Joshua 4: 20-24

Then Joshua set up in Gilgal the 12 stones they had taken from the Jordan, and he said to the Israelites, “When your children ask their fathers in the future, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ you should tell your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea., which He dried up before us until we had crossed over. This is so that all the people of the earth may know that the LORD’s hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”

After wandering for 40 years in the wilderness, the Israelites were finally about to enter the Promised Land. Many of their parents and grandparents had died in the wilderness, and those who survived would have to fight Jericho on the other side. They were simply moving forward in God’s promise of a land He would give them to be their own. There was just one problem. They somehow had to cross the dirty, murky Jordan River and find a way to carry the Ark of the Covenant safely with them.

God was with the Israelites, and He had given Joshua a strategy which would require divine intervention. When they went as far as they could in the Jordan River, God would cause the waters to stand up as He did with the Red Sea and allow them to cross on dry ground. The good thing is that they had seen this happen before. But could they trust it would happen again? They really had no choice. They could either start crossing the Jordan or die in the wilderness as their ancestors did. At Joshua’s instruction, they consecrated themselves to the LORD and moved forward to see their miracle.

After getting across safely, Joshua instructed 12 of the men to go back into the Jordan and bring out a stone. At Gilgal Joshua constructed a memorial with the 12 stones to remind future generations that God was with them and intervened for them to safely cross the Jordan River. It was a reminder that God’s hand is mighty, and we should live in reverent fear of Him. Nothing is impossible with God!

We live in trying times when it seems like only a miracle from God will save us. I challenge you today to consecrate yourself before God, move forward in what He has called you to do, and remember how He has helped you so far. You may have suffered defeat or even watched a loved one die in the wilderness with unfulfilled dreams. God still works miracles, and the stones of remembrance of what He has brought you through are proof of His plan and purpose in fulfilling your promise.

This Memorial Day weekend may we remember those who died for our country so we might enjoy the freedoms we have today. May we remember how God has helped us as a country thus far. May we also remember where God has intervened and brought us through our personal battles. Remembering what He has done in the past will help equip us for whatever battle may lie ahead.

Have a blessed day!

1 John 5:14-15

Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for.

The key to receiving what we ask in prayer is to ask according to God’s will. So, how can we know something is according to God’s will? The first step is to see if it lines up with God’s word. If it is a clear contradiction to His word and is the product of sin, we can know for sure it is not God’s will.

Many things for which we pray, however, have no clear indication in God’s word. Which job do I take? Which event should I attend? What should I wear for the interview? What is the best use of my time today? All of these indicate choices we make. God allows us to make choices, and sometimes either choice is fine. We need never fear we’ve made the wrong decision and blown our destiny in God’s plan because of a choice we made that didn’t quite pan out the way we had hoped. God is greater than our choices. In fact, He knows the choices we will make before we do, and He works within them. We will still have to assume the responsibility for poor decisions, but even a poor choice can be redeemed. He works all things together for our good, and that includes the bad choices we make.

Then there are those things we for which we long that seem to go unanswered in prayer. Just how can we know it is God’s will for us to have those things? God works within the longings of our hearts, too. When we have a hunger or a desire that needs to be met, it will draw us into a closer relationship with God to learn His word and to hear His voice that we would not have if our desire were immediately met. That close relationship is God’s will for us. In that place, He will speak to us and show us things we would never know without the longing. As we grow closer to Him, He will either grant the longing or change it. We just need the faith to keep asking, keep searching, keep knocking, and keep leaning into Him while we wait. God is doing a work in us and through us that we can’t always see through those unfulfilled desires and needs. We place our faith in Him and trust He will reveal His perfect will at just the right time. We are called to live by faith, and this means living at times with unmet needs and desires while we wait for an answer.

Put your hope in God today. He will not disappoint you. He has good things for you, and you can trust Him. You can’t fulfill your unmet needs on your own anyway. If you could, you would have no need for God. Surrender your heart to Him, and pray according to His will. He really does hear you.

Have a blessed day!

John 2:5

“Do whatever He tells you,” His mother told the servants.

Mary, Jesus, and the disciples were invited to a wedding, where the host ran out of wine. This would have been a very embarrassing event for the new couple, so Mary turned the matter over to Jesus. When she told the servants to do whatever He said, she left Him fully in charge of the problem. Whatever He did was fine with her.

When we turn things over to Jesus, we should do the same. We should do whatever He tells us to do and trust the result to Him. Many times, however, when we turn something over to God, we want Him to handle the matter the way we expect. When we submit a problem to Him, we put Him in charge and follow His instructions. In that way, we position ourselves for a miracle.

Do you need a miracle today? If so, turn the matter completely over to Jesus, and do whatever He tells you to do. Give Him complete control, and allow Him to do what He does best. Take your hand off the matter, along with your concern. The miracle you need will happen under His charge and by His hand. Rejoice in the fact that you serve a miracle working God, and know He is working on your behalf.

Have a blessed day!

1 Thessalonians 2:13

Also, this is why we constantly thank God, because when you received the message about God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is, the message of God, which also works effectively in you believers.

When I get to heaven, I’m going to give Paul a lesson in punctuation. I know he’s the one who said, “Let not a woman teach a man,” but maybe that is why he only knows about the comma. There really are other punctuation marks that work quite well.

In spite of his excessive use of commas in this verse, Paul makes a very powerful statement: The message of God works effectively in believers. God’s word works in us. The more we study God’s word and believe its truth, the more power it has in us. We can hear God’s word and even study God’s word, but unless we really believe it is truth for us and accept it as our own truth, His message has no power to work in us. Believing is receiving.

We battle a war of objective truth vs. subjective truth. Objective truth is truth that is constant and cannot be denied. For instance, the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. Regardless of how you feel about that fact, it remains true. Subjective truth, however, is truth that is true according to your experience. Because I have had a bad experience with anti-depressants, I refuse to take them. I’m convinced they are bad for me. Not everyone, however, has had my same experience. Some people actually find anti-depressants quite helpful. So, due to experience – subjective truth – anti-depressants are bad for me while they may be good for others. This truth is not constant.

The word of God is objective truth and should be viewed as such. When we take God at His word without filtering it through our past experience, we find it has the power to work wonders in us. Those who believe the Bible is good for some but not good for all do not actually believe it is God’s word. They see it as subjective truth, and it has no power to work in them. Until we believe God’s word is true for us, we will not see evidence of its power at work in our lives.

I challenge you to simply take God at His word today. Believe His word is true for you, and accept it as your reality. It is time we all start to display more of His power working in us, and basing truth upon our feelings must cease. Lay hold of everything God has for you, and don’t let your past experiences or your emotions dictate your behavior. Make His word your own experience, and your feelings will change, too.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 68:19

May the Lord be praised! Day after day He hears our burdens; God is our salvation. Selah.

God hears our cries every single day. He hears our pleas for help, as well as our whining and complaining. He hears our doubts, our selfish requests, our bursts of anger, and our wails of desperation. He listens to every need and every void we express. After hearing all of our rants, He is our salvation. He certainly deserves to be praised!

When my son was a teenager, he often didn’t want me around unless he needed something. At times, I would get quite offended with the attitude but remembered that I must have treated my parents the same way as I sought my own independence. While some of this was quite healthy, it also seemed very rude. I’m happy to report that my son, now past his teenage years and into his early twenties, has become a much more respectful young man as he has matured. We have to allow a little leeway in the development process while training our children to gain independence, responsibility, and respect. God does the same for us, and our respectful response should always be praise.

May we be women who praise God in the good times and bad. May we take our burdens to Him with an attitude of praise and never an attitude of doubt or entitlement. May we learn to turn our burdens over to Him and shout for joy that He is greater than our problems. May we be known for our praise more than for our whining and complaining.

The end of this verse has a selah, which is a pause. Take a praise pause today before you ask God for anything. In the midst of your praise, you just might find your answer. After all, He is our salvation.

Have a blessed day!

Judges 13:1-2

The Israelites again did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, so the LORD handed them over to the Philistines 40 years. There was a certain man from Zorah, from the family of Dan, whose name was Manoah; his wife was barren and had no children.

Before the time of the kings, Israel had a pattern: they would sin, fall into bondage, and call out to God. God would then send a judge to deliver them. This passage takes us to another time when Israel had fallen and in need of a deliverer. One woman was significant. We don’t know her name; we only know her husband. There was nothing apparently special about her, except the fact that she had no children. God had plans for Manoah’s wife, however. She became the mother of Samson, who God used to deliver Israel from the Philistines.

God can use anyone, anywhere, and at any time. What makes us seemingly insignificant and unimportant can be the very tool God uses to do something great and mighty. The void, longing, or emptiness we feel inside may be God’s calling card to greatness in His kingdom. This woman’s name was not important, but her barren condition was. While no one may know your name, what God has put inside you is of great significance!

Worship God today in full assurance that you are significant to Him. You may not be important to anyone else, but He has great plans for you. Whatever longing or desire that He has placed inside you has a purpose to fulfill, and He will use you to do something important. No one may ever know your name, but His is the one to praise. Let His name be great in you, and your longing will soon catapult you to something great!

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 63:8

I follow close to You; Your right hand holds on to me.

We live in a world full of danger, and the enemy is running scared. Signs of the last days can be seen in the news daily. With only a short time left, the Devil is bringing forth all the evil he can because he knows his end is very near. The best way to protect yourself is to follow closely to God. The closer you are to Him, the more protection surrounds you.

David wrote this Psalm in the midst of enemy threats and attacks. He was confident God’s right hand held on to him to keep him from the enemy’s snare. Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 10:12 reveal that Jesus sits at the right hand of God. He is the One who holds on to us! Our protection is found in Him.

If threats surround you, cling to Jesus. Look to Him daily for a fresh word. Keep the lines of communication flowing through prayer, and submit to His guidance. If you find sin in your life, simply bring it to Him. His grace is there to cover you. He sits at the right hand of God, and nothing or no one can give you greater protection from your enemy. You are His, and He will keep you. No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and He will work even the bad for your good. Indeed, if He is for you, no one can stand against you. Follow closely to Him, and fear not. He holds on to you!

Have a blessed day!

Luke 7:9

Jesus heard all this and was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following Him, He said, “I tell you, I have not found so great a faith even in Israel.”

A Roman Centurion had a slave who was very valuable to him, and the slave became very ill. This Centurion had been among the Jewish people long enough to have heard of Jesus, and he knew Jesus could heal his slave. He also knew he wasn’t Jewish, and Jesus had no right to grant him anything. He was an outsider, a foreigner, a Gentile, and he was a Roman soldier, which made him an enemy to the Jewish faith. Apparently, he sympathized with the Jews and had accommodated them at times, so they took the news of the slave’s illness to Jesus on his behalf.

The Centurion heard Jesus was approaching his house, so he sent messengers out to meet Jesus and give Him a message. As a soldier under authority himself, He recognized Jesus’s authority and knew if He ordered something to happen, it would. Whatever He commanded would be done. Jesus admonished his faith and granted his request.

Jesus responds to faith. None of us deserve to be blessed or to have our prayers answered, but as Christians, we have the righteousness of Christ, which makes us worthy. We, too, can trust His authority. If Jesus gives the command, it will be done. We need only to take Him at His word and believe.

Jesus had found no greater faith than that of the Centurion in all of Israel. Even His own disciples asked for signs at times. This man having authority and placed under authority understood what His word meant. All He needed was one word from Jesus to believe, and he had what he desired.

Are you willing to take Jesus at His word today, or are you still looking for a sign? Jesus responds to faith, and He has the authority to grant what you need. Search His word and know what it says for you. If He would grant the request of a Roman Centurion, He will surely grant the request of one of His own. Respond to His word in faith today, and trust His power to act for you.

Have a blessed day!

Matthew 4:1

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.

Just before Jesus began His public ministry, God led Him by His Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. Please understand that God does not tempt us, but He will allow the enemy to test us. In this place of the wilderness, whatever is not of God comes out. Jesus had a short stay of only 40 days in the wilderness because there was nothing in Him that was not pure and holy.

The Israelites, however, remained in the wilderness for 40 years before they were able to enter the Promised Land. The older generation literally died there, leaving only the younger generation who had been born or raised in the wilderness to enter. Too much of Egypt still resided in the older generation for them to fully grasp what God had for them.

The word for “wilderness” in Exodus that the Israelites experienced is “midpar,” meaning driving, pasture – an open field where cattle are driven. In Matthew, the “wilderness” that Jesus experienced is “eremos,” meaning lonesome, waste, desert, desolate, solitary. Jesus was lonely in an isolated place when He experienced temptation from the Devil.

As a widow, we can easily become isolated and lonely. Those are the times the Devil will attack because we are most vulnerable when we are alone. If you have isolated yourself because of fear or intimidation, you need to resist the Devil and find some friends! If, however, God has placed you there by no maneuvering of your own, He may be allowing the Devil to test you. A good teacher doesn’t test his/her students until they are ready, so don’t be afraid. If God is allowing you to be tested, He has a Promised Land  – ministry or purpose – waiting, and you will come out of that wilderness place anointed!

Set your sights on God today, and don’t let anything shake you from seeking Him. Determine to stand strong in His word, and resist the Devil. God has something wonderful waiting for you! Press through your current discomfort, knowing that God is good, and He will surely be good to you.

Have a blessed day!

Genesis 12:2-3

I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

In this passage, we find part of God’s promise to Abraham when He called him. God has called all of us individually to follow Him and to serve Him. He blessed Abraham so he would be a blessing to others because that was part of his calling. Like Abraham, we need to remember that blessing is a part of our calling, as well.

God will not require you to go anywhere where He will not eventually bless you. Abraham had obstacles to face and trials long the way, but God ultimately blessed him and turned him into a great nation because that was the beginning of His chosen people on earth. We are part of His chosen people, and our blessing is as much a part of our calling as our obedience is. Unless we are blessed, God is not glorified.

God promised to bless those who blessed Abraham and helped him get where he needed to be and to accomplish the things God told him to do. He also promised to curse – to withhold blessing or frustrate the plans – of those who treated him with contempt. God will do the same with our calling. He will bless those who bless us and curse those who stand in our way or fail to help as they should. God is not glorified in our failure; He is glorified when we succeed.

If God has called you, He will bless you as you follow Him. He will complete the good work He has begun in you, according to Philippians 1;6. That work includes blessing. Have you been faithful to do what God has told you to do? Are you still seeking Him, even if you’ve failed at some things? If so, blessing is coming your way. Abraham was not perfect in all his ways. The God who made the promise to him was perfect in His promise. He will bless the calling he has placed upon you. Praise Him today!

Have a blessed day!