March 1, 2026 carriedinthecrossLeave a comment

Psalms 14:2 NIV
[2] The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
The band Whitheart has a song called Desert Rose- in it they say “Lost in a windswept land
In the world of shifting sand
A fragile flower stands apart
There in that barren ground
Feel like the only one
Tryin’ to serve Him with all your heart.”

How often do we feel like the only ones trying to serve God with all our hearts? We have people around us who claim to be Christian as well, but their lives speak of compromise and Luke warm taste. It can make us feel lonely, it can make us feel like somehow we are wrong and their way of submitting to sin under the shelter of “love” or “empathy” or the all famous, “Jesus didn’t really say that, it was meant for those times and not for now,” and we feel alone- hurt- confused. Sometimes we feel like David felt, angry. He was angry as he watched the sinful prosper, as he watched them gloat over the righteous. We feel like anger is a sin, but if it is for the right reason and handled correctly, anger is not always a bad thing. We can be angry about sin. We can certainly be angry when people who claim to be fellow believers attack us for standing with God’s word. But see how David uses his anger correctly and takes it to God and brings his pain before Him and pleads for HIS justice.

Take away:

God is still looking on mankind to see if any understand and seek Him. Will He see us as those who have served Him and stand with Him even when our friends turn away? In our anger and hurt do we turn to Him and ask Him for His help and guidance?
Feel your feels, then give them to God. But no matter what those you once trusted and believed in say and do, never compromise your faith and your stand with righteousness. Where the righteous are, God is also.

Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · found · free · guidance · holy spirit · Jesus · lent · no longer lost · power of God · Prayer · psalms · still fighting · The Bible · True Joy

Psalms 13:5 NIV[5] But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.

February 28, 2026 carriedinthecrossLeave a comment

Psalms 13:5 NIV
[5] But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
Trust is so hard. How many people do we really trust? We as humans have been hurt by people so often that we live with a tinge of concern and lack of trust. We often turn that fear over to God. We don’t believe that Jesus will truly come through because we put Him on the same level as people. But His love is unfailing. He will never leave us abandoned. He reaches down and pulls us out of darkness and hurt.
In this passage, David is pleading with God to save him from his enemies. How long will you make me wait before you save me? Is basically what he says over and over again. Then he ends by rejoicing in God and praising Him, because David understood that God would always come through for him no matter how dark everything around him seemed.

Take away:
In the middle of trials we may stumble and feel like we are losing faith, but God will always be there with us. We cannot understand the waiting or the time it takes before our troubles end, but we always know that God has not left us and that He is doing something for us.

Christianity · Devotional · lent · psalms

Psalms 12:7 NIV[7] You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked,

February 26, 2026 carriedinthecrossLeave a comment

Psalms 12:7 NIV
[7] You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked,
We know some of what David was dealing with and going through when he wrote his sections of the Psalms. If you like following a common thread, God as Savior, is the one you see in David’s words. He spoke on how God will protect us who love Him from the wicked. I found it interesting how the last verse of this chapter says that God will protect us from people who strut around, when the world honors what is vile. There are many vile things these days that world not only honors but demands we honor as well. Sometimes it feels impossible to stand for the Truth and stand with God. Yet here we see David seeing something that os vile being honored and he himself feels in danger from it. Yet he declares how God will save him. God will save us too when we stand on His side.

Take away:
The world feels like it has never been darker. All sorts of evil are promoted and praised. But God. God will keep us safe as we stand for Him. The first thing He does to keep us safe is open our eyes so we know what is good and what is evil and judge between them.

Devotional · encouragement · found · guidance · holy spirit · Jesus · lent · power of God · Prayer · psalms · searching · still fighting · The Bible

February 25, 2026 carriedinthecross1 Comment

Psalms 11:1 NLT
[1] I trust in the Lord for protection. So why do you say to me, “Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!
I really love this! Here we see David singing about the evil who pursue him with underhanded ways. His people (the righteous) try to convince him that they should all find shelter and hide from those who attack them. Yet David believed more in God being his shield than almost any other person in scripture. He trusted so much in God that he refused to flee from his enemies. Sure he had times of great pain and discouragement, even fear; yet he refused to run.
When bad things happen, or darkness rises, it is easy to want to run away. Flee to the mountains to hide and cower. Yet David knew that the only mountain to flee to was the mountain of God. God alone is our mighty stronghold to protect us.
Most of us are not facing violence, sadly some of us are, but we all have some enemy attacking us. It might be anxiety, illness, strife, a wandering child, an addiction, a lost job. Whatever your giant, three headed monster looks like, God is still your safe place to run to. We do not need to flee to the mountains when the enemy draws it’s bow taught, we need to flee to God.

Take away:
A fallen world means people will face pain at sometime in their lives. Pain can come in many shapes and sizes and most of the time it is preloaded by fear. When fear rises and we see pain coming, do not try and find something to hide in that is of this world. Hide in Jesus! He is your safe zone. He is your strong tower. He is the mountain where you run. This world will hurt you and let you down, but Jesus never will.

Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · lent · power of God · psalms · searching · The Bible

Psalms 10:5 NIV[5] His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by him; he sneers at all his enemies.

February 24, 2026 carriedinthecrossLeave a comment

Psalms 10:5 NIV
[5] His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by him; he sneers at all his enemies.

Here the Psalmist reminds us that there are times when the wicked prosper. We always feel like those who reject God and His ways should pay the price for their evil. Yet, often times evil people are rich, happy, good looking, and have everything earthly simply handed to them. Why? Because that is one of the tricks the devil uses to deceive. If he can convince people that they don’t need God to get ahead then he has won a battle. Why do we not see God’s people enjoy the same prosperity? Is He keeping us low so we rely on Him? Maybe. God gives many reasons through the Bible why the wicked prosper and His own people are kept humble, one of which is the reminder that the evil receive their temporary reward for serving the devil here on earth, but that our reward is eternal and in Heaven. Does that mean it does hurt when bad people seem to have great blessings? No. It will almost always feel rotten; but we still know that God does not reward the wicked and that in the end, their benefits will turn to ash in their hands because they did not serve God.

Take away:
Sometimes people who are horrible have really good lives and it does not feel fair. However, their benefits are temporary and lead them no where. God’s people may not see the same abundance of earthly gain in their lives, but that is not the most important part of the life of a Christian, Jesus is.
Someday we will all be crowned as children of God to share in the riches of His wealth. Until then let us not envy the wicked but instead serve God better with what He has given us.

Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · found · free · guidance · Jesus · lent · power of God · Prayer · psalms · The Bible

Psalms 9:20 NIV[20] Strike them with terror, Lord; let the nations know they are only mortal.

February 22, 2026 carriedinthecrossLeave a comment

Psalms 9:20 NIV
[20] Strike them with terror, Lord; let the nations know they are only mortal.
It is always so interesting how David often shows a sense of seeing the world around him as something that does not love God the way it should.
In Psalms 9:20 we join David as he sings a song of praise to God, (oddly enough to the tune Death of the Son) and then he ends his song with a prayer against people being wicked and ignoring God’s glory. Showing God honor was always the most important thing to David. I have wondered if David would have bothered with Goliath if he had not insulted God. God meant everything to this man. He had so much in his life that was good even before becoming king, and after… well… he was king. Yet despite all the blessings he had, David always held God higher than any of them. Because David worshiped God and put Him first in his times of blessing, it was easy for David to feel and know the power and goodness of God in his times of need.

Take away:
Do we put God first? We often run to Him when life takes a side road, but when things are just good, (not so great that we naturally draw to praising God, just good, fine, decent,) do we turn to God and worship Him? Do we desire for those around us to put God in high authority in their lives? What does He meant to you?
When the world around us falls away from Jesus and turns their backs, we should pray that God strikes them with terror of His power so they change and seek Him. They need Him so badly, yet they do not see it. We need Him so badly, but do we acknowledge it?
Give God time today.

Christianity · Devotional · Jesus · lent · Love · power of God · Prayer · psalms · True Joy

Psalms 8:1 NIV[1] Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.

February 21, 2026 carriedinthecross1 Comment

Psalms 8:1 NIV
[1] Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.

There are no small miracles!
How often do we ask God for something that is really important to us, but after He answers we never tell people because we have gotten it into our heads that it was small. I think we have this feeling due to certain testimony expectations. Someone who survived a car wreck unharmed seems to have a testimony that is greater than the girl who was praying for her senior dog to be able to jump up on the couch by himself again. Yet both are equal! Yes. The fact that God answers us at all is the amazing thing, but the lost earring and the broken foot both hold the same weight with God. Nothing we ask for is hard for Him, it’s our mind which make things big. Inside my mind my exams are HUGE! But to God they are nothing, they are so simple to Him. In my mind protection from a terrible storm is MASSIVE! But it’s easy for God.
There are no small miracles. What we ask for is only big or little inside our own minds.
I would like to see us walk away from this and begin boasting on God for EVERYTHING He does, not just for the things that seem big to us.
In the Psalm above, David speaks on how majestic the name of the Lord is; then he goes on to ask God what are we that God Himself cares for us?
We are so small in the whole of things, yet we mean so much to God.

Take away:
We undermine God’s goodness when we speak of how only certain things He does are miracles and others are only little blessings. Yet every work of God’s hand is a miracle, everything He does for us. Because the true miracle is the fact that God loves us and cares about us.
Even if we simply stub our toe, Jesus cares.
So when the things we think are big happen, let’s remember that, to God, they aren’t big at all.

Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · found · guidance · Jesus · lent · Love · power of God · Prayer · psalms · searching · still fighting

Psalms 7:17 NIV[17] I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.

February 20, 2026 carriedinthecrossLeave a comment

Psalms 7:17 NIV
[17] I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.
Here we have David again praising God; honoring his savior because of His righteousness. It seems from this verse that David is in a moment of great joy. But look at the verses above this one and you will see that David is not only in anguish but is being pursued. Despite the danger and all David was going through he not only honors God as sovereign, but he also declares that if he has done anything to wrong the person who is after him that God should permit him to be overtaken.
We like to focus on David’s big failures. His mistake with Bathsheba. His terrible parenting. Yet he was always a man who sought God with his whole heart, throwing himself at the mercy of God even if it brought him pain. God does not overlook our sins, but He does forgive. This same verse where David declares he will sing praises to God, he also acknowledges and accepts that the same weapons God uses to punish his enemies, He will use to punish his followers if they are unrepentant. Can we praise God when are confused and afraid? Can we give Him glory and at the same time know that if we sin without remorse we will be punished?

Take away:

God is always good. He is also always pure. He will not permit sin to run unchecked. Yet when He punishes our enemies He is avenging us, but when He punishes us He is loving us. Just like a parent who protects and disciplines his or her child everyday. Yet God does not hold to His anger. He forgives when you call on Him.

Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · found · free · guidance · Jesus · lent · Love · power of God · Prayer · searching

Psalms 4:7 NIV[7] Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound.

February 18, 2026 carriedinthecrossLeave a comment

Psalms 4:7 NIV
[7] Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound.

Welcome to lent 2026! This lent we will mostly be spending time in Psalms and learning from the various authors and artists.
Today we look at Psalm 4:7 where David is lamenting about his people. He asks how long they will ignore God and chase idols. The big thing to always learn from David is this: Feel your feels and then let them go.
Feel your emotions- acknowledge them- turn them over to Jesus.
David begins by feeling disheartened and ends in praising God and saying to Him, “let me see you do something wonderful.”
The very end of this chapter has the beloved verse about lying down and sleeping in safety because of God watching over us.

Take away:
Acknowledge problems and things that upset you. Then take a deep breath and hand them to Jesus. After you do this you can open your eyes to His goodness and look forward to the way Jesus cares for you.

You may wonder what the Psalms have to do with lent. Lent is a time of opening your mind to Jesus and all He has done for us. That means taking extra time everyday to be with Him. The Psalms are a great place to look at God’s wonder and how He cares for His people. Making time for a little more Jesus and a little less me is what lent is for as we prepare to remember the sacrifice of Easter.

Christianity · encouragement · found · free · guidance · Jesus · lent · Love · no longer lost · power of God · Prayer · searching · still fighting · The Bible · True Joy

Following the fourth Wiseman- Continuing on

April 20, 2025 carriedinthecrossLeave a comment

Several years have passed since our traveler’s experience meeting the Messiah. He has seen many miracles and many hardships. He had know when Jesus had sent him into the world to tell people about what he had seen and heard regarding Jesus, that it would not be easy. Yet there were days when he thought he could not continue on. He often wondered about the other disciples. He had heard stories about them and even the works of a man named Paul. He wondered if they ever felt worn down and hopeless? Yet every time he felt he could not carry on, our traveler recalled the words of his Messiah.

John 16:33 ESV
[33] I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

These words and the presence of his Messiah kept our traveler going. Telling the good news of Jesus everywhere he went. Until the end of his days.

We often feel like we just can’t keep going. We don’t have enough faith to tell one more person about Jesus. We don’t have enough courage to continue on the path He has put before us. We are just too tired to keep trying. The hate against us is so strong. The mockery, so constant. Why talk to people when they don’t believe?
Then the words of Jesus come back to us. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the Earth. Jesus has already overcome it all. I like the thing I saw that said, Jesus has walked on the tops of the waves you thought would bury you. There have been so many waves I thought would bury me, but when I felt I was going under I looked up and I saw the hand of the savior reaching down, that hand has kept me going. I’m sure it has kept many of us going. There’s no promise things will be easy. But He has risen, and because He is risen. We have a reason to keep on trying to trust him to go forward in faith.
This world is hard at times, but God.

John 3:16 ESV

[16] “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.