Tag Archives: truth

Jan5

Day 5 of Random (hopefully inspired) Thought. Today I Am Thankful For…A God Who Hears.

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Day 5 of Random (hopefully inspired) Thought. Today I Am Thankful For…A God Who Hears.

I have had an annoying and debilitating crick in my neck for the past three days. It’s not a life-altering issue for most people, even though it is inconvenient and irritating. A crick can happen from sleeping poorly, overuse, and even bad posture. All very normal, natural, and dare I say mundane reasons. However, for me, a crick in the neck can be a sign of stenosis (a narrowing of the veins) or of the vein expanding, which could lead to rupture. It sounds very dramatic, and I guess in a way it is. What looks pretty average on the outside can mean life-threatening results for me.

As I struggled to move my neck while doing my devotion today, I had this thought: this crick in my neck is a lot like sin (no, not that I have it because of sin). But just like a seemingly mundane pain in the neck, there are sins in life that seem so normal and uneventful. At times, we do them without thinking, because it’s the norm in the world we live in, yet at their core, these “sins” want to steal our joy and peace, narrowing our view of what God is doing in our lives and expanding our hurt, pain, and weariness. Things as simple as a wayward thought, sarcastic words, and doubts can lead to devastating outcomes.

What sets the child of God apart from the world is not a lack of sin, but hope in a God and Father who forgives our sins and hears us when we call out to Him in surrender. So, cry out to God, friend; He will hear you and rescue you from your troubles. He will take your broken heart and crushed spirit and give you His peace. Now that’s some good news!

“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of their trouble. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:17-18).

So, what am I thankful for today? A God who hears.

Dec11

Day 345 of Random (hopefully inspired) Thought. Today I Am Thankful For…Mess and Filth

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Day 345 of Random (hopefully inspired) Thought. Today I Am Thankful For…Mess and Filth

Feeling like you need to clean yourself up, be less ungodly, or make better choices for God to hear your prayers, love you, or accept you? Well, check this out. King David killed a man and took his wife. Abraham lied and said his wife was his sister and sent her off to another man. Moses killed a man, then ran away. Peter denied Christ, not once, twice, but three times. Paul persecuted and put to death followers of Christ without remorse or guilt. Yet, God calls David a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22), praises Abraham for his faith in Him (Hebrews 11:17-19), and allows Moses to glimpse His glory (Exodus 33:18-23). He makes Peter the rock upon which His church is built (Matthew 16:18), and Paul the doorway by which Gentiles find Him (Acts 9:15). Killers, liars, and deniers, these are the people God uses. Seems crazy, right? It’s not. You see, in God’s economy, our mess and filth don’t define us. Christ is not afraid of our dirt. In fact, it’s the reason He came.

Mark 2:17 (ESV) “And when Jesus heard it, He said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.'”

Take heart, friends, you can be a mess, the messiest mess to ever mess. But you can NEVER mess up God’s plan for you.

Today, I am thankful for my mess and filth because God isn’t afraid of dirt.

Dec10

Day 344 of Random (hopefully inspired) Thought. Today I Am Thankful For…Flood and Fires

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Day 344 of Random (hopefully inspired) Thought. Today I Am Thankful For…Flood and Fires

Today God said lock in, and follow His way, His will, His desires, and make Him the number one in my life. I thought about what that meant and wondered if it was something I could really and truly do. The answer: on my own, no. But in the strength that I have access to through the blood of Christ, absolutely! Does that mean I will suddenly be perfect, or that all my problems will dissolve into the wind? No, no, it doesn’t. Does it mean I will always make the right choices, right decisions, and always be in line with God? No to that as well. What exactly does it mean then? Well, I am glad you asked. It means, Isaiah 43:2: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.“

God doesn’t promise to remove the water and floods of our lives. He doesn’t say He will quench the fires that threaten to burn everything we hold dear. What He does say is, “I WILL BE WITH YOU.” He promises that the rivers won’t overflow us and the fire won’t scorch us, because He will be there wading through the rivers with us. He will stand with us in the midst of the flames. In this fallen world, life will never be perfect, but that does not mean disaster. It means we get to walk with God and let Him
turn our ashes to beauty like only He can. So, LOCK IN friends, hold on to Christ and let Him be your fourth man in the fire.

Today, I am thankful that Christ is with me in my floods and fires.

Dec4

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought…Today I Am Thankful For… STRUGGLES (DAY 388 of 2025)

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Random (hopefully inspired) Thought…Today I Am Thankful For… STRUGGLES (DAY 388 of 2025)

Do you struggle? I do. Every second of every day (in my humble opinion) is a struggle to do what’s right, to choose humility, forgiveness, understanding, patience, kindness, and love. We want vengeance on those who mislead us, lie to us, or hurt us. We want vindication of the movie variety, where the bad guy gets what’s coming to him, in all its Technicolor, high-definition glory. But life isn’t a movie, and God allows us to struggle not for the fun, but to build in us things that will not be shaken. Don’t believe me? Check out Hebrews 12:11-13, “No discipline/trial/struggle seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.”

I am learning (very slowly) that my struggles make me stronger, build in me the attributes and character that God wants to instill in me; that even when I can’t see it (with my limited human sight), God has a purpose, a reason, a lesson for me to learn and then use to encourage others. The author of Hebrews is right: it is not comfortable, not pleasant; it is painful. If we’re looking at the waters around us instead of the God and Father who loves us, we can feel like we’re sinking and failing. And guess what? That’s OK. It’s OK to fail, it’s OK to struggle, it’s OK to cry out to God, and yes, even to whine. God can take it. BUT, He won’t leave us (you or me) there; instead, He will pick us up, dust us off, and make our feet like deer feet and enable us to tread on high places (Habakkuk 3:19). Don’t be discouraged as you struggle, be thankful that God is working in you. He loves you, and His thoughts towards you are good.

Sep12

DAY 255 (2015)

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Fill in the blank...

Fill in the blank…

Mmmm, been a while, huh? Sorry about that. Life has gotten busy, but that is not an excuse. But if there is one thing I have learned it is that when it comes to being thankful it is better late than never. So, here goes.

Since we last interacted many things have changed. For one I have relocated both state and job. The change has been good in many ways. My mom is happy, we are closer to my brother. Life on a whole has improved. My job is fun and offers a lot of opportunity for growth.

However, there still are struggles. Such as once again I still bear most of the financial burden, and the worst one, I work on Sundays (no church). Wait, no that’s not the worst the worst is that due to lack of time, and an inability to not interact with people of like minds and hearts. I have for the better part of this entire year found myself in a spiritual funk to say the least.

Not backslidden per say, but not moving forward either. I feel that for a Christian, this is the most horrible state to be. It is the place where God has said, “I will spew you from my mouth.” Let’s be honest no one ever has aspired to be spewed from anything much less God’s mouth. But that is where I found myself in the land of the lukewarm, not hot, not cold, and not just right.

Two days ago I took a hit, a bad one. My first reaction whine and complain and inevitably ask the, “Why’s it always me,” question. But then I realized the hit wasn’t meant to hurt me, it was meant to wake me up.

Yesterday was the first in a long time that I took time in my devotion. Not just skimming the words so I could say I spent time, but reading and taking to heart what was being said. Reading to see what God was teaching. I prayed that morning for a better financial situation and to not have to work on Sundays.

Almost at the end of my work day I receive an email from my supervisor it read, “you qualify for this you should apply.” I finished up what I was doing and on my break read the email. It was a job posting in the company one that would give me my Sundays back and raise my pay exponentially. What floored me is that I hadn’t mentioned this to anyone, not the need for more money nor the desire to not work on Sundays.

God heard. God answered.

What’s my point? God hears. No matter how far you stray, no matter how hard you fall– God hears. ALWAYS.

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you”  (Isaiah 54:10).

The lesson: With God you can always go back home, it’s never too late, and our Father is waiting at the gate with open arms.

So what am I thankful for today, repentance and a God, who hears, always.

Mar23

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart. (Picture by Lisa R)

I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

2 Kings 24. “ Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah” (Verse 17). This verse hit me today. Very simply God asked me, if I had allowed the world to change my name? Not in the literal sense, but in the sense where the title Christian could me everything, but what God intended it to mean: follower of Christ. The world has changed the meaning; nice, friendly. boring, goody two shoes, goodhearted and while none of these are bad they are also not what the word means. I have been reflecting lately on what I have allowed in and what I have put aside. Here is what I have concluded only God can change my name. Only God can give a different meaning to something. So today if you have allowed the world to change your name. Allow God to change it back.

Mar22

DAY 81 (2015)

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What we cultivate is what we'll give to those around us. (Picture by Lisa R.)

What we cultivate is what we’ll give to those around us.
(Picture by Lisa R.)

Mmmm… it’s be awhile with the DAY posts. I feel regretful about that. I have been caught up with many things. Things that many times have kept me from where I know I am suppose to be and from what I know I am suppose to be doing. Which is why today’s post is so fitting and so God-breathed. Today’s praise and worship was beautiful; I could feel God’s spirit literally breaking down that walls I have (over the past few months) been building. We came to a particular song, one that we have sung many times before. But today the song resonated in my heart and soul in a different way. Today the meaning of the lyrics came to life and it was as though I was understanding them for the first time. The lyrics:

It’s Your breath in our lungs so we pour out our praise

pour out our praise

It’s Your breath in our lungs so we pour out our praise

To You ONLY…

The question came while singing. Do we? Do I… Pour out praise to God only? Honest answer… no. My praise is not always for God alone. I give my praise to many things, things that are not really worthy of it. Things like: friends, family, work, and attaining more stuff. However, none of those things came to earth to stand in the gap for me. None of those things gave up their one and only beloved for me. None of those things blew their breath into my lungs. Therefore they don’t deserve my praise. It is reserved for HIM only.

It’s God’s breath in our lungs. So we should pour out our praise to Him ONLY.

“Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).

So what am I thankful for today? God’s breath.

Mar11

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart. (Picture by Lisa R)

I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

2 Kings 22. “Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants—all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read— because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched. But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, in this manner you shall speak to him, Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Concerning the words which you have heard— because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you, says the Lord. Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place. So they brought back word to the king” (Verses 16-20). So I am going to implore anyone that reads this post, to turn around and read this entire chapter. The king of Judah is perched to rebuild and repair the house of God. He sends his servant to the priest to gather the money to pay the workers. The priest gives the man the money, but he also gives him the book of the law, after reading God’s word the king tears his clothes in repentance, for sins that he did not commit. But as the leader of the people he implored God on their behalf. Above is God’s answers to the king’s query. Here’s the take away, sin has a penalty and it is inescapable… But so does obedience and repentance. It’s just a matter of which price we choose to pay. So choose wisely.  

Mar10

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart. (Picture by Lisa R)

I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

2 Kings 21. “And the Lord spoke by His servants the prophets, saying, ‘Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations (he has acted more wickedly than all the Amorites who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols),  therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle.  And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.  So I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become victims of plunder to all their enemies'” (Verses 10-14). God punishes sin always, what we don’t release is that punishment can come in the most natural of ways. Boss tightens the reigns, financial situations come about. The goal of the trials is not for us to whine, but for us to cry out for forgiveness, and seek the Lord. Don’t run from the trial accept that they are there to bring change, and to draw us to God. 

Mar7

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart. (Picture by Lisa R)

I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

2 Kings 20. “And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David” (Verses 4-6). I use to read these verses and think, “Wow, Hezekiah changed God’s mind. But as I have gotten older and wiser in my faith, I have come to realize this is not the case. I realized that God answered Hezekiah’s prayers. God wanted the king to ask, wanted him to communicate, the God of heaven wanted relationship with His creation. For me that is way more awesome than being able to change God’s mind. Why? Because I can have a real relationship with Him, where I can talk to Him, and learn from Him. It doesn’t mean that when I pray the answer will always be yes, but it does mean that whenever I pray… He will ALWAYS hear. Yeah, I kinda love that.