ways . Amen.

Love That Won't Walk Away - Kathy Troccoli
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6uQGr4fa2Z0

If what you are reading is touching your spirit and increasing your thirst for God then you are one of the reasons I write these devotionals. I want to extend a personal invitation to you to join my email devotional family and allow me to send them to you directly! Simply send an email to shattuck7@sbcglobal.net and request to be added to my devotional list. It would be my honor and privilege to do so.

A Powerful Cord

For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. Philippians 1:19,20 (New American Standard Bible)

Ecclesiastes 4:12 says that a threefold cord is not quickly broken. I am seeing one of those “cords” in the words of Paul this morning. He is standing in confidence of having such strength. He is staking his very deliverance upon it. And what is Paul’s cord of three strands? The prayers of others, the provision of the Holy Spirit, and his personal expectation and hope of the answered prayers and working of that Spirit. How God desires for each of us to see the necessity and benefit of enlisting the prayers of others along side the work of His Spirit in our given situations. How He must delight to see our anticipation in what will come of it!

I am learning the power of prayers made on my behalf. A few weeks ago, in a study group, we were sharing prayer requests. For once, I felt an urge to share openly with the group a personal need of deliverance I had. I was struggling with the wrong perceptions of others and asked the women to pray that I would have victory in that area. Pray they did and those prayers were affective as the Holy Spirit worked in me.

An email from a friend last night included her requests for prayer in areas of her life. At the close, she asked how she could pray for me. A list spilled out of me! Specific requests. I have every confidence that she will in fact pray for me as I have already prayed for her this morning. I know the Spirit will work in both our situations.

God is developing in me the ability to not only request prayer but to stand in expectancy and hope of the answers to those prayers. As others pray for me and as I pray for others, God is working! My ears are beginning to perk up when someone tells me they have been praying for me. I am touched beyond words because I am now seeing the significance of that. Only Heaven will fully reveal the many who were part of a threefold cord of prayer in our life. I thank God for each of them this morning and I am asking Him to help me to be that more profoundly for others. For truly, “The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availed much” (James 5:16).

Father, I have often failed to see the power and privilege of prayer. Thank you for the ones who have modeled it for me. Instill within me a passion for prayer and a delight for seeing those prayers answered! Amen.

Spirit Song MV - Maranatha Singers (sung by Evie)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KqkvIhs7Ijg

He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. Job 36:16

Not Allowed to Stay

But Ruth said, Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me. Ruth 1:16-17 (New American Standard Bible)

God knows, if given the chance, I would have spoken these words to every significant person He ever brought into my life. I wanted each relationship to last a life time! Unlike Ruth though, I was never allowed to continue to stay with or follow my ‘Naomi’ persons. Due to moves and changes, I usually saw the separations as necessary and a part of life. Before long a new person came along and I would thrive in the new relationship.

A year and a half ago, the scene had changed dramatically. There came a time when I was urged (forced) to leave the care of a person I highly respected and upon whom I greatly depended. No more following, no more interacting with, no more counsel, no more support. My desire to stay was not granted and the relationship was promptly put to death! It took awhile for me to come to see the necessity and truth in all of it. I had to go through a season of grief and tears but in time God slowly opened my eyes to His purposes, desires, and hand.

I thought the ending of this relationship would lead to other ones, but I have become aware of something my Father is intentionally doing that He has never done before in my life. He is limiting my access to significant people and He is doing it out of a heart of love for me. While I still have people involved in my life, God is blocking my ability to derive from them what I have always sought in relationships……security, significance, attention, availability, and affirmation. The time I spend with them and the questions I bring to them is limited and the reason is clear to me now.

God’s intent is that I learn to walk out the truths He has spent decades teaching me. To learn to live each day in dependence upon Him and in connection with Him. He wants me to see and hear things for myself and thus gain the spiritual muscles needed to have a walk and life of faith in Him. I have strained at it (and still do at times) but I am coming to a place of accepting it as a good gift from His hands. He knows there is strength and wisdom I will never possess until I am willing to walk most of the time alone with Him. What I have seen in others and desired for myself comes only by a solitary journey of two….my Father and me. I finally agree.


Father, this life lesson has not come easily or without tears. What I have fought so hard against, I now embrace and accept. Things will never be the same and I see now that is a good thing. Amen.


Kathy Troccoli sings "My Life Is In Your Hands"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlmYxZAgrGI

He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.

A Slight but Dangerous Shift

Glory in His holy name; let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad. Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face continually. Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from His mouth. 1 Chronicles 16:10-12 (New American Standard Bible)

Shifts can be so slight that we often are not aware of a problem until it is bigger than life and affecting us profoundly. Such was the case for me during the past couple of weeks. I had been in the habit for several years of rising in the wee hours of the morning to spend time in the Word and send out email devotionals. It had become a special time for me and usually set the pace for the remainder of my day. Due to a change in my work hours, I found myself becoming physically drained and felt a change was needed-- i.e. more sleep! This decision resulted in a change to my morning routine. I went from purposeful meetings with the Lord to ‘chance’ meetings and found myself taking in less and less of His Word and presence.

What started out as a gradual thing, snowballed and I found myself sinking emotionally and spiritually. This evening I have taken some time to look back over the past week or so and see how my reactions and attitudes have been more out of my flesh than spirit, how my perceptions of others have once again become dark, how emptiness was beginning to mark my internal world, and how I no longer resembled one who walked in the joy and strength of the Lord. What happened? I had become lax in my seeking God, seeking His strength, and seeking His face! I had drifted away from remembering His wonders and marvels. While I managed to keep activities relatively the same, my spirit was showing signs of starvation and God was nudging me to start feeding it again.

I want to go back to my early morning meetings with my Father. I want His Word to be at the start of my day once again. I have tasted the consequences and results of not doing so and it has been uncomfortable to say the least. Once again, God has wisely allowed something painful to bring me back to Himself.

People have often commented on the authenticity of these devotionals. I believe that one of the reasons God leads me to be honest and open about my journey is so that others can begin to be honest and open about theirs. We can all learn together that it is a given that we will have good and bad days, victories and failures, tragedies and triumphs as we travel through life. After all, God does not look for perfection….just progress.

Father, I have missed You. Amen.

The Voice of Hope - Lara Martin
http://youtube.com/watch?v=qbk1TGe5k0Q

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

Preserving Life

Except the LORD of hosts had left us a very small remnant. Isaiah 1:9a (King James Version)

Picture a city left in ruins yet a small building remains among the rubble. A few survivors after multitudes are done away with such as in the days of concentration camps. God is still in the business of preserving lives in the midst of devastation. We see the tragedy of hurricanes but rejoice at the countless stories of individuals who miraculously lived. God still rescues and renews lives. Think of a forest fire that has consumed acres of forestry. When the flames have finally been extinguished and the smoke is gone, little sprigs of green reveal the truth that life was preserved.

Some may look at their life as tragedy filled and wasted. But in the midst of it all God has preserved life. He still brings beauty from ashes. That is what I see when I think of people like Corrie Ten Boon and Joni Erickson Tada. It seemed that life’s circumstances assaulted them in horrible ways. But God left them a remnant in their spirit. They brought the broken pieces to Him and He turned their life into a ministry of great proportion.

What is the loss in your life you grieve today? What is the devastation that leaves you drained and bewildered? Know that God has left parts of you intact. There is a small remnant within you that still pulses with life. What you think will do you in will be the very thing that God will use to draw you close to Himself. He has already planned how He will turn your loss into gain. He will beautify the charred places. He will renovate the rooms you have long since closed off. He will speak life into the parts of you that have died.

I am not presently going through a difficulty right now. Recently I had a season of tears and pain that seemed unbearable. God has allowed me to remember the ache in my chest as I experienced a painful loss. It is that ache that comes to mind as I think of and pray for others who are presently going through storms of great proportion in their own life. I know they might feel angry, rejected, and alone. Even words of Scripture seem to mock them. The thought that God will restore their joy seems far fetched to them. I have thought of them at various times and I hurt for them. When the opportunities arise may I be one to walk along side them and whisper reminders to them that they long to hear and need to cling to. God has not forgotten about them or set them aside. They are being preserved daily. I praise Him for that!


Today, Father, I pray that Your work of preservation be continued in my friends. May a very small remnant be left in them. When the time is right You will multiply what is left. Their stories still live because of You. Amen.

Beauty For Ashes - Crystal Lewis & Ron Kenoly
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2CZ6IsGjEug

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

Held and Upheld

I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me. I looked, but there was no one to help, and I wondered that there was no one to uphold; therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me. Isaiah 63:3,5 (New King James Version)

As I read these words, spoken by God, there were phrases that jumped out at me with a fresh awareness that I need never speak them. “No one was with Me, no one to help, no one to uphold.” On a human level, some might experience such isolation and loneliness, but not in relationship to God. Isaiah 41:10 brings all three concepts to light as God says to each of us who are in Christ, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Those are promises of companionship, assistance, and strength.

I use to think of upholding as simply carrying. I found it interesting to see it means to make strong, restore to strength, give strength, strengthen, sustain, encourage, make bold, make firm, make rigid, and make hard. No wonder any believer can voice the words of Paul and say, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!” He literally infuses us with the strength necessary for any task, circumstance, situation, or experience.

To go one step further, it is dawning on me that even when we are not aware of God helping and upholding us, He is doing it. I can look back at difficult challenges in my life and now see that THAT is exactly what He was doing. In the midst of my fears, frustrations, and tears, He never left me to manage on my own. Even when I didn’t relax in His arms, they still held, helped, and upheld me. His grip never loosened. His eye never wondered, His attention never wavered, and His supply never ceased.

Tonight I am reflecting on His moments of upholding and helping me and I am seeing them with clearer vision and insight. No wonder He repeatedly tells us to review and remember. Our past experiences with Him are meant to encourage us in the present as well as the future. What He has done for us and been to us will continue.

So what is it you are needing to be reminded of this evening? God’s presence? God’s help? God’s enabling and strengthening? It may be a situation that has just come upon you or one that you have faced daily for years. It may be in the physical, emotional, or spiritual realm. Whatever it is, take the promises of Isaiah 41:10 as your banner of truth!

Father, You have always been there for me and will continue to be. I rest in Your arms and am renewed, refreshed, and restored. Amen.

Held - Natalie Grant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2m1HZekCcc

Inner Healing

From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Isaiah 1:6 (King James Version)

Philip Yancey wrote a book called, Where Is God When It Hurts? In it he describes the horrid details of a person with leprosy. Unable to feel pain because the pain sensors are dead, injuries result in infections and the loss of fingers, toes, etc... Imagine putting your hand on a hot burner and never feeling the pain! Nothing would cause you to quickly remove your hand. The injury would be incredible. The point is to realize that pain serves a purpose. It tells us something is wrong and encourages us to attend to the problem.

So often we will recognize physical pain and seek help. But pain of the mind, spirit, or emotions often times is ignored or buried. Words spoken in anger, looks of disapproval, unmet needs all wound and bruise us on the inside. We fail to acknowledge them or bring them to God for His touch of cleansing and healing. He sees the wounds, the bruises, the putrefying sores. Although we may think they are not worth attending to God knows differently. He knows the infection will grow worse.

Until recently I did not realize the extent of my own inner wounds. As God has begun to reveal them to me He has allowed me to see where certain mindsets have been in place. He has let me know there are reasons I have walked in shame, expected rejection, and felt like a burden to friends.

He took me in His arms and said, "You've been wounded. Some wounding was intentional and some was not." Then He gently proceeded to let me know I would not be free from the effects until I allowed Him to identify where I had been wounded, press out the infection, pour His oil into them, and bandage them. Healing begins within. It is a process. Slow and painful at times but necessary and well worth it.

May I allow the candle of His Spirit to illuminate the very places in me that are still hurting. God will never force the process. I must voluntarily come to Him, place myself under His care, and trust Him to do His healing work in me.

Father, You have made the pain productive because it lead me to You. I know You will continue to show me the wounds that await Your touch, oil, and healing. Amen.

The Power Of Your Love MV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xdgJN0quK4&feature=related

Ears To Hear

Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Luke 15:1

Jesus was approached by different people for different reasons. Some came for healing and miracles, some came to witness the healings and miracles, some came to criticize, some came to worship, and some (like in today’s verse) came to listen. They knew His words were capable of changing their life. They may have sat under other teachers for years, but Jesus was different. He spoke with authority but also with love. To them, His words were reassuring and comforting, not harsh, judgmental, and condemning. They were drawn toward Him and hungered for what He had to offer. He welcomed them and received them as they came.

Have you ever been in the presence of someone who really cared about you? They were concerned for you or interested in the deeper things of your life. You felt safe to confide in them and took their advice to heart. You wanted to learn all you could from them. That is how people felt around Jesus. That is how God wants you and me to feel around Him! He is still showing me what concepts and ideas I have that hinder me from richer fellowship with Himself.

The verse just before this one says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” It is more than just taking in sound. It is digesting what is heard in such a way that it changes the way I think, act, and speak. If I remain unchanged, I have not really listened. One evening, God surprised me with some self revelation I had struggled with for years. I could not grasp the reasons for a certain mindset that had always been in place from a very young age. Once I listened and received what He was telling me there was an internal shifting that took place. Throughout the night and even the next morning I woke still wanting to drink in the truth of His words. If I allowed them full access they would forever change this area of my life and I would walk in a freedom I had not yet realized. I found it interesting that although I wasn’t necessarily asking to be shown this, God knew my spirit was searching out the matter. He spoke, I listened, and life has not be the same!

Father, You have so much more to tell me on a personal level. Give me listening ears, a receptive heart, and a continued thirst for Your words to me. Amen

Word of God Speak ~ Mercy Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JK_6osCH74&feature=related

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

Desolate for a Reason

So that I might make them desolate, in order that they might know that I am the LORD. Ezekiel 20:26 (New American Standard Bible)

Many times in Scripture, God’s actions are followed by the phrase, “That they might know that I am the LORD.” So intent is God on revealing Himself to us that He will go to any length to help us see who He really is and what He is really like. He knows our limitations and weaknesses as well as our bent toward sin and skewed thinking of Him. For the children of Israel, God revealed Himself through discipline, provision, protection, deliverance, and consequences of behavior. Many were the times they “missed” the God ordained revelations but precious were the moments they saw!

As I read today’s verse, the word “desolate” stood out to me so I decided to find its full meaning in the dictionary. What I read was a description of my own life in recent years. It was not only explicit, it was an accurate portrayal. According to Webster, desolate means, to abandon, make alone, deserted, joyless, disconsolate, and sorrowful through separation from a loved one; showing the effects of abandonment and neglect, barren, lifeless, devoid of warmth, comfort, or hope, laid waste, forsaken, a barren wasteland. I can tell you with all seriousness and sincerity, it is not a fun way to live the Christian life. I felt frozen emotionally as if suspended in a capsule of pain and grief. If that were the end of the story, I would have little to say. Praise God the end of the story is rich!

God says to me what He said to Israel, “It was done in order that you might know that I am the LORD.” In other words, that I might know Him. Not just know about Him but KNOW Him. Although I still have moments of sadness, I can finally say the worst is over and there is now more light than darkness in my soul. I now know God in a way that I didn’t know Him before I entered my personal valley of sorrow. The two things He used the most to draw me out of my place of desolation, were His Word and an individual who was willing to walk with me on an emotional and spiritual level.

You see, God never wastes a thing in our life. He never brings or allows pain or disappointment just for the sake of discomfort. His process and purposes are well thought out and carried out. As I have learned to cooperate with Him and trust Him, I have seen Him move in ways I never thought possible. I marvel over Him and delight in Him!

Father, I am seeing the first glimpses of inner peace that can only be found in You. You saw my sadness and distrust and yet that did not stop You from leading me to and through the valley. What a faithful God You are!

What A Faithful God - Robert Critchley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLEgyKpzyUw&feature=related

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

When Someone is Running

The LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. Jonah 1:4 (New American Standard Bible)

There are times when God will go to great measures to come against our places of comfort, security, or escape. Jonah was in such a place and God’s intervention was evident. In some ways, he reminds me of the prodigal son from the book of Luke. While the father let him go and waited for life to become uncomfortable enough to bring him back home, God was still at work in the background to bring about that change of direction.

Maybe there is someone reading this devotional right now and you have a loved one who is living the life of a Jonah. They are running as fast and as far as they can from what God wants for them. You may be praying for their salvation or you may be praying for their return. As hard as it may be to watch what they are doing to themselves (and possibly to others in their life) be aware God can still control the situations of their life. God is still in the business of bringing about personal famines or storms to redirect their thinking, their steps, and their lives.

So what does a person do in the case of someone they know who is running? First of all, if they are an adult, let them go. Teens and children are still under our care and responsibility. But for an adult, let them go. It will be in the midst of their wandering that God will be able to begin His work. Secondly, pray for God’s intervention in their life. God may use health, He may use finances, He may use discomfort, He may use loss, or any number of other methods that bring about effective change. If someone keeps stepping in and rescuing them, the process gets interrupted and prolonged. God knows what to use to get their attention. The control they think they possess over their life will be challenged by the One who really is in control. Consequences for personal choices really are beneficial. Thirdly, use this time to reevaluate your own life. What are the areas God wishes to redirect in you? God can multi-task very well. As He shows you areas to change, cooperate with Him. And finally, wait! Things may happen quickly or it may take years. Trust that whatever God is doing it is out of a heart of love for you as well as for your loved one.

Father, many hearts this morning ache over the choices loved ones are making. May they know that Your heart aches as well. Give them wisdom to trust You to intervene for their ‘Jonah.’ Amen.

God Will Make a Way - Don Moen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hOjYR8UZT8&NR=1

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

Superabounding Grace

But where sin increased and abounded, grace (God’s unmerited favor) has surpassed it and increased the more and superabounded. Romans 5:20b (Amplified Bible)

I have within myself the capacity to sin because I possess a sin nature. We all do! I may not give in to every urge but the ability to sink to the lowest depths of depravity is present in me as it is in you. Yet as a believer I also have God’s divine influence on my heart….His grace. While sin may increase and abound, the influence of God superabounds! The comparison is encouraging because God’s help far exceeds my weaknesses. His advantages for me far outweigh my disadvantages.

I feel led to do some comparisons this morning and the results will be astounding! Keep in mind that each time I use the word “grace” I am referring to God’s divine influence, favor, and help that is present and available in me. Proportionately speaking God’s grace exceeds every ungracious thing in me. Grace exceeds my strongholds. Grace exceeds my addictions. Grace exceeds my weaknesses. Grace exceeds my mindsets. Grace exceeds my wrong choices. Grace exceeds my failures. Grace exceeds my misperceptions. Grace exceeds my depraved words, actions, and thoughts. No matter what I place on the scale of comparisons, God’s grace outweighs, out shines, out lasts, and out powers it. In other words the potential for victory is greater than the potential for defeat.

The question now becomes, will I walk in that grace and allow it to be reflected in my life? By His grace I can! Once again I am reminded that living the Christian life is not a matter of self made virtues. It is a matter of allowing God to do His work in me. It is looking to Him to give me the desire and ability to follow Him, cooperate with Him, and obey Him. I want transformation and change. I want to continually NOT be the person I was a year ago, month ago, week ago, or even day ago!

As I go through my day and come up against any temptation, test, or sinful desire, I want to realize I have MORE grace than that! There is also more grace than grief, sorrow, loss, or pain. It is like comparing an ant hill to a mountain, a pond to an ocean, or a twig to a forest. Superabounding, super abundant, super accessible is God’s grace. As the hymn so eloquently states, “Grace, grace, God’s grace! Grace will pardon and cleanse within. Grace, Grace, God’s grace! Grace is greater than ALL my sin.” Amen! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Grace indeed!

Father, keep me aware of Your grace in me. The excessiveness of it all astounds me! Amen.

Amazing Grace ( My Chains are Gone) - Chris Tomlin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyFxArMeRDI&feature=related

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

Remembering Them

Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Hebrews 13:7 (New American Standard Bible)

Last night, I met with a friend whom I had not seen for several years. We did some catching up and sharing of present happenings with our children. Then the conversation turned to a time of review. What an experience to look back over four and a half years and list the many things God has done! I felt compelled to tell her of my journey out of legalism and the many changes that came about because of it. As I spoke, it became evident to me that God had used an individual in profound ways to start me on my journey. The impact she made on my life was huge and were it not for God crossing my path with her, I don’t know how long it would have taken me to come out of my life style of performance and fear or IF I would have come out of it.

This morning as I read today’s verse, this individual once again came to mind. She led me, taught me God’s word, was an example to me, and left me with a pattern of faith to imitate. Her spiritual influence and fingerprints are evident in my life to this day. Although she is no longer a part of my journey I rejoice in the season of time God allowed her to be! I can say with joy that I am NOT the same person I was when she first entered my life. I am not even the same person I was when she was led to release me to walk without her. Truly, God’s ways have been higher than my own!

I think back over my Christian life of 35 years and I can recall numerous individuals who led me, spoke God’s word to me, and lived lives that were worth imitating. They were each used of God to instilled valuable things into my life. They came along side me, walked with me for a while, and left profound marks on my life. What I am today has a direct correlation to who they were for me in the past. With any one of them I would have chosen to remain. Without God’s insistence I would have been content to continue under their teaching and influence. But then I realize if that had been the case, there would have been many relationships I would have missed out on and many things I would have not learned. The result would have been a stunting of my growth.

Just as God called the children of Israel out of Egypt, God has had many “calling out of” moments in my life. I am learning to treasure that aspect because of the good that comes from it. While there are times I look back and long for those places of delight, I know He still has much in store for me and so I journey on.

Father, thank you for the individuals You hand picked to be in my life. They have been treasured gifts to me. Amen.

Painting Pictures of Egypt - Sara Groves
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZcIA4Cnj6j4

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.