Firm, Unshaken & Holding On

"For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." Hebrews 3:14 (NLT)

Fall is my favorite season. Nature's autumn colors serve as a constant reminder of how God is The Master Artist, and it always brings me such peace. In the midst of a life that is full of craziness, you can always count on a blue sky and a leaf turning ten shades of green, yellow, red and orange (not grey) and settling your mind if only for a moment. Today, I experienced that very peace as I drove through the mountains. My mind began to wander as I remembered a particular tree that I saw a few years ago around this time of the year. Most of the leaves had fallen from a tree and there was just one little leaf who was holding on for dear life in a position that was abnormal to a leaf. I walked away and came back to it still in position. It was like the leaf had sheer determination and refused to be parted from the very thing that had given it life for so long. Even when the stem was disconnected, the leaf was tenaciously hang on just a little longer. And, as I watched that leaf, I was reminded of the kind of fortitude that God expects from us. From the start of our season to the very end, God wants us to hang on for dear life. 

Hebrews 3:14 says that we have to be "faithful to the end". The Amplified translation says that we are to have "assured expectation firm and unshaken to the end". As life turns topsy turvy, as you even begin to feel like you may be disconnected from The Source (God), you need to remember this leaf, make some adjustments to your grip and don't let go. The God who so eloquently made millions of shades of greens, yellows, reds and oranges in ONE leaf, did so much more in us when He perfected us. And the Bible assures us that He will complete the work He has begun in us (Philippians 1:6). If we hold on, we will get to partake with Christ in His inheritance and that's a prize worth waiting on.

Be encouraged to stand firm, remain unshaken and simply hold on for dear life. He's got you!

Blessings,
MinD

Pursue The Promise

"Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away." Hebrews 2:1

Have you ever had one of those days where happiness seems elusive and one thing after another keeps coming your way to throw you off course and distract you. On those days, I find myself wishing that I had that "easy" button that Staples uses in their commercials. Today was so off that I decided to simply go home for fear that I remained too exposed to the possibilities of further trauma out on the streets.Unfortunately, the tests for the day did not end there. And as I closed out the evening frustrated and worn down, I thought back to conversations had throughout the day and realized that I had been living out the truth of the verse in Hebrews 2 that had caught my eye during my morning devotional. Verse 1 says that we must "earnestly" pay attention to the things we've heard. The writer of Hebrews is talking about salvation and our assurance in who Christ is in our lives. But I believe that it goes even beyond that. Sometimes you have to stand up for God's promise. You have to believe beyond your own understanding that what God said about our lives is true and be ready to fight for those truths on days when "easy" would be so much nicer (Philippians 3:14 calls it 'pressing towards the mark'). As you face the situations, people, conversations that push your buttons, remember to earnestly pursue God's truth for your life (the promise). Be encouraged as you press on and don't allow the enemy to get you fatigued. Take a moment, pray, regroup and then keep on pressing.

Blessings,
MinD

Rollin' with God's Crew

"Starburst 4" by Christine Gaut

It's easy to feel alone. Whether you are single or married, with children or without, live alone or with others, that feeling that comes when you close your eyes and your problems are your own and it's only you and God there to solve them can be a daunting one. It can be overwhelming to think about the next steps you must take when life has thrown you a curve-ball. But the thing that I found out today (the thing that God shows me each time that lonely hole begins to swallow me up) is that there's a whole crew of angels assigned to help little 'ole me. The first chapter of Hebrews talks about Jesus being exalted above the angels. The chapter ends with a small statement that stuck with me in verse 14. It says, "Are not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?"

The verse piqued my interest and caused me to research what exactly the job of these spirits/angels is. My image of angels doesn't really extend beyond a flowey white, winged being or that old television series, Highway To Heaven. (The angels on that show were walking amongst us doing good deeds.) So what I found made me look around with gratitude at the air all around me. My research came up with two verses in particular that I think you should hear:

"No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone." (Psalm 91:10-12)

and

"Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure. (Psalm 103:20-21)

I don't know about you, but today I was comforted by the fact that God's crew includes spirits whose earthly job is to minster to those of us trying desperately to walk this Christian journey, protect us from evil, all while being strong examples of those who please God. The angels assigned to you are more than little cherubs with wings or frail, whimsical ghosts. They are a gang whose rep is unrivaled by any other and whose power is fighting the fight on your side. You can be reassured that you are not alone and that  the crew you are rollin' with is the one to watch. 

Be encouraged today and know, you're never alone. God and his whole crew have your back!

Blessings,
MinD 

New Series on Hebrews/Faith

I'm truly amazed at God already and looking forward to all He is going to say between now and the new year. In the middle of doing our last 31 day series on Proverbs, we felt the Lord shifting to us finishing the last 12 weeks of the year with the 13 chapters of Hebrews--a book that is notoriously about faith. I do hope that you will join us on this journey and tell your friends to subscribe to the weekly devotional email.

Blessings,
MinD

Day 31: Your Word Awaits

As this series of writings comes to a close, I really wanted to leave you all with something particularly profound. I found it amazing that God chose to end this book of wisdom specifically talking about a woman who fears the Lord (Proverbs 31:30). I thought for sure that there was something to that that I should share with each of you reading along with me during the past 31 days. However, as I read Proverbs 31, all of the wisdom therein seemed to be rather personal to me. What I know is that there are so many rich nuggets in the 31 verses of this 31^st proverb. I could spin a word and make it make sense but that would be doing you a disservice. As I read, every thought I had the Lord would say “that’s just for you”. What a sweet feeling to have. And what I can tell you about the Word of the day is that it’s in your heart. God is asking you to take a moment today and open up the 31^st Proverb. Your Word awaits you there.

May the Lord bless you with the sweetness of His Word speaking to your heart in a personal way.

Blessings,

MinD

 

Day 30: Let Him Shield Your Heart

When we look around this world at all of the atrocities of life, it is sometimes hard to believe in God. As we experience death in our lives, financial ruin, divorce, depression, relationship traumas and so much more, it's hard to think that this good God that Christians sing about is real. How do you convince a mother who lost their child that God truly is "working everything for her good" like it says in Romans 8? This God walk that we are forging through is not an easy one. And, even if you read through the Bible, you see story after story of people's pain and trails. And the question of the day then becomes, "What is the point?' Why serve a God who allows such madness? And today the answer came to me in the form of the Proverbs. You see, in Proverbs 30:5 it says "Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him." It's not that God allows bad things to happen to those who don't trust Him. That's not it. But what I think is the gift that He gives is in the word "shield".

Shield is about protection. We imagine that it means physical protection, but what I realized when I read this was that the shield that is being referred to here is not a physical one but a spiritual and emotional one. You see, the difference between Christians and the rest of the world is supposed to be the heart of the matter. Trials will come. If they killed Jesus, how much more would the world and evil forces strive to make us suffer and doubt God. But the scripture says that those who TRUST God will be protected from their sufferings and shielded from their doubts.

Today, you may be besieged with doubts--wondering what God is doing, where He is in the midst of your storm--but when you get quiet and rest in trust, he'll send you that peace that surpasses understanding to guard and shield your heart and mind. As the floodgates of trials and tribulations pour open in your world, allow God to use the purity of His Word to filter out the impurities from those experiences and build in your a new hope and a renewed joy. Trust in Him. He will do it. You just have to let Him.

Be encouraged.
Blessings,
MinD