“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” Psalm 27:13

Across from the mail boxes in my townhouse complex is a house adorned with flowers. As I fetch my mail I stop to admire the floral work of art my friend Yvonne has created. But it wasn’t always so, she told me.

Seven years ago, the doctor predicted that Yvonne had only months to live. Hearing the doctor’s prognosis, Yvonne lost all interest in gardening.

“What’s the point,” she thought. I won’t be here to see it anyway. But sitting around moping didn’t suit her either.

One day she had a serious talk with herself. “I was terminal when I was born so what’s new?” she said. “Only God knows the exact time of my death but until then I’m going to live each day with enthusiasm. After all I serve a God of hope, not despair.”

Yvonne went outside and planted some tulip bulbs. Soon it was time to plant flowers into hanging baskets and clay pots and flower beds. Amazingly, Yvonne began to feel much better.

“Planting is a faith-filled action,” she told me. “You have to have faith that the little seed or fragile plant will grow and flourish under your care. That kind of active faith spilled over into my health concerns as well. I knew that God was in control of my life and all would be well. Sure, I might not see my flowers bloom come spring but it was okay. Someone else would be sure to enjoy them.”

And for seven more years, we neighbors have enjoyed the fruit of Yvonne’s labors. Hanging baskets overflowing with petunias and impatiens of every hue and window boxes brimming with bright red geraniums and purple heliotrope adorn her house. Her flower beds are a radiant display of carpet roses, lilies, lobelia, alyssum, phlox and many other flowers. Birds scratch for seeds in two feeders. A slight breeze plays on the chimes.

Although Yvonne’s health is in decline once more, she keeps going. “Nothing will ward off that helpless, ‘I’m-a-victim’ feeling as some positive faith-filled action,” she says.

Lord, help me to rise to my challenges with hopeful actions fueled by your eternal hope. Amen.

Question: Are you dealing with a difficult challenge in your own life? How does God continue to encourage you despite challenging circumstances?

About this Author: Helen Grace Lescheid

Please open your Bible and read Ephesians 1:3-14.

How many times have you thought: “I wish God would bless me”? Maybe those words came to you when you were asking God to answer a specific prayer or when you sensed some type of adversity approaching. There are many different ways to receive God’s blessings, but most often we think of it from a material sense. The people that followed Jesus did the same thing.

After feeding the 5,000, Jesus exposed this materialistic attitude: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (John 6:26). Many followed the Lord in order to receive “something.” Their eyes were set on seeing miracles and material provisions. But Jesus wanted them to see Him as the Bread of Life in whom all their needs would be met.

The greatest of all God’s blessings has nothing to do with material wealth and social position, and everything to do with the closeness of His presence. This is why He instructed His disciples by saying, “Seek me first . . . and all these things will be added to you.”

Are your eyes set on the Savior because of what He provides or because you love Him? The test of true love is this – abiding with the One you love regardless of anything else. Learn to love Him and Him alone; then all your cares will be satisfied.

Question: How are you hoping for blessing today? What if you don’t receive it, at least not immediately?

About the Author: Charles Stanley

Are you afraid to ask for help?  Are you trying to get away with deception? Take this lesson.

Join us for our Daily Devotional Chat today in our Women’s Chatroom at 10:30 am EST.

“There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16 – 19, NIV).

When one thing gets mentioned two times in a list of seven things God hates, we’d better take notice. These verses in Proverbs tell us that God hates lying tongues.   He detests false witnesses who pour our lies.  The call to follow Jesus, to be His disciple, requires us to love the things He loves and hate the things that He hates. That includes hating lies.

Often when we lie, it is because lying looks like an easier way.  We fool ourselves into thinking that no one will know. That in itself is a lie.  The Bible teaches us, “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known” (Matthew 10:26, NIV).

Although it may seem like we can get away with deception, God promises that the truth will be revealed. It may not be immediately, but every lie will be exposed.  As well, the consequences of lying – the destruction of integrity and the damage to relationships – are reasons enough to avoid it.

Not only does God hate lies, but Hebrews 6:18 says it is impossible for God to lie. It is against his very nature.  Because God hates lies, and because lying is contrary to his character, we also must not lie.

Holy God, teach me to love what You love and hate what You hate. Wash me of all lies and falsehoods. I want to be like Jesus. Amen.

Questions: Why are lies so destructive? How does knowing that God hates lies, keep you from lying?

About the Author Suzanne Benner

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon, published in “Mornings & Evenings,” entry for April 26th, AM.
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2010.

“This do in remembrance of Me.” (1 Corinthians 11:24)

Christians will sometimes forget Christ! There would be no need for Paul’s loving caution if there were not a fearful supposition that our memories might prove treacherous. This is not merely conjecture, because it is sadly too well confirmed in our experience. Forgetting Christ is not just a possibility, but a lamentable fact.

It would seem almost impossible that those who have been redeemed by the blood of the dying Lamb, and loved with an everlasting love by the eternal Son of God, could forget our gracious Savior. But, if startling to the ear, it is,  too apparent to the eye to allow us to deny the crime.

Forget Him who never forgot us?

Forget Him who poured His blood forth for our sins?

Forget Him who loved us even to the death?

Can it be possible? Yes, it is not only possible, but conscience confesses that it is too sadly a fault with all of us, that we suffer Him to be as a traveling man, stopping over only for a night. The one we should make the abiding tenant of our memories is instead merely a visitor. The cross, where our memories should linger, is desecrated by the feet of forgetfulness.

Doesn’t your conscience say that this is true? Do you not find yourself forgetful of Jesus? Temptations steal away your heart, and you are unmindful of Him upon whom your affection ought to be set. Earthly business engrosses your attention when you should fix your eye steadily upon the cross. It is the incessant turmoil of the world, the constant attraction of earthly things which distracts us from Christ.

Let us firmly resolve to not forget Jesus our Beloved in our hearts, and, whatever else we let slip, let us hold fast to Him.

Question: What are some of life’s distractions that cause us to “forget” Jesus, if only briefly?

About the Author: Charles Spurgeon

“But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.’” (Luke 1:13, NIV)

I love the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth.  It is a story of hope; a powerful story revealing that our God is One who listens to our hearts cries and hears our prayers.
Recently, I had been reading through the story of John the Baptist’s conception and Christ’s birth in the gospel of Luke.

When the angel of the Lord came to Zacharias he said, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard”.  Zacharias and Elizabeth were old in age and remained barren.  As we know, in those days it was a shame to be barren.  When I read this story however, I began to wonder what it was truly like for Zacharias and Elizabeth.  What was it like to live knowing within themselves that they probably would never conceive, (unless it was a miracle) only for this moment to occur?

I began to imagine the years that Elizabeth and Zacharias spend in tumultuous  prayer, weeping before God, and grieving within their hearts over their barrenness.  I could almost hear their cry and see their faces turn numb over the years. Their hearts must have broken from grief and sorrow.  I’m sure they questioned and doubted where their God was in this seemingly “unanswered prayer”.  I thought about how they might have questioned God, but still remained faithful to Him and His Commandments.

And all the while, I could almost hear the voice of God calling from Heaven saying, “Just wait your time is coming!  You have no idea what I have in store for you. You don’t even have a clue of what I am about to bless you with.  Please wait and hold on a little longer!  Keep hoping, and even if you lose hope, I have still heard because I am God.  I am the One who hears the needs and the desires of my people.  And I have a purpose in all of this.  If you just wait, it will come to pass, and you will have what you desire.”

In truth, Zacharias and Elizabeth had no idea the plan that God had for them.  For years they had to trust God and stand on His faithfulness.  Eventually, out of Elizabeth’s womb would come the greatest Prophet of Old, paving the way for the Messiah, Jesus Christ Himself!

Here’s the thing:  God is in the business of resurrecting our dreams!  He longs for those things that He has placed inside of you to be accomplished.  And even when we lose hope, our prayers are never ever lost, rather they are heard by God, and God remembers them.

I want to encourage those of you who have prayed, and have longed for things to come to pass.   God hears your prayers and your cries!  He knows your hearts’ desires.  And, maybe, just maybe, He is holding out for something you couldn’t have even imagined!  And if you just hold on,  He will bring back to life and resurrect those desires that seem to have died long ago, in His perfect time.

Our God is a God of resurrected dreams!  Know that with God, nothing is impossible.

Heavenly Father, I pray for all those reading who have dreams that have died.  I pray God, that the Word over their lives would be accomplished and that you would fulfill the desires of their hearts.  I thank You for hearing their thoughts and knowing what You have placed within them even before the foundations of the earth were laid.  I thank You that You are faithful to perform Your Word.  I pray for a measure of hope to be reinstalled within them, and a faith to believe that with You, nothing is impossible.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.

Question: How do you see your own life paralleled in the lives of Zacharias and/or Elizabeth? What lessons does God have to teach you through their stories?

About the Author: Brigitte Straub

Feeling lonely and hopeless? We’re here. Talk to us.

“But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John’” (Luke 1:13, NIV).

I love the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth.  It is a story of hope; a powerful story revealing that our God is One who listens to our hearts cries and hears our prayers.

Recently, I had been reading through the story of John the Baptist’s conception and Christ’s birth in the gospel of Luke.

When the angel of the Lord came to Zacharias he said, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard”.  Zacharias and Elizabeth were old in age and remained barren.  As we know, in those days it was a shame to be barren.  When I read this story however, I began to wonder what it was truly like for Zacharias and Elizabeth.  What was it like to live knowing within themselves that they probably would never conceive, (unless it was a miracle) only for this moment to occur?

I began to imagine the years that Elizabeth and Zacharias spend in tumultuous prayer, weeping before God, and grieving within their hearts over their barrenness.  I could almost hear their cry and see their faces turn numb over the years. Their hearts must have broken from grief and sorrow.  I’m sure they questioned and doubted where their God was in this seemingly “unanswered prayer”.  I thought about how they might have questioned God, but still remained faithful to Him and His Commandments.

And all the while, I could almost hear the voice of God calling from Heaven saying, “Just wait your time is coming!  You have no idea what I have in store for you. You don’t even have a clue of what I am about to bless you with.  Please wait and hold on a little longer!  Keep hoping, and even if you lose hope, I have still heard because I am God.  I am the One who hears the needs and the desires of my people.  And I have a purpose in all of this.  If you just wait, it will come to pass, and you will have what you desire.”

In truth, Zacharias and Elizabeth had no idea the plan that God had for them.  For years they had to trust God and stand on His faithfulness.  Eventually, out of Elizabeth’s womb would come the greatest Prophet of Old, paving the way for the Messiah, Jesus Christ Himself!

Here’s the thing:  God is in the business of resurrecting our dreams!  He longs for those things that He has placed inside of you to be accomplished.  And even when we lose hope, our prayers are never ever lost, rather they are heard by God, and God remembers them.

I want to encourage those of you who have prayed, and have longed for things to come to pass.   God hears your prayers and your cries!  He knows your hearts’ desires.  And, maybe, just maybe, He is holding out for something you couldn’t have even imagined!  And if you just hold on,  He will bring back to life and resurrect those desires that seem to have died long ago, in His perfect time.

Our God is a God of resurrected dreams!  Know that with God, nothing is impossible.

Heavenly Father, I pray for all those reading who have dreams that have died.  I pray God, that the Word over their lives would be accomplished and that you would fulfill the desires of their hearts.  I thank You for hearing their thoughts and knowing what You have placed within them even before the foundations of the earth were laid.  I thank You that You are faithful to perform Your Word.  I pray for a measure of hope to be reinstalled within them, and a faith to believe that with You, nothing is impossible.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Questions: Can you tell us about a time when you felt that God was not hearing your prayers? How did you keep on trusting Him in spite of the situation?

About the Author Brigitte Straub

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin” (Zech. 4:10 NLT).

Begin. Just begin! What seems small to you might be huge to someone else. Just ask Bohn Fawkes. During World War II, he piloted a B-17. On one mission he sustained flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. Even though his gas tanks were hit, the plane did not explode, and Fawkes was able to land the plane.

On the morning following the raid, Fawkes asked his crew chief for the German shell. He wanted to keep a souvenir of his incredible good fortune. The crew chief explained that not just one but eleven shells had been found in the gas tanks, none of which had exploded.

Technicians opened the missiles and found them void of explosive charge. They were clean and harmless and with one exception, empty. The exception contained a carefully rolled piece of paper. On it a message had been scrawled in the Czech language. Translated, the note read: “This is all we can do for you now.”

A courageous assembly-line worker was disarming bombs and scribbled the note. He couldn’t end the war, but he could save one plane. He couldn’t do everything, but he could do something. So he did it.

God does big things with small deeds.

Against a towering giant, a brook pebble seems futile. But God used it to topple Goliath. Compared to the tithes of the wealthy, a widow’s coins seem puny. But Jesus used them to inspire us. And in contrast with sophisticated priests and powerful Roman rulers, a cross-suspended carpenter seemed nothing but a waste of life. Few Jewish leaders mourned his death. Only a handful of friends buried his body. The people turned their attention back to the temple. Why not?

What power does a buried rabbi have? We know the answer. Mustard-seed and leaven-lump power. Power to tear away death rags and push away death rocks. Power to change history. In the hands of God, small seeds grow into sheltering trees. Tiny leaven expands into nourishing loaves.

Small deeds can change the world. Sow the mustard seed. Bury the leaven lump. Make the call. Write the check. Organize the committee.

Moses had a staff.
David had a sling.
Samson had a jawbone.
Rahab had a string.
Mary had some ointment.
Aaron had a rod.
Dorcas had a needle.
All were used by God.
What do you have?

God inhabits the tiny seed, empowers the tiny deed. He cures the common life by giving no common life, by offering no common gifts. Don’t discount the smallness of your deeds.

From Cure for the Common Life
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2006) Max Lucado
Used by permission

Question: How has God gifted you? How can you seek to use these gifts for His glory?

About the Author: Max Lucado

Are you facing an unwanted divorce or separation? Is your world coming to an end? Talk to us.

“The crowd…shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David’” (Matthew 21:9, NIV)!

“(The crowd) all answered, ‘Crucify him’” (Matthew 27:22, NIV)!

The words to praise songs flowed easily off my lips as I comfortably sat during a recent worship service. The melodies, whether accompanied by grand organ or rhythmic brass, strings and drums, filled my heart with the promise of unending praise to the God I love and promise to serve.

As I was singing the picture of the crowds on what we call Palm Sunday flashed before me. They too were filled with praise for the One they assumed would be their Savior. They knew the prophetic writings, many of them were faithful followers of God.  They longed for the day when the tyrannical oppressor would be overcome. And so they shouted their praise.

But the Savior they presumed would be their savior did not fulfill their dreams.  His teaching was often obscure. He predicted things that didn’t have the ring of triumph. He asked for denial of self and giving to others, many of whom would not appreciate the gift. They allowed themselves to be swayed by those who seemed to have all the answers.

Singing on Sunday morning is far different from living on Monday in the classroom, office or field. Where is our praise when a friend goes into a coma after simple surgery and doctors have no answers? What do we sing when unemployment extends into long, dismal months or children wander off the paths we know would be best?

Following closely after Jesus often means living with unanswered questions.  A good first step in insuring that our praise will be lifelong is beginning to practice the command given by the Apostle Paul: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances”(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV).

Father, Forgive me for the short shelf life of my praise. Teach me more about daily praise, even when circumstances seem anything but “praiseworthy.” Amen.

Questions: Where is your praise when adverse situations arise? How can we continue to praise God lifelong in all situations?

About the Author Marilyn J. Ehle

“People who cover over their sins will not prosper. But if they confess and forsake them, they will receive mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 (NLT)

How often do you play the “if only” game?

• If only I had it to do over.
• If only I had listened sooner.
• If only I could erase the past.
• If only I could forgive myself.

Because no one is perfect, we all have regrets. We’ve all made bad choices, said foolish things, wasted time, and hurt ourselves and others.

How do you release those regrets?

Here are some strategies that don’t work:

1. We bury them. Burying the past doesn’t work. Like creatures from a horror movie, unresolved regrets come back to haunt us over and over. Minimizing (“It wasn’t a big deal”), rationalizing (“Everyone does it”), and compromising (lowering your standards) are ways we try to bury our regrets.

2. We blame others. This tactic is as old as Adam and Eve. When Adam sinned, he took it like a man – he blamed his wife! We use blame to balance out our guilt.

3. We beat ourselves. We try to pay for our guilt unconsciously through illness, depression, setting ourselves up for failure, and other forms of self-punishment. The problem with beating up on yourself is this: your conscience never knows when to stop! Many spend their entire lives in self-condemnation.

What does God want me to do with my regrets?

• Admit my guilt. Own up to it. Don’t make excuses. The Bible says, “People who cover over their sins will not prosper. But if they confess and forsake them, they will receive mercy” (Proverbs 28:13 NLT).
• Accept Christ’s forgiveness. He’s waiting to clean your slate. Ask him to clear your conscience, and then remember “there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NLT).
• Forgive yourself and focus on the future. “Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:18-19 HCSB).

Question: Are there things from your past that you need to let go of? That you need to hand over to God? Try the steps given above.

About the Author: Rick Warren

Are you tired of living a life of trying to please everyone?

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’” (Isaiah 30:21, NIV).

I have a confession to make. I was a compliant child.  How was that a problem, you might ask?  It makes me a people pleaser. I rest only after I’ve done enough for everyone to love me, which often leaves me exhausted, both emotionally and physically. And when there is nothing left to give? Undeserved guilt soon follows.

The other problem with being compliant is that many times, people like me get lost in the noise and chatter of well-meaning voices that remind us what is expected of us. People pleasers seldom find the courage to determine what God has in store.

In order to truly hear the voice of God, we must distance ourselves from everyone else. If we ask questions, we must stay long enough to hear His answers. And in many cases, He often calls his children to do the opposite of what the rest of the world is doing.

Just ask the young mother who traded in her high profile career to spend her days with her children. Ask the missionary who sold his big house and SUV to live in a hut in a faraway land.  Ask the father who works a job he hates in order to provide for his family.   The truth is that we were not created for everyone to love us, as Jesus painfully demonstrated.

Jesus was not compliant. Even his family and those in his home town had a hard time understanding what he was up to at times. Not one time did he alter his actions or beliefs based on the expectations of others.

I hate to imagine what would have happened if those who loved him tried to talk him out of what God had called him to do.   The only chance we have at eternal life came because Jesus was willing to be hated.

Dear God,

Thank you for Jesus and the example he provided for us.  We confess that sometimes it is difficult to find our place in your world. It is a busy place, and sometimes we get so caught up in survival that we forget to seek your guidance. We thank you for the love and wisdom of our families and friends, but please help us to separate ourselves enough to hear your voice as well.

Touch our hearts and strongly lead us. We want to follow, even when it doesn’t make sense. We trust you above all else, and are willing to go where you lead us.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Questions: Are you a people pleaser? Where has that been getting you so far? How can you turn from being a people pleaser to being a God pleaser?

About the author Janet Morris Grimes