ASAP...

Is anyone experiencing tough sledding in life? You know – feeling like life is an uphill battle?

"But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. This is the reward you will receive from me: You will soon fall down in great torment."
Isaiah 50:11

Okay, I admit it. This might not sound like the most inspirational devotional, but it might just save your life. I saved mine.

The prophet Isaiah is warning us from the passage above that when we try to make our own way – try to live life apart from God’s beautiful plans and purposes, life will be a source of almost constant struggle. Take it from my hubby and me who considered ourselves devout Christians; who were pastoring significant churches, yet took a detour to do what made sense, what we thought best, and not what the Lord was speaking directly to us. Honestly? We had two years of torment – think finances, health, kids, relatives, and ministry – that were an absolute struggle.

God uses these things mercifully in our lives to get our attention. This is not punishment, this is a willful choice to walk out from under His protective covering from the enemy.

No, this clearly doesn’t mean that when we blow it, there will always be a price to pay, but if life is a constant struggle, it is wisdom to stop and ask yourself why and where you might have made a detour from Jesus’ abundance.

In other words, it is time to refrain from walking in your own light and beat it back asap to His.

At the Start of This Week...

At the start of this week...

Should you lock your keys in the car, leave your phone at the last store you visited, or your just plain old want to go back to bed and bury your head under the covers, remember! The Word of God is the absolute truth: This is the day the Lord has made – for you! Make the first thing you do next be to take some time in His presence, opening The Bible and let Him restore your soul.

Should you receive a not so good diagnosis, a troubling email, or a phone call that sends you reeling, draw near to the One who holds all the answers. Who IS the answer. Make King Jesus your one and only priority and place every issue into His capable hands. He is able, He is willing, He is LORD.

This is a week of new beginnings, hopes to be realized, and miracles to watch for. Keep your eyes open, your heart tender, and your mind from distraction. This week will be awesome in Jesus because He Who is in you is greater than anything!  1 John 4:4

Rain Down...

Does your life seem like a wilderness or desert right now?

Seems like I spent several years in one or the other. Though the Lord moved much during those times, I seemed that I was more often dry in the Spirit rather than drenched in Him...

"The poor and needy seek water, but there is none,
Their tongues fail for thirst. I, the LORD, will hear them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them..
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
And the dry land springs of water."
Isaiah 41:17-18

Whatever state you are in, God will meet you there. Your circumstances may be dry or barren, but your soul and spirit don’t have to be. Really. This is where Christianity meets the highway of real life.

Don’t try to make your own way out of the seeming barrenness. Listen carefully for the Lord’s direction. Spend time in His presence alone and with His Word. Then see begin to hear and feel the raindrops of His Spirit start to quench your heart right where you are.

Broadway...

Sometimes we need to learn to live in the small, confined place before the Lord can release us into His broad place...

“I called on the LORD in distress; 
The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.”
Psalm 118:5

Have you ever been in a situation that felt confining, hard, and difficult? Have you – like me – complained to the Lord about it, yet your prayers seem to go unanswered? This could be a relationship, a marriage, a workplace, home, school -- you name it situation.

If you are in currently in one of these ‘small’ places, can I encourage you to quit your complaining, griping, and placing blame elsewhere and instead ask the Lord what it is He is trying to work out of your character so that you may take on more of His? Escaping, quitting, and running away only delays the inevitable go-round of the same issue again, somewhere and sometime in your life.

Take it from me who had to learn this lesson in the small place.

When I began to believe and live what comes later in this same Psalm, “This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it,” no matter what my circumstances were, I found abundance in the small place – because I found HIM in the small place. And it usually wasn’t long after that my circumstances would change completely.

Yes, I can tell you story after story. Find joy in the narrow road and shortly you will be walking on the street named: His Broadway.

Hidden...

Have you ever acted like a chicken with its head, you know, messed up?

“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! 
For my soul trusts in You; 
And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, 
Until these calamities have passed by.”
Psalm 57:1

Why is it we tend to run around like crazy people trying to figure out our situations when money gets tight, relationships are strained, our health is failing, or the walls of life are collapsing in on us. Seems like we either try to grasp at any strand of a solution, or possibly, some of us simply bow out and duck into a ditch of depression. Which of these futile scenarios do you tend to choose?

In this Psalm King David tells us to hide ourselves in Christ. Think Colossians 3:3. This is the only way to get through a storm. Really.

How do you hide in Christ? You get alone with Him. Surrender afresh every ounce of your being to Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to calm your heart and mind. Open His Word and obey it (yep, really, you gotta do this!). And, wait for His plan, His voice, and His comfort to overwhelm you. Be open, He may be after something in your life that needs fixing and healing.

Your calamities will pass when you are hidden Him. Anything less will only prolong the situation. So, run and hide in the shelter of the One who can cover you like no one else can.

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At the Start of This Week...and Crazy-Wonderful Christmas Season...

At the start of this week and crazy-wonderful Christmas season...

Should Black Friday have been a bust, your wallet tapped out, and your weight on the bathroom scale is soaring, take heart!! Look to the One who is the source of all joy, all peace, all goodness, and all power. Lean hard into Jesus' embrace and draw your strength from His presence and His Word alone.

Should you already be feeling overwhelmed by the holidays, feeling underwhelmed by a lack of Christmas spirit, or you simply dread facing a new day. There is ALWAYS hope. His Name is King Jesus. He came to give you fresh daily vision and purpose for your life, effervescent joy, and peace that passes all understanding. Just one caveat: you need to surrender your life to Him completely. An uneven trade if there ever was one. Don't hesitate, just DO IT! Jesus is LORD.

This is a week of new beginnings, hopes to be realized, and miracles to watch for. Keep your eyes open, your heart tender, and your mind from distraction. This week will be awesome in Jesus because He Who is in you is greater than anything!   1 John 4:4

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