1 Samuel 1:4-8

Whenever Elkanah offered a sacrifice, he always gave portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to each of her sons and daughters. But he gave a double portion to Hannah, for he loved her even though the LORD had kept her from conceiving. Her rival would taunt her severely just to provoke her, because the LORD had kept Hannah from conceiving. Whenever she went up to the LORD’s house, her rival taunted her in this way every year. Hannah wept and would not eat. “Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband Elkanah asked. “Why won’t you eat? Why are you troubled? Am I not better to you than 10 sons?”

Elkanah loved Hannah, and he seemed to want to make up for her barrenness by assuring her of his love for her. He favored her over the second wife, and Peninnah may have never become a wife had Hannah been able to have children. His favor toward Hannah, however, seemed to spark controversy within the family unit. Apparently jealous of Elkanah’s attention to Hannah, Peninnah viciously taunted Hannah because of her inability to conceive. Somehow, Peninnah had to prove she was the better woman, so she tried to destroy Hannah’s self-worth.

The Devil cannot stop God’s favor upon your life, but he can cause you not to appreciate it by magnifying your void to you. When all you can see is your emptiness, you fail to see how full God has made your life. Hannah could not be thankful for Elkanah’s love for her because she was constantly reminded of her unworthiness and incompetence before God. He had closed her womb, and Peninnah was not going to let her forget it. By making Hannah think God was against her, Peninnah could cause Hannah to reject Elkanah and try to take first place as wife. Hannah was a threat to her, just as we are a threat to the Devil. He can’t take God’s love away from us; he can only make us think God is rejecting us so we will, in turn, reject Him.

God’s love for you is greater than any blessing you may desire. When you have Him, you have everything! Don’t let the Devil make you feel unworthy or rejected. You are a threat to his agenda, and nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus! Rejoice, oh barren woman! With Christ, anything is possible, and you have His favor. Take your focus off of your lack, and place it upon God’s abundant love for you. Unfortunately, there will always be Peninnahs out there who see you as a threat and will try to prove they are the better woman. In reality, they cannot steal God’s favor upon your life. They can only make you feel unworthy and rejected if you allow them to do so. Reject your Peninnah by relishing in the love and favor God has given you. Nothing will make her madder or put her in her place more than enjoying the favor of God upon your life. Rejoice! The joy of the LORD is your strength!

Have a blessed day!

Proverbs 16:9

A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps.

Have you ever set a goal for yourself but didn’t quite know how to reach it? Our heart tells us what we want, but God decides how we will get there. We rarely are able to walk a straight line to it; He usually has detours planned along the way, where we lose more of ourselves and find more of Him.

I love The Message Bible’s interpretation of this verse:

We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it.

Even if we do reach what we want in life, we must remember that God enabled us to reach that goal. He gave us the grace and ability to do what our heart wanted to do.

We are responsible for pursuing what God has placed in our hearts, but we often cannot control our steps. God may send us the long way to reach them, or He may give us a short path. Either way, we must trust our steps to Him. He will guide us where we need to be, when we need to be there. He may even give us some unexpected delights along the way.

Trust the desires of your heart to God today, and allow Him to direct you. Wait to hear His voice. Look for signs of His presence. He will align your heart with the direction you need to take to find more of Him and His total plan for you. How do you get where you need to be? Take one step at a time in the direction He leads, and lean into His presence with surrender. He will surprise and delight you as He opens doors and answers prayers in ways you could never have imagined!

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 54:1-3

“Rejoice, barren one, who did not give birth; burst into song and shout, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the forsaken one will be more than the children of the married woman,” says the LORD. “Enlarge the site of your tent, and let your tent curtains be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your ropes, and drive your pegs deep. For you will spread out to the right and to the left, and your descendants will dispossess nations and inhabit the desolate cities.”

This passage bears such great news for those who are Christians because it is a promise to the church. When we study the lives of Sarah, Rachel, Hannah, and Manoah’s wife in comparison, we see just how God used these once barren women to build and nurture His chosen nation. When we experience barrenness in our own lives, God can use it to further His kingdom by birthing something great in us. Instead of feeling cursed in those empty, dry, void places as the Devil would try to convince you, now is the time to start seeing ourselves as called to something greater and to believe God by expanding our tents for growth.

Before God provided the blessing His people needed, He first prepared a barren woman. Her barrenness was not a curse but a sign of her calling. Whether you are childless, single, widowed, divorced, or just at home with an empty nest, the void you feel is designed to lead you to something greater than yourself. Allow God to enter that void and begin to serve Him where He leads you. Give Him everything you have, even if it is only pain, as Hannah did. Expect both spiritual and physical growth, plan for it, and experience it. God will use your void to take you to a place you never dreamed possible nor would ever go on your own accord.

We’ve all had places that have left us feeling empty and void. If you are feeling the pain from those places today, I challenge you to begin to rejoice over them. You are not cursed; you are called. Your barrenness is a gift designed to propel you further than you can take yourself, so rejoice that God has something great planned for you! Prepare to grow, and God will give the increase. It all starts with a change of perspective and a willingness to accept God’s plan and relinquish our own.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 34:11

Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

I find it interesting that we have to be taught to fear the LORD. Our human nature naturally fears self -harm, but our hearts often desire what is evil and will truly harm us. As a result, we fight the good to preserve the bad and never learn to fear God and receive the good. We must learn to fear God and follow Him and turn away from the evil that seeks to ensnare us.

We live in a culture that follows the desires of the flesh. Selfish desires have become “rights,” and honoring God is now seen among many, if not most of the population, as evil. We, as Christians, need to turn off the voices of the world around us and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit as He teaches us to fear the LORD. With godly fear comes wisdom, which is a rare commodity in our world. Gaining wisdom will be necessary in moving forward into the future, and God holds that future, regardless of what any political leader or party might promise.

Become like a little child and listen to the Holy Spirit as He teaches you to fear the LORD. Hold fast to biblical teaching, and don’t accept the values of the world. God has made us to be eternal creatures, and He holds eternity in His hand. Learn from Him, fear Him, and be guided by Him. His plans for you are good, and only He can bring them to pass. Evil – compromise with the world – can offer you nothing but dissatisfaction and continual longing for that thing God has placed in your heart. Embrace wisdom by learning to fear the LORD, and take hold of everything God has promised.

Have a blessed day!

Matthew 7:6

Don’t give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them with their feet, turn and tear you to pieces.

Pearls are rare and valuable treasures that are produced from irritants – pain. Your pain has the ability to produce something of rare value in your life, but not everyone will appreciate it because they will not understand the high price you paid to produce it. Such things are better kept to yourself in hiding than to be tossed before people who do not understand and, perhaps, have already judged your situation. What is valuable to you can be destroyed if given to the wrong people.

Dogs or pigs here refer to those who are enemies of God. When we try to convince those who have determined to discredit God’s word of its truth, we are simply casting our pearls before swine. They do not care to understand or receive its treasures, but they will try to tear you to pieces with it. When Jesus came before Herod, He was silent. He did not try to defend Himself before an enemy of God. No one can come to God unless His Spirit draws him, and trying to explain the deep mysteries of Scripture is useless to someone who will not receive its truth. God will be faithful to bring to you people who are seeking Him and ready to receive His word.

God does not cast His pearls before swine, either. He does not give deep revelation or understanding of His word or His plan to those who are His enemies. He speaks to those who are truly seeking Him and will treasure His word in their hearts. He gives His treasures to those who will know their value and appreciate them.

Become a woman who truly desires to know the deep things of God. Practice the art of prayer and Bible study every morning to draw near to Him. He promises that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. The treasure of knowing Him is far greater than any earthly treasure and more valuable than anyone can afford. The secrets to life, fulfillment, happiness, and joy are all found at His feet. Be a friend of God, and discover the treasures of a full life in Him. Keep your pearls, and cast them at the feet of the One who cares for you.

Have a blessed day!

Mark 6:9-10

Then he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place. If any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, when you leave there, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

When Jesus commissioned the disciples, He knew not everyone would listen to them. For those who would receive them, they were to stay and minister to them. To those who would not listen, they were to leave them with a sign. Just what did it mean to dust off their feet as a testimony against them?

God made man from the dust of the earth. Our flesh is dust, and the serpent was instructed to eat the dust of the earth as a part of his punishment after the fall. Satan actually feeds on the work of our flesh. When the disciples shook the dust of the town off their feet, they were telling the people that their flesh was now in their own hands. The disciples had tried to bring healing and deliverance by telling them about the need to repent and follow Jesus. If they would not receive it, then the people would face the coming judgment without a Savior.

Jesus has done all He can do for us. We either welcome Him into our lives, or we reject Him. To welcome Him brings the blessing of the Father and a relationship with Him for eternity. To reject Him, however, makes us responsible for our own sins before a God who will one day judge this world. None of us are equipped to handle that, and we desperately need the provision Christ has made for us.

Welcome Jesus into your life today. Stop trying to figure things out on your own. Engage Him in fellowship, and simply learn from Him. Follow Him wherever He may lead you. When you welcome Him, He will not shake the dust off His feet and leave you to fend for yourself. He will guide you, encourage you, and confirm His word to you to keep you on the right track to your destiny. Those who received Him also received miracles. He will do the same for you.

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 41:10

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.

The God who called us stays with us to strengthen us to do what He has called us to do. Otherwise, we would flounder. Oh, that we all could learn to just trust in Him and not rely upon our own strengths or falter in fear of our weaknesses. Our faith grows when we do what we know to do and simply lean upon Him to do what we can’t. Operating in such faith is what it means to partner with God in the assignments to which He calls us.

God holds on to us with His righteous right hand. He has set Jesus at His right hand, and Jesus continually intercedes for us. How sweet to know that in all of our weaknesses and failures, God is holding on to us through the prayers of Christ and the work He did on the cross for us!

You are not in this life or this calling alone. Christ is interceding for you, and God is holding on to you. Trust in His unfailing love for you. He is your help in time of trouble, your guard when the enemy attacks, and the champion who causes you to triumph. Worship Him today. His is most worthy of your praises.

Have a blessed day!

John 17:26

I made Your name known to them and will make it known, so the love You have loved Me with may be in them and I may be in them.

Jesus made the Father’s name known to us. Our objective should be to do the same. God’s name is the one we need to make known to those around us. When people see us go through difficult times with joy and being blessed in spite of everything, they gain hope in a God who truly loves them and can do the same for them.

More than anything else, Jesus wanted us to know that the Father loves us. In this prayer, He prayed for all believers to know the same love God had for Him as His Son. Just as God loved His only begotten Son, so He also loves those who belong to His Son and follow Him.

Jesus knew that if we could truly believe and receive the Father’s love for us, our lives would change. We would stop trying to gain the Father’s love and start living in His love. By living in His love, we can share the news of the gospel with joy and excitement and lead others to Him.

If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, you can stop working to try to gain the Father’s love and approval because you already have it. Rejoice and begin to live in that love. You are highly favored as His beloved child, and you have the power to lead others to Him through your testimony. Share the good news of the gospel today with someone who needs hope. No one should have to live this life feeling unloved and alone because God loves us as He loves His own Son, and if we have Jesus, we have the Father’s love. Share what you have today. Someone needs the same hope you have within you.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 135:3

Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praise to His name, for it is delightful.

None of us like being around people who continually take from us but never give anything in return. Such people are a drain. Although I know God loves me with an undying love, I can’t help but wonder if I don’t drain Him at times with my constant requests. The very least we can do for Him is to praise Him for the good things He has done for us.

The truth of the matter is that God is always good to us, even if we have a hard time seeing the good in it at first. I’ve often wondered why God hasn’t answered certain prayers the way I wanted, only to find out later that His denial was a hedge of protection around me. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him, and He is not trying to punish you by denying you anything. He wants the very best for you, and He is working all things together for your good. We live in a fallen world where bad things will happen, but God can turn even the bad things into something good. For this alone, we have reason to praise Him because He is our hope.

Stop looking at your disappointments as set-backs or disapproval from God. Begin to see them as stepping stones to the good thing He has planned for you. Place your hope in Him, and delight in a personal relationship with Him where you turn to Him every single day. From this comes a river of life that can change anything and everything. So, take time to praise God today because in Him we have hope for better things tomorrow, regardless of what the evening news may say. Praise Him because He is worthy to be praised, and you belong to Him.

Have a blessed day!

Matthew 13:57b-58

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his household.” And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

Have you ever felt discounted? When I shop, I often hit the clearance racks first to see what treasures someone else has overlooked. I’m all about paying less for a great item and feeling like I found a bargain. When you find that item, however, you know that it has been rejected by those willing to pay full price. It was not the first chosen. No one else was willing to pay what the owner or manager originally thought it was worth. Its price was decreased before anyone wanted it.

God’s call upon our life does not cheapen us; it increases our value. Just because someone may discount you does not mean you are worth less; it simply means that someone does not recognize the value God places upon you. Such is often the case among those who are familiar with you. Those who take you for granted will not see your real value until you are no longer there or someone else recognizes your worth.

Prophets were highly honored in the Old Testament because God spoke directly to them. He gave them a word to deliver to the people. They were esteemed to have heard directly from God, and their word was treasured. Jesus was more than a prophet – He was the very Son of God. Yet, those in His own hometown – those closest to Him – failed to recognize His worth. They marveled at His teaching, became offended, and discounted Him because they knew His family. Because they were familiar with Him, they failed to see the spectacular in Him, and, thereby, could not receive a miracle because of their unbelief. They were the ones who missed the treasure by overlooking what was most valuable and right in front of them. Because of their neglect, Jesus was forced to go elsewhere to teach and perform miracles.

If you are going to ever make a difference in this world, you must get beyond your comfort zone and places of familiarity. You will be very limited in these areas. If Jesus could perform few miracles in His own hometown, you aren’t likely to perform many in yours, either. Dare to stretch out and go beyond your current borders to reach someone who will be willing to receive what God has placed inside you. If your own family won’t listen to you, then minister to someone else’s.

God has invested in you. He has called you and anointed you. You have great value in His eyes. As Isaiah 62:3 says, you are a crown in God’s hand and a royal diadem in the palm of your God. You have great worth and value, and never let anyone else’s opinion of you trump what God says about you. He treasures you, and He will use you for His glory. Jesus left His hometown to minister to those who would receive Him. Look outside your comfort zone, and find someone who needs you. A prophet of God finds honor. You are someone’s treasure, and they are waiting to find you.

Have a blessed day!