Technical Difficulties!

Hello!  I need to do some checking with my publisher before I post any more of my devotions.  Yep!  You read it right!  I now have a publisher for my devotional book!  I am officially under contract with them for Snapshots and so I want to be absolutely sure my posts won't jeopardize the publishing process.  As soon as I know more, I will let you know.  You might say I'll keep you posted!  Giggle, giggle. 

If you enjoy my devotional blog, you'll love it in book form as well!  Never fear!  God is flooding me each and every day with new ideas for the next devotional!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my thoughts on our wonderful Heavenly Father!

Love, Sissy

Week 10 - Fit to be Tied

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.  We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Over the years I've tried all kinds of hobbies from silk flower arrangements to stained glass art.  And even though I've enjoyed almost every hobby I've tried, only one seems to stand the test of time, namely crocheting.  When I was a young girl my mother sat me down and taught me the basics.  I began with making a simple chain and soon moved on to single, double and triple crochet.  Soon I was making scarves, hats and blankets.  It amazed me how a simple, seemingly useless length of yarn could be transformed into things people use every day! 

I also loved the basket of yarn my mother gave me.  It was full of every different color you could imagine.  Some were very beautiful and some I didn't really care for, but I kept every last bit.  In time I would end up using all of it and often found myself searching for yarn sales to replenish my stock. 

I realize now that my life has a lot of parallels to the art of crochet.  Some days I feel like the "not so pretty" yarn that's settled to the bottom of the basket.  Other days I feel right on top!  Maybe you can relate?  I'm learning though, that wherever I find myself, or however I feel on any given day, God has a plan for me.  And just as I cherished every scrap of yarn my mother gave me, God cherishes each and every one of us.  He has a purpose for each of us and He will never forsake us. 

So what's my challenge in all of this?  When I find myself on the bottom of the basket and I've lost sight of God's purpose for me, I need to wait on the Lord and trust my time will come.  I also need to be ready and willing to fulfill my purpose when the Lord calls me.  I can prepare myself through prayer and studying God's word.  And just as the yarn bends, twists and turns in the crafter's hands, I need to be equally flexible and willing to follow God's lead wherever it may take me.  I need to trust and obey.  I need to be fit enough to be tied.  Are you? 

~Up Close and Personal~

Do you ever have days where nothing you try seems to work out quite right? 

Do you often find yourself wondering if God would ever choose to use you?

Has it ever occurred to you that you really only need just one thing to serve God and his kingdom?  What do you think that one thing is?

It all comes down to this.  You need a willing heart.  If you would only put your own agenda aside and decide to follow God’s lead, He would supply you with everything else needed to become a faithful, effective servant for His kingdom.  Not sure you’re able to offer Him your whole heart?  Ask Him for help!  It is His will that you would follow Him. 

~Name It~

Read 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 aloud.

Why is it so important to wholeheartedly serve God?

It is our calling.  Our very purpose here on earth is to glorify God.  This verse also implies that we have been created with a desire for goodness and the work of faith and power.  So if our very purpose is to glorify God through our service to Him and the desire to do just that is hard-wired into us, how fulfilling must that be?!  Fulfilling our God given destiny has got to be the ultimate reward any child of Christ could ask for!

~Claim It~

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that you would help me to give you my whole heart in willing service.  Help me fulfill my calling; the very purpose you created and designed me to fulfill.  Help me embrace your plan for my life.  Help me trust in you to provide me with all I’ll ever need to glorify you!  Thank you Father, for allowing me to take part in the building of your glorious kingdom!

In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Week 9 - Waiting Room

Psalm 40:1

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.

Isaiah 40:31

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

One crisp fall morning I arose bright and early and drove to the hospital.  I was proctoring an exam that started at 6:30 a.m.  As I sat in the quiet conference room during the test, I began to think of all the other early morning trips I had made to the hospital throughout my life.  There was my very first visit when I became our area’s New Years Baby.  There were many surgeries for both my loved ones and myself, the joyous births of my children and sadly the loss of a few very dear friends and loved ones.  All these significant, life-changing events centered around one place, the hospital, and one theme, waiting.

I don't care too much for waiting.  It is not something that I enjoy and it certainly does not come naturally to me.  One of the things I find most difficult about waiting is that it appears as if nothing is really happening while you wait.  The wait seems to serve no purpose.  Also, I sometimes forget that some of the waiting periods in my life aren't necessarily about me.  Often, God is working in the lives of others close to me during this waiting period.  Another thing I don't care for in waiting is the helplessness that I sometimes feel.  I have often tried to take matters into my own hands to end the wait only to make things much worse.  

The Bible carries many promises for those who wait.  God's word teaches us that His timing is perfect.  He isn't in a hurry like we are.  He has no problem taking the time needed to bring about what is best for us.  Even when it appears as if nothing is happening, God is always at work in our lives.  The next time you find yourself in one of life's waiting rooms, turn to God for the strength and understanding you need to see it through.  God uses every circumstance, every struggle, every wait to draw us nearer to Him and to develop godly character in us.  I think it no accident that He positions us in a place of healing like a hospital during some of life's most difficult waiting periods.  Even when we cannot see His hand, we can be reassured that He is looking out for our best interests.

~Up Close and Personal~

Are you in a waiting period right now?  Is there something you’ve been praying about for a very long time? 

Have you ever grown so impatient that you’ve taken matters into your own hands rather than waiting on God for a definite answer?

Have you ever made matters much worse by acting in haste rather than trusting and relying on God to help you?

Waiting isn’t easy for anyone.  However, no amount of time is ever wasted in God’s plans.  If we can acknowledge that He is sovereign and always at work in our lives, the wait will become easier.  In fact, if we truly understand His love for us and His power in our lives, we can embrace each waiting period and all it has to offer us in the way of building both our faith and our character.  The more we are called to wait, the more God entrusts us with a magnificent growth opportunity. 

~Name It~

Read Psalm 40:1 aloud.

What is the promise included in this scripture?

If we wait patiently for the Lord, He will hear our cry.

Read Isaiah 40:31 aloud.

What are the promises included in this scripture?

Those who hope in (wait for) the Lord will gain strength.  They will sour like the eagles.  They will not tire.  They will not become weary.

~Claim It~

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for my distorted view on the waiting periods you have placed in my life.  So often I have been too narrow minded about these time periods and what is really happening in them.  Help me to trust that no matter what I can or can’t see, you are always at work in my life and in the lives of those I love.  Help me embrace each new waiting period as an opportunity to grow closer to you.  Strengthen my faith during these difficult times.  Help me to trust you and to wait for your perfect timing.

In your heavenly name I pray, Amen.

Week 8 - Arachnophobia

Psalm 27:1

The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?

Late one spring my mother and I set out to visit our local beauty salon.  I had barely slept the night before as I anticipated how wonderful my hair would look after my first permanent.  You're laughing right now, aren't you?  After an hour of hair-pulling, nasty-smelling suspense, I arose from my beauty salon throne a new girl!  My naturally wavy auburn hair had been transformed into a full-blown mass of frizz and curl.

Once the crying subsided, I decided to go outside and play for a while.  Might as well try to forget about it, right?  The distraction seemed to work as I was feeling much better about the whole situation.  That is until I noticed something dangling from my bangs.  A left behind permanent rod you ask?  Why no, it was a big, fat, disgusting barn spider!  Apparently the little procrastinator was too lazy to build his own web, so he decided to move into my new rat's nest instead! 

I have always been deathly afraid of spiders, so finding my little stow away was quite traumatic for me.  In no time at all I had convinced myself that for some strange reason the spider was attracted to my newly curled hair.  Suddenly the next six to eight weeks stretched out before me like a nightmare.  There would be a mass migration to my curly head of every species of spider known to man!  My future seemed very grim as I anticipated the horror of it all.

Isn't fear a funny thing.  It can start out so small and grow at such an alarming rate.  We can begin to feel overcome in little to no time. Fear is most often completely irrational and can lead even the most intellectual of people to the strangest conclusions.  Many people don't realize this, but God knows fear is a major issue for us.  In fact, He tells us in one form or another "do not fear" about 365 times throughout the Bible.  That's once for every day of the year! 

So what can we do with all this fear?  Well, since most fears are based on fiction and our own vivid imaginations, common sense would tell us the way to combat fear would be to focus on what we KNOW is true.  And what's the source of all truth?  God's word is.  So the next time you find yourself overcome with fear, get into God's word and seek His guidance and peace.  Choose to believe in Him and His faithfulness.  In other words, choose faith in God and don't believe everything you fear. 

~Up Close and Personal~

Can you think of a time when your fears took over?

Looking back on the situation, do some of the thoughts you were having in that moment now seem very irrational?

~Name It~

Read Psalm 27:1 aloud.

It’s perfectly normal to experience fear.  What we do with our fears is what matters most.  What is the promise found in Psalm 27:1?

When we turn to the Lord as our light and our salvation, we will have nothing and no one to fear!  How do you think this truth is applied to our everyday lives?

Again, we are faced with a choice.  When we find ourselves in a situation that evokes fear, we can choose to focus on the situation and let the fear overwhelm us or we can shift our focus to God and trust in Him to deliver us. 

Courage is often mistaken as the opposite of fear or the lack of fear.  The true definition of courage is the ability to confront and overcome one’s fears.  My challenge for you the next time you are filled with fear is to turn to God and trust in Him.  He will give you all the courage you need.

~Claim It~

Dear Heavenly Father, in today’s world there always seems to be an abundance of things that can fill us with fear and worry.  I pray that you would help us trust in you.  Give us the reassurance of knowing and experiencing your love first hand.  Strengthen our faith in you!  Help us overcome any unbelief we may be struggling with.  In all things, help us seek you and your will for our lives.

In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Week 7 - What Will You Choose?

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

When my youngest son was just a toddler you would often find him sitting in his walker next to our aquarium.  He loved watching all the brightly colored fish swimming back and forth in front of him.  Seeing his increasing interest in our little underwater world inspired me to try something new.  I purchased a couple of tiny underwater frogs and added them to our growing collection of sea creatures.

One day, as he and I sat intently staring into the tank, I realized one of the frogs was missing.  I searched high and low for days but I simply couldn't find any trace of it.  Assuming the fish in our tank had enjoyed a gourmet meal of frog legs, I soon forgot about my little escapee.  That is until the day I noticed my son parked in his walker along the back side of the aquarium, a place he normally didn't sit.  Just as I approached him to investigate, he grabbed a very shriveled, extremely crunchy frog and stuffed it in his mouth!  Yes, he had officially become the youngest seafood connoisseur the world has ever known!

As distasteful as this story may be, nothing we ever put into our mouths can compare to some of the horrible things that come out of our mouths.  Did you know that there are over 120 verses pertaining to how we speak to one another in the book of Proverbs alone?  If you spend any time in Bible study, you will notice early on that God, in His wisdom, covers some topics repeatedly.  He knows there is great power in the words we say to one another.  Power we can use to either build someone up or tear them down.  He also knows that controlling our tongues is one of the biggest challenges we face in our daily walk. 

It would seem that 1 Thessalonians 5:11 supports the age old instruction we've probably all heard from our mothers, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all".  Many of us don't realize the impact our words have on each other or that we have a choice in this matter.  We can choose critical, judgmental words that hurt or, with God's help, loving, accepting words that heal.  Either way, you will be making a big difference in everyone's life with whom you speak.  What will you choose?

~Up Close and Personal~

When was the last time you were deeply hurt by something someone said to you?

Would you agree that what they said had great power over you at the time?

Can you see your own responsibility in how you speak to others?

Do you realize, no matter how we may be feeling, we can choose loving words of encouragement over hurtful words that tear others down?  So often we get this truth turned around.  We tend to think we can’t do something unless it feels right.  In all reality we often must choose to do what we know is right and let our feelings catch up later.

~Name It~

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:11 aloud.

So many of us long to make a difference in our world; we dream of changing things for the better and leaving our mark behind.   Has it ever occurred to you that something as seemingly insignificant as the way we speak to others could do just that?

Have you ever sought advice from someone during a difficult time?  What was the impact that conversation had on your circumstances?

Most of the time, the people we turn to cannot resolve our problems.  They can however give us the encouragement we need to press on.  Who do you want to be?  Do you want to be the one who makes a positive impact on the lives around you?  Or would you rather be the one who only makes matters worse?  It’s your choice.

~Claim It~

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for all the times I have given in to negativity and judgmental thinking.  I pray that you would offer me another chance to make a positive difference in the lives of those around me.  I pray that through my words, I would honor and glorify you and your love for us.  I know this will not be an easy task for me.  I realize I will still make mistakes.  But I also know that I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me!  Help me each and every day to make the right choice!

In your heavenly name I pray, Amen.

Week 6 - Under His Wing

Psalm 17:8-9

Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.

Late one hot summer afternoon I was met by a wonderful surprise!  I had just finished my work day.  As I crossed the employee parking lot something amazing caught my eye.  There, only a few feet in front of me, was a duck and her five little ducklings.  What a strange, yet encouraging sight.  Now I've seen my fair share of ducks before.  They're quite common in our state.  But I'd have to say that seeing them wandering around on hot pavement in the middle of the city isn't where I usually expect to find them. 

You can learn a lot about God by studying His creation.  Did you know that God, in His mercy, designed ducks without any nerves or blood vessels in their feet?  So, the icy cold water where they are often found, or in this case, the hot pavement, really doesn't bother them.  He also gave females dull brown feathers so that they can hide themselves and their young from predators by camouflaging themselves in their surroundings.  Ducks can also detect predators in less than a second.  They sleep with half their brains awake and sometimes even with one eye open!  Ducks keep their ducklings together to protect them and often return to the place where they were hatched to start their own family.  Anyone else noticing some similarities to how we as women raise our young?

The male, or drake, which is in charge of guarding the nest while the female is hatching their eggs, temporarily loses its colorful feathers and ability to fly.  Isn't that just like God to not only give us a special purpose and equip us to fulfill it, but also remove any temptation to flee from it! 

Just as an artist's work illuminates some aspect of their character, God's creation shines a light on His mercy, provision and protection.  If things seem to be heating up in your world lately and you are feeling under attack, take shelter in the shadow of His wings.  If He has put so much time and attention into the creation of these little ducks, how much more must He care about you, His child, and every last detail of your life!

~Up Close and Personal~

Have you ever just stopped to think about all the detail God wove into His creation?  If not, take some time to do so now.  Just think of it!  He created everything!  What an awesome God!  As demonstrated in the characteristics of these little ducks, he is not only a detail-oriented creator, he is loving and compassionate!  What do you think this truth means to you?

God cares about your every need!  When you pray, tell Him everything!  He wants you to share all that you are with Him.  There is nothing concerning you that is too small to take to Him in prayer.  Do your prayers reflect a deep level of honesty and intimacy with God?

Do you sometimes get stuck in a rut praying the same thing over and over?

Prayer is meant to flow like a conversation between two people.  The more you share, the more you will receive in return.  Trust Him with your every thought, your every need.

~Name It~

Read Psalm 17:8-9 aloud.

Have you ever considered yourself the apple of His eye?

God really is crazy about you!  He delights in you!  You are His most cherished creation!  You are His beloved child!  The next time you sit down to pray, talk to Him as a child does to their father. 

~Claim It~

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for all the times I chose to carry my burdens on my own.  It gives me great hope to realize that you really do care about my every need, my every struggle.  So often, I’ve withheld from you how I’ve really felt for fear of becoming a burden to you.  I’ve tried to deny my needs because I saw them as weakness.  Now I know that even my needs are some of the very details you created in me for your purpose.  Thank you for showing me that you are always available and eagerly waiting to hear from me.  You delight in me and in fulfilling my every need.  Help me share all of my life with you in prayer.

In Jesus name I pray, Amen.