Did you know that God is our Sun and Shield¹, our Dwelling Place², our Strength and Defense³ and the Most High God⁴? Were you aware that He founded the world⁵, created the north and the south⁶, fashioned the ear and formed the eye⁷, and sits enthroned forever⁸? Did you know that he makes the clouds his chariot and rises on the wings of the wind⁹?

He is mighty⁵, upright¹¹, holy¹², good¹³ and robed in majesty and armed with strength¹⁴.

God is our Path Director, Wisdom Giver, Comfort Bringer, Hope Offerer, Peace Bestower and Strength Deliverer. He is all we need.

When we hear the lie that God is mean-spirited, we can stand on Psalm 103:8, which says that He is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” If we ever wonder if He isn’t aware of our circumstances, we can rest in Psalm 121:3, which tells us that He “will not slumber.” Should we be tempted to consider Him weak, Psalm 135:5 is the truth we need because it states that He is “greater than all gods.”

I want to encourage you to spend some time in the book of Psalms. Maybe you read through it with this plan on your YouVersion Bible app. As you do, write down who He is, how He is described and the amazing things He has done. I promise you will be so very encouraged.

God is our Path Director, Wisdom Giver, Comfort Bringer, Hope Offerer, Peace Bestower and Strength Deliverer. He is all we need.

Today’s Reading
Psalm 84:11¹
Psalm 89:9⁵
Psalm 89:11-12⁶
Psalm 90:1²
Psalm 91:1⁴
Psalm 92:15¹¹
Psalm 93:1¹⁴
Psalm 94:9⁷
Psalm 99:9¹²
Psalm 100:5¹³
Psalm 104:3⁹
Psalm 102:12⁸
Psalm 118:14³

Why.

The first word of many questions that humans ask.

Why do my muscles ache after a workout?
Why is there no grass in the desert?
Why can’t I understand algebra?

Those have easy answers.

Because you strained them and they are rebuilding.
Because there is no rainfall and grass needs water.
Because it’s dumb. (Duh.)

But other questions don’t have such quick answers. The word why is at the forefront of our minds when things go awry. This word often doesn’t satiate or comfort us.

Why does God allow children to get cancer?
Why won’t God heal me?
Why did God take my mom from me?

Why.

If we ask God to help us see things through a different lens, we will begin asking how He can use this when our natural tendency is to ask why did this happen.

How are you going to use my pain to help someone else?
How are you going to bring about good through my hardship?
How are you going to bring others into the Kingdom through my painful experiences?

We must let go of our need to know “why” so that we can lean into the “how.”

In my opinion, this is the pathway to healing, wholeness and peace. Because some questions will never be answered. Even if they are, the answers aren’t good enough to quench that need inside of us that begs why. But if we could lean towards asking God how He will use a tragic and devastating situation in our life and in someone else’s, we will start to experience rapid healing accompanied by the peace of Jesus.

When we know the character of God, we will know that He is for us, that nothing can separate us from His love and that through Him, we are more than conquerors. When we know this, we can ask questions that are far more beneficial and kingdom-minded.

If we ask God to help us see things through a different lens, we will begin asking how He can use this when our natural tendency is to ask why did this happen.

Today’s Reading
Romans 8:31
Romans 8:35-39
2 Cor. 1:3-4
1 Peter 1:6-7

Seventeen years ago today, I was expectant and hopeful for the new chapter in our lives and ministry. Then, the very next morning I awoke from a terrible night’s rest. I quickly became aware of my surroundings and realized that my experience from the day before was not a dream. It really happened. My world really did come crashing in on me. My life, as I knew it, was completely over.

Yet here I am on this same date, February 19th, some 6,205 days later and my world is the exact opposite from that dreadful Tuesday in 2002. Despite my husband’s confession of infidelity and pornography addiction, I am living the richest life possible still married to him. And yet I know this isn’t the best that it will be. It’s still to come.

With God, life will get richer, more meaningful and more fulfilling as we follow Him. That’s just who our God is.

I have been in the pit, and I have been on the mountain.
I have been full of chaos, and I have been full of peace.
I have been in serious financial need, and I have been financially secure.
I have experienced the heights of joy, and I have lived in the throes of sorrow.

So today, I write to you as a fellow sojourner on a path with and towards Jesus. I am here to encourage you to keep fighting the good fight even if you don’t have any idea what the outcome will be. Sometimes we will get smacked with situations that send us into a tailspin. That’s life. We have to get back up.  

With God, life will get richer, more meaningful and more fulfilling as we follow Him. That’s just who our God is.

Today’s reading
Ps. 46:1-3
Prov. 18:10
Mark 10:27
John 14:27
2 Cor. 12:9-10
Gal. 6:9
Phil. 4:13

Have you ever had that feeling where you reached out to a friend and they needed to hear from you at that very moment? Man, what a great feeling, huh? But better than that is the feeling of knowing that God’s Holy Spirit was the One putting that friend on your mind. In that moment, you think, “God just used me!” But we won’t hear His voice leading us if we don’t seek Him.

The truth is that we won’t be able to distinguish His voice from all the others if we don’t know Him. Are we willing to make the effort to know our Creator, the Knower of all aspects of our being, the Director of our future and our ultimate Sustainer? There are ample ways to accomplish this in our lives. We can…

• read His Word
• pray and meditate
• read books written by God-fearing men and women
• praise and worship Him through gratitude and song
• spend time building up and being built up by like-minded Christ followers

If you want to know where God is leading, you have to be able to recognize His voice.

God’s Word, the Bible, is our handbook, our guidebook, our Owner’s manual. If reading the Bible is not part of your daily routine as a Christ Follower, then you are starving yourself. That’s a bold and strong statement, but an accurate one. You are expecting to run a marathon without any training. While training for a marathon may be cumbersome, reading God’s Word is not. It’s simple ~ just start somewhere. Some of the letters written by the Apostle Paul are great starting points as well as any of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.) And as you begin reading, ask God to speak to you through the chapter or a single verse. Then, simply follow the SOAP plan below from Pastor Wayne Cordeiro:

Scripture ~ Write the scripture down.
Observation ~ Notice things about the scripture. Read the verses leading up to it and continuing on from it. Write what you think it’s saying.
Application ~ Apply this new revelation to your own life.
Prayer ~ Ask your Heavenly Father to reveal more to you about this passage in the coming hours, days and even weeks. Petition Him to give you the strength to make the changes you need to make.

Dive in today. Dig deep today. Allow God to show you new aspects of His character that you aren’t well-acquainted with just yet. He will show you. And before you know it, you’ll hear that gentle, perfect whisper leading you to do the remarkable and the unexplainable. But, you’ll know where it came from because you know Him and know His voice.

If you want to know where God is leading, you have to be able to recognize His voice.

Today’s Reading
Galatians 1
Philippians 1

When it comes to your words, what’s your go to? Is it gentle encouragement, crass humor, rude sarcasm, loving kindness or intellectual harassment? As people, we typically have a “go to” when it comes to our words. So, what’s yours?

One of the things I don’t like about myself is the amount of words I have to say. All the words, oh, all the words. There are just so many words that leave my lips. I can waiver between gentle encouragement and loving kindness with a dash or five of rude sarcasm on any given day. I like the me that says nice, helpful things but I dislike the me that does the opposite.

Weigh what you say for you can build up or tear down.

How do we keep ourselves from tearing down with our words? I believe it’s about staying connected to the Vine, Jesus Christ. Sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it? John 15 is a beautiful chapter about how we are do to this and not only how, but that it is possible. According to verse six, if we “remain in Him, we will bear much fruit.” I want to bear the fruit that brings glory to Jesus not only in what I do but also what I say.

One way to stay connected to Christ throughout our day is to have an ongoing dialogue with Him. Talking to or asking questions of Him just like I would a friend. And in regard to our words, maybe we consider the following questions:

• Am I going to regret saying this?
• Is there a better way to say this?
• Are these words going to encourage or discourage?
• Will what I say help or harm?

You will not get this right 100% of the time. How do I know? Because you’re a human being. But don’t let partial success in this keep you from making a daily effort to be a life-bringer to all whom you encounter.

Weigh what you say for you can build up or tear down.

Today’s Reading
Prov. 15:4
John 15:1-17
Eph. 4:29

One of the most difficult things for a Christ Follower to do is to step out into the unknown when you are unsure what the outcome will be.

I remember hearing God clearly in March, 2002, when He led me to stay in my devastated marriage. I could not trust my husband, Chris, farther than I could throw him yet God, in His mysterious way, assured me that He had a plan and that it was trustworthy. So, I stepped out.

Jehovah Jireh. This name of God says he will provide according to Genesis 22:14. The scripture doesn’t say He has provided, although He certainly has. It doesn’t say He is providing, although He absolutely is. It says He will provide – and that takes faith on our parts to step toward His provision. Did you know that without faith it is absolutely impossible to please God? We are simultaneously growing and pleasing God when we step out in faith. So, let’s step.

When you step out in faith, it pleases God and develops you.

I don’t know what burden you are carrying right now. The worry about provision, the concern about a loved one, the issue that imprisons you. We’ve all had our fair share of sorrows in life. So, while I can’t tell you the outcome of your story, I can tell you that our God will carry you, comfort you and provide for you. Pinky promise.

Today, take some time to look back over your life. Think about the concerns in the past and how God brought you through them. Consider the personal growth in your life and how God made you a better version of yourself. Remember the financial strains and how God provided for you. I mean, you are far more valuable than the birds of the air and if He feeds them, won’t he care for you?

You will not be able to see the future, but you can 100% trust His hand.

When you step out in faith, it pleases God and develops you.

Today’s Reading
Genesis 22:1-14
Matthew 6:25-34
Philippians 4:19
Hebrews 11:6

*Most of the content from this is from a post I recently wrote for Life.Church.

We all have habits. Some propel us toward positive outcomes, and others do the exact opposite. The bad habits get our focus because, well, they’re bad habits and we need to eradicate them from our lives. So, we make the effort to not only stop the bad habit but also to construct a new habit simultaneously. Yet when we mess up on a good, new habit we’re trying to establish, so often we give up and say, “I’ll never change.” And with that lie running through our heads, we never will.

What is it for you? Maybe you snap at your kids too much or you ignore the alarm and don’t make it to the gym. Perhaps you set a goal to read your Bible every day, but after you miss a few days you figure missing a few more isn’t a big deal. Before you know it, these new habits aren’t habits at all, and you’re no longer making an effort.

Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us that God’s compassions never fail and that they’re new every morning. Here’s a thought: What if when we mess up on a goal —instead of throwing in the towel—we choose to begin again? We could literally say, “Okay, messed that up. Starting over now.” Even if we have to say this to ourselves every day, let’s do it.

When you mess up on your goals, simply begin again.

So you ate something you probably shouldn’t have. Begin again at the very next meal with your goal. Perhaps you missed a workout—or five. Begin again the next day by getting to the gym. You got behind on that Bible Plan in the Bible App. Begin again the next day and catch up. There are plenty of scenarios we could list that show us to be people who can’t stay on track. But failing is not failure. Just because you’ve failed before doesn’t mean you’ll fail forever. Begin again.

Look around you. There are people everywhere who are living content, healthy lives that are full of good habits. How do they do it? Are they perfect? No. They begin again when they mess up. They’ve resolved to live out Galatians 6:9 which says, “Let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” 

We will struggle. We will fail. But we can’t give up or we won’t succeed.

When you mess up on your goals, simply begin again.

I desperately want to rely on God and His faithfulness. When my life is not going according to some ideal I have constructed in my mind, sometimes I wonder what God is up to. And then I get frustrated with myself for not trusting Him in a certain situation when I’ve trusted Him and seen Him come through before.

To trust God with my present, I will remember His faithfulness in my past.

As I was processing through this recently, a verse literally lept off the page at me. Psalm 86:11 says, “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”

While I am on this earth, I must learn and know God’s ways to the best of my ability so that I will be able to rely on God’s faithfulness. His ways reveal His character and when I know His ways, I tend to trust and rely on Him, who He is, and what He’ll do.

When that, then or if are a part of a verse, we get some real direction and revelation for our lives. These small and seemingly insignificant words are vital as we move forward in our walk with Jesus. For example, we see in Romans 12:2 that if we want to be able to test and approve God’s will, we must not conform to the pattern of this world. If we want to overflow with hope by the power of His Spirit, we have to trust in Him according to Romans 15:13. And if we want to reap the harvest that Galatians 6:9 says we can have, we cannot give up. Relying on God’s faithfulness comes when I learn His ways.

To trust God with my present, I will remember His faithfulness in my past.

When we don’t understand the plan unfolding before us, we can glance back at His past faithfulness and be encouraged. If he was faithful in the past, He will be faithful in the future. He can’t not be faithful. He is the same yesterday, today and forever!

No matter the direction of your life or how circumstances are unfolding before you, choose to rest in God’s character and ways. He is for you, not against you. He has good plans for you, not bad ones. And He sent His son to spare you of eternal separation from Him.

To trust God with my present, I will remember His faithfulness in my past.

Today’s reading
Psalm 86:11
Romans 12:2
Romans 15:13
Galatians 6:9
Hebrews 13:8

I have an immune system like a fortress, which means I rarely get sick. When a stomach bug or virus tends to land on those around me, I don’t usually fall prey to it.

Except a cold. I usually catch one cold each winter season. Oftentimes this turns into a sinus infection and even bronchitis. And I throw a fit about it. Sometimes I even pout.

Because I want God to just take it away. To just zap my body and wah-lah, I’m healed. But that doesn’t happen. Instead, I have to do what only I can do. I have to do my part. Diffuse the right oils, rest, take plenty of Vitamin C and Elderberry, rest, treat the symptoms, rest, run the humidifier, you know, all the healthy , non-prescription things.

We must do our part and let God do His.

In 2 Kings, chapter 5, we read about Naaman, who is was the commander of King Aram’s army. He had leprosy, and nobody wants to have leprosy. He hears about a potential cure and makes his way to Samaria. Things get a little touchy with the King of Israel and that’s when Elisha steps in. Elisha summoned Naaman and then directed him to wash himself in the Jordan River seven times so that his skin would be restored. Here is Naaman’s surprising response:

But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.” (2 Kings 5:11)

Naaman wanted his leprosy gone with the wave of a hand. I wanted my cold gone. But it didn’t work that way for Naaman and it didn’t work that way for me. And chances are, it isn’t working that way for you either.

Are you struggling with an addiction that you long for God to just zap away?
Do you have a strained relationship that you wish God would just mend?
Is there uneasiness in your heart about your future?

Make no mistake about it, our God is the ultimate addiction-breaker, disease-healer, and heart mender. He can alleviate your struggle with one snap of His majestic hand. Yet, more often than not, He wants us to interact with Him, working it out with Him so that we can grow through our trials with Him. Our faith must not be a sideline faith. It must be an active faith.

We must do our part and let God do His.

Today’s Reading
2 Kings 5