No Fear! (Trading Satan's Lies for God's Truth)

Along the way I've struggled with life's uncertainties, allowing the fear of the future to consume my thoughts and steal my joy; but, recently, I've received a beautiful taste of God's perfect peace.

The past few weeks have been overflowing with uncertainties-exciting opportunities, unexpected challenges, and significant changes in my life and in the lives of those around me.

I like to believe that I'm an expert at dealing with change, but if I honestly assess my reactions, too often I find myself worried and concerned about the future.

But this is not how God wants us to live. The Bible is filled with encouragement and reminders that we should not be afraid (1 Timothy 1:7); it says we should let tomorrow take care of itself (Matthew 6:34); it assures us that God is in control (Proverbs 19:21); and it tells us that Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10). I could go on and on and on..God makes this abundantly clear in His Word: Jesus came to give us a life of peace (John 14:27).

Clearly, God knew what kind of person I would be and He put these verses, and so many others, in the Bible to give me comfort and assurance in times of uncertainty. I'm constantly amazed at how God fulfills each and every one of His promises. I'm not amazed that he fulfills them, but at how He fulfills them in my life.

These past two weeks, I've been leaning heavily on God, asking Him to lead me beside the still waters; and the peace I've found is truly past all understanding.

So join me as I continue to walk hand in hand with God through the trials and triumphs of life, letting go of my fears and holding tightly to God.

Final Thought: Letting go is one of the most difficult tasks God asks us to perform, but the results are always spectacular.

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Personal Commitment: This week I’ve come to recognize the power of thoughtful, mindful listening—giving just a few minutes of my time to listen to a friend tell me about his headache, a co-worker tell me about her kids’ antics, a church member share her writings, or my husband tell me about his bike ride. God calls us to love one another; and listening is a simple, but powerful way to express that love. So, I am committed to listening—even to those seemingly insignificant conversations—when the people in my life take a moment to share their joy and their pain.

Hills and Headwinds (Helping Others is the Best Way to Help Yourself)

Along the way I’ve discovered that when I’m encouraging others my burden is lighter and I take very little notice of life’s difficulties.

Here’s something you should know about me that will make this story a bit more impactful: I don’t often say ‘I hate,’ but this time I’m going to make an exception because I really do hate hills and headwinds when I’m riding my bike. These two things are not fun for me and, while I’m embarrassed to admit it, they often reduce me to a whiny little child complaining about how hard it is and desperately wishing I was sitting on my couch eating pasta (or some other equally delicious carbohydrate).

Recently, I participated in the Tour de Nebraska bike ride, and in those five days we were blessed with an excess of two things—you guessed it: hills and headwind. In fact, on Friday the headwind was 23+ mph gusting to 41 mph.

Did I mention that I hate headwinds?

But, despite these challenges, I can honestly say I had a wonderful time riding my bike across Nebraska. Not once did I raise my voice to lament my circumstances. Not once did I stop and refuse to go on. Not once did I wish I was sitting on my couch eating pasta. (Well, maybe once.) No, instead, I truly enjoyed the ride all day, every day—even the hills, even the headwind.

Looking back, I realized that the difference was this: I was riding with a wonderful group of people; we were all struggling together, and I was the incessant voice of cheerful optimism, loudly encouraging those who were lagging and merrily declaring that not only could we do this, but that we were having fun—I was the self-appointed cheerleader (pompoms excluded). And you know what? I was right, we did it and we had fun. Even I was surprised.

This experience made me realize that when I stop focusing on my own problems and instead take time to reach out to help others, I’m always happier. I discovered that as I encouraged others and bolstered their flagging resolve I was strengthened and I began believing the words of encouragement I spoke to others.

So join me as I truly take the words of Jesus found in Luke 10:27 to heart: “He said, ‘That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself’” (MSG). Because as I experienced that windy day on a bike in Nebraska, when I take the focus off myself and instead take time to encourage others, my spirits are also lifted.

Final Thought: Sometimes just a few cheerful words make all the difference.

“Thank You, Father!” (A Prayer of Gratitude)

Along the way I’ve discovered that God is always faithful in fulfilling His promises—always!

This week, I’ve been completely overwhelmed by God’s abundant blessing in my life! So, in this very special devotional thought, I’m simply going to share my prayer of gratitude. So please join me as I praise God for his unending blessings:

God, You are so ver...y faithful. Thank You for leading in my life. Recently, Your gentle hand of guidance has been clear and undeniable. But there have been times when I felt lost, times when I wandered in the wilderness waiting for You to guide me out—and the wait was so very difficult, Lord!

But, today, I want to thank You for those wilderness moments, Father, for it has been in those quiet, timeless moments that my faith has truly grown; and I’ve learned that waiting on You is transformative—it changes the way I experience life. And the deluge of blessings You have poured out after the interminable dryness of the wilderness is awe-inspiring! New growth emerges, flowers of joy flourish, and rivers of hope spring forth: Finally, spring!

So, today, I am celebrating Your faithfulness in my life, God. And I am daily amazed by Your limitless grace. Please hold me firm in Your gentle hand, and don’t let me ever stray from Your perfect presence.

God, You are so good—so very good all the time! You’ve poured out Your blessings…and they just keep coming—rolling like a tidal wave.

Flood me, Father, with Your continued grace, drench me in Your downpour of unending mercy, wash away any doubts in the endless flood of Your boundless love.

Amen.

Final Thought: God is always faithful: Test Him and see.

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Personal Epiphany: I am not alone in this cold, dark world: When Jesus left this earth, He sent the Comforter, Who is always with me. God is in the beautiful business of wiping tears away—every day, not just when He returns in the clouds of glory at Christ’s Second Coming. God is the Great Healer and He will lead us to the source of all life, if we allow Him.

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Personal Commitment: Fully surrendering to God means surrendering my fears, my sadness, my anger, my frustration, my dread, my anxiety, and my worry. So, today, I’m committing to full, unconditional surrender, allowing God to take care of the bad in my life as well as the good.

Dispelling the Darkness (Denying Discouragement, Dismissing Depression, Disallowing Despair, and Declining Discontentment)

Along the way I’ve discovered that discouragement is contagious: Like a cold, it’s passed from person to person.

I too feel it, pressing in on all sides, calling me to join the loud, mournful lament. I have every reason to celebrate, every reason to rejoice, every reason to praise God; yet, in these moments, I look around and see others being pressed by the same darkness, the same troubles, the same sorrows; like me, they are allowing the world’s general state of discontentment to act like a joy-devastating disease.

But I don’t have to allow it in! God has already given me victory over the darkness! I simply need to reach out and grasp the waiting hand of God, allowing Him to pull me from the darkness into His joyful light.

The beautiful truth is that God can wash away my sorrow, wiping away my tears, and replace my hurts and pains with joy—and not just when heaven comes, but here and now, today! Sometimes I focus on the fact that God will do all these things when He returns, and He will; however, He wants us to have a more abundant life here and now. If I allow Him, He will give me all this and more—today, and in eternity.

So join me as I continue to remind myself of this beautiful truth: God wants to save me—now; He wants to bless me—now; He wants me to be joyful—now; He wants me to feel His love—now!

Final Thought: When darkness begins pressing in, when depression knocks on your door, when those dark thoughts begin, turn to God, claim His promises, lay that darkness at the feet of God and ask Him to heal your heart.

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Personal Commitment: I often have to repeat truth to myself again and again until it becomes a permanent part of my heart and mind; so, today, I’m recommitting to full surrender. I’m determined to allow God to continue His revolution in my heart and mind. I’m committed to this beautiful process of transformation.

A Revolution of the Heart (Embracing God’s Change Within)

Along the way I’ve discovered that I was built for revolution: a sudden, complete, or marked change in ideology and thought.

We live in an age replete with ‘revolutionary’ thoughts and ideologies that often refuse to take root or come to fruition. Daily, we’re inundated with ‘new ideas’ that are really regurgitated old ideas—great ideas that were once thrown aside as garbage, but are now picked up and held up as new, as revolutionary.

In this barrage, I find myself eagerly grabbing for the next innovation that will change my life—change my world. I demand something better from society, from the government, from my job, from my friends, from my family—I want, want, want…But, all too often, I forget that life is not about getting; it’s about giving.

I’ve become so eager to find something new, something exciting, something life-changing, that I’ve completely lost sight of the true revolution—the revolution of my heart. All real change must start there and that ideology, once deeply rooted, will naturally be expressed in my every action.

My old ideas are no longer useful, my eyes have been opened to their ugly pettiness; and I am ready to make a change. This revolution must start with me. But I can’t do it on my own; I must fully surrender to God, allowing Him to fully transform my heart and mind—completing the revolution within me.

So join me as I stop buying into all the world’s shiny ideas, turning my back on its foolish version of wisdom and instead allow God to give me a new heart and mind—one that seeks only to please Him.

Final Thought:Allowing God to change my heart is the beginning of the revolution; and I’m ready for God’s revolution!

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Personal Commitment: I am abundantly blessed, but there are still moments when I lose sight of all the blessing and, for just a moment, allow myself to wallow in the small challenges of life. But God wants me to live an abundant joyful life; so I’m committed to continually turning my burdens and challenges over to God, allowing Him to carry those burdens and to work out all the challenges life presents. This is the only way to live the full, abundant life that God promises.

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Personal Epiphany: I’ve found that if I get my relationship with God right, everything else will fall into its proper place—my every action will be a beautiful reflection of this beautiful relationship.

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Personal Commitment: God wants me to know Him; so my commitment is to spend time doing exactly that—getting to know Him.

Pursuing My Passion (Seeking My Savior)

Along the way I’ve realized that the ultimate prize is a strong, thriving relationship with God—an intimate, tangible, personal relationship with my Creator. That’s the pearl of great price.

I’ve discovered that my life is fraught with ‘important’ things that distract me from my true purpose. Daily the world puts a million ‘important’ tasks in my path—pushing, shoving, dragging me away from the real goal: a beautiful relationship with my Savior Jesus.

The axiom of the age is this: Find something you’re passionate about and pursue it with every ounce of your being; don’t let anything keep you from pursuing the things and the people you zealously love. And I wholeheartedly agree with this movement; and, in alignment with these sentiments, I’m determined to pursue God exactly like that: relentlessly!

Sadly, when I honestly examine my life, I’m forced to admit my actions do not always reflect my desire to pursue God relentlessly—the things I chase are not always those things that build and strengthen my relationship with God.

My prayer is that God will give me a heart like David, a man who passionately pursued God, tenaciously sought a relationship with Him—putting this one thing above all else.

So join me as I use King David as an example and relentlessly pursue the thing my heart most desires: an eternal relationship with God.

Final Thought: The ultimate prize is not eternal life; the ultimate prize is an eternal relationship with God.

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Personal Epiphany: It takes a strong person to honestly assess their life and to humbly admit they can’t live without God.

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Personal Commitment: God’s work of transforming my heart and mind is often painful as He reveals the sin in my life, but I am fully committed to allowing Him to continue this amazing work; I’m committed to daily turning my heart and life over to Him.

Rooting Out the Sin (Filling the Void with God)

Along the way I’ve discovered that all too often I turn a blind eye to the sin in my life—either out of pride, lack of knowledge, or a stubborn unwillingness to honestly examine my heart for those things that separate me from God—but, whatever the reasons, when I’m finally forced to face those hidden or buried sins, I’m shocked to discover how deep and ugly they truly are.

In that moment of truth, I’m truly thankful that God does not reveal the full extent of my sin in one revolting exhibition, because the sheer weight of my disobedience and sin would likely crush me. Instead, God daily does this work in my life. He promises in Philippians: “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears” Philippians 1:6 (MSG).

I really shouldn’t be surprised when this process is sometimes painful or difficult; after all, the Bible clearly describes this as work—thankfully, it’s God’s work and not mine.

Does this mean I can simply sit back and let the good times roll? No, it means that I must be willing to face the painful truths in my life, allowing God to dig down deep, eradicating the very root of my sins. Often this painful process leaves a deep wound that only He can fill. The truth is that digging out the sin in my life is not enough; I must then fill the gaping void with God. (Reference Luke 11:24-27.)

So join me as I allow God to continue working in my life, rooting out the sin and filling the void with His unending love.

Final Thought:The only way to entirely eliminate sin from our lives is to fill our hearts and lives fully with God.

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Personal Epiphany: There is only one thing God wants from us—our hearts.

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Personal Commitment: It seems so easy to say, “I give my heart to God,” but the reality of fully surrendering to God is much more difficult; it’s a release of not just my troubles, but also of my hopes, my dreams, and my deepest desires. Who better to release my life to than the One Who created me? So, today, I am recommitting to daily surrendering my all to God, allowing Him to fulfill my dreams, and so much more.

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Personal Epiphany: To love is to erase all conditions, all expectations, all hopes, all dreams, all what-ifs—to love is simply to choose, regardless of the outcome, to give your all to another person.

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Personal Commitment: It seems so easy to say, “I give my heart to God,” but the reality of fully surrendering to God is much more difficult; it’s a release of not just my troubles, but also of my hopes, my dreams, and my deepest desires. Who better to release my life to than the One Who created me? So, today, I am recommitting to daily surrendering my all to God, allowing Him to fulfill my dreams, and so much more.