Category Archives: Difficulties

Knowledge Is Power

Image by Yogurt on Unsplash.

Bible Passages

Read Ephesians 6:10-17.

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12 (NASB1995)

Where the word of a king is, there is power …

Ecclesiastes 8:4 (NASB1995)

Devotion

We’ve all heard that knowledge is power. The more you know, the more you grow. Gather to yourself all the knowledge you can find. However, if you don’t share what you know, all that information is just useless junk taking up room in your head, collecting dust and making it difficult to put important, useful stuff in there. Choose wisely which tidbits of knowledge you keep. This wisdom will lead you to true power.

In school, you do battle in an exam. If you do your homework, you have a better chance of passing a test. It seems easy enough, but there are many distractions that take you away from your studies. Playing with friends is a big one. Doing chores or working to pay for your schooling is another. Make time for absorbing the knowledge you must have to pass a test. Showing your knowledge on a test proves to the test administrator that you have learned the assigned information. Even if it’s a small test or pop quiz, showing mastery of a topic allows you to continue learning at the next level.

In a debate, knowing all sides of a topic prepares you to fight a battle of wits with your opponents. When you know the topic, your argument can be rich in data points. By looking at all sides of the issue, you are armed against any attack. No matter how many opponents you face, you are ready to defend your point-of-view. By doing sufficient research and preparation, you will win the day.

At work, the best way to get ahead in the battle to the top is to know your job and do it well. If your company brings in something new (like a new process or piece of equipment), especially if it seems hard, volunteer to learn it. By choosing to do hard things, you will become essential to those who run the company. When they know who you are, you get their attention. By taking the hard tasks, you are bringing God’s blessings on your work. When it comes time for promotions, pay raises, or bonuses, you will be on their minds. You will be amazed at the rewards you will reap when you sow seeds into your workplace.

In life, you have to know a lot of things in order to do battle properly. You have to know how to keep up with your bills. You have to know if you have enough money for a taxi or rideshare or bus fare or gasoline to get where you are going, and know how to get there (or how to work your GPS app). There are a million things to keep track of at once. When a spouse and kids are added in the mix, those million things quickly become a billion things. Knowing how and when to juggle everything leads to a successful, stress-free life.

In your spiritual life, you ready yourself by studying the Bible. Everyone is different, and learning styles are unique to each person. Study in the manner best-suited to you. Be aware that some books are a little dry and difficult for beginners. There are pages of so-and-so begat doo-ma-flotchy or King Such-and-such did this, that, and the other thing. Don’t get bogged down in the details at first. Remember, Shakespeare and Hemingway are for the more experienced readers. It’s okay to bypass some things until you’re ready to tackle them.

God only cares that you are making the effort. He has put people, videos, books, social media, and so many other avenues, in your path for you. All you have to do is look. When your next battle comes, you will be much better prepared. Share the knowledge you gained from Bible study, and your victory for God will be much sweeter!

Prayer Focus

People who need greater Bible knowledge.

Prayer

Great and mighty God, I thank You for Your guidance in arming me with the exact Scriptures I will need for my next battle. I will study Your words and use them like a sword against my enemies. Mold me into a spiritual weapon, burnished in Your love. Arm me through Your grace and glory to win every battle, that I may glorify Your name and Your kingdom. Amen.

Final Thought

Arm yourself for the coming battle.

The Air We Breathe

Bible Passages

Read Psalm 91.

The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.

Psalm 24:1 (NASB1995)

Devotion

I pray Psalm 91 every day. It is a prayer for God’s protection. I pray it for my house, my car, my friends and family, and many other things. One day while praying this prayer, I got a quick glimpse in my mind’s eye, a vision. As I prayed, I watched as a glowing blue layer of protection and love encircled the house, nestling into the foundation and securing it, transforming it from a house into a home protected by God’s might and love. It was personal and magical. I felt a warm comfort and peace.

Since then, I started looking for something that has that same kind of blue, multifaceted and iridescent, sort of like a rainbow of blues, from cyan and sky blue to royal and navy blue. One day, I realized I had seen that same rainbow of blue color in pictures of Earth from space. The beautiful blue layer of gases around our planet is very similar to the blue layer of protection I saw around my house! Yes, I immediately grasped the implication. Our planet has a layer of protection from God. I had simply tapped into His protective atmosphere by praying Psalm 91 and directing it toward my house.

When God created this world, He put down a layer of protection over it. We call it the atmosphere. It keeps us safe from harmful rays from the sun. It provides us the exact amount of nitrogen, oxygen, and other gases that we need, perfectly balanced by the global ecosystem. It hosts the winds and the rains, in their many forms.

I began to notice many of the televangelist shows use some of those very same blues to light their stages. Is it a coincidence? This can’t be random. Is there someone on their crew or staff who has seen this beautiful blue blanket, and understands the power in these colors? Maybe one day someone will talk about it on their show, but to me it seems like they, too, are trying to recreate the color of God’s blessing.

It’s popular among the faith community to pray Psalm 91 these days. It feels a bit like I’m following a fad. I know I’m not, and I hope it is not just a fad. My hope is that you begin to pray and study this passage regularly. Due to its current popularity, it is easy to find books and articles that teach you how to pray this powerful Bible passage. Memorize it if you can. It’s a little long, with 16 verses, but every word is charged with meaning and power. Every tough situation you face is covered by at least one verse. The last few verses sing of victory over hardship.

When you are under attack, this is a mighty sword. If you pray Psalm 91, you might even get a glimpse of the Word at work, as I did. Maybe you, too, can see the blue blanket of protection as it wraps itself around you and your home. Even if you don’t, you can rest assured it’s there, shielding you from the woes of this world. All you have to do is pray, and breathe in God’s protection, the air, which He provided for us.

Prayer Focus

Those in need of protection.

Prayer

Almighty God, Savior of the world, our Light in the darkness, protect me from the evils of the world. Keep me safe in Your loving arms. Grant me Your peace in all things. Guide my feet along Your path. Lead me into Your righteousness. Amen.

Final Thought

God’s protection and love are even in the air we breathe.

A Mother’s Perspective

Mother comforting small boy. Image by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash.
Image by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash

Bible Passages

19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

Luke 2:19 (NASB1995)

51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

Luke 2:51 (NASB1995)

26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.

John 19:26-27 (NASB1995)

Devotion

The love of God knows no boundaries. Although we are all His children, there was one man who was more than that. He came to this world to set it right. We celebrate his birth at Christmas. We remember his teachings. We commemorate his death. On Easter, we celebrate his resurrection. He was God on Earth. He was also a man. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

At Easter, we talk a lot about how much God loves the world, and the sacrifice He made for us. We hear little about the sacrifices of his mother. I often think about what it must have been like for Mary, mother of Jesus. Being a good Jewish girl, she would have been very aware of what the Torah (Old Testament) said of the Messiah. When the angel told her she was chosen to bear the Son of God, ancient prophecy must have flashed in her mind. She must have known her child would one day die a horrible death in order to save the world. Perhaps all this flashed through her mind at the time.

Perhaps, being a teenager, she didn’t fully think it through. Perhaps she didn’t believe she would outlive her child. Perhaps she decided not to think about the difficulties ahead, preferring instead to think only of the present and the joy and honor bestowed on her when she was asked by God, through the angel, to do all this. We can only guess. I believe she knew everything that was being asked of her when she, without hesitation, agreed, “let it be according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

Over the next 30+ years, she stored up many things in her heart, according to Scripture. This is normal for any parent, especially in an age without video cameras, cell phones, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and the hundreds of other apps parents use now to record every first or cute thing their child has done today: smile, walk, run, school, trophy, belch, hiccup, etcetera, ad nauseum and add nausea.

Mary did not have any of those modern conveniences. She only had her heart and mind to store up the memories. I also think that, more than any other mother, she had good reason to store in her heart all the deeds and wonders as she watched her child grow and mature.

I believe she loved God so much that, though she must have dreaded having to see her son tortured and killed, she willingly agreed to see him through the human world with the loving, open arms of a mother. I also believe she trusted God enough to know He would see her through the daunting assignment of being the mother of the Living God.

The stories survive to this day, written down for those of us separated by generations from the actual event. Mary must have kept back many stories that were deeply personal between her and God. Some stories she shared with His followers. We know this because several of these stories wound up in Scriptures. She must have loved and trusted God deeply, for she took that giant leap of faith and gave birth to Jesus, helped him navigate the world as a mere human child, proudly saw him become a master craftsman, teacher and healer, then helplessly stood near him as he suffered and died on the cross. She then helped the others as they laid him in the tomb. She also watched as they sealed the tomb and set guards to watch over it and prevent anyone from opening it and stealing the body. She would have known that would not keep God from fulfilling His promise.

What joy she must have felt that morning when she was told He had risen from the dead, overcoming death itself! I don’t think she was surprised by His resurrection. I think she would have expected it. She was the mother of the Living God, after all. Her faith was strong. She had seen Him do other wondrous, miraculous, seemingly impossible things to fulfill Scripture. I think if she was surprised, it was about how the event transpired, not that it happened. She knew He was the Son of God. She knew He would live again. He was God. God never lies. She must have been a brave, strong and amazing woman!

Prayer Focus

Parents who have lost children.

Prayer

Almighty Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thank you for saving me. Thank you for showing me how You want me to live. Help me remember to put You first in every aspect of my life, as You put me first in Yours. Help me to bring others to know Your love. Guide me to someone who needs my help today. Let me shine Your light boldly and brightly, so all will know You are mine and I am Yours. Amen.

Final Thought

Mary watched her son grow into the Messiah.

Always

Dog protectively lying with cat. Image by Alec Favale on Unsplash.

Bible Passages

Read Psalms 139:7:12

“… and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:20

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

Hebrews 13:5 (NASB1995)

Devotion

God is with us always.

Having grown up in a Christian home, I never really thought about what that statement means. I simply took it for granted that no matter what I was doing or where I was, God would be right there with me, always. I wasn’t always faithful to God, but I always knew He was there with me in all my ways, whether my behavior was good or bad, kind or selfish, brave or fearful, and if I was sick or well.

It goes a lot deeper than that, however, at least in English. The origin of the word always is actually the combination of two words, all and ways. The more I think about it, the deeper the meaning. Always includes all aspects of our lives. What does that mean, exactly?

He created the heavens and the earth for us to enjoy and explore, then provided plants and animals to cover our basic needs: food, clothing, shelter. We were made the caretakers of all these things. With God’s help, we learn how to do that, and how to make sure the generations to follow understand their duty to all of God’s creations, large and small.

He gave us brains to process and filter the information overload we are subjected to every day: news, sitcoms, movies, infomercials, rumor mills and gossip columns, reality television, talk shows, streaming media, text messages, phone calls, schedules, deadlines, internal and external criticism. The list grows daily. With God’s help, we know what is true and valid and useful to us.

He gave us many wonderful inventions to make our lives easier: automobiles, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, glass windows, coffee tables, mattresses, tea cozies, swimsuits, microwaves, ear plugs, ski boots, indoor plumbing, and even ice cream. I am amazed at all the things God has given us through others. I humbly bow in awe at all the things He has provided for us, which we mostly take for granted.

He gave us souls, the essence of ourselves, and knows us each by name. He calls to us through our souls. He guides our souls to seek Him out. Through our souls, He gives us strength and wisdom and kindness and joy and peace. Our souls are part of a gigantic pipeline tapping into the Divine. If we but open ourselves to Him, what joy and peace and happiness He provides!

He gave us hearts, which He fills with love and joy, meant to share in Samaritan fashion with all our neighbors: family, friends, strangers, and even people we will never meet. With God’s help, we can use social media to show the world what it means to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37 (NASB1995)

Through it all, He is there beside us, to guide us every step of the way. Even if we stray off the way He set for us, He travels alongside us as we go our own way, there to help us get back to the way He wants us to go. All we have to do is ask.

If we put God first, everything else falls into place. He is with us always, all ways.

Prayer Focus

Inventors.

Prayer

Beloved Father, we thank you for everything You do for us. Large and small, seen and unseen, You are always in the background doing great things. You are the inspiration behind all great works. Yet, you take the time and energy to care for each of us, even in the trivial. You are always there, in all ways. Thank you! Amen.

Final Thought

God is with us in all ways, always.

God Sees It Differently

Bible Passages

Read Isaiah 55.

Your eyes saw me when I was still an unborn child. Every day of my life was recorded in your book before one of them had taken place.

Psalm 139:16 (GW)

Devotion

Recently, God filled my heart with a new purpose which would require all my time and energy. He gave me a full-time job. Spread the Love Ministries, this mission, is that new purpose. I have several qualities that make me a good fit for this mission. However, there are also many, many things missing from my resume. God sees it differently. He believes in me, even when I have doubts.

At the time, I had no other job, no income. I saw this as a hindrance. God sees it differently. Bills kept coming in: rent, electricity, my dad’s medical bills, and so much else. I was overwhelmed. I had a hard time not worrying. I had a hard time trusting God would provide me with everything I needed, even though I knew He would – just as He has a million times before. I had to be strong. God sees it differently. He is the source of my strength. He will lend me the strength I need to do His will. All I needed to do is ask.

This was a big ask, though. I didn’t feel worthy. I didn’t feel up to the task. God sees it differently. He has my path mapped out, and will show me, each step of the way, what I need to do. He will take care of the rest. All I have to do is ask.

I prayed hard about it. I prayed unlike any prayer I had ever prayed before. I laid myself at His feet, begging for His help and guidance. I asked.

A few days later, I began to see how God was taking care of my needs. I received unexpected money from family and other sources. I was gifted food. I got an offer to help with my sorely neglected yard. The vision I had been given to help my neighbors began with my neighbors helping me! [I think God has a passion for irony, wry humor, and precision timing.]

I realized then that although I am not the leader I thought I needed to be. God is. I am the follower. I am not strong. God is. I can’t see the path I am walking, but I know how to get to where I’m going. All I need to see is the next stepping stone God has laid for me. I stopped worrying about living up to my idea of God’s expectations and let go of the reins. All I need do is what is required of me, one step at a time.

When I think I am at the end of my rope, God sees it differently. He uses those times as opportunities for my growth as a Christian. He simply gives me a longer, stronger rope! He will provide, exactly as He promised. I just need to make sure to put my trust in Him, and ask for His help, in all things.

Praise God in all things!

Prayer Focus

People who are unemployed.

Prayer

Heavenly Father who made me for a specific purpose, thank you for being there for me every step of the way you have laid out for me. Help me to stay on course, centered on You, and keep me safe as I do Your will in all things, big and small. Amen.

Final Thought

God has a plan for me.

The Favorite Son

Photo by Xavier Mouton Photographie on Unsplash

Bible Passages

Read Genesis 37-50.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time

1 Peter 5:6 (NASB1995)

Devotion

Before you were born, God set a special path, designed just for you and only you. He created you to be the perfect person for that path. Only you can travel your special path. If you stay on that path, it will be easy and fun (mostly). Along the way, He will hold your hand. He will carry you through the difficult parts, the challenges, the tests.

All you need do is follow where He leads you. He will provide almost everything you need to succeed. There is only one thing missing: you. God gave us free will, the ability to choose for ourselves what we do with our lives. He wants you to give yourself, fully and completely, to Him. When you do this, the results will amaze you!

The Bible is full of examples of people who went through hard times and came out with more blessings than they ever imagined. Joseph, for example, shows us how to follow God’s path. He shows us how to be godly, happy, and blessed. Even when he fell into darkness, God was with him. We remember him because he held tightly to God’s hand through the bad times and the good times.

We remember him and so many others because we love to hear their stories over and over. Their stories put our own troubles into perspective, and give us hope when we’re going through dark times. They remind us that God loves to take us out of our lowest moments, and bring us to our highest moments. Just like the dark nights make us appreciate the sunrise, our dark moments make us appreciate God’s blessings with praise and gratitude.

Joseph was on top of the world as a child. His family was prosperous. He lacked for nothing. His father favored him above all his other children. God blessed him with dreams, showing him that one day he would be in a situation where his brothers would bow to him. Confused and excited, he shared his dreams with his brothers, who already thought he was too big for his breeches. Hearing they would kowtow to him, it was the last straw for his jealous siblings.

Soon after, he was ambushed by his own brothers and sold into slavery, literally thrown away. Joseph was steadfast in his love of God, however, and he continued to be true to himself. He was kind to others. He held to his beliefs and worshiped God. He developed leadership skills. He remained trustworthy and honest, and loved God. God continued to bless Joseph and those around him, bringing them prosperity. God also continued giving him dreams, which he shared with others.

Through a series of events in which Joseph was falsely accused of misdeeds, he found himself in jail. While Joseph was in jail, the pharaoh had a dream. His advisors had no idea how to interpret this dream, but God told Joseph what the dream meant, and provided the opportunity for Joseph to witness to pharaoh. Joseph was immediately released from prison and installed as the second-in-command over Egypt, answering only to the pharaoh. Joseph was still enjoying the blessings of God, and Egypt prospered.

Meanwhile, Joseph’s family fell on hard times. A drought plagued the land, and his brothers were going hungry. Joseph’s father sent his brothers to beg for the mercy of the pharaoh, hoping he would share some food with them. They were presented to Joseph to plead their case. They were bowing and groveling at his feet so much, they didn’t recognize him as their brother. After putting them through a couple of challenges designed to test their characters, Joseph revealed himself to them and granted their request. The story continues, but I will stop here. As predicted in his childhood dream, Joseph was lifted up into the exact position God planned for him.

Joseph endured all the hardships set before him, praising God all the while. Joseph’s faithfulness to God paid off. God’s plan for him was fulfilled. Joseph was set on high, blessed beyond his wildest dreams, and lived a full and happy life. He remains an example of what it means to hold tight to God.

Prayer Focus

People with big dreams.

Prayer

Our Great and Mighty Father on high, thank You for making me. Thank You for loving me. Thank you for your blessings and your trials. Thank you for giving me everything I have. Use me as a vessel of Thy great and everlasting love. Amen.

Final Thought

God pushes us to be better.

Lamb of God

Bible Passages

29 Now it happened at midnight that Yahweh struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle. 30 Then Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead. 31 Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, serve Yahweh, as you have spoken. 32 Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have spoken, and go, and bless me also.”

Exodus 12:29-32 (Legacy Standard Bible)

29 On the next day, he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who has been ahead of me, for He existed before me.’ 31 I did not know Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing with water.” 32And John bore witness saying, “I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He abided on Him. 33 And I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The One upon whom you see the Spirit descending and abiding on Him, this is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I myself have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

John 1:29-34 (Legacy Standard Bible)

Devotion

During Lent, we hear a lot about the Lamb of God, the Last Supper, and the Cross. We know about the Exodus from Egypt, and the speculation that the Last Supper was a Passover Feast. We don’t often delve deeper into the parallels between Passover and the Crucifixion.

We know that the tenth and final plague on Egypt was the original Passover. God told the tribe of Israel, through Moses, to gather up enough lambs to feed the tribe, no more and no less. The lambs had to be pure and without blemish. They were kept separate until the appointed day and time. These lambs were then slaughtered. Their blood was used to mark the houses of those to be saved. The body was used to feed the tribe of Israel, those to be saved. Any leftovers were destroyed.

That night, God took the firstborn male of every Egyptian and their livestock. The Egyptian gods were also defeated. However, the firstborn males of the tribe of Israel were untouched. They were saved. It was the last straw for Pharaoh. When he lost his own firstborn son, he was finally broken and gave in to God’s will, chasing the Jewish people from his lands and even asked for our God to bless him!

The first commandment God gave the Jewish people was to observe Passover by fasting and feasting, in remembrance of Him and what He did for them, which is still practiced today. The Passover feast of Jewish tradition contains many symbolic foods. Bitter herbs represent the suffering of the tribe as slaves, salt water is served for the tears shed during slavery, and a piece of lamb to remember God’s love and protection (after the destruction of the Temple, it was changed to a bone).

Fast forward about 1400 years, to first century Jerusalem.

Jesus was the firstborn Son of God, His only son.

He was pure and without blemish.

He was sacrificed in order to save us.

He died during Passover.

We have new symbols and rituals, which we perform in remembrance of Him and what He did for us. As He told His disciples during their last meal together before the Crucifixion, the wine was a symbol of the blood He would shed for us. The bread was a symbol of His body, which was beaten, sliced open, and then killed, slaughtered, for us.

Our new Passover feast is known as Holy Communion.

Our new fasting is known as Lent, during which we symbolically give up something dear and take up something difficult but worthy and follow Him.

During this season of Passover, as we partake of the Holy Sacrament, let’s reflect on the reason we do these things. Let us bear in our hearts how much love God has for us, his chosen people. Let us remember Jesus and His sacrifice. Let us eat of His body. Let us drink His blood. Let us be renewed in the knowledge that He did these things for us, so we might follow His example of love. Let us rededicate our lives to Christ, so we may glorify Him in all we do. Let us reflect, in our own feeble ways, the life He lived.

According to the Gospels, right before Jesus was arrested by the Romans, He begged God to take the cross from the path He was to walk, knowing it was the only way to teach us His final lessons. He knew how hard the next few days would be. At the end of that prayer, He chose to continue on that path anyway. He chose the hard stuff. He chose the cross, because it was God’s will.

We all face challenges, tests, and hardships. Let us bear our own symbolic crosses with the grace and dignity Jesus showed us when He took up the cross. Let us remember God is with us in everything we do, good and bad. Let us lean on Him. He will see us through anything and everything!

Prayer Focus

Those taking their first Holy Communion.

Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, who gave His only son so we might have a deep, personal relationship with You, we thank You for loving us. We thank You for showing us, in such a meaningful way, how You want us to live. We thank You for Your salvation through the blood of Jesus. Amen.

Final Thought

Jesus gave up everything for us. Let us be willing to give up everything for Him, according to His will.