“People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap.” 1 Timothy 6:9
Some of you are old enough to remember Monty Hall and the game show Let’s
Make a Deal—the one where contestants could keep what they had already won or
risk trading it in for the mystery prize behind “door number one, door number
two, or door number three.” Believe it or not, I once convinced Jim to go with
me to one of the shows.
There we were: I had toy birds fastened everywhere on my head and blouse, and
Jim (reluctantly) held a sign that said, “My wife is for the birds.” Our getup
was enough to earn us seats in the contestants’ row, and before we knew it, we
were in front of the cameras trying to name the correct price of four items to
win a brand‐new Camaro. And believe me, we needed that car! Jim had just
graduated from USC, and we had invested every available dollar in his tuition
and expenses.
We guessed the first three items within the three‐dollar margin of error, but
we missed on the last one—a Hoover vacuum cleaner. So we didn’t win the Camaro.
Yet we walked away from that show with a new vacuum cleaner and another, much
more valuable prize: a greater appreciation for how easily greed could overcome
us.
Since that time we have observed that Satan appears to offer whatever a
person hungers for in exchange for a spiritual compromise. In our case, a new
automobile was the perfect enticement to unleash our greed. If illicit sex is
your desire, it will eventually be made available. If your passion is for fame
or power, the object of that lust will be promised (even if never delivered).
Likewise, if you thirst for great wealth—beware! People who care passionately
about money are often suckers for wild‐eyed schemes and shady deals. They are
always on the verge of a bonanza that seems to slip through their fingers.
Instead of getting rich, they get taken.
This is the threat posed by greed. Material comforts or money in the bank can
become our first love—our greatest treasure and passion. And when that happens,
God becomes almost irrelevant. But the Lord will not settle for second place
(“You shall have no other gods before me”— Exodus 20:3). We
encourage you to say, “Let’s make a deal” right now. Agree now that you’ll
always keep money in its place and the Lord as the first love of your life.
- Shirley M Dobson
From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James
& Shirley Dobson
Copyright © 2000 by James Dobson, Inc. All rights
reserved.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
His Princess Every Day - Thursday, April 7, 2016
Devotionals for Women - Inspirational author and speaker Sheri Rose
Shepherd imagines what a letter written from God to you would look like.
What you may see as broken inside yourself, I see as beautiful. I am the One who makes beautiful things out of broken hearts. I am the same God who took a brokenhearted orphan named Esther and turned her into a queen who saved My people. Just as I used Esther’s pain for My purpose, I will not waste a single tear you have shed, My love. I can and will use whatever is broken in your life for My glory. My love and mercy will shine brightest in those broken places. I will not only use what is broken, I will rebuild you to become even better and more beautiful than you could ever imagine.
Love,
Your King who sees your true beauty
This man had a very beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, who was also called Esther. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter. - Esther 2:7 (NLT)
A Prayer for Spiritual Beauty
Beautiful Princess! I pray that you will see how beautifully God created you and also see how He is turning your brokenness into greatness. May you believe Him fully when He says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for His power is made perfect in weakness.” I pray that you will bring your weakness and brokenness to Him so that He can restore you and turn you into something more beautiful than you could ever be on your own. I pray that all of heaven’s beauty will shine through you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. - Ecclesiastes 3:114 (NLT)
This devotional is written by Sheri Rose Shepherd. All content copyright Sheri Rose Shepherd 2015. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Visit HisPrincess.com for devotionals, books, videos, and more from Sheri Rose Shepherd.
Tikhon, Patriarch of Russia, Confessor and Ecumenist
Today the church remembers Tikhon, Patriarch of Russia, Confessor and Ecumenist, 1925.
Born as Vasily Ivanovich Belavin, Tikhon spent his early years with the church as a lay leader. Educated at St. Petersburg Theological Academy, he was an instructor of moral and dogmatic theology at Pskov Seminary. At age twenty-six, in 1891, Belavin took monastic vows and became known as Tikhon. He was ordained as bishop in 1897, becoming the Archbishop of the Aleutians and Alaska and head of the Russian Orthodox Church in America in 1898.
In this role, he developed warm friendships with Episcopalians in the United States. Tikhon attended the ordination of the Bishop of Fond du Lac in 1900, and was prepared to take part in the laying on of hands, but the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops forbade this. Tikhon returned to Russia in 1907.
Ten years later, he was elected Patriarch of Moscow, amidst a time of great political and social tumult. He condemned the killing of the Tsar and his family in 1918 and publicly opposed the nationalization of church property. In his later years, statements were issued in his name, renouncing his antigovernment positions. However, the authenticity of these statements is questioned, and the Russian Orthodox Church considers him to have remained loyal.
Exhausted from his work and imprisoned for more than a year by the Soviets, Tikhon died on April 7, 1925, a martyr for his faith. One of his most widely acclaimed quotations captures his zeal and his hope. It our prayer this day.
May God teach every one of us to strive for His truth, and for the good of the Holy Church, rather than something for our own sake. Amen.
Holy God, holy and mighty, you call us together into one communion and fellowship: Open our eyes, we pray, as you opened the eyes of your servant Tikhon, that we may see the faithfulness of others as we strive to be steadfast in the faith delivered to us, that the world may see and know you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be glory and praise unto ages of ages. Amen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarch_Tikhon_of_Moscow
Born as Vasily Ivanovich Belavin, Tikhon spent his early years with the church as a lay leader. Educated at St. Petersburg Theological Academy, he was an instructor of moral and dogmatic theology at Pskov Seminary. At age twenty-six, in 1891, Belavin took monastic vows and became known as Tikhon. He was ordained as bishop in 1897, becoming the Archbishop of the Aleutians and Alaska and head of the Russian Orthodox Church in America in 1898.
In this role, he developed warm friendships with Episcopalians in the United States. Tikhon attended the ordination of the Bishop of Fond du Lac in 1900, and was prepared to take part in the laying on of hands, but the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops forbade this. Tikhon returned to Russia in 1907.
Ten years later, he was elected Patriarch of Moscow, amidst a time of great political and social tumult. He condemned the killing of the Tsar and his family in 1918 and publicly opposed the nationalization of church property. In his later years, statements were issued in his name, renouncing his antigovernment positions. However, the authenticity of these statements is questioned, and the Russian Orthodox Church considers him to have remained loyal.
Exhausted from his work and imprisoned for more than a year by the Soviets, Tikhon died on April 7, 1925, a martyr for his faith. One of his most widely acclaimed quotations captures his zeal and his hope. It our prayer this day.
May God teach every one of us to strive for His truth, and for the good of the Holy Church, rather than something for our own sake. Amen.
Holy God, holy and mighty, you call us together into one communion and fellowship: Open our eyes, we pray, as you opened the eyes of your servant Tikhon, that we may see the faithfulness of others as we strive to be steadfast in the faith delivered to us, that the world may see and know you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be glory and praise unto ages of ages. Amen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarch_Tikhon_of_Moscow
Daily Readings for April 7, 2016
Exodus 16:10-21
And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. The LORD spoke to Moses and said, "I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'" In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Gather as much of it as each of you needs, an omer to a person according to the number of persons, all providing for those in their own tents.'" The Israelites did so, some gathering more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed. And Moses said to them, "Let no one leave any of it over until morning." But they did not listen to Moses; some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul. And Moses was angry with them. Morning by morning they gathered it, as much as each needed; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.
1 Peter 2:11-25
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge. For the Lord's sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor. Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh. For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
John 15:12-27
"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another. "If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world-- therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'Servants are not greater than their master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. It was to fulfill the word that is written in their law, 'They hated me without a cause.' "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.
Morning Psalms
Psalm 18 Part I
1 I love you, O LORD my strength, O LORD my stronghold, my crag, and my haven.
2 My God, my rock in whom I put my trust, my shield, the horn of my salvation, and my refuge; you are worthy of praise.
3 I will call upon the LORD, and so shall I be saved from my enemies.
4 The breakers of death rolled over me, and the torrents of oblivion made me afraid.
5 The cords of hell entangled me, and the snares of death were set for me.
6 I called upon the LORD in my distress and cried out to my God for help.
7 He heard my voice from his heavenly dwelling; my cry of anguish came to his ears.
8 The earth reeled and rocked; the roots of the mountains shook; they reeled because of his anger.
9 Smoke rose from his nostrils and a consuming fire out of his mouth; hot burning coals blazed forth from him.
10 He parted the heavens and came down with a storm cloud under his feet.
11 He mounted on cherubim and flew; he swooped on the wings of the wind.
12 He wrapped darkness about him; he made dark waters and thick clouds his pavilion.
13 From the brightness of his presence, through the clouds, burst hailstones and coals of fire.
14 The LORD thundered out of heaven; the Most High uttered his voice.
15 He loosed his arrows and scattered them; he hurled thunderbolts and routed them.
16 The beds of the seas were uncovered, and the foundations of the world laid bare, at your battle cry, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
17 He reached down from on high and grasped me; he drew me out of great waters.
18 He delivered me from my strong enemies and from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster; but the LORD was my support.
20 He brought me out into an open place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
Evening Psalms
Psalm 18:Part II
21 The LORD rewarded me because of my righteous dealing; because my hands were clean he rewarded me;
22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not offended against my God;
23 For all his judgments are before my eyes, and his decrees I have not put away from me;
24 For I have been blameless with him and have kept myself from iniquity;
25 Therefore the LORD rewarded me according to my righteous dealing, because of the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
26 With the faithful you show yourself faithful, O God; with the forthright you show yourself forthright.
27 With the pure you show yourself pure, but with the crooked you are wily.
28 You will save a lowly people, but you will humble the haughty eyes.
29 You, O LORD, are my lamp; my God, you make my darkness bright.
30 With you I will break down an enclosure; with the help of my God I will scale any wall.
31 As for God, his ways are perfect; the words of the LORD are tried in the fire; he is a shield to all who trust in him.
32 For who is God, but the LORD? who is the Rock, except our God?
33 It is God who girds me about with strength and makes my way secure.
34 He makes me sure-footed like a deer and lets me stand firm on the heights.
35 He trains my hands for battle and my arms for bending even a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me your shield of victory; your right hand also sustains me; your loving care makes me great.
37 You lengthen my stride beneath me, and my ankles do not give way.
38 I pursue my enemies and overtake them; I will not turn back till I have destroyed them.
39 I strike them down, and they cannot rise; they fall defeated at my feet.
40 You have girded me with strength for the battle; you have cast down my adversaries beneath me; you have put my enemies to flight.
41 I destroy those who hate me; they cry out, but there is none to help them; they cry to the LORD, but he does not answer.
42 I beat them small like dust before the wind; I trample them like mud in the streets.
43 You deliver me from the strife of the peoples; you put me at the head of the nations.
44 A people I have not known shall serve me; no sooner shall they hear than they shall obey me; strangers will cringe before me.
45 The foreign peoples will lose heart; they shall come trembling out of their strongholds.
46 The LORD lives! Blessed is my Rock! Exalted is the God of my salvation!
47 He is the God who gave me victory and cast down the peoples beneath me.
48 You rescued me from the fury of my enemies; you exalted me above those who rose against me; you saved me from my deadly foe.
49 Therefore will I extol you among the nations, O LORD, and sing praises to your Name.
50 He multiplies the victories of his king; he shows loving-kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants for ever.
And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. The LORD spoke to Moses and said, "I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'" In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Gather as much of it as each of you needs, an omer to a person according to the number of persons, all providing for those in their own tents.'" The Israelites did so, some gathering more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed. And Moses said to them, "Let no one leave any of it over until morning." But they did not listen to Moses; some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul. And Moses was angry with them. Morning by morning they gathered it, as much as each needed; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.
1 Peter 2:11-25
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge. For the Lord's sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor. Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh. For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
John 15:12-27
"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another. "If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world-- therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'Servants are not greater than their master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. It was to fulfill the word that is written in their law, 'They hated me without a cause.' "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.
Morning Psalms
Psalm 18 Part I
1 I love you, O LORD my strength, O LORD my stronghold, my crag, and my haven.
2 My God, my rock in whom I put my trust, my shield, the horn of my salvation, and my refuge; you are worthy of praise.
3 I will call upon the LORD, and so shall I be saved from my enemies.
4 The breakers of death rolled over me, and the torrents of oblivion made me afraid.
5 The cords of hell entangled me, and the snares of death were set for me.
6 I called upon the LORD in my distress and cried out to my God for help.
7 He heard my voice from his heavenly dwelling; my cry of anguish came to his ears.
8 The earth reeled and rocked; the roots of the mountains shook; they reeled because of his anger.
9 Smoke rose from his nostrils and a consuming fire out of his mouth; hot burning coals blazed forth from him.
10 He parted the heavens and came down with a storm cloud under his feet.
11 He mounted on cherubim and flew; he swooped on the wings of the wind.
12 He wrapped darkness about him; he made dark waters and thick clouds his pavilion.
13 From the brightness of his presence, through the clouds, burst hailstones and coals of fire.
14 The LORD thundered out of heaven; the Most High uttered his voice.
15 He loosed his arrows and scattered them; he hurled thunderbolts and routed them.
16 The beds of the seas were uncovered, and the foundations of the world laid bare, at your battle cry, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
17 He reached down from on high and grasped me; he drew me out of great waters.
18 He delivered me from my strong enemies and from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster; but the LORD was my support.
20 He brought me out into an open place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
Evening Psalms
Psalm 18:Part II
21 The LORD rewarded me because of my righteous dealing; because my hands were clean he rewarded me;
22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not offended against my God;
23 For all his judgments are before my eyes, and his decrees I have not put away from me;
24 For I have been blameless with him and have kept myself from iniquity;
25 Therefore the LORD rewarded me according to my righteous dealing, because of the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
26 With the faithful you show yourself faithful, O God; with the forthright you show yourself forthright.
27 With the pure you show yourself pure, but with the crooked you are wily.
28 You will save a lowly people, but you will humble the haughty eyes.
29 You, O LORD, are my lamp; my God, you make my darkness bright.
30 With you I will break down an enclosure; with the help of my God I will scale any wall.
31 As for God, his ways are perfect; the words of the LORD are tried in the fire; he is a shield to all who trust in him.
32 For who is God, but the LORD? who is the Rock, except our God?
33 It is God who girds me about with strength and makes my way secure.
34 He makes me sure-footed like a deer and lets me stand firm on the heights.
35 He trains my hands for battle and my arms for bending even a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me your shield of victory; your right hand also sustains me; your loving care makes me great.
37 You lengthen my stride beneath me, and my ankles do not give way.
38 I pursue my enemies and overtake them; I will not turn back till I have destroyed them.
39 I strike them down, and they cannot rise; they fall defeated at my feet.
40 You have girded me with strength for the battle; you have cast down my adversaries beneath me; you have put my enemies to flight.
41 I destroy those who hate me; they cry out, but there is none to help them; they cry to the LORD, but he does not answer.
42 I beat them small like dust before the wind; I trample them like mud in the streets.
43 You deliver me from the strife of the peoples; you put me at the head of the nations.
44 A people I have not known shall serve me; no sooner shall they hear than they shall obey me; strangers will cringe before me.
45 The foreign peoples will lose heart; they shall come trembling out of their strongholds.
46 The LORD lives! Blessed is my Rock! Exalted is the God of my salvation!
47 He is the God who gave me victory and cast down the peoples beneath me.
48 You rescued me from the fury of my enemies; you exalted me above those who rose against me; you saved me from my deadly foe.
49 Therefore will I extol you among the nations, O LORD, and sing praises to your Name.
50 He multiplies the victories of his king; he shows loving-kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants for ever.
Daily Meditation for April 7, 2016
From Forward Day by Day
John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Agape is the love that lets us be our truest, best selves. So I have learned from the writings, teaching, and friendship of Pittman McGehee, a priest, author, Jungian analyst, and my mentor. In the ten years I’ve known him, Pittman has modeled Jesus’ commandment to love. He has empowered me to become the whole human being God created me to be. Pittman, of course, learned this agape love from Jesus who embodied that love for his disciples and whose followers have passed that love along through the generations.
My mentor is not the only one in my life to model Jesus’ commandment to love as he loved, but Pittman has helped me understand and live that love in my own life. As I continue to receive agape love, each day I seek to let others be. I try to live agape love so that others may become the amazing children of God they have been designed to be. I am grateful for mentors, family, and friends who have embodied that love for me, so that I can know and follow Jesus’ commandment to love as he has loved us.
John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Agape is the love that lets us be our truest, best selves. So I have learned from the writings, teaching, and friendship of Pittman McGehee, a priest, author, Jungian analyst, and my mentor. In the ten years I’ve known him, Pittman has modeled Jesus’ commandment to love. He has empowered me to become the whole human being God created me to be. Pittman, of course, learned this agape love from Jesus who embodied that love for his disciples and whose followers have passed that love along through the generations.
My mentor is not the only one in my life to model Jesus’ commandment to love as he loved, but Pittman has helped me understand and live that love in my own life. As I continue to receive agape love, each day I seek to let others be. I try to live agape love so that others may become the amazing children of God they have been designed to be. I am grateful for mentors, family, and friends who have embodied that love for me, so that I can know and follow Jesus’ commandment to love as he has loved us.
Girlfriends in God - April 07, 2016
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)
Friend to Friend
Do you remember the day you came to saving faith? Perhaps you’re still considering a relationship with Jesus. Perhaps you can’t even remember a time when you didn’t know Him. For me, it was on a summer night when I was fourteen years old.
When I think about how God brought me out of a home filled with alcohol, rage, and hostility into this wonderful relationship with Jesus, I’m amazed. The sheer wonder of it stokes my passion for Jesus and gratitude to God every time I tell it.
But here’s what you need to know. Just because I became a Christian when I was fourteen, does not mean that my feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and inadequacy went away—the girl who had a filter of worthlessness over her mind and heart. When I made the decision to believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, those feelings did not dissolve like springtime snow. As a matter of fact I didn’t even know those chains were there. I simply knew that something wasn’t quite right. I was held hostage by my self-perceived deficiencies and didn’t even know it.
After the initial excitement of making a commitment to Christ settled down a bit, I actually felt a little worse about myself. (I’m being honest. I always will.) Now I added a new “I’m not good enough” to the list of my inadequacies. I’m not a good enough Christian, I decided. I can’t memorize Scripture like other people or pray like other Christians. I keep struggling with the same old insecurities. I know God loves me, but I don’t think He likes me very much. Why should He? I don’t like me much either. The problem was, as the song says, I was stuck on a feelin’. I walked through life prodded by my emotions rather than led by the Truth.
Through the years, I learned to compensate for my insecurities and self-perceived inadequacies. However, if you had seen me as a teenager—my achievements and accomplishments—you would have never known that I felt that way about myself. Even though I had the borders of the puzzle in place with the promise of heaven, I felt like I was missing key pieces to complete the picture.
From the time I was fourteen until I was in my early thirties, I always felt like there was something wrong with me spiritually. I had an uneasiness—like I had walked into a movie twenty minutes late, trying to figure out what was going on. I wondered why I struggled to live the victorious Christian life. By my mid-thirties, I had a wonderful husband, an amazing son, and a happy home life. I attended Bible studies and even taught a few. But in my heart, I knew something wasn’t quite right. I wonder if you’ve ever felt that way.
Simply put, I was stuck. I was stuck in my spiritual growth and the harder I spun my wheels, the deeper they sank in the muck and mire of the land of in-between—saved from slavery of Egypt but never quite making it to the Promised Land. And then God brought another woman into my life to shimmy the plank of truth under my tires and help me get on my way.
God wants to show you truths about your true identity, His timeless sufficiency, and your pre-ordained destiny that flesh and blood cannot reveal. He sits by the well waiting for you to show up—to dip down deep and pour out the affirmation you’re thirsting for—affirmations that call you to let go of the hindrances that hold you hostage, take hold of the promises that set you free, and live bold with that faith you’ve always longed for.
He’s looking for men and women who are not only willing but hungrily yearning to step outside of the quiet, settled, predictable faith and into the boldly believing, courageously confident, and miraculously powerful adventurous faith. Those who will take hold of what they’ve already got—of what Jesus has already taken hold of for them.
One thing that you have is a new identity in Christ.
You are a saint.
You are chosen.
You are dearly loved.
You are holy.
You are reconciled through Christ’s life.
You are justified by Christ’s blood.
You are free from condemnation through Christ’s death.
You have the mind of Christ.
You can do all things through Christ.
Today, take hold of these truths and allow God to transform your mind. You are not meant to simply hang on by the skin of your teeth until Jesus comes or calls you home. You are meant to let go of the past, move forward in the present, and live bold!
Let’s Pray
God, thank You for saving me! Not a day goes by that I am not grateful for the way You rescued me from the domain of darkness and transferred me to the kingdom of Your Son. But sometimes I get stuck on a feeling. I get stuck feeling more like the old me than the new me. Help me to let go of my feelings of insecurity, inferiority, and inadequacy and take hold of the truth of who I am as a child of God.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Did you notice that today’s truth has an exclamation mark after it? I didn’t put it there, Paul did. Why do you think he did that?
Click on this link to see a comprehensive list of you true identity as a child of God.
Which one gives you the most hope?
Which one is the most difficult for you to believe?
Even though it may be difficult, is it true?
I’m hoping you said “yes.” Now, take hold of that truth.
Click over to my Facebook page and declare one truth about your new identity as a child of God.
More from the Girlfriends
On the outside, many of us are well-put-together churchgoers with trendy shoes, beautiful families, and wide, white smiles. On the inside, we’re little girls hesitating at the edge of the playground, wishing we could join in, but feeling something’s not quite right. We don’t know how to truly take hold of the “life to the full” that Jesus offers us. So we settle for a life that’s . . . less.
But a mediocre, mundane faith is not your destiny! In Take Hold of the Faith You Long For, I reveal the most common reasons we get stuck in our Christian faith. I show you how to break free of all that holds you back, move forward with all that God promises, and live the adventurous faith of bold believing. It’s time to leave behind feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and inadequacy that hold you hostage and take hold of the mountain-moving faith God intends. Let’s uncover untapped sources of confidence and courage, and see how to move from simply knowing the truth to actually living it out boldly in a life marked by true freedom and expectancy. It’s time to get UNSTUCK! Click on the book cover to discover free bonuses when you order before May 1.
Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 1311
Huntersville, NC 28070
P.O. Box 1311
Huntersville, NC 28070
WOUNDS FOR CHRIST
The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted
worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Acts 5:41
Today’s devotional comes from Ron Boyd-MacMillan’s excellent volume Faith That Endures:
The Biblical scholar William Barclay famously described a New Testament Christian as having three remarkable characteristics: “One, they were absurdly happy; two, they were filled with an irrational love for everyone; and three, they were always in trouble!”
Persecuted Christians are constantly in trouble. As a Palestinian pastor put it, “If you speak truth to power, power always reacts.” An encounter with the persecuted reveals the incendiary nature of this gospel we follow, and if our witness does not provoke some sort of explosive reaction, we have to check whether our gospel powder is damp or dry. We should be in trouble for Jesus! If we aren’t, something is wrong…
Persecuted Christians are not tempted into the illusion that the world is actually a friendly place that does not mind our identifying with Christ. The world for them is unmasked in its hostility to Christ.
Once when visiting Czechoslovakia in the 1980’s, I delivered a Bible to an elderly pastor. He had not seen a Bible in years. He smelled it, kissed it with trembling lips, cradled it, and then with great reverence, opened it. Then he turned to me and said, “Let me tell you of my wounds.” And he poured out his trials for God, which included seven beatings by the secret police and the awful seduction of his daughter by a government agent who then fooled her into betraying him. Then he turned to me, his eyes boring into my soul, and asked, “What wounds have you for the Master?” I was embarrassed to have so few to share.
The questions of the persecuted church are simple: Are you in trouble for Jesus? Where are your wounds? If you don’t have any, maybe you’ve forgotten you’re in a fight at all. Whatever culture we are in, we are always being subtly coerced into spending our money, or time, on what is not of Christ. Persecution afflicts us all if we stand up for Christ. The world, the flesh, and the devil will never reach an accommodation with Christ. Like it or not, we are caught up in cosmic warfare. The gospel has landed us in it. We will all be scarred by the battle. We will all experience persecution. The difference is only one of degree and type.
RESPONSE: Today I will evaluate my life and assess what are my wounds for Christ. I will then rejoice in suffering for Jesus.
PRAYER: Lord, I submit to Your Lordship over my life and accept whatever wounds You will enable me to bear for Your sake and the gospel’s.
Today’s devotional comes from Ron Boyd-MacMillan’s excellent volume Faith That Endures:
The Biblical scholar William Barclay famously described a New Testament Christian as having three remarkable characteristics: “One, they were absurdly happy; two, they were filled with an irrational love for everyone; and three, they were always in trouble!”
Persecuted Christians are constantly in trouble. As a Palestinian pastor put it, “If you speak truth to power, power always reacts.” An encounter with the persecuted reveals the incendiary nature of this gospel we follow, and if our witness does not provoke some sort of explosive reaction, we have to check whether our gospel powder is damp or dry. We should be in trouble for Jesus! If we aren’t, something is wrong…
Persecuted Christians are not tempted into the illusion that the world is actually a friendly place that does not mind our identifying with Christ. The world for them is unmasked in its hostility to Christ.
Once when visiting Czechoslovakia in the 1980’s, I delivered a Bible to an elderly pastor. He had not seen a Bible in years. He smelled it, kissed it with trembling lips, cradled it, and then with great reverence, opened it. Then he turned to me and said, “Let me tell you of my wounds.” And he poured out his trials for God, which included seven beatings by the secret police and the awful seduction of his daughter by a government agent who then fooled her into betraying him. Then he turned to me, his eyes boring into my soul, and asked, “What wounds have you for the Master?” I was embarrassed to have so few to share.
The questions of the persecuted church are simple: Are you in trouble for Jesus? Where are your wounds? If you don’t have any, maybe you’ve forgotten you’re in a fight at all. Whatever culture we are in, we are always being subtly coerced into spending our money, or time, on what is not of Christ. Persecution afflicts us all if we stand up for Christ. The world, the flesh, and the devil will never reach an accommodation with Christ. Like it or not, we are caught up in cosmic warfare. The gospel has landed us in it. We will all be scarred by the battle. We will all experience persecution. The difference is only one of degree and type.
RESPONSE: Today I will evaluate my life and assess what are my wounds for Christ. I will then rejoice in suffering for Jesus.
PRAYER: Lord, I submit to Your Lordship over my life and accept whatever wounds You will enable me to bear for Your sake and the gospel’s.
Verse of the Day - April 07, 2016
Galatians 2:20 (NIV) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Read all of Galatians 2
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