Promised Help

Today's devotion is about fear of the change and the unknown.  Sometimes when we ourselves or things around us have to change, we get scared of what will happen.  Why is that?  We get annoyed and even angry sometimes.

Parents tell us we are moving to a new school; our family doctor moved away and we have a new one; parents get a divorce; mom or dad get re-married and now we have a "step-family"; or (one of my favorites to see people get worked up about), someone sits in our seat at church and now we have to move! (Gasp) :)

Change can be hard!!  Sometimes we think our lives are spinning out of control.  You want to survive that trembling fear of change?   TRUST God during your time of fear and He will calm your heart. 


trust: Reliance on the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.

For some reason when I think of that phrase I think of a small rabbit being chased by a neighborhood dog.  He runs as fast as he can and his heart is beating out of his little chest, he darts around dodging the vicious dog left and then right and finally he leaps into his burrow.....SAFE! He immediately is relieved...his heart begins to calm :) God is keeping us SAFE!  He will take care of you.

Isaiah 12:2 says, "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he is also become my salvation. 

salvation: The act of saving or protecting from harm, risk, loss, destruction, etc. preservation or deliverance from destruction, difficulty or evil. 

Isaiah was one of the greatest prophets in Jewish history, this book was filled with proof of how he lived his life.  He was very consistent in his walk with God.  God provided him strong hope when his people were unfaithful.  God is our salvation, His word says He will protect us from harm and He will carry us through.  

Psalms says that your steps are ordered by God.  He directs your path - He knows what's best for you and He delights in your path. 

Psalms 46:1 says "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" 

I don't think I need to define the word "help" so that you understand what it means because we all have needed help at some point :) I do however, want to point out the phrase "very present".  God is an on-time God.  Not only was it just stated God was present....He is "very" present.  He knows exactly what you need and when you need it.  He will always be there to help you. 

Are you struggling with change in your life?   Strive to trust in God ~ He knows your path & if you ask Him to, He will calm your fearful heart.  God is the light in your path - stay focused and don't lose sight of Him.  By doing this you will learn to fear less and trust more.

Have a blessed day!!

Yearning Heart

Have you ever had a yearning heart?  I'll just go ahead and tell you that you have, so have I.  Yearning means to have an intense feeling of loss or lack & longing for something.  We yearn for a deceased person, or something we want to have.  In some cases, not all...I think yearning is a branch of fear.  When a spouse or parent passes away, we fear of being alone or without them so we yearn for them back in our lives.  It's in our nature to fear, we can't escape it...but we can find a comforter you can rely on to help you. 

Why do parents want their small children to hold their hand when crossing a busy street?  Or walking through a crowded mall or zoo?  To keep them safe of course!  To keep them from stumbling or getting lost.  Isaiah 41:13 says, "For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee".  That's a pretty easy verse to comprehend but just in case I'll spell it out for you. :) God is telling us that he will hold our hand and say to us, Fear NOT! I will help you!  Get it now?

As children we trust our parents, we rely on them to keep us safe.  When I was growing up there were 5 of us kids.  I hated it then but wouldn't trade any of them for the world now.  We used to play those games where one of us would be chasing the others.  Running around the house, screaming with excitement and a few nervous laughs in there too.  No one wanted to be "caught".  As this craziness would go on my dad would happen to walk by and we would run to him, "Daddy!! Daddy!! Save me!!  They are trying to get me!!"  We would run and leap into his arms or hide behind him.  Why would we shout that?  We knew that he would save us. :)

Are you being chased?  By fear, loneliness, despair, regret, anger, or something else trying to "catch" you?  Bible says God is our heavenly Father.  Cry out to Him! "Daddy, Daddy, save me!"  1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it".  We already know God has chosen us, and we already know He is a faithful God, scripture says this several times.  You think he wanted us to know that?  :)

If you have a yearning heart about something heavy, bring it to God.  He will take your hand and pull you through.  He promised that and He is FAITHFUL!

Have a blessed day!!

Completely His

The verse and devotion today is a very comforting one I think.  The verse is found in 1 Corinthians 1:9.  “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” What does it mean to be faithful?  Usually we use this term in regards to attending church, paying our tithes, or a religious term. Or sometimes we use it in regards to marriage, a husband or wife being faithful to one another.  Being faithful means so much more.  It’s defined as, steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant; true to ones word, promises or vows.  This verse is stating that God is ALL those things.  What amazing traits to have!!  I also really like the part in this verse that says, “By whom ye were called unto the fellowship”.  God called us to be in fellowship with Him! J

 Fellowship is another word for friendship or companionship.  Friendship is nearly impossible to give a definition to because we all have our own meanings as to what a friend is.  Dictionary defines friendship as: a person known well to another with regard to liking, affection or intimacy; an ally in a fight, a supporter; someone you are in harmony with, understanding and accord.  I don’t know about you but if I’m looking for a friend, those are traits that I’d certainly like to have in that person. 

First, God is saying He is faithful, and then He goes on to say He’s called each of us to be in a friendship with Him.  Since all the traits I described are part of being a friend, why wouldn’t we want to be in fellowship with Him?  So many times we are looking for a friend we can trust, confide in, who will support us and help us fight our battles…well I just told you of the perfect friend.  J 

In John 15:13 - 16 , Jesus says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.  Henceforth I call you not servant; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you…”

In case you forgot Jesus did the ultimate act of love.  He laid down his life for us!  The bible says that there is no greater love than that!  Wow!  How can you not feel all warm and fuzzy when you read that?  I was chosen by Him AND He calls me friend…

Never Forgotten

Today’s devotion was about Gods love for us.  Can you count on one hand how many times you have felt alone or abandoned?  Can you count on both hands?  Is this a phrase that you would use, “If I had a nickel for every time…I’d be a millionaire?” I’m guessing it’s probably a lot more than you can count.    Let’s take a closer look at the word, abandoned…

Abandoned:  having been deserted or cast off.  Remaining empty or unused; having been left for good.

We all go through a time or times in most cases where we feel we have been abandoned or forsaken by parents, friends, family or even God.    

The scripture in today’s devotion was a very powerful one.  It’s found in Isaiah 49:15-16.  “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.  Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.”  Wow!!

As a mother I can say that I can’t even imagine abandoning my daughter, it’s not even a thought!  I am sure numerous other parents feel that way.  A parent’s love is probably one of the strongest and most sincere.  It happens though doesn’t it?  Every day we read in the news of parents harming or abandoning their children.  God is saying that even as impossible as it may seem for a mother to forsake her child, it happens but He will NOT forget us. 

When you need to write something and have no paper, you sometimes jot it on your hand.  It will wash off the next time you wash your hands but, when we want something to last a long time on either a wedding ring, or a headstone, we engrave it.  It’s etched into the object so that it lasts.  God is saying that we are etched into the palms of His hands.  It is impossible for Him to forget us.   Remember that word “impossible”?    

The next time you feel abandoned, remember this verse.  Pray that God would help you comprehend just how much He loves you.   I promise you that if you ask God to comfort you, He will!  John 14:18 “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” 

Have a blessed day!!

Loving Companionship

I began a new devotional book this morning and this blog is going to be my thoughts as I journey through it.  This book, "Hinds' Feet on High Places" was given to me by an amazing woman named, Tana Allen.  She went to be the Lord but her legacy and deep desire to live a daily life dedicated to God will always live on.  Inside the cover of the book was this note from her,

"There is no greater blessing than to learn, grow, and impart God's love to another.  I've never regretted one day in the harvest field of souls since meeting my Savior in this journey called life.  Cutting a path with Jesus at your side requires love, devotion, desire, and a commitment to Him.  "The harvest is plenteous but the laborers are few" - The time is now, the place is ATC.  We'll celebrate together on the other side as I look forward to each of your smiling faces as you "bring your sheaves" with you."

Love Always,

Tana


This first devotional talks about everyone’s desire to have a loving companionship.  This desire is "insatiable" I looked up that word and it means, "Impossible to satisfy."  The word impossible means, not able to occur, exist or be done.  What a depressing word!  No one wants to hear that something we want or desire is impossible.  Matthew 19:26 says that with man things are impossible but with God ALL things are possible!  That's more like it :)  Only with God are the impossible, possible!  Psalms 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires or your heart".  Loving people unconditionally has been something that's been on my mind a lot lately.  If deep inside each of us we desire to have loving companionship, and God says that if we delight ourselves in him he will give us our hearts desire then God will make the impossible (showing unconditional love to others) possible :) 

For those of you who are like me and didn't like people.  This is a hard battle to face.  I just wanted to get my groceries, or pay for gas, or buy my shoes without having to talk to someone.  Then, God, gave me these verses, "We love because he first loved us.  If anyone says, "I love God", yet hates his brother, he is a liar.  For anyone who does not love his brother, who he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." 1 John 4:18-21 (NIV)

In case you didn't notice but the word "command" is in there.  The word command means "to direct with authority; give orders to."  When we give our order to a waiter, we expect it to come out of that kitchen exactly as we ordered it, right?  Why shouldn't God expect the same from us when he ordered us to love our brother?

Do you have a hard time loving others unconditionally?  Ask God to help you with this, scripture says he will give you the desires of your heart.  :) I thought loving people would be "impossible" for me. :) With God, all things are possible .  Love you!!

Have a blessed day!!