Day 215 – Life is not a game of hide and seek.

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 22 – 24

Jeremiah 23:23-24 “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord.”

Growing up my brother, sister, and cousins always played hide and seek. This would keep us busy for hours. No matter if it was day time or night time, inside or outside, I’d always try and find the hardest, darkest, tightest place to slip into so no one could find me. At some point, when I thought I was the last person to be found, I’d skip out of hiding and make my way to base safely. I never had to give up my hiding spot or reveal my secrets.

Now, as an adult, I’ve noticed the majority of us still do this same thing. We go on our own way and try to hide our sins in the most secretive ways. We don’t won’t anyone to find out for the chance they would judge us. But God, on the other hand is omnipresent and omnipotent. He sees us wherever we are and knows what we are doing. We can’t hide from Him, no matter how well we try. We haven’t gone unnoticed. When we do this, we aren’t being good witnesses to the world around us; our actions are telling others it’s ok. We are also hurting ourselves by trying to separate us from the one who loves us the most, the Lord. The best way to decide if what you are doing is a form of hiding is to ask yourself, “Would I do this with Jesus standing in front of me?” Be truthful, Be honest, and Shine Bright.

Day 214 – There is only One Way to abundant Life.

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 19 – 21

Jeremiah 21:8 “Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.”

This journey we are on has 2 directions, up to Eternal Life or down to Eternal death. God has put before us the option of either, but there is only one way to Eternity and many roads that lead to death. I know this has been debated over the years and there’s been 100’s of books written on the subject, but only One book and only One truth has stood the test of time, Jesus Christ is the only way to have Eternal Life.

If you want eternal life, if you want to one day make your way to the Pearly Gates and be ushered into Heaven, where Peace abounds, where there are no more tears, where there are golden streets, no more fighting, no illness, no hunger, no suffering, no death, then you must accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. However wonderful and easy this may seem, it’s honestly so much harder to choose because of the many ways to death. But that is the choice we must make, the easy way to death or the hard way to life.

I choose life, I’ve gotten off that exit, and it’s been extremely hard at times, but it’s even more beautiful, full of hope, already flowing with peace, and leading me straight to Eternity.

What will you choose? Don’t pass by the exit before its too late. I’d love to see you there ❤️💙

Day 213 – Let’s start a New!

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 14 – 18

Jeremiah 18:3-4 “So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.”

Oh how thankful I am that we can start fresh.

We are always in our Father’s hands, but when He creates us, we are one thing, the one thing He dreams of us being. However, He places us in a world that is full of sin, self, and choices.

As we go along on our journey, the original form He molded us into begins to change because of the decisions we make. At some point we may become unable to accomplish the original plans He had for us. Yet, He is the potter and we are the clay, and when we find ourselves in a place that is dark and dank, a life of mediocrity in a deep pit, God will meet us there and transform us into a new creation. He doesn’t throw out the tainted clay, He remolds us piece by piece, hour by hour. The Lord wraps His loving hands around our form, pours into us the Living Water of Jesus Christ and cleans out the sin from our clay bodies. He firms us up with the Fire of the Holy Spirit and places us back in the world in our new form for a greater purpose. We begin to think differently, act differently, and get used more efficiently for the work of the Lord. He never looks at our original form and says I can’t use that; the Lord looks at who we are before we are saved and says I can’t wait to create a new self with that earthen pot that will Glorify Me.

Never look at yourself in a mirror and think you are worthless, useless, and unable to change. God looks at you through the eyes of a Master Potter and sees the new creation that He has you planned out to be after salvation. Hand your earthen vessel over to God and let Him remake you into a new creation for His Purpose and His Glory. With Hope and Salvation He can make you New Again!

Day 212 – It’s all going to be BETTER than OK.

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 9 – 13

Jeremiah 13:16-17 “Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings the darkness, before your feet stumble on the darkening hills. You hope for light, but he will turn it to utter darkness and change it to deep gloom. If you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly, overflowing with tears, because the Lord’s flock will be taken captive.”

There will always be hard days, hard moments, and hard times. Some of the “Hard” we bring on ourselves by the decisions we make from not seeking God’s plans;

Jeremiah 10:21 “The shepherds are senseless and do not inquire of the Lord; so they do not prosper and all their flock is scattered.”

Some of the “Hard” comes from the evil done when someone doesn’t know God;

Jeremiah 9:3 “They make ready their tongue like a bow, to shoot lies; it is not by truth that they triumph in the land. They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge me,” declares the Lord.”

Then there’s the “Hard” that comes that makes us ask “Why”. Why, God, did this happen to me? How, God, can this be for my Good? What, God, did I do to deserve this? These are the “Hards” we don’t understand.

We’ve been following God, seeking Him, doing good by the Lord, we know Him and have been Saved by Him, and we’re doing our best to love others and share Christ’s love with others, but with all of this Good and God, the Hard still happens. We ask Why, others ask Why, and God explains Why, it’s for our Good to Glorify God. We have been given this opportunity to use the “Hard” to “Help” the cause of the Lord and bring “Hope” to the World.

And when we accept the “Hard” and allow “Healing”, we will be Better than OK.

All of my life, during my most Peaceful and joyful times, the “Hard” has come. My childhood, my senior year, my early marriage, my miracles, and my ministry. The “Hard” has always come, the reasons even “Harder” to understand, but the “Good” has been even “Greater” because of the Healing Hope of God’s Greater Plan. Look for the Good in the Hard, so God can use the Hard for His Good.

Day 211 – Sometimes grief can come on the heart like a waterfall of emotions.

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 6 – 8

Jeremiah 8:18-22 “You who are my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me. Listen to the cry of my people from a land far away: “Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King no longer there?” “Why have they aroused my anger with their images, with their worthless foreign idols?” “The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.” Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?”

Honestly, it always shocks me when I’m overcome with grief. It’s never just one thing that causes the floodgates to open. Many burdens I carry for my brothers and sisters, my children, my friends, and each little one is like a drop of water. As each drop gathers, it flows from the tip of my toes up my body to my heart, making my pulse race, pushing the flood waters further, reaching my head and bursting forth from my eyes.

This is not common to me and takes time to come on, but I count it all as a gift of God. The joy and the grief, the burdens and the peace, they’re all a gift. A gift I give thanks for, the Joy leads to the cross and with the cross I carry the burdens of others.

God gives these gifts to his Chosen because His Spirit is living in us. He knows we will feel the same emotions He has felt. Our Lord is filled with Joy as He watches over us, but time after time our burdens grieve Him as well. He helps us, encourages us, and carries us further, but at some point His flood gates open up and we feel His tears.

Just think, as Jesus was preparing to leave this world He cried for us. He was grieved because we didn’t know that which we did. Yet even with all of this He still loved us. One day He promises our tears will be no more, our grief will be gone, and our hearts will only experience the Peace of the Spirit and the Joy of the Lord. Until that day, May our joy be big and our heart Bigger, to carry the burdens of others until Eternity comes.

Day 210 – It is always good to return to the Father.

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 3 – 5

Jeremiah 3:14, 22 “Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. “Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.” “Yes, we will come to you, for you are the Lord our God.”

For the past 2 weeks I’ve been in Europe with my oldest child. We went to London, Winchester, Windsor, Normandy, Oxford, and Paris. Truly, it was an amazing time with some awesome people, but my husband and daughters weren’t able to travel with us. We had one of the most memorable trips of a lifetime, but the only thing that would’ve made it better is if we could’ve all done it together.

You know, that’s the same way we are with Our Heavenly Father. Sometimes we turn away from Him. When we first walk away from God it’s because either everything is going really well and we forget to look to him or everything is going really bad and we turn away from him.

In the beginning everything may seem to go great, but after even just a short time away, things seem to slip. Our attitudes change, everything seems more difficult, and we don’t even realize it’s because we’ve left His Presence.

No matter how long we’re gone or how far we’ve gone away, Our Father in Heaven wants us back. When we turn back to Him, He will have His arms wide open ready to embrace us, save us, and heal us of our past. We NEED the Father just as much as He WANTS us with Him. There is nothing that can take His love away.

Have you strayed from the Lord? Have you walked away because of a certain situation in your life? He’s longing for you to come back to Him and He alone will restore your Joy. So what are you waiting on? Come back to your Heavenly Father, He’s been waiting on you.

Day 209 – Sometimes I just don’t know what to say…so I say nothing at all.

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 66 – Jeremiah 2

Jeremiah 1:9 “Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.”

Words don’t always come easy to me. But often I get asked for words of wisdom for certain situations. I’d love to say that immediately God places a Word on my heart and I proclaim them through my lips, however, the fact is, I have to pray and pray until God reveals to me whatever it is He wants me to say.

Long ago I learned that speaking before waiting to hear from God will get me in all kinds of trouble. However, when we pray for the “Right” words to say, God will place His Words in our heart to use us as a vessel in speaking truth.

Everyday I pray that He gives me the Words to write and that they may lead others closer to Him. Hopefully, that’s exactly what He’s doing.

Just a few years back there was this couple that I dearly loved, and they were definitely in need of the “Right” words. The couple had been going through an extremely difficult time in their marriage, and in one day, both spouses called me and said they were ready to call it quits. I begged them to wait until I could write them a letter and then make a decision. They had mercy on me and agreed. I prayed and prayed for the Words to write and God quickly gave them to me to put in the letter and send on to them. This couple ended up working things out, and someone else that knew them both asked what was in that letter that I sent. I tell you now the same as I told them that day, honestly, I have no idea. God spoke through me what they needed to hear and I pray He will continue to use me in this way.

Are you struggling to find the “Right” words or are you to quick to speak and end up saying the wrong ones? God will put His Words in your mouth if you pray to Him and wait on His Timing.

Day 208 – We are all created differently, and God created us all.

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 63 – 65

Isaiah 64:8 “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

When you look around, where ever you are, you’ll notice there are many people of all ages, races, sizes, shapes, and colors. Each one looks and acts a little different (or maybe a lot), but the fact is we were all created by our Heavenly Father. Even better yet, that also means we are all siblings and children of God.

Like a potter, as He began to dream up each one of us, God set His hands to the wheel and clay and formed us in our mothers’ wombs. He began molding us into something special, creating us for a special purpose.

The Lord desires us to be exactly who He made us to be, with the exact skin color, the right nose shape, the specific height, to accomplish a great purpose for Him. Once He gets our shape, color, and really, total appearance just how He wants it, He will place us in the kiln to refine us. God allows the heat to melt our impurities and harden our skin. For some, the Lord likes us a little rough around the edges, but others He chooses to add more color, and others God will add clear gloss for polishing. How ever He finishes us off He has a great plan in mind.

This week I’ve learned just how different everyone is as I’ve been on a great adventure with my amazing son and new friends. The first day we were together we were already trying to figure out each other’s little quirks, but as my husband says, I’m just one of a kind. Honestly, I like that we’re all different because God made us this way so we could all work together to create a wonderful masterpiece.

No matter our differences He loves us all in a special way and wants us to love each other just how He created us, perfectly unique, made in His image, specifically for an Eternal purpose and Grander plan. So when you look around, before you begin to make comments or judge with your eyes, look at the person in the way God did and see them for who He created them to be.

Day 207 – How has God called you?

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 60 – 62

Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”

Every time I read this verse or see it in a devotion, tears come to my eyes and joy to my heart. I can’t help but think about how it reflects my past and guides me to my future.

Each of us has a verse that reflects the calling God has for us. It’s His way of speaking His purpose into our life. He builds upon our weaknesses, utilizing our tragedies, and strengthens us by His right hand.

Eventually by the work He does on the path He has us on the Lord will specifically call us to Glorify Him to the world. We may first hear from God through the nudging of the Spirit during a Sermon, from the wisdom spoken by someone around us, by the reading of His Word, or in the visible manifestation of a miracle. How ever God calls us, we will know it in our heart, it will be one with His Word, and doors will open in the direction of the calling. At that time we will walk forward by Faith.

But before we get to far, we can’t be called if we aren’t saved and we can’t be saved if we haven’t heard the Word. Our calling can be molded but it must come from the Lord. Hearing Him all depends on how well we listen. Have you heard His call yet? Are you struggling to figure out what He’s wanting you to do? Here are 5 things I did to seek His call: 1) What struggles has God helped you to overcome? 2) Where are you most burdened? 3) How have you been gifted by God? 4) Read verses related to these areas. 5) Pray over these until one speaks louder than the others.

It’s sure to be an adventure if you follow God’s call!

Day 206 – Let’s give them something to talk about.

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 55 – 59

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share the bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring forth speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.” Isaiah 58:6-10.

The Lord has not asked us to walk around all uptight, honestly, He’s asked us to do the opposite. He’d rather us be humble in Spirit, Joyful, and full of Laughter. When we hold grudges, spread rumors, gossip, speak hate, and point fingers, it truly makes us feel worse. As soon as I do any of these, my gut hurts and I know I need to ask for forgiveness. It doesn’t bring me any happiness, I get no joy from the Lord. However, when I make a point to help others, encourage others, speak kindness, do good, or show love, my heart fills with so much Joy that I can’t deny His Presence. Let’s put aside judgment and focus on showing kindness to those in need, and in this way we are accomplishing a true “Fast” that God desires; the Lord will then turn the darkness around us into LIGHT and the sadness into JOY. This is what I desire for my family, my friends, and this is what I desire for you. It is this Joy that will spread like a wild fire.

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:12.

It’s the Word in Action that will set the World on Fire. Let’s give them something to talk about…how about Christ’s LOVE!