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Devotions by Meredith

Daily Devotional with Meredith Giles

My Presence Will Go With You

December 22, 2024

My Presence Will Go With You Exodus 33:15 KJV Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.” I have heard it said, “So much of what we do is done out of ministry principles instead of out of the Presence.” I have lived my whole life in church. From my earliest memories to my present life, I have spent a good portion of my time in church from dead, dry services where a boring form was followed, that seemed like to me, it had be done a million times with the same outcome. There have also been seasons of my daily personal time with the Lord that was as dry as burnt toast. I don’t like it. I know there are times when God withdraws His Presence, I believe so that we will run after Him, press into Him and do what it takes to find Him. It’s a learning and testing time before Him to trust Him in the dark and a time for Him to access the hunger level we have for Him. I’m with Moses. What’s the sense of doing life in our own strength. We only receive back our own human reasoning, relying on our own intellect, still coming up empty. I am asking and seeking Him today to increase my awareness of His Presence so I can move with the utmost sensitivity to Him, the Prince of Peace. He says He will never leave us nor forsake us. Its true, He always is near. My heart needs to settle into the understanding of this and practice it, not from my human emotions, but from my spirit as I learn to receive Him by faith, quiet myself and listen and watch expectantly for Him. He will speak. He will guide and lead us. He will come in whatever way we need Him to come. Maybe its just that we need to quiet enough, slow down long enough and trust in faith long enough for Him to do His thing. What’s the sense of pushing on without His Presence, without His direction and His sense of wellbeing that He places on our lives? I, for one, am so done with manmade ideas, good ideas, maybe, but not God breathed direction. Wouldn’t it be much better to lay out our life situations before Him, not coming to Him, telling Him what and what not to do, like He doesn’t know anything about what the challenge may be? Then practice listening carefully to what He will say and direct. Yes, this means we have to slow down and really watch and listen in faith that He will speak, that He will guide. I’ve gone down too many roads of good ideas to only come up empty when its all been said and done. I have a certainty in heart now because of many learning experiences, that our heavenly Father will show Himself faithful, if I will but trust Him. Don’t move forward today in your life without His Presence. It leads to nowhere you really want to be. What about you? Do you have areas of your life you need to talk to Him about, people you need to surrender completely to Him, and then listen and watch for what He will say and for how He will lead? Let me reassure you, He can always be trusted. Let His Presence guide you today.

In Wisdom’s House

December 21, 2024

In Wisdom’s House Proverbs 21:20 TPT In wisdom’s house you’ll find delightful treasures and the oil of the Holy Spirit. But the stupid squander what they’ve been given. There are those specific people who you meet in life who you can be at ease with. You can laugh deep belly laughs with them at some hilarious story, and you can also cry hot, gushing tears with them over a traumatic happening in your life. They don’t have to fix you or have all the answers. Just their presence and real transparency of heart bring great peace and solace to your needy spirit. They are a treasure. I have had a few, very few souls like this in my life. Some are now home with the Lord, and oh, how I miss them and their sweet, priceless fellowship. Full of wisdom and delightful treasures, they were wells of sweet, sweet water. They were lamps whose precious oil of the Holy Spirit never ran dry. I want to be just that. Not someone who points a judgmental finger at someone going through rough waters, or a person who turns their back to those who need them at critical times, when instead, a delightful treasure needs to be brought to the forefront to encourage and comfort. We, as Christians, can sometimes come across as “better than thou” in our actions and words when we don’t even fully know someone’s story or heart, or what they’re living through in this season of their life. I believe our criticisms of others come from our own insecurities, when consciously or subconsciously we think we are so much better, and far more mature because we are not in the kind of situation and ramifications of poor choices, such as the ones we are presently criticizing. Wow! This for sure is not wisdom. Can we discipline ourselves to not judge others so quickly, functioning in our “know-it-all” fashion? In wisdom’s house, there are delightful treasures. Wisdom would reach out in gentleness and kindness, not in harsh criticism from a scoffing posture. If we have been in the Presence of the Holy Spirit, soaking, listening, learning, would it stand to reason that we would illuminate the essence of Him rather than our own fleshiness? Sometimes to say nothing is the wisest posture one can take. Whatever an individual’s challenges may be, whatever the mistakes one has made, the poor choices taken, wisdom says it is not helpful to lay layer upon layer of inflated, belligerent “know-it-allism,” but to be a listening ear and a neutral sounding board for this struggling soul. Here you have an opportunity to be healing balm and a refreshing spring in the midst of turmoil. Wisdom says—be that! Remember, God sees and hears all. Let’s not squander the wisdom He has afforded us. Be wise for this day and every day. What about you? Would you consider yourself “wise?” Do you just have to state your opinion and “get everyone told?” Are you gentle and kind, or quick to judge and respond in harsh ways to someone who is struggling? Don’t squander the wisdom God has made available to you. Be a conduit of His love and mercy today and every day. Value the wisdom He has given you. Blessings on your day.

According to His Will

December 20, 2024

According to His Will Ephesians 1:11 NKJV In Him also we obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will. When the Word of God speaks about “the counsel of His will,” it is telling us that God has an eternal and unchangeable plan. There is a pretty heavy thought in theology and doctrine that can take us years, (and may not even then), be able to understand it completely. The word for this is “predestination.” Ephesians 1:5 speaks of God, “having predestined us to adoption.” Also we see this thought conveyed in Ephesians 1:9, “Having made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.” Father God’s thoughts and ways go far beyond our human finite ability to comprehend. Isaiah 46:10 says, “Declaring the end from the beginning, and ancient times things that are not yet done saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure. 11b Indeed I have spoken it. I have purposed it; I will also do it.’” Romans 8:28 which is a very much quoted verse in Christendom, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” God has a deliberate plan, a proposition, an advance plan, an intention, a design for our lives. As we stay in His Word, and have tender hearts and listening ears for His voice, He will give us wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. He will direct our paths. The eyes of your understanding will be enlightened. This simply means that there will be a “thinking through” the challenges of life and the decisions that will need to be made. Father God goes before us and prepares the way as well as comes behind us and brings up the rear, so to speak. He knows all of the things we have lived through—the good, the bad, and the ugly. He wants to heal us from all of those rough things that have happened in our lives. He knows just how to do that. He was there with you all the time. Someone may be questioning today, “Well, if He was there, why didn’t He stop these hard, harsh things from happening in my life?” Here’s the answer: God has given man a free will; he allows man to make His own decisions for good or bad; for kindness or cruelty. It’s up to each of us how we will live and treat others. I believe He weeps when He sees people suffer in such hard ways. But I also know that He is the Healer and Comforter and will restore us from those devastating crises we endured. Our verse today tells us that “He works all things according to the counsel of His will.” Joseph in Genesis 50:20, told his brothers, “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” There is a freedom and release that comes to the heart of man when we understand the truth that God has a specific plan for each one of us personally, and that we can rest assured that in the times of affliction and struggle, He is building something in us, causing us to gain strength and wisdom for the upcoming plan God has for our lives. Are you at peace today? Do you have inner struggles over life’s situations? Can you ask God to give you a glimpse of His future for you and embrace it by faith, knowing He is teaching you and preparing you for His purpose to come to pass in your life? Be strong and restful in the Lord today.

Are You Listening?

December 19, 2024

Are You Listening? Proverbs 8:34 34 Blessed is the man who listens to me (wisdom), 35 For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord. So often in life, it will look like someone is really listening only to see them cool off in their walk with the Lord. They continue to have a form of godliness, but they truly are falling asleep when it comes to connecting, learning and maturing in their walk in growing in HIm. It’s like their body is there, in the right spot, but their mind is somewhere else, possibly they are even totally asleep. If they are asked, “What is the Lord teaching you right now,” they would give you a song and dance, but in reality, they have no signs of growth in their lives. They are just an empty husk filled with nothing but just plain empty. Our verses today are talking about wisdom. There are those you see who carry a notebook with their Bible and fastidiously take notes at a Bible study or listening to a sermon. There’s no slackness or grass growing under their feet. It’s hard to awaken people who choose not to listen and hold the posture of knowing better than others who are light years ahead of them in their growth and experience in walking with the Lord. Verse 3:35 goes on and says “For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord.” Proverbs 9:6b says, “And go the way of understanding.” It takes true humility to sit at someone else’s feet, and to stop taking for granted that you know everything there is to know about life. Maybe you have even been warned to take a different road than the one you’re on, or not to get evolved in a venture, yet you won’t listen. You won’t heed the warnings. Nothing may happen right away. It may look like you’ve made a great decision in stubbornly leaning on your own understanding. Hold onto your hat because time reveals all things. Cocky stubbornness can bring a real burn. Make sure you seek the Lord first in all decisions that must be made. He is wisdom. He wants you to listen to Him. Listen carefully for His voice and you will find Him and hear Him as He speaks and leads you. You will find life and obtain favor from Him. There is safety in the counsel of the godly. Seek them out. Listen to their counsel and advice. It doesn’t mean you are weak or that you have to take every word of advice they would offer you. Listen for the voice of the Lord, wisdom, above and beyond any other voice. He wants to bless you. He wants to keep you safe. He wants to prosper you financially but also in your relationships and every endeavor you may pursue in your life. Seek out His plans for you. Psalm 33:1 says, “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generation.” He is wisdom. Wait on Him. Listen for Him. He will give His counsel and wisdom specifically, tailor-made just for you. What about you? What do you need to seek the wisdom of the Lord for? Are you slowing down long enough and listening carefully, and mindfully to His voice and His Word? He’s got you and the quicker you seek His wisdom, the sooner the answer will come. Trust Him fully today.

Alone, By Yourself

December 18, 2024

Alone, By Yourself Acts 7:30 And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. Before Moses could be the one to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, he spent 40 years in the wilderness tending sheep. When Moses was still living in Egypt, a much younger man, Acts 7:23 tells us, “Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel.” He saw an Egyptian abusing an Israelite and became very upset, so upset, that he beat the Egyptian, killing him. Moses then fled for his life right out into the desert. When we take matters into our own hands, and we move on our “big ideas,” we often find out that our big ideas were not God’s ideas and plans. This is when God takes us, or should I say drives us into a place of solitude, where He can talk to us concerning us. This is a process that is not always a comfortable one. In fact, it many times, feels like real suffering. He can isolate you, shut things down around you, distance you from other people, and put you in a place where you have to listen, or maybe we should say, you will want to listen and hear what the Lord, your heavenly Father, has to say to you. It’s amazing how the human mind can become so preoccupied with every possible noise, person, happening, etc. all around you constantly, and miss the most important Voice of all for them…. the Lord’s. It took 40 years for Moses ability to develop to hear, to slow down, to let go of all the wrestling of the why’s and the what’s, all the questions about his life, to come down to a slow grind and finally a stop. This is when Moses noticed the burning bush, and he finally could hear the voice of the Lord speaking from it. This was no ordinary angel speaking, for when we see a capital A used in the word Angel in the Bible, they are telling us that it is actually Jesus Himself, not just a regular angel. How amazing this is! The Lord had come to make Himself real to Moses, giving the commissioning of Moses’ assignment to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Now, this is God’s way, His revelation for His people, and not Moses’ taking matters into his own hands. In a way, I feel sorry for Moses. His heart was in the right place, but he had not come into a place of complete yieldedness and surrender to the Lord to wait on God’s timing and be able in that quiet place before the Lord, to hear what God’s plan was, to get the when, the where, and the how. I can only imagine that there were days when Moses felt completely alone, maybe even resentful and confused. Haven’t we all been there? I have. Hebrews 4 tells us about laboring into God’s rest. This is learning to surrender all to Him, and learning to rest in Him, not doing life on our “I think,” but waiting for God to speak His direction and His way in all things. You can trust Him today. Just get quiet and let Him speak and work in your life. What about you? Are you struggling today? Are you depressed or discouraged? I have had days like this. This best thing to do is immediately surrender it all to the Lord, trusting Him to work. Get your mind on Him and what He will speak to you. Remember, He will take us to a place of aloneness and quietness, so that we will be able to hear Him. Trust Him in all His ways. He knows what He is doing. Have a blessed day in Him.

Come to Jesus

December 17, 2024

Come to Jesus Matthew 11:28-30 TPT 28 Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to Me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. 29 Simply join your life with Mine. Learn My ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in Me. 30 For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear. Jesus doesn’t tell us when we are weary that He is too busy to deal with us, or go find someone else for help. He tells us to come to Him. Jesus said that in other places as well. Many times Jesus said, “Come after (follow) Me,” but only here does He say, “Come to Me.” In Exodus 33:14, God tells us, “And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Jesus said in Matthew 23:4 “For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.” Many circumstances in life pile burden upon burden on us, whether from others or just the situations we find ourselves in. In the Aramaic translation, this phrase is used, “I am your oasis.” I remember years ago there was an advertisement for Calgon bath bubbles. The ad showed this overworked, overburdened woman sinking into a hot bath with lots of beautiful bubbles floating and gently swirling all around her. It made you want to start running the water for a nice, hot bath. When you are overwhelmed and bone tired, Jesus is the One you want to run to. Pour out your heart and all the emotions, no matter what they may be, cry if you want to. He is there for you. Just know that He will talk with you and make Himself very present and real in your time of need. He wants you to come to Him. The King James translates verse 29 as “Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” It also could read “Bend your neck to My yoke.” The metaphor of a yoke is that it joins two animals to work as one. Plainly said, it isn’t just work or labor that is the focus here but coming into union with Jesus. The end of verse 29, “You will find refreshment and rest in Me,” translates in the Aramaic as “Come to Me and I will cheer (refresh) you. I am cheerful (refreshing) and humble in heart, and you will find cheer (refreshing) for your soul.” I love the repeating of the word “refreshing.” How many times in life have I needed “refreshing” that only the Lord could bring into my life. No one, nor anything else but Him could do that. Verse 30 reads, “For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.” Pleasant and easy to bear,” can also be translated as “kind” or “delightful.” Doesn’t that sound good? It feels like the Lord lifts heavy stones off of your beat emotions and weary mind bringing His soothing touch to you. So dear one, along with our verses for today, let’s add Psalm 55:22, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Always know that He loves you so and is always there with His arms wide open just waiting for you. What about you? Are there situations or people that are weighing heavy on you today? Come to Him and cast it all onto to His waiting heart. He will lift them and bring refreshing peace, rest, and even joy to you today. Have a restful day in Him.

God Knows the Way I Take

December 16, 2024

God Knows the Way I Take Job 23:10 But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested (tried) me, I shall come forth as gold. Just as gold is refined in the fire, so too your character is being refined in quiet seasons with Him. We may face some spiritual battles, even as Jesus did when He was driven into the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights. This time of being alone is not meant to harm you or to destroy you. God knows exactly what He is working in you. This season is meant to strengthen and empower you. What you learn to overcome in this season of aloneness will be the very foundation of your upcoming blessing. This is the very place where the Lord reveals vision to you. In fact, your vision grows in solitude. When life is whirling all around you, you are unable to hear the Voice of God as clearly as you need to. This is the place where the Lord will give you great clarity as you wait on Him in quietness. Don’t despise the time and season. He draws very close in your quietness. This is the time of His birthing His blessing in and for you. If we are intuitive enough to the heart of God, you will begin to discern that He has seasons that will come and then change to another in our lives. This season of isolation is one of the most profound. Even as winter can seem long, cold and trying, there are many things happening in the ground, in the trees, and even with the animals. This is the season when there appears to be nothing happening and can even seem like it is the end of coming to a full position of death. Yet it is one of the most significant phases in your spiritual development. This season of isolation is not one of punishment, but of preparation for growth and promotion. It is God’s divine strategy. It is God drawing you into an alone space where distractions are taken away and His awesome Voice becomes clearer than ever in isolation. This is the posture you will take as God works on your inner being. This posture is taken even as a human body is positioned on an operating table for a specific surgery. Understand that purpose is not birthed in a crowd. It is processed and refined when there is no one around, watching and adding their “I thinks” to your journey. It can feel like you are going to be forever isolated with not much contact and interaction with others. Understand this, rest in it, God is preparing you and He must do it in quietness and isolation. It is a deeper work that many will not allow the Lord to do in them. God hides you to prepare you. Just like a seed that is buried in the ground, you may feel like nothing is happening, but beneath the surface, transformation is taking place. God is shaping your heart and renewing your mind and strengthening your spirit for what’s ahead. Hold steady in this place. Your Father knows exactly what He is doing. What season are you presently in? Do you understand what God is working and processing in you presently? Can you comprehend that He is preparing you for a higher level, a greater place of authority, and greatness in His Kingdom? Rest in Him today. He is completely in control, and you know you can trust Him. Blessings on your day.

Your Yard

December 15, 2024

Your Yard I Thessalonians 4:4 That each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor. No one can be responsible for you. Here’s a good way to illustrate this. We each have our own yard. No one else can step onto your yard and plant flowers or shrubs just because they want to. No one can decide to dump their garbage each week on your lawn, or let their dog do its business there. This is your yard and they have no right doing anything on it. You, on the other hand, can plant flowers and shrubs, choose to dispose of your garbage properly or let it pile up, and if you own a dog, you can let it do its business anywhere on your yard you choose or not. It is your yard. Our feelings and attitudes are ours. If we will take responsibility for them, we can solve problems with them and make powerful decisions for our life. Whoever makes us angry is not responsible for it. Our anger is a sign that someone has sinned against us. Matthew 18:15 tells us, “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.” Moses also wrote in Leviticus 19:17, “Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.” If I am the one dealing with these feelings, I am the one responsible for them. Moses tells us we can reprove the one we are angry at, or allow this anger to turn into bitterness and hate. The anger will be resolved if we can talk it out with the offender and the relationship be healed and better. “Iron sharpens iron.” Each of the persons who have been in the conflict will be better for working it out. If we choose not to deal with our feelings, they can turn into bitterness and hatred and continue to fester. Back to our analogy—it is our yard. We can choose or not choose to deal with whatever is happening in it. It’s not someone else’s responsibility. Likewise, you are not responsible for what is going on in someone else's yard. You’re not responsible for others’ attitudes. Putting expectations on others is not our job in life. We usually end up complaining and becoming disappointed with them. When we begin to take responsibility for our own attitudes, then we begin to be set free from the expectations of others who try to put them on us. A pattern of thinking that is not healthy is to play the victim because of others’ expectations of us. Slow down and figure out where that attitude has come from, and process how you can be freed from the expectations of others when they try to put expectations on us. God has healing and health for you in every area of your life. He has great freedom and blessings as well. What about you? Are you free and at peace in your feelings and attitudes in your life? Do you have healthy boundaries where you are free to live your life led by the Lord and not others? Take some time to be with the Lord today, and let Him talk to you about any areas of your life that you may need healing. Rest in Him that He will speak and lead you to a healthy, balanced place in your life. Blessings on your day.

Alone in Preparation

December 14, 2024

Alone in Preparation Exodus 3:7, 11 7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmaster, for I know their sorrows. 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” Lamentations 3:28 28 Let him sit alone and keep silent, because God has laid it on him. Don’t mistake isolation for punishment. God is not withholding something from you. He wants you alone so He can speak to you. He is preparing something through you in isolation. The Lord is breaking old patterns, old mindsets, and old ways of thinking that are not productive and conducive with the plan He has for your life. He is preparing you to be able to step into the new that is in His plan, with strength, surety, and purpose. Gold has to be refined in the fire, and so does your character which often is refined in this quiet season. This time of change, even isolation, is not sent from the Lord to hurt or destroy you. It is meant to empower you. Your blessing will come as you overcome this season of being alone. In a season of solitude, rest in the Lord and let Him reveal His vision for you. Vision grows in solitude. In this place of solitude God will give you clarity. It is hard to see clearly with noise all around you. Too many voices jealous for your attention, crowding out the voice of God. Don’t become depressed and despise this time of aloneness. This is the birthing place of your blessing. There are seasons in every journey of life, and one of the most profound season is the time of isolation. You can easily misunderstand this period. You will feel like you have been abandoned or think that something is wrong, when in truth, it is a very important time, an important time in the drawing of the Lord, drawing you close to Him, and a very significant time in your spiritual development. There have been times of aloneness for me when I felt like I had done something wrong, or that I somehow, had become undesirable to be around by others. Yet it is none of these thoughts. It is God’s divine strategy. The enemy of your soul will tell you otherwise, yet God’s Word tells us our heavenly Father is in control 24/7, and that He never leaves nor forsakes us. He is working something! It is not known and understood by you, yet here you are, reading this devotional today because He wants you to understand His ways. He wants you to relax and rest in Him. He is in total control of your life and knows exactly what He wants to work in you, causing you to understand and grow in your maturity in Him. The purpose for your life is not birthed in the crowd. The Lord refines His purpose in you in the quiet moments, in the deep places of your heart, when no one else is around or watching. You will feel like you are all alone and in truth, you are hidden from the world because God is hiding you to prepare you. What about you? Are you at peace and rest in your spirit, and in the season God presently has you in? Are you quiet enough to hear His voice and His preparation plan for your life to bring you into the fullness He has for you? You can trust Him fully today and every day. Let go and let God. Blessings on your day.

Who Can Stop the Lord?

December 13, 2024

Who Can Stop the Lord? Isaiah 14:23 The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand. Isaiah 43:13b I work, and who can reverse it? Years ago, as a young couple raising a very young family, finances could at times, be very tight. It seemed like several unexpected expenses came up that needed to be paid rather quickly. We did not have the finances in our checking or savings account. What were we going to do? As we went to prayer about this need, I heard the still small voice of God stir in my spirit saying that $1,000 was going to come via the mail. I was a little hesitant to tell Stephen what I felt the Lord had spoken to me. But I finally got up the nerve and quietly shared with him what I felt in my spirit. We checked the mail most days, but somehow, we must have forgotten to stop and get it at the post office for several days. When we did stop to pick it up, I was the one who ran in to get it out of the box. There was a different looking envelope among the magazines and other mail. I stopped and pulled over into a corner, out of the way in the post office. Slowly I opened the strange mail, and much to my surprise and joy, as I pulled the paper out of the envelope, I could see it was a check. Yes, it was a check for exactly $1,000! I left the post office as fast as I could, waving the envelope and check above my head with exuberant joy! Stephen’s face lit up at seeing me so excited. I HAD heard from the Lord! This was the best news first, and then the miracle of the much needed $1,000! You see, when our heavenly Father thinks a thought, it will come to pass, and it will be exactly as He purposes it to be. It will stand! He works and no one can reverse what He has purposed to do. It never ceases to amaze me to catch a glimpse of the infinite care of our heavenly Father over HIs children. Psalm 37:25 says, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor His seed begging for bread.” Like us, you may need a financial miracle, or you may have a physical need. Isaiah 53:5 says, “But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed.” He is our healer! Cry out to Him and bring your need to Him. Trust Him to heal you however He chooses. Even emotional challenges and relational challenges can be healed by our Master and Lord. He will purpose to help you no matter what it may be. And no one can reverse what our Father purposes to do. What about you? What is your need today? Tell Him and then, listen in faith for His direction and answer to prayer. He hears you and He will answer you. He is a good, good Father that will not fail. Trust Him fully today.

A Higher Place

December 12, 2024

A Higher Place Psalm 105:23-26 TPT 23 So you were fed up and decided to destroy them. But Moses, your chosen leader, stood in the gap between you and the people, and made intercession on their behalf to turn away your wrath from killing them all. 24 Yet they still didn’t believe your words and they despised the land of delight you gave to them. 25 They grumbled and found fault with everything and closed their hearts to your voice. 26 So you gave up and swore to them that they would all die in the desert. Poor Moses! My mind cannot even begin to get wrapped around the thought of having to lead so many people, and not just people, but ungrateful, thankless, self-centered, miserable people. Even God got sick of them and decided to let them all die in the desert, that terrible grumbling generation. Yet I want to focus on Moses. Here they all are, shaking their fists at him and telling him off with their selfish demands, when he had put his life on the line to bring them out of slavery in Egypt. He had stood in the gap over and over again, going to the top of the mountain to hear what God had to say to them when they, themselves would not go, but said to him to go hear from God for them. He would go in the tent of meeting and wait on the Lord to receive the Lord’s direction and heart for this people. Remember when Moses was on the mountain seeking the face of God, and they built a golden calf and danced around it naked in some sense of worship to it? How dumb! How belligerently stupid! As we study the life of Moses, we find that he, even in their times of the dumbest stupidity and rebellion, would intercede for them, begging God to have mercy on them, even to the place of semi-rebuking God when God said He was so disgusted, even He was done with them. Moses told the Lord if He didn’t go with them, Moses wasn’t going to go without Him. Here’s the truth of our devotion today—there will be people in your life that will be very selfish and even poisonous to you and others; never reciprocating but only taking. The funny thing about them is that they will expect consistency and kindness from you but require nothing from themselves. Here’s the rub—we can choose to cut them off, or we can choose to take a higher, more mature road and love them unconditionally. Truly, it is a challenge, but a choice you can make to love them as you love the Lord, and truthfully, as He has loved you. Your choice. I believe life becomes a little less dramatic when that decision is chosen and lived by. Others may even judge you as being a little thick, yet Moses had made this kind of decision. I don’t believe God ever faulted him for it. Sometimes God takes us to places where others never will have to grow. That’s ok, for in those places is where you will learn and be drawn closer to him than possibly many others. Let Him lead you as you draw closer to Him. What about you? Is the emotional roller coaster of others immaturity worth all the drama they may bring into your life? Can you take a posture of thinking and living on a higher place of thought in the Lord? Let God take you deeper in Him. You won’t regret it! Blessings on your day.

We Will Be Known

December 11, 2024

We Will Be Known I Corinthians 13:12 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then shall I know, even as also I am known. The other day while waiting for my husband to get his haircut, I was listening to a woman’s tragic story on my phone. Her husband, little boy, and herself were struck by a car and devastatingly injured in the crash. Her husband died, and her little boy had severe injuries which put him in a coma. The doctors tried to prepare her that her son probably would not live. And if he did live, he would possibly be a vegetable or would need full time care the rest of his life as damage to his brain was overwhelming. The little boy was in and out of the coma for days. Finally, he awoke and to everyone’s amazement, there was no brain damage. He told his story that while he was in the coma, that he saw Jesus. He also told his mother that he met his two siblings in heaven. As just being a little boy, he didn’t know that his parents had lost two babies from miscarriages. He also told how he had met relatives that had passed before he was born, describing them and what they had talked about. He told his mom not to be sad, that his dad was in heaven and was working on projects there. His mother came out of her sorrow and grieving upon hearing this powerful testimony of her son’s experience while in the coma. I remember having a dream that was so vivid, I awoke from it feeling like I had actually lived it. My Grampa Small was one of the most precious family members to me. He was a grounding pillar and immense encourager and strength like no other all of my childhood, and on until he went home to be with the Lord. He was 96 when he passed into glory. After that I would frequently have dreams of him. Grampa at times, would wear a brown felt hat. It was the style for his age group back then. I remember in the dream that I was walking down this beautiful boardwalk with little shops on either side. There were others strolling in front of me in a steady line. As I walked along at an easy pace, I looked up and over the heads of those just in front of me. There was that familiar brown felt hat that I knew so well swaying slightly on a head walking with an easy gait. My heart began to beat a little faster as I picked up my pace and started weaving my way through those strolling in front of me. It was Grampa! I just knew it! When close enough, I reached out for his arm, and sure enough, he turned and upon recognizing me, his face lit up with sheer joy as did mine. My heart felt set free! The heavy grief of losing him immediately lifted. He looked much younger, strong and healthy. In the dream, I even remember the firm embrace of his familiar arms squeezing me as I leaned into him. I awoke from the dream feeling like for the time of that brief dream, my spirit had been massaged with the warm glow of heaven. My deep sorrow at losing him, somehow supernaturally lifted. Our verse tells us we will know each other in heaven. We will be known as we are known. We have so much to look forward to. And thank God for those supernatural dreams and experiences that bring hope and peace to us as we await seeing our loved ones again someday. What about you? Do you need to turn your sorrows over into the hands of the Lord? Ask Him to help you with any grief you may have. He knows exactly how to minister to you and that we will see them again. What a day that will be!

Waiting

December 10, 2024

Waiting Psalm 40:1 1 I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. In the Passion Translation Psalm 40:1 reads “I waited and waited and waited some more, patiently, knowing God would come through for me. Then, at last He bent down and listened to my cry. Are you a good waiter? I’m not. I always tell myself whenever I’m in a waiting scenario, that I will wait patiently. I will have my phone with lots of books all ready to just be opened to read readily available to help me pass the time waiting. Yet I still will find myself impatiently swinging my leg or fidgeting in my chair while in the waiting room. Psalm 25:5 reads, “Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all day.” It’s the same way, especially when we first begin to cry out to the Lord for direction and other answers to our prayers. We subconsciously believe that our heavenly Father probably is going to answer our cry to Him within the day. This does happen occasionally, but more often than not, there will be a waiting time. This waiting time is not for naught for God is working something much deeper in us as we wait for the answers to our prayers. He is molding our hearts, and our character into a more mature posture. This is when the demanding attitude of a child grows into the patient ability to wait on the God that we come to know during our waits. There have been many times I thought God should answer my prayer request right away, only to have to wait and wait and wait, only to see later on down the road, why He didn’t answer my prayers when I thought He should. Many times, it would have been disastrous! The answers if coming too soon would have led us down the wrong road, on the wrong path, with the wrong people. Father was much wiser and all-knowing that I was in my finite thinking and immature emotions. As I have grown in the Lord over the years, I have found His timing is perfect, and His ways are perfect, and He will make my way perfect. Now, more often, I am able to commit my request to Him, and know to settle down and keep my eyes and ears open for His working in me even while I wait. He will reveal more of Himself and His ways to me on the spiritual journey of waiting on Him. He will answer our prayers, His time and His way. He loves us so much. He has told us to call out to Him. He will answer. He is always listening and ready to move on your behalf. What about you? Are you impatient in your waiting for answers to prayer? Do you get discouraged? God wants to teach you as you wait that He is in control and knows exactly what is best for you. He loves you so and know that your answers are on the way. Trust Him fully today.

When I Was a Child

December 9, 2024

When I Was a Child I Corinthians 13:11 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. Oh how tough a lot of the lessons in growing up can be! I remember feeling like I was going to die because some of my lessons were wrenching my very soul and reshaping my emotions. We all love puppies and kittens because they are so cute, right? Human babies are almost always just as cute—but different in a lot of ways. Probably God makes babies cute on purpose because we soon find out how demanding they can be, especially in the middle of the night when they want to be awake, demanding feeding, diapers changed, and close, cuddly rocking. You are having all you can do to stay awake, yet they don’t care. they want what they want. They come off as little dictators, noisy, nasty, smelly, and icky little monsters. They are expensive even before they are born, and until they leave your house. Fancy restaurants are out for quite a few years, and forget taking them to weddings, because they will demand their attention no matter what is going on around them. Church is a yes for attendance, but they really don’t care, they still will make a scene. Unfortunately, even the cutest little things outgrow their babyhood and their cuteness. It eventually is time for them to grow up. Our heavenly Father demands we grow up. Even nature expects us to mature. First a bud, then a flower, then it grows into a green apple, which matures into a red apple filled with multiple seeds. God’s purpose is to grow, and many seeds to eventually become more apple trees. Growing up is the goal, and how can we really know if that is happening? Big giant football players can truly be nothing but big babies. And there can be 15-year-olds who are more mature way beyond their present age. Babies eat different foods than adults. At the beginning of their life, they don’t have any teeth, so steak is out. They can’t chew it nor can they digest it. This is true for baby Christians as well. Some teachings in the Bible seem hard for infant Christians to swallow. Everyone comes from a different background and family. Maybe they have been taught some wrong things and need to unlearn some concepts and attitudes of those who don’t know Jesus. Babies often spit up, and baby Christians often may feel funny about truths from God’s Word at first just like a new food introduced to a baby feels funny in their mouth. Yet newborn babes naturally desire the sincere milk of the Word, but they can be very slow at swallowing the really meaty things. As we grow in knowing the Lord, we still love the milk, but we grow to relish the Word. Desire to mature, to grow in every way. God has a perfect plan for your life and He knows how to help you process and grow daily to mature you in Him. What about you? Are you growing and maturing? Are you facing your challenges as the Lord teaches you to face them in His Word? It takes everyone time to mature. Daily ask Him to help you. Stay in His Word and in communion with Him. He is right there to help you. He loves you so.

Confidence in God

December 8, 2024

Confidence in God Psalm 55:5, 6 TPT 5 Fear and dread overwhelm. I shudder before the horror I face. 6 I say to myself, “If only I could fly away from all of this! If only I could run away to the place of rest and peace. I would run far away where no one could find me, escaping to a wilderness retreat.” This psalm is written by King David. Ahitophel was a friend and counselor to the King and was greatly known for his wisdom. Absalom, one of David’s sons, had attempted to usurp the throne, and during this time, Ahitophel deserted David and was in support of Absalom, becoming an advisor to him. Ahithophel eventually, through the ins and outs of Absalom’s betrayal of his father, and possibly feeling his own failure in betraying King David as well, returned to his hometown and hung himself. These circumstances put into perspective why David was writing such a sad and vivid psalm. Here his very own flesh and blood, his son, was betraying him. David laments in verse 5, “Fear and dread overwhelm. I shudder before the horror I face.” Family conflict can be one of the hardest kinds of upsets that can occur in our lives. These are the very people who are of our blood and whom we love very much. David expresses in verse 6 how he really feels. Verse 6 “If only I could fly away from all of this! If only I could run away to the place of rest and peace. I would run far away where no one could find me, escaping to a wilderness retreat.” Isn’t this how we really feel when we are up against such hard, seemingly unanswerable and un- solvable situations? Let me just run far away from it all and hide. But as we read on further in Psalm 55:22 David writes, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you. He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” The word “sustain” means to maintain, nourish, bear, hold up, protect, support, defend; to supply the means necessary for living. Dear one, know that God is always in the midst of whatever we are facing. God will support, nourish, and provide for anyone who acknowledges that the burden they are under is one only the Lord can handle. When we are tempted to be afraid and give up, choose to trust the Lord as an act of your will, not as a response to your emotions. Make it a determined, praise-filled refusal to be afraid. As quickly as possible release all of your concerns and worries to Abba Father who wants to and will carry them for you. Intercede in prayer that the Lord will work in and through you. Ask Him to give you a heart that will endure and stand fast on the truth. And expect God’s Spirit to enlighten the Word of God to give you clear guidance every day. He is faithful and you can be assured you can have full confidence in Him. What about you? What do you need to lay at His feet today? No matter how tough situations can get, remember He is in the midst. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Have full confidence in Him today.