I sit down every week, to write 7 devotionals.  The year I first began to do this I would often wonder how long it would be before I ran out of ideas.  It’s a funny thought because I was writing with Holy Spirit, and Holy Spirit never runs out of ideas.  I never wrote just from myself…no, I’d wait on Holy Spirit to move in me and then the words would just pour forth. 

Still, I consistently found myself wondering if the pouring forth would one day dry up…

But here I am, now writing my fourth year of devotionals and I can say from time and experience…that the thing I’ve learned the most is this…I am limited, but He is limitless.

Yes, I am limited, but He is limitless.  When I lean into that, I begin again. 

If I ever wonder what I’ll write about in a given week, I simply stop and lean back on Him and rest until the words come.  I’ve learned to stop striving and simply stand ready to receive.  Like a farmer preparing fields for the rain.  I always know it’s coming; I just don’t always know when.

This same practice is relevant for other parts of our lives.

We are all limited.  He is always limitless. 

We should lean on Him for every part of our lives.  Parenting.  Marriage.  Friendships.  Work.  Church.  All of it belongs to Him, therefore, we should release our limited selves to Him and wait for His limitlessness to pour forth over us before we move ahead. 

Does this make sense?

I think that far too often we compartmentalize our lives.  This part belongs to God, this part is mine, this part is secret, this part is for later, etc.  But really it all belongs to Him…or at least, it should.

Today I encourage you to evaluate yourself.  How open are you to God’s limitlessness?  Are you more likely to rely on your own limited capabilities and then become frustrated when you can no longer sustain the things you’re trying to accomplish?  It’s time to give up.  Give up trying to be everything on your own and give into God’s limitlessness.  Lean on Him instead of trying to stand on your own.

Now all glory to God, Who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever!  Amen.  Ephesians 3:20-21

When I was younger, I felt compelled to always let others know when I felt I had knowledge that they did not.  I had a need to make sure people knew when I had figured something out.  If I heard someone say something that was inaccurate, I would feel compelled to correct them.  You know, the need to always be right…I’m sure you’ve seen many other people with the same problem…but I’m sure you’re not one of them. 

Or are you?

Behaving this way was such ignorance, on my part.  Pride actually.  Big fat ugly pride.  Pride stemming from insecurity.  My husband always recites this adage…Better to be considered a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

Yes, this is a pervasive problem for many people.

As I’ve read scripture, over and over again, I’ve grown to understand that my compulsion to broadcast my own knowledge was actually foolishness.  Once I realized that, I began the long road to change. 

The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness.  Proverbs 12:23

Insecurity provokes us to broadcast ourselves.  When we become established in the Lord, we are much more willing to give others room.  Allow them to discover things on their own.  When we discover on our own, it’s much more likely to stick.  We’re much more likely to stand firm.  It’s longer lasting.

The spirit of this age is a prideful spirit and one of its characteristics is to always be talking…often louder than others and acting as if all they say is the gospel truth, when actually most of it doesn’t even make sense.  We don’t want to be partnering with that spirit, do we?  When we operate in the spirit I described at the beginning of this writing, we are doing just that. 

I often tell people that anxiety is the cousin of fear.  Fear is from the enemy, as we read in scripture that God doesn’t give us the spirit of fear.  Anxiety piggy backs on fear, causing as much damage as it can.  This prideful spirit is similar.  What we once thought of as just a desire to be “right” has bled over to it’s cousin…full out demonic pride.  A desire for man to be his own god.  It’s foolishness it’s a grand scheme.

We fight a wrong spirit by operating in the opposite spirit.  Don’t ever forget that.  When we come across this disgustingly prideful spirit, our best recourse is not pushy, loud, brassiness.  No, it’s a solid standing on the actual truth.  Staying true and steady on Christ.

On Christ the solid rock I stand.  All other ground is sinking sand.

I encourage you to meet with Jesus today and restore the humility in your heart.  Ask Him to establish within you a heart of truth and grace, cloaked in the humility that disarms pride.  A humility that makes room for Jesus to pursue those in error. 

Though the Lord is very great and lives in heaven, He will make Jerusalem His home of justice and righteousness.  In that day He will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.  The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.  Isaiah 33:5-6

Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder.  Now others are building on it.  But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have- Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 3:11

We stand in the years of the open door.  We are living in the time of God’s invitation to the world.  He is knocking on hearts all the time.  He is wooing hearts and showing Himself to people, in an effort to lead them to His kingdom.  But that time will one day end.

Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as He went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem.  Someone asked Him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?”  He replied, “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.  When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late.  You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’  Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’  And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you come from.  Get away from me, all you who do evil.’  “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out.  And people will come from all over the world- from east and west, north and south- to take their places in the Kingdom of God.  And note this:  Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then.”   Luke 13:22-30

The time is shorter than ever.  We must present the gospel to those who are lost. 

This is another instance when the truth must be represented, no matter the cost.  Sharing the gospel is only going to become more and more difficult.  This is our easiest time frame.  Let’s not waste it.

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but America needs to be evangelized just as much as foreign countries.  We are losing our ground.  The God given ground we established America upon.  It’s time to rise up and boldly proclaim the truth of the gospel.  To let others see us walk in the favor and blessings of God.  To let others see us sharing in His suffering.  To allow them to see the fullness of the gospel in our lives.

If we haven’t settled, within our own hearts, why we follow Jesus, then we will never stand through the testing to come. 

One day, the door will close.  I want to be on the inside when it does.  I pray you are too.

I encourage you to meet with the Lord today and ask Him how He would have you sharing Him with those around you.  Ask Him to place boldness within your heart.  Ask Him to make you wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove.  Ask Him to lead you into every divine encounter He has set aside for you to have.  Trust in Him and follow His leading unrelentingly.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name?’  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.”  Matthew 7:21-23

Sometimes it feels like good advice is basically nonexistent these days.  I mean, some of us have one or two solid people in our lives who are willing to tell us the truth.  But it seems that, by and large, people are growing more and more fearful of telling simple and basic truths. 

The truth is the truth no matter what year it is, or how old you are.  And no matter what denomination you are a part of, and no matter how loud and repetitively a lie is spoken, it won’t become the truth.

A lie cannot become truth any more than the truth is a lie.

In this season of life and time, it’s so very important to not only know what the truth is but to also tell the truth when necessary. 

When you feel conflicted about telling the truth, remember this verse. 

The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.  Proverbs 12:26

We don’t have much choice; if we don’t give good advice we are acting in wickedness.  That makes it all pretty simple.  No matter the cost, we must always be willing to tell the truth in love.

I hope you realize that this current assault against the truth and the battle to not fear speaking the truth, is completely Biblical.  Our leaders are called to speak the truth.  We are called to live in the truth. 

Ignoring the lies isn’t an option.  Going along with them isn’t either.  Standing for truth is the way.  We owe it to unbelievers and confused believers to boldly live in the truth. 

Speaking the truth in love is an acquired skill. 

We all have trouble with pride.  All of us.  We must move past the self-righteousness of our own hearts, past emotions, and into a position of standing firmly and resolutely on the Truth.  Standing on God. 

When we are truly motivated by love we present truth in a much more palatable way. 

Speaking truth in love…doesn’t shout and doesn’t act aggressively.  It’s not weak, but it’s a true representation of strength…true strength is gentle…but it is also firm and unwavering. 

Today, I encourage you to press into God’s heart and discover the truth about the truth. 

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church:  the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ.  This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.  Then we will no longer be immature like children.  We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching.  We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, Who is the head of His body, the church.  He makes the whole body fit together perfectly.  As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.  Ephesians 4:11-16

Do you ever wonder if things will ever turn around?  Do you see things in the world and wonder how there could ever possibly be a way to truly change things and reorient ourselves with Truth?

There is one way.  Yahweh.

Turn us again to Yourself, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.  Make Your face shine down upon us.  Only then will we be saved.  Psalm 80:19

We need to rediscover God.  Not God as we want Him to be, but God as He truly is.  Truth.  Holiness.  Just.  Loving.

The enemy is in over-drive attempting to redefine all of these things, and more.  The problem is, there is only one Truth.  One Who is holy.  One Who is just.  One Who is love.

There can be no truth without God.  He is the touchstone of truth.  He is the Author of life.  He created all of this, so only He knows what is absolutely true.

Only God is holy.  We fail flatly in our attempts at any holiness.  Apart from Jesus, we cannot even look at holiness.  He is holiness inside of us once we accept Him into our hearts.

Justice comes from the throne of Heaven.  We fail every time we attempt to define justice in our earthly way.  We have no concept of true justice apart from God.  We see through selfishness and vanity.  He sees in truth that has existed since before time began.  He alone is just.

Love.  God is love.  There’s nothing more to say.

Oh God, would you open to eyes of our hearts so we can see You.  So we can hear You.  So we can know You.  The only way for us to know the truth, is to know You.  Introduce us to Truth.  Let the Spirit of Truth defeat the spirit of fear, in Jesus’ name.  God, show us how to truly love.  Let it be an outcropping of our internal relationship with You.  Let all we do, be in love.  True love.  Not the counterfeit love the earth is touting.  Lead us in love.  Shield us with love.  Turn our hearts toward Jesus…our only Hope.  Come Holy Spirit and guide us in all things.  Let Your Spirit shield our hearts from deception of all kinds.  Lead us in truth.  Come Abba and lead us as a Father.  Teach us to surrender to Your plan and become active for You.  Teach us to walk in Your light.  We love You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good?  But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it.  So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats.  Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life.  And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.  But do this in a gentle and respectful way.  Keep your conscience clear.  Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.  Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!  1 Peter 3:13-17

This morning, we had family church.  The boys were gone, so it was just us girls.  We ate breakfast together and then went into the piano room to worship.  It was a sweet and beautiful time.  Heaven was there in that room.  After we worshiped, we began to pray over each other.  I laid on the ground as my girls prayed over me and suddenly, I felt myself becoming very centered.  I was realizing that I needed both of these things…my girls to pray over me and to lay on the ground.  I needed to lay down before I could be elevated.  Before my thoughts could go heavenward, my body needed to be laid down.

It was symbolic of surrender.  I truly hope you’re grasping what I’m describing.

I seek surrender all the time, but it’s true that sometimes, I must physically lower myself before I can lay it all down.  I don’t fully know why, but it’s just true.

None of us can be elevated until we first humble ourselves in surrender. 

If you need to see above the struggles of this life, you must first lay it down.  Then you will mount up on wings as eagles.  This is the way it works.

“Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”  Matthew 23:12

What is the posture of your life?

If you feel like you’re always striving and never arriving…then I encourage you to lay down.  Get into your prayer closet, lay down and surrender yourself to God. 

Undoubtedly, He will meet you there.  Suddenly, you will find your way forward.  Priorities will shift.  Lies will be exposed.  Life will take on a more fulfilling tempo.  Things will begin to align.

It all starts with laying down.

When we empty ourselves, we make room for Him.  This is the way to elevate above the trials, troubles, and worries of this life.

Make room.

I encourage you to find that place today.

Take a moment.  Go to your prayer closet.  Lay down and release everything to God.  Then ask Him to fill you with all you need.  Once you are filled, then you can better face this day.  I promise it will be worth it!

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor.  James 4:10

I’ve always heard that you can judge a tree by its fruit.  That’s a very true concept.  Likewise, we can discern people’s internal life largely from observing their fruit…but which fruit?  I believe that for far too long we would observe the fruit of ministry and their affect on others, all the while neglecting to observe a person’s familial fruit.  Their first fruit, if you will.

Our life’s fruit should first be shown in our own hearts, and then our family.

As a child I noticed that every single person in church ministry seemed to neglect their family.  Ministry first, family last.  That was a very common theme.  It was as if people were signaling that family wasn’t as important. 

In scripture we see that is absolutely not true.  God created family, and with great intention.  When we see family neglected, we always see bad fruit.  Even in the lives we read about in scripture. 

Look at Absolom.  Consider Ishmael.  Think of Joseph’s brothers.  Eli’s sons.

We pay a high price when we neglect the first fruit of our lives…family.

If a person’s desire to minister in public outweighs their willingness to minister within their own home, then I can’t trust them.  It’s truly become that simple for me.

God’s heart is for family. 

I think I’m discovering that I’m fed up with celebrity culture, both in Hollywood and in the church.  Even our local churches are wrought with small town celebrities who are to be preferred over the voice of God in our own lives.  And who are valued because they cater to the flock…not by example, but by word.  I can’t abide by it any longer.  I can’t pretend it doesn’t exist.  I can’t act like it’s not a problem. 

It is.

Look to the family life of the leaders in your life.  Don’t seek perfection from them but look for devotion.  My kids aren’t perfect, but they are cared for by me.  I choose them over others.  That’s what I’m talking about.  I refuse to do any ministry outside of my home before I first do it inside my home.  That’s become my standard.  Is it inconvenient sometimes?  Yes.  Is it beneficial all the time?  Yes.

God

Family

Others

Won’t you join me in the revolution?  The revolution of family is the most important revolution of our time.  With the re-emergence of family, we can solve so many other problems.  It’s one of the most worthwhile things we’ll do.

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.  Always be humble and gentle.  Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.  Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.  For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.  There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is over all, in all, and living through all.  Ephesians 4:1-6

Recently, a cargo ship destroyed the Francis Scott Key bridge…this is a huge occurrence.  A catastrophe for many reasons, but also carries a prophetic heaviness. 

The song he wrote has been our anthem.  Our declaration that we will not be defeated.  Many see this bridges collapse as God giving us a wake-up call.  I wondered the same thing, at first.   Then I began to remember the words of the song.  I reflected on the events surrounding it’s conception.  I drew back into my heart and reconnected with the One Who holds the stars…and asked Him the question…What does this mean?

I can’t stop thinking about this verse…

Stay alert!  Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.  He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  Stand firm against him and be strong in your faith.  Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.  In His kindness God called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus.  So after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation.  All power to Him forever!  Amen.  1 Peter 5:6-11

The events of late may very well be a wake-up call…but I think it’s also important to note that they may just also be the roaring lion roaming about attempting to intimidate and control, even God’s own people, with fear. 

Remember that fear is the base line of bad decisions.  Never make decisions from a place of fear.  We should always seek out peace, then decide.  If you are struggling to swim out of the sea of fear, then ask God to rescue you and wait until He does…before you make decisions.

Never make decisions from a place of fear.

Never.

Ever.

That means never.

Are you getting the point? 

Far too often we glamourize fear and simply fall in line as sheep to the slaughter.   I follow the Prince of Peace.  I did it during covid, and I’ll do it now.  Don’t allow the newest trick to draw you right back into the same deception you wrestled with a few years ago.  There, I said it. 

We must each be wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove.  Don’t fall for the fear.

And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic.  Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.   Matthew 24:6 (I encourage you to read all this chapter)

“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves.  So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.”  Matthew 10:16

In my corner of the world…in the space that God has given me…I have a view.  We each do. 

From what we know and from whence we’ve come, we find the view that leads us.  

This is the view from here.

I’ve only known what I’ve known.  I’ve only been where I’ve been.  Led by God for most of my life, He’s kept me here.

When I was a child, He showed me the world once.  I was outside and observing the sky, when suddenly I saw suffering children around the world, and I felt frightened.  ~Now that I’m older I know now that He’s always given me eyes to see.  Whatever He wants to show me, He shows me…it’s my view from here~ In that moment, as a child, I told God I was scared but so grateful to live in America.  Many, many years later, God spoke to me that I was to be a missionary to America.  I have been scoffed at for this.  I have been not taken seriously.  I have sometimes avoided this, but it’s the boiled down truth…America is my land of ministry.

I truly love America.  My heart beats for our land.  It is beautiful.  The people, in the heartland, are some of the best I’ve ever known.  The “fly over” states are the ones that take my breath away.  Others can feel how they’d like, but there’s nothing like seeing a farmer working his fields in an honest day’s work.  There’s nothing like seeing oil rigs pumping up and down and releasing the life blood into our economy.  There’s a beauty in the resilience of Americans…true Americans. 

I know the secret though. 

All the beauty and resilience and goodness here comes from being one nation under God.

That’s the lifeline keeping our hearts pumping.  It’s our intentional foundation.  It cannot be erased.  It is because it is.  Identity doesn’t change just because it’s grown unpopular or forgotten…DNA remains what it is, no matter what.  So it goes with America.  We are now and forevermore, one nation under God. 

Our current administration can’t change that.  Our enemies can’t change that.  Nobody can change it because it’s in the fabric of our creation. 

So, until God says so, I’ll continue to observe the world from my view from here.  I’ll pray and intercede as He sees fit.  I’ll learn and grow and change every day, but He will remain the same.

Oh, thank God, He remains the same. 

I encourage you to sit down today and observe your view from here.  What would God put on your heart to pray or do?  How does He desire to put you on like a glove and use you?  Every person longs for greatness, but the truth is, the greatest of us are the ones who learn to appreciate the view from here…the view from where God has placed them and then hold hands with the Father of eternity everyday to see His kingdom come, His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Through Christ you have come to trust in God.  And you have placed your faith and hope in God because He raised Christ from the dead and gave Him great glory.  You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters.  Love each other deeply with all your heart.  For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end.  Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.  As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field.  The grass withers and the flower fades.  But the word of the Lord remains forever.”  And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.  1 Peter 1:21-25

I remember hearing my grandparent’s comment, on more than one occasion, about how everyone seemed to have gotten into a hurry.  It makes sense, with the constant evolution of ideas and industry. 

With our culture so involved in making things more efficient, we’ve lost our way when it comes to spending time. 

Time is money.  We’ve always been told. 

On the contrary, time is one thing we never get more of, we should spend it wisely.

As I pondered this concept I thought of Bible times.  I thought about the way they seemed to really know how to invest in the long term.  It’s unreal sometimes when we see how long they waited for God’s promises to come to fruition. 

We would do well to reconnect with the concept of time.  The concept of waiting.  The art of patience. 

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of being in a hurry.  My heart and soul long for a different tempo…and the more I lean into it, the more I discover God.  The more centered I feel.  The steadier I seem to become.

What’s the hurry?

We’re all going to arrive one day.  We will all die…or Jesus will come back, whichever comes first. 

What if, instead of rushing through life, we took time to savor it?  To love those around us better.  To observe and connect more. 

What could you do to slow down a bit?

Today is a great day to ask God how He would time your days, if you let him. 

You love Him even though you have never seen Him.  Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.  The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.  This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you.  They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when He told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and His great glory afterward.  They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you.  And now the Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.  It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.  So, prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control.  Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.  So, you must live as God’s obedient children.  Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires.  You didn’t know any better then.  But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God Who chose you is holy.  For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”  1 Peter 1:8-16