Devotional For Women Blog
Loud Shouts
Give your prayer life a tune up with today’s lesson on Embracing Prayer.
“But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand.” (Luke 23:23-24)
Some call it a mob mentality. People stop thinking clearly and allow emotion to rule. They say things they later regret. These verses describe the scene in Jerusalem when Pilate wanted to release Jesus. The crowd asked for the release of Barabbas the murderer and demanded the crucifixion of Jesus.
That kind of mentality doesn’t always require a mob. This passage makes me think about my own loud shouts and insistent demands on God. Too often, I want what I want – not what He wants – and I want it now!
Obviously God is not like Pilate who knowingly and willfully did wrong in order to save his own skin. God is holy and righteous and just. Yet I wonder if sometimes God gives me what I ask for, even when I ask for second best.
God longs to give me things for my ultimate good – things that will draw me into closer relationship with Him, glorify His name and develop the qualities of Christ in me. Those things don’t always look good from my short-term, earthly perspective. I occasionally see them as uncomfortable, difficult or painful.
My arrogance shows when I insistently make demands of God. Do I know better than He does? Do I want my own way, regardless of what is best?
Gracious God and Father, please don’t give me what I ask for when I ask for the wrong things. Help me to stop demanding and instead be still and know that You are God. You are all wise and all powerful. Help me to want what You want. Amen
Questions: What is the difference between persistent prayers and insistent demands? How do we know how to pray for what God wants?
Peace and Faith
Today’s lesson “Choose Peace” can help you hold on to God’s promises in the midst of the storm.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
Walking in peace, with your heart calm even when your life is not, is one of the wonderful benefits of the Christian life. God reminds us to pay attention to what is going on within our hearts and to make some intentional choices.
Your heart is the well-spring of all of your life. It is the place that your reactions, your attitudes, your actions all bubble up from. Some translations say, ““Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” All that you are as you walk through this day, with whatever it holds, will spring from your heart. That’s why God tells us specifically to guard that well-spring. We are wise to check what is residing in that well-spring especially when we find peace has vanished and worry and stress has taken it’s place.
There will always be one of two very specific things in the lead of all the things in our hearts. Faith or Fear. One will always be on the top of the heap. They cannot both occupy the same place. If faith resides there your well-spring will pour out peace and confidence in God’s care for you, even in the midst of uncertain times.
If fear resides there anxiety and depression will be the natural outward flow. Faith or Fear. Every day we choose. Many times a day we choose.
Faith over-rides Fear. Fear over-rides Faith.
God tells us exactly what to do when fear grips our hearts and takes over our minds. Left unchecked it will scatter our faith and our peace like confetti in the wind and leave us anchorless in the storms of life.
Yet God in His love gives us specific instructions as to what to do.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
What a simple formula! Not easy – but simple. Worry is a call to prayer. The moment you become aware of that churning anxiety over ANYTHING, go immediately to your Heavenly Father. Present your requests to Him. Then turn your thoughts and prayers to thanksgiving.
- Thank Him for His promise to never forsake you.
- Thank Him for the power of His name.
- Thank Him for His intimate knowledge of every detail of your life.
- Thank Him for His track record in your life when He has been there for you in the past.
- Thank Him that He works all things together for your good as you trust Him.
- Thank Him that He is at work establishing His kingdom in your life.
Your faith and trust in God will over-ride your fear and His peace will actually put a guard around your heart and mind so fear cannot over run you. It’s supernatural and it’s real.
Prayer of action:
Father God,
I confess that I often allow Your peace to slip from my heart. Fear is often my first response to challenges that come my way. May I be conscious today of choosing to trust You with every detail of my life. Help me to have faith to leave the question marks in Your control and to trust You to carry me and to sustain me with your peace that is beyond understanding. Today I choose to put my trust in You. I choose to walk in Your peace.
Fill my heart with childlike faith today I ask in the strong name of Jesus, Amen.
Question: How can you walk in faith and peace today?
Our Compass
Are you struggling to find your way today? Come talk to a mentor.
“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105, NLT)
Have you ever had to use a compass to survive? I have not. Sure, I’ve fiddled around with one and used it for fun but my survival has never been dependent on a compass. A friend of mine told me about a time when his compass literally saved his life. He was hunting on a remote island in the upper part of Michigan. He was dropped off and expected to be back at the drop off point a few days later. It was the first time in his life where he was completely alone and totally dependent on the provisions he had brought for himself.
When it was time to go back to the rendezvous point he looked at his compass to see where he needed to go but what the compass was saying and what his instincts were saying were completely opposite! Immediately an inner struggle took place within his mind. He remembers that he began to argue with the compass, “It’s got to be wrong! There’s no way that my internal compass could be that wrong. Something must’ve happened to the compass.”
But no matter how much he argued and disagreed with the compass, the compass did not change and so he was left with a choice – follow his own internal instinct or follow the compass. Even though everything inside him was screaming to follow his instincts, he chose to follow the compass and he arrived at the rendezvous safe and sound.
As Christians we have a compass – the word of God. Psalm 119:105 says,“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” God’s truth is strong and just like a compass it is always right, but how many times do we find ourselves, arguing with the truth?
It could happen in a conversation with your boyfriend of five years where you realize that he really doesn’t want to follow God like you do. You think there’s no way God would want you to break up with him – you’ve been together way too long to consider that.
Maybe you find yourself disagreeing with the truth when you’re in a difficult relationship with a family member. God is calling you to humble yourself and reach out to them with love. You throw all kinds of reasons at God why you shouldn’t do that – she doesn’t deserve it, he is way too arrogant, she never thinks of anyone but herself. But the truth of God does not waver.
What is God calling you to do? He is calling you to trust your compass. Does He promise you won’t lose your job, your boyfriend, and your friendships? No, but He does promise that He will travel with you and guide you safely to the rendezvous point.
Hebrews 13:5-6 “For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’”
God, Don’t let me forget that You word is true and strong and does not change. In moments when I want to argue and go my own way, remind that Your love will always guide me in the way I should go. Amen
Question: Where could you use God’s compass in your life today?
Honor Your Mother
Is this a hard day for you? We would love to pray for you.
“‘Honor your father and mother’—which is the first commandment with a promise— ‘so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’” (Ephesians 6:2-3)
Some reading today’s devotional find it easy to honor, love, and respect your mother. God chose a god-fearing mother to birth, nurture, and guide you for many years. She taught, encouraged, and disciplined you in the ways of the Lord. Her faith, values, and obedience to God helped shape you into the woman you are today. When Mother’s Day arrives, you freely celebrate, honor, and affirm your gratitude to her.
Others struggle when Mother’s Day arrives. For whatever reason, your mother may not have been, and still may not be, a good, healthy, spiritual role model. Your heart weeps as you continue to cling to sullen memories, anger, and bitterness. This wounded condition is actually robbing you from additional blessings God desires to bestow upon you. He wants you to enjoy life abundantly more than you could ever hope or imagine. Forgiveness is a vital key to unlocking more joy and blessings of the Lord into your life.
You may claim, “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.” (Psalm 27:10) As a Christian, the Lord has received you. You are His beloved daughter. More so, God made a way, through the bloodshed of His Son, to forgive and pardon you from all your sins. He will not forsake you regardless of your past, present, and future blunders when you repent and seek His forgiveness. Psalm 103:12 is a reminder that, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed your transgressions from you.”
When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, He included the importance of forgiveness. In Luke 11:4, He said, “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us…” The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” God graciously bestows His grace and forgiveness unto you daily. He expects that you do the same unto others. He may not be asking you to reestablish a particular relationship however, He wants to see you set free from former hurt, pain, and suffering.
Often it is easy to ask God to forgive us of our sins but sadly, it is much harder to extend the same to others. However, by the grace of God, as His Spirit works within our hearts, we are able to heal, understand more clearly, and forgive more easily. We grow in the likeness of Christ who came to rescue, redeem, and forgive not so much the honorable ones but the sinners, the poor in spirit, those sitting in darkness. Seek to forgive as God has forgiven you, so you may enjoy life on earth more abundantly.
Father, Help me to see my Mother as You see her. May I be a blessing to her today. Amen
Questions: How is your relationship with your mother? Has God blessed you with a spiritual mother in lieu of your natural mother?
We Interrupt This Program
How can we pray for you today?
“The Lord is my shepherd…” (Psalm 23:1a)
“We interrupt this program…” and then comes the latest news flash from a radio or television station. We may hear an important piece of information, but occasionally the bit of news affects our lives only minimally. After the news comes another announcement, “We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.”
In our relationship with God, too often we think He only breaks into our consciousness when He has some “news” of great importance. Life is too often regarded as “regular programming” with God bursting into our awareness only when He wants to halt us in our tracks or get our attention in a specific way.
Perhaps we are only aware of His presence Him when we intentionally call on Him. (Which usually only happens when we need His help!) Occasionally the sight of a snowcapped mountain will remind us to praise Him but when there are no visible mountains, we easily go on about our business. We return to our “regular programming.”
It seems that David got it right as recorded in the first words of the familiar Psalm 23. “The Lord is my shepherd…” All the verbs in the psalm are present tense except for the final phrase when the Shepherd King contemplates his glorious and unending future.
In Grace: An Invitation to Life, the authors write, “it is possible to live in the unceasing care of a relentlessly attentive and gracious God” (emphasis mine). Living this way is true “regular programming” with the events of life breaking in only as minimal interruptions.
Dear God, Help me to focus first on you, and only after on my circumstances. Thank you that You are always enough. Amen
Question: Is God part of your “regular programming?”
When Roses Do Not Come
If Mother’s Day is a challenging day for you, come talk to a mentor.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest… rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28 & 29b)
It was Sunday morning, Mother’s Day. As the Woman’s Pastor, I was greeting women at the back of the church.
One woman took my hand and blinked back a tear, as she told me how hard this day is for her, as she had never been able to have a baby of her own. Another hugged me and thanked me for praying for those who hurt on this day. Her grown kids never call and her heart ached. Another missed her Mom who had died. Another longed for her child who was gone.
One told me she wouldn’t be there. She believes she has failed as a mother and the feelings are too hard to face, so she ignores the day. Still another gave me a long silent hug… no words. We had walked together for a piece on the road of post-abortion.
Mother’s Day is heralded far and wide and it is a wonderful celebration. Sunday brunches, roses by the dozen, spa day specials and breakfast in bed all help set aside the day to honor mothers.
Yet for so many it is a day of unspoken pain.
But there is a place for you even when the roses don’t come and when you feel there is no place at the brunch. There is a special invitation just for you… listen… it comes from the heart of your Father God, spoken by His son Jesus…
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest… rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28 & 29b)
The invitation is for those who have pain within their soul. It’s for those who are burdened down and weary, and those for whom Mother’s Day hurts.
How do you claim this rest when your soul is in pain? You reply to His invitation.
If your heart hurts this Mother’s Day, there are some things you can do as you look to God to bring rest to your soul.
Symbolic gestures can be helpful in bringing healing. As you have asked God to bring you comfort, consider some tangible action as you focus on Him, your helper and your healer.
- If you have lost a child by miscarriage, death or abortion, consider planting a rose bush or a flowerbed in memory of that special little life.
- If you are missing your own Mom who is gone, or filled with regret for what you did not have with her when she was alive, take a potted plant to a nursing home. Brighten some elderly mother’s lonely day and let her know she is cared about.
- If your arms long for the child you never had, ask God to begin to heal your heart and to help you reach out to some child who is starved for the love you have to give. This takes time. Be gentle with yourself and run often to the Father for His continued healing.
- If relationships are strained or cut off, ask God to show you how to begin rebuilding. Go slow and ask for His direction. It may be time to think about sending a simple, “I’m thinking of you” card.
- Choose not to spend the day alone. If you can, invite a friend to have a coffee in the park or to sit on your step and drink iced tea on Mother’s Day.
Our Father God desires for your heart to be whole and healed and to give you rest for your soul. He always pulls us upward and onward. It will take time, but with your hand in His, He will enable you to move forward.
If you are stuck on inward and downward, talk to a trusted friend, pray together, and get counsel if necessary.
God waits with open arms to comfort you. His desire for you is to heal your broken heart. Let this Mother’s Day be different. Accept His invitation and begin the journey from pain to promise and find rest for your soul.
Prayer of Action:
Father God,
My heart hurts with unspoken pain. I need Your help to just get through this Mother’s Day. I need Your comfort, Your strength and even Your forgiveness for the times I have blamed You for my hurt. Today I give you the empty spaces in my soul. I give you my pain and I ask You to bring Your healing to my damaged emotions and to my life. Thank you for the promise of rest for my weary soul. I lean on you today.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions: How do you feel as Mother’s Day approaches? How does today’s verse speak to your situation?
Renew, then Transform
What story are you telling about yourself? Take today’s lesson to see if it’s time for an edit.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2 ESV)
I glanced in the mirror, lowered my eyes and walked away. I was overweight. My clothes stretched across me. My jeans felt like a vise grip, yet I refused to go spend money on new clothes that upped in size one more time. I felt helpless and hopeless, but most of all I chastised myself for not taking better care of this temple called my body. I had been overweight since childhood and the more I dieted, the more I’d gain it all back as soon as I got off the diet. I’d lose the gumption to even try to lose weight, and the inches and pounds would creep on month after month, year after year.
I’d looked to God for strength in times of trouble, doubt and sorrow. Why had I determined my weight was my battle alone? I knew the answer. Because gluttony is a sin and I felt ashamed. How could I present my body in its current state? I was anything but a holy, good, acceptable or perfect offering. Even though my faith-voice knew better, I had slipped into the “I have to win His favor for Him to be pleased with me ” mode—a lesson I learned from my earthly father, not my Heavenly one. The “present my body” part of the verse was my stumbling block.
When I read the next verse, five words leaped out at me – “the renewal of your mind”. That was the key to transforming my resolve, and my body, to become a healthier witness so God could use me to His glory. My attitude needed to be renewed. If I adjusted my attitude and looked to Him for strength instead of approval, I could learn to crawl, then walk, and eventually run this race towards a healthier body and more importantly, a healthier body image. He could transform me, if I let Him. But, renewal had to come first.
Here is the best part: I didn’t have to undertake the renewing alone. Our Lord is in the renewal business. All I needed to do was to hand Him this part of my life. Which is easier said than done. It meant confessing my weaknesses and failures. But I knew my loving God would embrace me. I didn’t have to please Him by becoming more perfect, I just needed to be willing to let Him do the transforming. He’d give me the strength and determination to make the lifestyle changes.
What are you battling alone? Consider why that is. It just may be an old learned behavior that you must first un-learn. God is calling you to renew your mind so it can be transformed. That may mean coming to Him as you are, broken and weak. But you come, not as a child facing the whipping belt or time out in the corner, but as a child of the Creator of the universe who loves you whole heartedly and sees what is good and acceptable and can be made perfect in you. He is waiting for you to bend your will to His so He can help you in that renewal process. He is standing there, sleeves rolled up and ready to begin the transformation. All you need to do is whisper, “Okay. I am ready. Help me do this.”
Father, Help me to let go of these things I cling to so tightly. I want to be transformed. Renew my mind so I can be more like You. Amen
Questions: What is blocking you from renewing your mind when it comes to a certain struggle in your life? Pride? Guilt? Low self-worth? Hopelessness? Fear of failing ? again? Will you give it to God and let Him transform you?
Faith of a Criminal
Who is Jesus to you?
“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)
This is a very familiar passage of scripture, but take a minute to consider the faith of the second criminal. He feared God. The other criminal mocked Jesus, but this man knew he deserved the death sentence. He believed Jesus lived a sinless life. The criminal knew Jesus had done nothing wrong.
He believed Jesus was God’s Anointed One. He understood that one day God would send the Messiah to save His people. While others doubted, this man recognized the truth in his dying moments. He believed Jesus had the power to save him. Even though Jesus hung dying on the cross next to him, this criminal asked Jesus to remember him. Death could not prevent Jesus from receiving the kingdom God established for Him.
What about us?
Each of us deserves death because of our deeds. We cannot show contempt for God and escape His justice. “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Galatians 6:7)
Jesus, the sinless Son of God, has the power to save us. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) No situation, no sin, no shame is too great for His power.
Gracious Heavenly Father, give me faith like the criminal who died next to Jesus. I believe You have the power to save me. Amen
Questions: What do you learn about faith from the criminal? Where in your life do you need to experience the power of God?
Peace and the Holy Spirit
Can we pray for you today?
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)
Jesus has given you a promise and a gift. YOU have been given this gift. It’s the gift of peace. Do you want more peace in your heart? The peace Jesus gives is unlike any thing the world calls peace. It is peace IN the turmoil of day-to-day living. It is a peace that steadies you and a calm that encases you even with life is not calm around you.
Jesus told His followers that after He returned to Heaven God the Father would send them the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, who would teach them all things and remind them of everything Jesus had said. Jesus knew that His followers would need a Helper, an Encourager and a Comforter to keep them sharp in their faith and to fill them with this peace. He knew that they, and eventually us, you and I, would need to be reminded of the things Jesus taught and of the peace that He has for us.
He gives us one instruction as He promises this peace. He tells us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
“Do not let ….” Here again it sounds like we have a choice to make … and we do. We can choose to ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with this peace and we can choose to remember all Jesus taught us about living in His strength. We choose. Faith and fear cannot occupy the same space nor can peace and turmoil occupy the same place in our hearts.
A number of years ago a dear friend of mine received some challenging news about her health. She ran to the Lord and asked the Holy Spirit to fill her with peace. Daily she traded in the fear that came to rob her and daily she received the peace that the world could not understand. Her doctor even told her she was in denial. Yet she wasn’t. She was simply living in the promise of peace that has been given to each of us as Jesus’ followers. The world cannot grasp this kind of peace.
Today if peace is short in your heart and mind remember that Jesus has given it to you. His Holy Spirit is there to remind you and to teach you how to live in that peace. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with peace.
When fear comes to nibble at your heart or rush through your door to trouble you – stop and remember that you can make a choice. “Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Though the trouble may remain the peace of Jesus and the help of the Holy Spirit pouring peace over your heart, will carry you through.
Prayer of action:
Father God,
Today I need the help of the Holy Spirit in allowing Your peace to fill my heart and soul and mind. May I not live in turmoil but choose to trade in my fear and my troubled heart for Your amazing peace and strength. It’s a gift I receive from You by the power of Your Holy Spirit. In the strong name of Jesus I pray, amen.
Question: How can you choose peace today?
My Messiness…Your Perfectness
The Hurting Church: Why we get hurt and hurt others.
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16, NLV)
Have you noticed how perfect people LOOK at church? They seem to have no problems, no messiness. They’re in their nice “Sunday best” clothes with smiles on their faces, and everyone looks perfect regardless of how their week has gone.
On the other hand have you noticed how imperfect you FEEL when you get there? Maybe you just couldn’t find the right clothes to wear or you’re reeling from an argument you just had with your spouse on the way? Maybe your teenager has refused to get out of bed or you’ve had a terrible, awful, bad week? We all arrive at church knowing our inside messiness and seeing only the outside perfectness of everyone else. So we wear a mask in the hopes that it will disguise us enough that people won’t recognize how broken we really are. The mask wearing only leads to isolation and aloneness.
I have to wonder . . . is this what God intended for us to experience in the body of Christ?
I remember vividly the Sunday when I felt the messiest. My seventeen-year-old son had been arrested over the weekend for shoplifting. It was one of the lowest times of my life – I felt like such a failure. As I carefully arranged my mask and stepped into the atrium area of our church on that Sunday after his arrest, I looked around and saw all the “perfect families” with their “perfect children” and it was all I could do to stay where I was and not run screaming from the building.
I wondered if anyone had problems like I had, whether they could see the sorrow in my eyes that I was trying to hide. Did they know I was a failure? Did they even care? What would they say if they found out? What would they think of me? That day it felt as if I had a big scarlet letter on my chest, warning people not to get too close. It was all I could do to act like nothing was wrong and get to my car as fast as I could.
It wasn’t that my church family was insensitive or judgmental; it was my own perception and pride that would not allow me to be transparent. It isolated me from any intrusions into my pain. So why aren’t we more open and transparent? Wouldn’t that really be more attractive to people than trying to prove that we are perfect? James 5:16 (NLV) says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
God calls us to be open, vulnerable and honest about our failings and struggles because He knows that that is the place where we will find healing. When we choose to keep our failures and difficulties to ourselves we move into a place of isolation and loneliness as we forge a path on our own.
And isn’t that just what Satan wants? He wants to keep us all in our own little fortresses “safe from the outside world” where no one can be a witness to our pain and discouragement and where we will be unable to care for and encourage someone else? He doesn’t want us to be what God intended the church body to be to one another.
On that Sunday of my son’s arrest, I ran into a dear friend after church. Knowing the brokenness she had experienced in her own life, I felt free to take off my mask. Through many tears I poured out my heartache to her and experienced no judgment from her, only love and concern. My friend was the church for me that day and I will always remember her love and care when I was in a very difficult and lonely place.
This Sunday, when you walk into your church building, remember that the people around you are not perfect, they might look like they are but they’re not. Ask God to help you to have the courage to take off your mask and be transparent and to open your eyes and allow you to be the church to someone who is hurting and in need.
Father God, It’s so tempting to keep my mask on. Please gently peel the mask out of my hands so that I can truly be part of this community You’ve called me to. Help me to be willing to let others help me. Amen
Question: Are you wearing a mask? Ask God for courage to be transparent or to be open to others who need your help.
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