I don’t know who needs this tonight. But grief is like a box. You feel trapped by walls that you can’t touch or see and you feel a need to escape but can’t. This is why so many turn to suicide, because the box is everywhere. You run one direction and it follows you, you go another direction and it’s still there. The worst part of the box is that it is there even when you try and escape into sleep. It follows you into your dreams and makes you feel like you can’t breathe.
No one else sees the box, so they don’t understand how you feel.
But Jesus sees the box. He alone can hear you pounding on its barriers and screaming for help. The best part is, counselors and support groups -though great – can only meet you outside of the box. They try to coax you out and then meet you on the other side. But Jesus doesn’t need to wait until you are free from the box. He goes into the box with you. He sits there with you as long as you feel you need to be there. Because sometimes fighting the box takes too much out of us and we need time to sit and cry. When you are ready, Jesus will hold your hand, tap the box wall and make it fall before you. He will set you free.
If you are in a box right now, take a moment to speak the name of Jesus and realize that you are not alone.
Category: encouragement
Soak
Soak Him in.
We need time alone with God. Time set aside each day where we talk with Him and listen for His voice. He is my Jesus. He is yours too. Open your eyes to see Him today.
When you have an infection you are told to soak it. Soak it in bath salts. Or saline or some other product for healing. To heal you must Soak.
To heal your broken heart. Your sick body. Your needing and wanting mind. Soak yourself in the presence of Jesus. Don’t just spritz yourself with Him, dive in and Soak!
See what changes when you begin to sink in His presence and in His glory and grace.
Prophesies
What child is this?
Prophesies. Prophesies ushered in the birth of Jesus. Prophesies helped people understand who He was. Prophesies told of His death and resurrection. Prophesies are in part why the Wise Men walked across the desert to find a baby. Prophesies, Prophesies and more Prophesies.
Yet not all believed the fulfillment of the Prophesies. Many still don’t. Even now as we look around our world we are seeing the answers and fulfillment of Prophesies from the Bible and from true God seeking men and women from a later date. But do we believe that they are happening? Don’t we mock when we hear someone shout ‘Repent! He is coming soon!’
So. What about those Prophesies?
What child is this reminds us of the fulfillment of Prophesies. We have seen time and again when God spoke and answered. If we are going according to the past then I would say we should be listening for the trumpet because the Prophesies are being fulfilled.
If we are going by modern thinking, then there are no Prophesies and we can live as we like. But people who say that are already deceived, there are too few Christians these days who stand strong and preach the gospel, too few who have faith enough to hear when the angels speak and say ‘I am the Lord’s servant.’ We want to be royals, not subjects, and do to this we fall into false truth and spread it to the masses.
We promote positive thinking and speaking your words to the air so the blessing returns to you. This is not Christian. We never remind people to Repent, or dare to mention that a second coming is true and that He is already on the move. If God fulfilled the Prophesies in Isaiah about a Virgin giving birth to God’s son, and about that son being slain for the sins of men and women, and then rising again to conquer death. Why do we doubt the prophet’s claims that Jesus will return with the armies of Heaven and vanquish all evil once and for all?
What child is this? He’s the perfect lamb, the conquering king, and my Savior.
It so began
God rest ye merry gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan’s pow’r
When we were gone astray
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
God rest ye merry gentlemen has been around for so long most of us can sing it by heart. But have we ever stopped to read the lyrics? Even the first verse on its own is so powerful. Christ was born to save us all from Satan’s power. It’s true, but we forget it. We get caught up in everything else that we forget why Jesus came. I forget which speaker said it, and if you remember feel free to let me know, but one minister said that the first great miracle was not at the cross, but in the manger. We did a play as children once where the angels were standing around taking about Jesus being born on earth, and the angels were saying, “but He will take His power with Him won’t He? He won’t be all human… right?”
And another angel said, “He is taking His power with Him, but yes He will be all human.”
“He will be all human… and all God?”
“Yes.”
“Wow!”
“Yes.”
The angels went on to discuss what Jesus would go through as a man on earth right up to His death. The angels were enraged that people would even think of killing the son of God. But then they also knew that it had to happen and that He would be coming back again.
All of it, from the wine at the wedding to the upper room, began in the Manger. So that we could all be saved from the claws of the devil. So God rest ye merry people, because Jesus has come to save us.
Behind her
Behind her
My dad has been transferring over a bunch of our HFV s so we can watch them. One of them was a two hour production of a play I was in. I was part of the choir, which was pretty large. At the end of the production the leader came to the lead mic and gave an invitation for anyone in the audience who had not yet accepted Jesus as their Savior to raise a hand. No one did. She gave the call one more time and then we all prayed the sinner’s prayer. You could see she was disappointed that no person From the audience had put up a hand. She had felt the call from God that someone needed her to give the invitation, but she saw no results.
My mom was video taping the whole event, this part too. Behind the leader who had given the call, two boys in the choir and one girl, put their hands up to receive Jesus. The leader could not see them, so she thought she had made a mistake but had everyone pray the prayer anyway.
In the back there were three young souls who had never accepted Christ who went home with the Holy Spirit in them, because a woman gave a call, and wouldn’t give up, even though it looked like no one had answered.
Don’t get discouraged. You may never see the results. But you have never made a mistake by inviting people to come to know Jesus. Come and see said Andrew. Come and see said Philip. Come and see said the shepherds.
Come and see says the repentant souls who know that of no one had ever told them to come and see, they would still be lost.
All we can do is give the invite, the rest is up to God.
Delete that paragraph!
Delete that paragraph!
As an author I have learned many (many, many, many) things the hard way. There are a lot more painful moments than you might realize. One of the really hard things is when you have a single paragraph that takes several hours to write, because of the research and back reading and finicky things you have had to do, only to later have your editor tell you that it does not work for the book. The worst part is you probably knew it wouldn’t work for the rest of the book already, but you have put so much into it that you refuse to remove it. Instead you find you have fit the rest of the book to fit around that one paragraph that you refuse to remove.
Removing that paragraph would hurt. You have tenderly formed it. But it does not fit the story.
Our lives are like this. We have one small part that we have put a lot of effort and time into and because of that we refuse to get rid of it. It stands in the way of the rest of our lives, but we love it too much. So we form our lives around it.
Stop doing that! The paragraph you refuse to delete is misleading your story!
Now read that one more time.
It’s going to hurt. But you need to let it go. Especially if you are a Christian. You will have things in your life that do not fit your faith that will need to be removed. Sometimes it’s a habit, sometimes it can even be a job or a person. But if it’s holding you back. Certainly if it’s holding you back from God. Let it go. Delete the paragraph and start a new one. See where it takes you.
Last days burn out
Last days wear out is something no one talks about.
I would like to start this Devotional with the releasing statement that I am not one the great people who study in depth and know great and terrible things involving the end. However, if we believe the Bible (which we do) and read it fully we will know that all the days after Jesus ascended are the last days. So we are in them even if we are or are not fully in the book of Revelation yet.
What I want to speak of is last days wear out.
The Bible says:
2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV
[1] But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. [2] People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, [3] without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, [4] treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— [5] having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
And it says:
2 Peter 3:3 NIV
[3] Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
There are many more but we will stay with these for today. The last days for those living in sin will look a big party with no rules or rulers. But for those us who belong to Jesus, we can see the truth. What about those of us who long for righteousness? Those who tread carefully on the narrow path? We see all around us and try and remain pure, untainted and faithful, but as the final days of the end draw closer and closer things are getting worse. The world is dying and we can see it and for many of us it’s frightening and tiring. We feel like we are fighting against so much every day. We have lost friends and connections with loved ones and we wonder if we are doing the right thing. But God.
God warned us that this would be what these days would look like, He’s not surprised by any of it. Is He sad? Probably. Is He angry? Probably. But Is He surprised? No. He is still in control.
15] Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. [16] He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. [17] Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. [18] But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
We are called to stay on guard and to help our fellow Christians do the same. But it does wear us out. I am worn out. My friends talk and I hear how worn out they are. Being a true Christian in these sad and heartbreaking days is hard work. We pray harder and more often. It seems like the list of needs keeps growing. Evil is standing in the center of everything and is reaching its fingertips towards the church and all we want to do is scream or cry. But God is holding us. He is keeping us together and waiting until His time is right for His second coming and in that we have hope. The wars, politics, lies and deceit are banging around in our heads and Jesus is saying, “just be still. You are here for my chosen purpose. I am always with you.”
So maybe some days we need to take a break and rest and disconnect from social media, TV, and the radio just so we can become realigned with what matters and what is true. Then let us stand up and say:
[20] He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. [21] The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. Revelation 22:20- 21
They calls us names for they have never seen the true enemy
“They call us all sorts of things for they do not know what we are protecting them from. And we wouldn’t have it any other way, because if they knew they wouldn’t be able to live in the peace they have now.” – Paraphrased from The Fellowship of the Ring.
They do not know what we protect them from. We see the soldiers being torn to pieces on social media so often. But we have no idea what they have faced. Dogs come back broken and scared of everything because of the sounds and scents, the people are no different. The scars aren’t always visible, but they are always there. My family has a military history from my uncle who served in Vietnam to my Opa who was Dutch underground. We know the pain and sacrifice from the stories they brought back that have been passed down through the years, but so many do not have such stories to turn to for learning. I think of my boyfriend from Jr. High, his dad came back from Afghanistan with PTSD. If you looked closely at him you could see the emptiness in his eyes. It was like inside his mind he had never left. It was a frightening thing to see, and so sad. Those who have never seen the death and decay have no right to judge.
In a simile we could say those who do not know the enemy of their souls calls us names. We as Christians are supposed to be soldiers on a different front, though sometimes the same one as well. We are called to fight in prayer and petition against the enemy of our souls. The world attacks us with their words because they see this enemy as a friend and don’t realize that, as Larry Norman once said “he promised to love us, but that was a lie, there was blood in his pockets and death in his eyes.” The world does not see that the devil is a deceiver so they attack those who oppose him, but of they knew the truth their peace would be shattered until they found true peace in Jesus.
Our soldiers fight for freedom of bodies and wills, the Church fights for the freedom of the soul. We need both very very desperately. God help us to see that we need those who are willing to fight and bless and protect the soldiers. Amen.
The shepherd
The shepherd
What is the role of the shepherd in the pasture? He’s the whole purpose. He’s the one who wants the sheep and calls the sheep and cares for the sheep. But not just the sheep. He cares for the collies and the lamas too. He knows each animal in the field and knows how each one needs to be cared for. He also knows which sheep is hurting, which is afraid, which is prone to run away, which gets lost easily. He knows each sheep by name. He sits in the cold, the rain, the dark, the blazing sunlight, the icy snow and he watches over His flock.
God is the great shepherd. Psalms 23.
God knows each of us, He knows our names and He knows our minds, our hearts, our strengths and our weaknesses. He knows who needs a shoulder to cry in or who needs a healing hug. He knows who needs a hand to hold and who needs a gentle poke from the staff. Rain or shine He us always there. Night or day He is with you. He knows you and how to take care of you, not just as one of the flock, but as (insert your name here). He doesn’t say “it’s okay number 33687.” He says “it’s okay Lynne. It’s okay John. It’s okay Max.” Because we are special to Him as individuals.
Some of us are sheep
Some are lamas
Some are collies
But there is only one true shepherd and I thank God for shepherding me.
Sheep
Sheep
Sheep are… followers in truth. Sheep will follow eachother without a second thought. What is their role in the field? They are the purpose for the field. They are why the lama is there, they are why the collie is there and they are there because the shepherd chose them to be there.
Many, if not most, Christians are sheep. They are in the church because they love God and want to grow in Him. They aren’t prayer warriors, they aren’t going to the depths of the earth to help those who have fallen away, they are simply going through the motions of being a good sheep. So what is their purpose in the church? The sheep ARE the church. The sheep are the ones who are doing their best to serve God as they can. Some days that looks like volunteering at a soup kitchen, most days that looks like making sure you pray before bed. Each sheep is fighting an internal battle against the preditors who come at them through TV and social media. Each sheep wants to please the shepherd and in doing his or her best is setting an example for the other sheep. How are you leading the other sheep in your fold? Are you reading your Bible and living a life worthy of a child of God? Are you talking to the shepherd and getting to know Him? Do you ever volunteer at your church? The sheep will follow and copy eachother, sheep always do, so when the other sheep follow you, where are you leading them?
God protect your sheep. And bless and guide them as you know best.
Tomorrow we cover the shepherd and end our journey through the pasture. At this point, do you know which part of the pasture fits you? Are you a lama? A collie? A sheep?
Ask God to show you who you are and where you thrive so you can fulfill your full potential.
Carried in the cross 