Encouragement for Today

[Judy Harder]

May 22, 2009

God's Messengers

Sharon Glasgow

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." I Peter 4:10 (NIV)
       
Devotion:

God uses His people as messengers of hope to those in need. Every dark storm I have been through is chronicled by someone God sent to help me through it.

This past year our family experienced extreme hardships: our daughter and her husband's baby died at birth; six weeks later she was in the hospital hemorrhaging from complications of the birth. We experienced financial stress. A dear friend of ours lost her job, found out she had cancer and needed a place to live, so she moved in with us. We had a fire on our property that burned down barns, fences and animals. We had a flood in our house...and this was not all!  I cried out to God for help. He heard my cry and sent helpers.

I can imagine God sounding the alarm in heaven when we pray for His help: the angels standing to attention ready for their ministering orders, and the Holy Spirit quickly nudging people in the path of the needy saint with urgency and direction. The ones who have become accustomed to obeying the Holy Spirit's leading quickly follow and run to help.

When we were going through our hardships, our help came in various forms through different people. Some sent money, others prepared meals, some helped with the funeral.   One friend came and cleaned our bathrooms; others sent notes and cards of encouragement with verses that spoke God's promises of hope.  Friends came and helped remove rubble from the fire, while others sent gift cards to help us get through, and some even helped anonymously. Every act of grace was needed and got us through our darkest of days.

In the Bible, there are many examples of people who helped serve others faithfully.  In Acts 6, we read that Stephen, a man who was martyred, was chosen to serve tables! In Acts 9, Dorcas was full of good and charitable deeds. In Exodus 17, Hur held Moses' arm up and the battle was won. These are just a few of the servants mentioned in the Word who helped others.

God watches the servants' hearts that follow the call and sacrifice for the needs of others, and He is well pleased. I believe all of Heaven watches and applauds the one who carries out God's assignments. God commands everyone to serve others, but not everyone moves to action when nudged by Him.

Everyone has different abilities to help with - never underestimate what your ability is. God created you to use your ability for His glory for His people.  Many people are going through hardships today. There are people in need living next door to you, working with you, going to church with you.  Strangers that you meet and even your own family may be those who need help.

God's words tell us to be constantly alert for what God wants us to do. It is required that we show love in action - not just in our words, but in deeds and in truth. When we wake in the morning, let's ask the Lord to help us hear His voice more clearly, to have spiritual eyes to see, and to give us His ability to carry out the mission He has for us this day.

I will be forever grateful for all the grace given to our family this year. After this year, I see the urgency to keep my eyes open to God's call to helping daily. Can you imagine what the world would look like if we all obeyed the call to serve others daily?
                                                                                                                                                                     
Dear Lord, I want to be faithful when You call me to help someone. Help my spiritual eyes and ears to become more acutely in tune with Your leading. Help me not to be so controlled by my own plans that I miss Your assignments. Thank You Lord.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:

Sharing Grace: A Collection of Recipes-Family Traditions-Gift Ideas by LeAnn Rice


Love Your Neighbor as Yourself by Mary Lance Sisk

Form or join a Gather and Grow Group to love and support those around you.

Application Steps: 

Ask the Lord daily to show you who He wants you to help.

What are your abilities? If you cook, you may need to prepare a meal.

If you have money, you may be asked to give a financial gift.

If you are a caretaker, you may need to take care of an elderly person, handicapped person or small child.

Are you a doer? You may need to accomplish a "to do" list for a hurting person.

Does God give you His Word to give others? Send cards or letters with verses that He gives for them.

There is a "Grace Epidemic" starting. People are being challenged to purposely show acts of grace. There is a website to track how far-reaching a single act of kindness can be. To be a part, visit Grace Epidemic.

Reflections: 

How have I been helped? How can I do the same for others?

Am I prepared to help a stranger God brings to me today, wherever I am, even at the gas station or grocery store?

Power Verses:

John 13:35 "By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (NKJV)

© 2009 by Sharon Glasgow. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 31 Ministries

616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road

Matthews, NC 28105

www.proverbs31.org

[Judy Harder]

May 25, 2009

Rescue the Abandoned

Amy Carroll

"We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us."

I Thessalonians 2:8 (NIV)
     
Devotion:

The thought of callously abandoning an infant without nourishment or protection seems incomprehensible.  Unfortunately, it happens every day.  Often it happens in the church.

Sometimes I've been the one who abandons.  Many times newborn Christians are sent out into their fresh spiritual life with little more than a "God bless you" and pat on the back.  These excited new followers of Jesus set off on an unfamiliar path brimming with zeal and hope.  But they often begin to stumble and fall quickly without mature Christians to answer their questions, clear up confusion and encourage them through the inevitable rough spots.  Although no one can snatch them from their Father's hand, many new Christians fall prey to discouragement and walk paths that are less than the ones for which they were created.

There are many reasons that baby Christians are abandoned and left to walk alone without nourishment or protection.  I think that one of the main reasons is the busyness of our culture.  Our time is demanded by our families, jobs, friendships, computer, tv....  Nurturing a baby Christian takes time.  It takes patience.  It takes commitment; but most of all it takes true love.  Robert Coleman, author of The Master Plan of Evangelism, says, "There is a lot of talk in the church about evangelism and Christian nurture, but little concern for personal association when it becomes evident that such work involves the sacrifice of personal indulgence."

Ouch!  I really wish he would move along and get out of my personal space!  He continues, "Unless new Christians, if indeed they are saved, have parents or friends who will fill the gap in a real way, they are left entirely on their own to find the solutions to innumerable practical problems confronting their lives, any one of which could mean disaster to their new faith."

God has recently delivered a precious new soul into the lives of our family.  One of my son's friends, Lindsey, had begun asking some very big questions.  He had the chance to talk with her about Jesus, and at a church youth retreat, Lindsey gave her heart to the Lord.  It's a thrill to watch her as she falls in love with her Savior and begins a brand new life.  She still has lots of questions though, and it is very obvious that many are being called to come alongside.  Lindsey's Christian friends surround her with support at their high school and are committed to bring her to church.  Adult friends visit her home and are building relationships with her family.  I am leading a small group to help teach some of the basic foundations of the faith and practices that lead to growth. 

Lindsey is an example of one of the sweetest of babies, but what about the others?  Not all newborns are rosy-cheeked and smell like powder!  Many Christian babies are entering their new life dragging lots of baggage.  Financial crisis, promiscuity, addiction and bitterness are just a few of the very real problems new Christians may tow.

Will we commit to feeding, cleaning, nurturing and loving these babies?  It may seem easier just to pack them off and walk away, but the toll is too high for the Kingdom.  Trusting in the transforming power of Christ and asking Him to make us an instrument of His grace, let's commit to being workers in the "infant nursery" of our church as we care for these precious new believers.

Dear Lord, You are a kind, loving and nurturing Father.  Help me to follow in Your footsteps as I nurture your newest children.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.                                                                                                                     

Related Resources:

Do You Know Him?

Finding a Mentor, Being a Mentor by Donno Otto

Apples of Gold: A Six-Week Nurturing Program for Women by Betty Huizenga

Visit Amy's blog

Application Steps: 

Feed--Ask a young Christian to attend a Bible study with you.  Go out to coffee to discuss it afterward.

Bathe--Call a new Christian to share something that helps you to grow.  Ask for requests and pray with her.

Protect--Do you see a new Christian struggling with a sin with which you've found victory?  Be transparent and share your story!

Reflections: 

Who do I know that may need to be nurtured in the faith?

How might I reach out in support?

Power Verse:

I Peter 2:2, "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good." (NIV)

© 2009 by Amy Carroll. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 31 Ministries

616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road

Matthews, NC 28105

www.proverbs31.org

[Judy Harder]

May 26, 2009

Ancient Words

Tracie Miles

      "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1 (NIV)

Devotion:

It caught me off guard.  While standing and singing praise and worship songs during our Sunday morning worship service, the choir began singing a song that I was not familiar with. It was called Ancient Words, written by Lynn DeShazo in 1999.  As we came to the chorus of the song, each member of the choir held their Bibles up in the air, and within moments, scores of people in our congregation began lifting their Bibles to the heavens as they sang.  The sight of all of those Bibles lifted high in the air, resting on the melodies of praise that were being sung to our God, literally took my breath away.

I began to consider the importance that we put on ancient things.  Antique furniture, our grandmother's fine china, estate jewelry, old pictures, and precious family heirlooms all come to mind.  I began to wonder why these things are so important to us.   Is it just because they are old and from another point in time?  Is it because they belonged to people we love?  Or is it our desire to simply have a piece of something that came into existence before we were born? 

I believe that we not only long for antiques, or ancient things, but we often long for how things were in the ancient days.  The days when morals were the driving force for how to live one's life. The days when God was an integral part of our education system, our workplace, and our communities. The days when we could speak of our faith without worrying about offending someone.  The days when we could raise our children based on biblical principles without feeling like the minority.  And the days when our country was founded on Jesus Christ, and proud of that foundational belief.

As time passes, things change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.  But our hope lies in knowing that there is one thing never changes...God's Word and the truths that are found in His Word.   

In ancient days, and today, the Bible invites us to discover the covenant relationship that the Lord desires to have with each of us.  Through the words of those holy pages, we are taught how to live a life that pleases Him, and how to embrace His commandments for living.  Through God's Word we learn how to deal with adversity and stand strong in the face of opposition and suffering.  We find hope, grace, forgiveness, peace and purpose.

Those ancient Holy words give us the courage, freedom and strength to live in a world that may not value the most precious antique of all. 

God's ancient words will never change, and our hearts do not have to change either if we hold tight to our faith.  God's Word is timeless. 

Just as the passing of time makes an antique even more valuable, the same goes for God's Word.  Its value increases with each passing day, encourages every generation, and holds true to the end of time. It is our choice whether or not we will treasure God's Word in our hearts.

Dear Lord, build in me a hunger for Your Word that can only be met by spending time with You. Help me treasure the Bibles in my household more than any other items I own.  Help me to pass down a passion for Your Word to my family and friends so that I can pass down the most valuable of all antiques. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:

The One Year Chronological Bible

Pierced by the Word by John Piper 

Visit Tracie's blog

Application Steps: 

Commit to spending time in God's Word every day.

Reflections: 

The lyrics of the song "Ancient Words": 

Holy words long preserved for our walk in this world

They resound with God's own heart; O let the ancient words impart

Words of life, words of hope; Give us strength, help us cope

In this world where'er we roam, ancient words will guide us home

Holy words of our faith, handed down to this age

Came to us through sacrifice; O heed the faithful words of Christ!

Martyrs' blood stains each page, they have died for this faith

Hear them cry through the years, "Heed these words and hold them dear!"

Chorus:

Ancient words, ever true

Changing me and changing you

We have come with open hearts

O let the ancient words impart

Power Verses: '

Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." (NIV)

John 17:16-17, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth". (NIV)

Psalm 119:50, "This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has revived me." (NASB)

[Judy Harder]

May 29, 2009

Do the Next Thing

Marybeth Whalen

"Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Give careful thought to your ways.'"

Haggai 1:5 (NIV)
       
Devotion:

When I was a new mom, I often felt overwhelmed by my circumstances. The crying, the whining, the mess. I would look around at it all and just want to sit down and have a good cry. At some point during that time, I heard Elisabeth Elliot speak on the concept of "do the next thing." She talked about how, after her husband Jim died, she would have been overcome if not for this simple concept. When her emotions would start to run away with her, she would simply ask herself what the next thing she needed to do was. And then she would do it. And then she would do the next thing, and the next, and the next. And all those little "next things" made up her days.

I adopted this principle and began to whisper to myself, "Just do the next thing." Sometimes the next thing was to change a diaper, or start dinner, or return a phone call. Even now I move through my day doing the next thing. Sometimes my next thing is to homeschool my children. Sometimes it's to tidy the house. Sometimes it's to sit down and hammer out an article I have due. Whatever it is, I focus on that one task until it's done. And then I ask myself what's to be done next.


I always knew I learned this concept from a godly woman, but I never thought about this concept being from God. My reading in Oswald Chamber's timeless devotional, My Utmost For His Highest has helped me see that it is indeed a spiritual truth that God wants us to learn. Consider these two quotes:

"We look for visions from heaven, for earthquakes and thunders of God's power... and we never dream that all the time God is in the commonplace things and people around us. If we will do the duty that lies nearest, we shall see Him."

"When the Spirit of God comes, He does not give us visions, He tells us to do the most ordinary things conceivable... whenever God comes, the inspiration is to do the most natural, simple things--the things we would never have imagined God was in, and as we do them we find He is there."

Chambers referenced the scene in I Kings where Elijah is running from King Ahab. He is hungry and tired and very depressed. (Ever been there?) In that scene God sends an angel to him who says simply, "Arise and eat" (I Kings 19:5). What was Elijah's "next thing" he needed to do? Get up and eat something! Sometimes just moving forward in the most basic way is all God needs from us. With our obedience comes the solution we are seeking.

I hope this thought will help you or someone else who is feeling overwhelmed and even depressed. What "next thing" is God asking you to do? Get up, do whatever it is, and find Him there.
                                                                                                                                                                           
Dear Lord, help me to do the next thing when I feel overwhelmed. Help me to remember that You are right there waiting in that next thing. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:

Do You Know Him?

30 Days to Taming Your Stress by Deborah Smith Pegues

Secrets to Getting More Done in Less Time by Donna Otto

For more encouragement tune into our Radio Show

Visit Marybeth's blog

Application Steps: 

Make a list of things you need to accomplish today. Now, instead of getting overwhelmed by your list, pray over it and ask God, What is the next thing I need to do? It might just be to cross some of those things off your list!

Reflections: 

What is a "next thing" you can do right now?

Power Verses:

Jeremiah 10:23, "I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps." (NIV) 

Proverbs 20:24, "A man's steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?" (NIV)

© 2009 by Marybeth Whalen. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 31 Ministries

616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road

Matthews, NC 28105

www.proverbs31.org

[Judy Harder]

May 28, 2009

A Lifetime Heart Warranty

Renee Swope

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)
       
Devotion:

We've had workers in our house hammering, banging, scraping, and fixing things for the past two days. It's been so noisy! I've really missed having my home office to myself and being able to leave when I need to.

In the midst of the clamoring and interruptions, I've been telling myself to be thankful. After all, this work is being done for free as part of our one-year home warranty. The process was optional. We could have let our home warranty expire and waited until things were so broken that we had to do something. But why would anyone pass up having things repaired at no cost?

So, we opted for inconvenience and lots of noise with the promise of our "broken-ness" being fixed.

This morning while I was running, I asked God to help me have a good attitude about all the interruptions. I knew it would help if I had a grateful heart, so I decided to thank God for our home warranty and each item on the repair list.

I thanked Him for helping us notice the leaking toilet upstairs, the gap behind our counter tops, the hardwood floors that started popping, the loose carpet, and creaking stairs. I was especially grateful that He helped me see the hairline fractures in our bathroom, kitchen and laundry room tile, which I almost missed.

My prayers transitioned from my house to my heart as I asked God to show me areas of my life that needed repair. He reminded me of hurt feelings from a difficult conversation, disappointment and broken trust from my son's disobedience, grief for a friend whose husband committed adultery and deep concern for another friend with cancer. I hadn't realized all that was bothering me.

Walking through each room in my heart, God showed me that I had my own brokenness to address. But He also reminded me that like my home-warranty, Christ has promised me a lifetime heart-warranty with unlimited repairs.

As I let that truth sink into my broken places, His comfort came. His Spirit ministered to mine as I exposed my hurts to Him. I remembered Jesus' promise to bind up the brokenhearted as I held up my heart and all that is in need of repair. I finished my run and headed back to the house soon to be filled with repairmen. Just before I got home, I smiled towards Heaven and thanked God for setting His seal of ownership on me, His lifetime heart-warranty, guaranteeing what is to come.

Each day, Jesus invites us to come to His throne of grace with confidence and ask Him to repair whatever is broken in our lives. We don't have to wait for a scheduled walk-through. We don't have to make a list and coordinate any appointments, or even be at home for Him to do the work. We can come to Him with full assurance knowing that He's available right now. Right where we are. With mercy and grace to help us in our time of need.

Dear Lord, thank You for always being there for me, and for promising to make me new, even when I sometimes feel so broken. I pray that You would help me see the ways you are working in my life, fulfilling your promises to me as I put my hope in You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:

Who Holds the Key to Your Heart? by Lysa TerKeurst

The Wonder of His Love, by Nancy Stafford

Visit Renee Swope's blog for more encouragement today.

Application Steps: 

Take time to thank God for His promise to make all things new. Then tell Him about the areas of your life that feel broken and in need of repair. Ask Him for mercy and grace in your time of need.

Visit Renee Swope's blog to share what Jesus' lifetime warranty means to you and enter to win a copy of Who Holds the Key to Your Heart?

Reflections: 

What are some areas where I have seen God repair my brokenness in the past?

How can I remember His faithfulness so that I have confidence that He can and will be there to help me again and again?

Power Verses:

2 Corinthians 1:21-23, "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.  (NIV)

2 Corinthians 5:5, "Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (NIV)

Revelation 21: 5, "And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."  (NAS)

Lamentations 3:21-25, "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him. (NIV)

© 2009 by Renee Swope. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 31 Ministries

616-G, Matthews-Mint Hill Road

Matthews, NC 28105

www.proverbs31.org

[Judy Harder]

May 29, 2009

Unfailing Love

Luann Prater



"What a man desires is unfailing love." Proverbs 19:22a (NIV)

         

Devotion:

"I LOVE this dress!" she exclaimed, "I simply throw it in the washer and it comes out looking new!"  My friend was trying to convey to us just how necessary this garment had become in her closet.  She "loved" it.

We use the word "love" so indiscriminately that often the true meaning of love gets lost. Or worn out from overuse. Today's key verse tells us that everyone desires love and not just any love, but unfailing love.   

One of the lessons I learned when I became an adult was the realization that things wear out and need to be replaced.  At my first wedding (yes, I said first), I remember receiving several sets of towels.  One wise older woman told me to tuck a set away to save for later.  She was so right.  After many washings and years of use they became my favorite rags. I needed to pull out another set because these failed to provide that warm-fuzzy you need when stepping out of the shower.



Is love like that? Does it just wear out or fall apart? I wondered.

For years, many things in my life fell apart.  Moving every year when I was young caused loving friendships to fall apart.  Loving family relationships were also fractured.  And the very first sexual abuse I can remember was in second grade, then fourth grade, then by a church leader when I was 13.  "Love" became a numb, meaningless word to me. 



So my question became, "Where could unfailing love be found?"  Does lasting love exist when everyone around me is falling in and out of what they call love? 

In 1 John 4:7 I found my answer, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." The Greek word for "beloved" is agapetos, which means "dearly loved."  The very first thing this verse tells us is that we are dearly loved by God. The second piece tells us we can love one another because of God's love.



The only way we can fill that gaping hole that needs unfailing love is to fall into the arms of our Everlasting Father.  When the Bible tells us, "God is love," it is saying that without Him, we can only create temporary, fragile and indiscriminate love. 

Our abilities are limited, but oh sweet sisters, we are daughters of the very God who IS love! He is the only one to turn to for unconditional, uncompromising, unfailing love.  When we accept His love for us, then and only then, can we pour out true love onto others.

   

Dear Lord, how can we comprehend the love You have for us?  There is nothing on earth that even comes close to it! Teach me to accept Your love and then shower others with the grace and love You have given me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.



Related Resources:

Do you know this Great Love?



The Wonder of His Love: A Journey into the Heart of God by Nancy Stafford

Broken into Beautiful: How God Restores the Wounded Heart by Gwen Smith


Visit with Luann on her blog and find out more about her new radio program "Encouragement Cafe with Luann & Friends." Beginning Saturday May 30th from 2-3pm(EST) you can listen, laugh, learn and call in to share a cup of thoughts around a cozy table of friends. Listen online or find a station near you at www.wtru.com.

Application Steps:
Make a list of all the things that fall into the category, "I love..."

Have you tried to fill your need for unfailing love with anything on that list?

Write a prayer to God asking Him to replace your worn out list with His unfailing love.

Reflections: 
What fills my love list? 

How can I accept God's love for me?

Who around me needs His love to flow through me and to them?

Power Verses:

Romans 8:37-38, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NIV)

1 Corinthians 13:8a, "Love never fails." (NIV)

© 2009 by Luann Prater. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105
www.proverbs31.org

[Judy Harder]

June 1, 2009

Believing is Seeing

Tracie Miles

"Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed'." John 20:29 (NIV)

Devotion:

Notice how I titled today's devotion "Believing is Seeing," and not the other way around?

If you think about it, we believe without seeing every day. We listen to the news on the radio or television and believe what they say is true. Even though we may see the broadcast, we did not actually witness the events.  We listen to the gossip of others and believe their words to be fact. 

However, when it comes to believing that God is God, and that the Bible is holy and true, many people struggle.

Why is it that we have a much harder time believing in a sovereign God, than we do a story on the news or from a friend? Why is it difficult for some to comprehend and believe that God created the universe, is in control of everything, and ordains life? 

DOUBT.

Doubt is an incredibly powerful weapon that the devil uses to attack the minds of those whose faith is weakened due to struggles in life, feeling distanced from God, or who have never truly known the Savior.

Doubt occurs when we begin to think we have to see God to believe in Him, and when our faith is dependent on what our eyes can see.

But faith is not something we can see. There is no visual evidence. The official definition of faith is a "firm belief in something of which there is no proof."

Faith requires that we believe, despite not having any visual evidence.

If seeing were believing, then faith would be irrelevant and unnecessary. Jesus would forever be trying to convince us that He is the Holy One through signs, wonders and miracles. Our faith would always be teetering on the edge, and likely decline as soon as we felt the need to see just one more example of proof of His existence, His sovereignty, or His power. If we could see Him, we would probably never truly believe in Him.

Faith only comes by hearing God's Word, and believing it - no matter what - without a shadow of a doubt - without needing constant visual proof.

The cold hard fact is that we live in a world that thrives on proof.  As a result, Christians will face pressure to doubt that God is real and alive.  We will face opportunities to turn away from God and believe in other religions, which may seem trendier, more appealing or visually legitimate. We will face ridicule for believing in the unseen.

But that is where true faith comes in. Faith that is not swayed by new ideas, impressive people, or eloquent preaching.  Faith that will not die because something easier comes along.  Faith that is based on the belief that He was, is and will be the Savior of the world. Faith that can withstand the pressure of difficulties in life.

Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (NIV).

We can't see God, but we can see His activity in our lives...if we believe.

We can't see God, but we can see His power working within us...if we believe.

If you ask me, we see what we want to see. We choose to believe...and then, we see.

If you have felt lured to doubt God's presence, power, and omnipotence as a result of listening to false teachings, being persuaded by others, or dealing with doubts that have been planted in your mind by those who don't believe because they cannot see, pray for God to remove those doubts today.

If you have been doubting God's existence because you cannot see His activity in your life, pray for Him to open your eyes to see His divine intervention. Pray for Him to saturate your life so powerfully that you cannot doubt that He is at work. Pray for Him to make His presence known to you.

If your heart desires to believe, your eyes will see the truth.  Your faith will result in vision.

Dear Lord, impart in me an unshakable faith.  Forgive me for any doubts. I love You and believe in Your sovereignty, forever. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:

Do You Know Him?

Fresh Grounded Faith: Devotions to Awaken your Spirit by Jennifer Rothschild

My First Story of Jesus by Tim Dowley

Visit Tracies' blog

Application Steps: 

Pray this verse and ask for God's power to transform your life:.

Romans 8:6 "So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace." (NLT)

Look up Romans 8:6 in other translations.

Reflections: 

Are there any doubts in my heart today?

Power Verses:

Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (NIV)

© 2009 by Tracie Miles. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 31 Ministries

616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road

Matthews, NC 28105

www.proverbs31.org

[Judy Harder]

June 2, 2009

Soul Mates

Rachel Olsen

                                                                                                                         
"People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall."  Proverbs 10:9 (NLT)

Devotion:

Earlier this spring a friend contacted me needing to share something going on in her life. She is a Christian who suddenly found herself in desperate need of clarity and support. She was falling into an emotional affair.

A former boyfriend contacted her out of the blue. At first it was a fun blast from the past to hear his voice and find out what he was up to.  But it didn't take long before he confessed he had been thinking about her, missing her.  She is single and has been at peace with that ...until his words stirred up feelings of loneliness and longings for affection. He is married with children.

He told her his marriage wasn't doing well, and hinted that he longed to be with her again. Sure enough, feelings of attraction bubbled to the surface of her heart. My friend said she and this man had not reconnected face-to-face, but they were reconnecting voice-to-voice, mind-to-mind, and heart-to-heart with the computer or phone.

Have you ever had the feeling someone else is really meant to be your soul mate? That "soul mate" notion can cause a lot of damage, because once someone pledges themselves to another in marriage before God, they essentially become soul mates.  "A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together" (Mark 10:7b-9, NLT).

Christians may be more likely to engage in emotional affairs, thinking that it doesn't really count as sin if there is no skin.  "The defining characteristic of an affair is not whether there is sex involved, but the concealment that surrounds it and the fact that someone is being betrayed," says Dr. Jill Hubbard in her book The Secrets Women Keep. 

Years ago I witnessed a woman begin an emotional affair with a man she "had more in common with" than her husband. Never mind the fact that she had her school-aged children in common with her husband. She was eventually confronted by members of her church, but did not end the relationship. She is divorced today.

Listen, we have to be honest with ourselves and with God. Jesus said we can commit adultery in our minds (Matthew 5:28); we can also commit an affair in our hearts. Plus, an emotional affair is often just the beginning stages of a physical one.

My friend struggling with this is single, but the man she's falling for is not. This isn't just a "married women's issue." We all have to guard our hearts. The Bible says they are the wellspring of our lives.

If you are in some type of affair now, I urge you to end it. Stop feeding that addiction. Run quickly from sexual immorality. Change your phone number, your email address and your daily routine if necessary to avoid him.  Thankfully, my friend stopped speaking with her temptation.

If you are not entangled in this presently, guard yourself from falling into the trap. Be alert to slippery slopes. Don't go trolling the internet to check on past loves. Beware confiding anything too personal, especially your marriage woes, to members of the opposite sex - find a female friend or counselor to talk to instead.  Have an accountability partner periodically ask you how you're doing in this area. And if you are married, invest in your marriage.

Finally, let's turn our attention to the One who is Love (1 John 4: and who knows our hearts better than anyone else can.  Let's draw near to Christ who is truly our souls' mate. We can safely satisfy our hearts in His.

Dear Lord, strengthen my friends to do what is right. And help me keep pure - mind, heart, body and soul. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:

Do You Know Your Soul's Mate – the One you were made for?

Confessions of an Adulterous Woman: Lies that got me there, Truths that brought me back by Lyndell Hetrick Holtz

Torn Asunder: Recovering From an Extramartial Affair by Dave Carder
For more on the topic of emotional affairs, visit Rachel's blog today.

Application Steps: 

Read Jesus' words to a woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-11. 

Invest in your marriage – the Love Dare is a helpful resource for this.

Reflections: 

Am I guarding my heart?

What is the current intimacy level in my marriage?  In my relationship with God?

Power Verses:

Psalm 51:10, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (NIV) 

Hebrews 10:22, "Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water." (NLT)

© 2009 by Rachel Olsen. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 31 Ministries

616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road

Matthews, NC 28105

www.proverbs31.org


 

[Judy Harder]

June 3, 2009

Time is in His Hands

Wendy Pope

"So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies." Joshua 10:13a (NLT)

Devotion:         

Do you need more time in your day? Has there ever been a day when you needed just a little more light to accomplish your task? If you need time, ask God for it. Time is in His hands.

In today's key verse we find Joshua in need for a little more time in his day. Joshua and the Israelite armies are in battle against five combined Amorite armies to conquer the land allotted to them after crossing the Jordan. Joshua and his men are tired. The warring for the land has been intense. As the leader, Joshua decides to travel all night for a surprise attack. We find Joshua asking God to hold the sun and moon still so they could fight.

Over a decade ago God called me to radically trust Him with my time and get up each morning before the sun rose to spend time in prayer and in His Word. "How can I do this?" I remember asking the Lord. I argued, "I am a busy wife and mother. The baby is only a few months old. I need sleep".

I obeyed, but not wholeheartedly. It never occurred to me to ask God to help me by adjusting my time so that I could walk in obedience to Him as well as take care of all my other responsibilities.

My problem wasn't that I did not want to know God better through prayer and His Word. My problem was that I believed I could manage the time in my day better than He could. I believed the lie that told me I was in control, arranged my day, and accomplished much. The lie told me I did not need God for the little details of my day-to-day living. The lie told me I did not need to tithe the first fruits of my day to God. The lie, lied.

Like the Southern Kings were defeated, so was my lie. Over the last decade I have learned to call on God like Joshua to "let the sun and moon stand still" so that I can accomplish what He has ordained for me to accomplish. It is my desire to be at peace with His timing and not to complete my checklist. Do I believe He has held time in His hands for me? Yes I do. How can that be?  He is God, the great I AM, and the Creator of time. I am just a little "i am not" enjoying the story of God one day at a time.

Will you trust Him to hold your time in His nailed-scarred hands?
                                                                                                                                                                       
Dear Lord, help me know You are good. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:

The Yes, No, and Maybe of a Balanced Life CD by Wendy Pope

i am not, but i know I AM by Louie Giglio

Wendy and over 1000 others are reading the One Year Chronological Bible together.  Join them for the last half of the year by visiting Wendy's blog.

Application Steps: 

Choose a place for your time with the Lord.  Set your alarm clock 10 minutes earlier to spend time with Him.  Ask Him to help you set your agenda for the day and accomplish what He needs you to accomplish.  Record in a journal what God teaches you about your time.

Reflections: 

What or who determines your schedule?

What can you do to slow down your pace?

Do you trust God to be in charge of your daily routine?  If not, why?  If yes, praise Him for His work in your life.

Power Verses:

Genesis 1:3-5, "Then God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light 'day' and the darkness 'night.'" (NLT)

Ecclesiastes 3:1, "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven." (NLT) 


Ecclesiastes 3:11a, "Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time." (NLT)


© 2009 by Wendy Pope. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 31 Ministries

616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road

Matthews, NC 28105

www.proverbs31.org

[Judy Harder]

June 4, 2009



Beauty After the Storm

Holly Good  She Speaks! Graduate

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)

       
Devotion:

My first personal "storm" occurred when I was 14 years old. It was filled with heartache, death, mystery, fear and freedom. It's a storm that took me years to piece together.

And many more years to realize the beauty born from it.

School was out for the summer. I had just finished the 8th grade and could hardly wait to go to the beach with my family. I can remember the harried havoc as if it was yesterday - snack food, suitcases, and beach necessities were strewn all throughout our kitchen. We were excitedly packing that evening, getting ready for the next morning's early departure for Ocean City, New Jersey.

My memory also perfectly recalls the knock on the door that evening which would define the next 12 years of my life.

It was my friends' dad who lived down the street. "Did you see Evie today? Do you know where she might be?" he asked with hope. "She never came home tonight."

I had not seen her that day. Nor would I ever again.

A neighbor of mine had asked my girlfriend Evie to clean his house. As it turns out, he had other plans in mind for her that day.

Shortly after she arrived at his home, he forced her into his car, restrained her hands, gagged her and drove to a densely wooded area several miles away. Over an undisclosed period of time he performed unspeakable acts and then he left her for dead.

It took the authorities more than 6 months to find her body and solve what had come to be a nation-wide mystery.

During the many months they searched for her, and worked to piece it all together, I became consumed with fear. I promised myself that I would never be at home alone again. And for the most part, I stuck to that vow for many years.

Eventually I found freedom from this fear. It was a gradual process that came to fruition as I grew in my faith. Christ intervened, and I gradually let go. I am no longer consumed by the details of her death or the remnants of my fear.

Several years ago the Lord quietly revealed a most special memory of Evie that I had long forgotten. We were having a sleepover one evening. As we were lying in my bed laughing, talking, and dreaming as girlfriends do, she very nonchalantly asked me if I wanted to be sure to get into Heaven. Of course I wanted to be sure. I knew that Heaven was a wonderful place. I waited in eager anticipation for her next words.

"Ask Jesus into your heart," she pronounced. "That's it? Just ask Him into my heart?" I quipped. "Well yes. There's more, but that's the start..." she said.

And that precious little Evie prayed with me right there in the wee hours of the night, helping me to ask Jesus into my heart.

One young God-honoring friend.

One unutterable death.

At least one life saved...

          ...this was the beauty that He faithfully revealed to me years after my storm.

Dear Lord, thank You for the life You have given me. I praise You for the ways You have spoken to me through Your Word, through prayer, and through other people. Thank You for healing me and delivering me from my fear. Help me to focus on You today and not become distracted by anything that is not of You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:

Do You Know Him?

Traveling Together: Thoughts on Women, Friendship and the Journey of Faith by Karla Worley

Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner: The Transforming Power of God's Story by Wendy Blight

To read more about how God delivered Holly from these fears, see her post on Lysa TerKeurst's blog

Application Steps: 

What is God revealing to you about a storm you are experiencing right now?

What storm from your past can you pray for clarity in a lesson that you never learned?

Reflections: 

Who can you thank for sharing their faith with you?

Who can you share your faith with?

Power Verses:

1 Corinthians 1:18, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (NIV) 

John 17:26, "I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." (NIV)

© 2009 by Holly Good. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 31 Ministries

616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road

Matthews, NC 28105

www.proverbs31.org