Stay Sane – Page 14 – Oh Lord Help Us

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Giver: Surprising Answers to Our Secret Heart Prayers

Devotionals, Stay SaneMay 9, 2018June 28, 2019

God is the giver Who gives what we don’t even know we need. He knows the depths of our hearts and answers the secret prayers within us, surprising us with His blessings.

I want to share with you my first prayer I wrote a little over a year ago when I started writing my prayers down with some regularity.

Dear God,

Thank you for Your messages in my life. You are moving mountains and have held my hand, comforted, and carried me. Thank you seems less… insincere. Your mighty works are awesome and great to be praised. Continue to help me accept the next challenge You are asking me to accept. I love to write and I keep feeling a pull from You to tell a story. Please guide my pen, words, and desires so that the story I tell is pleasing to You. Let me keep You as my truth and light. Bless my beautiful children. Guide them to find Your will in this season of their lives.

Love,
me

Answered prayer…

About six months later I mentioned in our church small group that I was feeling God pulling me to share my love and experiences. Rachael implored me to share what that meant exactly. I really didn’t want to say more, so I hemmed and hawed. Used some big words that meant nothing. She took my hands in hers and she said, “I need to hear the words. What is in you heart?”

“I want to write.”

“I’m going to share an opportunity. You can join in, or go a different way and I will be your biggest cheerleader…”

Can you imagine? I am tearing up thinking of it now. God answered a prayer, guided me on a path, and brought me an awesome new friend.

In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

Proverbs 16:9, NIV

Unknown prayer…

I have felt so free and my spirit has been opened in ways I didn’t know could happen. Writing and sharing it with others has brought so, so much to my life. I have connected to my friends and family, my co-workers and small group members in deeper ways. People ask me to pray WITH them now. I think that has been the biggest privilege God has created for me. I still feel a little self conscious when I do, but that is more of wanting to find the right words.

A verse that has been helping me be more comfortable praying out loud with people is, If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15:7, ESV)

When this verse showed up on my Facebook timeline back in January, I wrote this prayer:

Dear God,

Thank you for your answers to prayers, Thank you for guidance and direction, Thank you for opening my heart and ears. Miracles surround us. Thank you!

Love,
me

Surprise prayer…

All this has lead to several talks with you, lovely readers, who have brought so much hope and inspiration to my life. You have shared words that have buoyed me. Comments that boosted me when the dark side of depression has tried to wheel its way into my life. I have felt love and connection when parts of my story have resonated with you. And I have reconnected with friends and family that I had resigned myself to losing.

Right before I wrote my story about my grandmother and grandfather, I saw the verse, Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, ESV). As I reflected on this, I prayed:

Dear God,

Surprise me with ways I can influence others in Your light. I feel you talking to me, but there is so much, I’m not sure what is me and what is You. Help me to discern the difference. Let the Holy Spirit speak to me and let my heart hear.

Love,
me

Heart prayer…

A few days after that post, I had the most amazing conversation with my brother. We connected in a way that we haven’t since we both became grown ups. Life becomes busy, families grow, distance, both literal and figurative, pushed us apart. No, we never fought. We see each other a few times a year. Have been on vacation together a few times, but never spent time sharing what was on our hearts. God is so good; He gives us what we didn’t even know we need.

God is so good; He gives us what we don't even know we need. Click To Tweet

God is amazing. If you let Him speak to you, your life will become fuller. Mine is far from perfect, but the ugly parts are so much more bearable and the good parts are so much more glorious. Talk to Him. Listen to Him. Allow Him in. You will be so glad you did.

Sammie Vasquez

training, battle, faithful, Oh Lord Help Us, ministry, Christian, women

Training: Being Equipped for Battle Through Daily Faithfulness

Devotionals, Stay SaneMay 8, 2018September 8, 2019

We cannot wait for the big battles of life to learn to fight. We need daily training. God will prepare us for battle in the day to day faithful small acts of doing life.

Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.”

1 Samuel 17:38, ESV

David is a character in scripture that is deeply familiar to most. Who hasn’t heard of the big giant Goliath and the small shepherd boy David rounding off in the field between the Philistines and the Israelites? Goliath came out and stood on the battle field day after day shouting out at the Israelites to send someone to fight against him. “Choose a man and have him come down to me,” he would bellow. And the whole camp was “dismayed and terrified.” Until David came. He wasn’t really there to fight. In fact, he was on an errand. His father needed him to take supplies to his brothers and find out news. David was the youngest and spent his day tending sheep.

He shows up and hears Goliath ranting at the camp and he is not dismayed. He is insulted. But, have you ever noticed who David is defending? “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” David is concerned for the glory of his God. He hears Goliath and his first thoughts are not for his safety, his comfort, or his family. He is thinking about his God. When Saul dismisses David as just a boy, David reminds him of what he has been doing. “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them…The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine.“

And David does. He takes a stone and he slings one straight into Goliath’s forehead. He kills him and cuts his head off. And this is the best part: This is exactly what David has been doing for years tending the sheep; slinging stones and stopping enemies. Saul originally tries to get David to wear a suit of armor. He thinks he is a boy and needs defenses like the rest of the camp. But, the armor wasn’t going to be effective. It was too big and David could barely move.

Stones and slings were what he was familiar with. He had trained with those stones, using them many times before. He had struck down other adversaries. Goliath wasn’t his first kill. And to be honest, he had a lot more death to come in his future. But, here in this moment facing what was his first “real” battle, David used what he knew and what he had been practicing. He didn’t wait to learn to sling a stone in the midst of battle.

Training

Have you considered what made David ready for battle? It was only what he had been already doing. He had been tending sheep and killing enemies. He had been in training all that time. Fighting little enemies in preparation for the bigger ones.

My battles are going to look a lot different than David’s. But, I cannot wait for the big battles to come to learn to fight. While my battles may look different than David’s, they will be in essence, the same. They will require I engage the enemy. They will be for the honor and glory of my King. And they will require that I draw on the resources that are already stored in my spiritual well. God is faithfully equipping me for battle and I am a part of that equipping.

God is faithfully equipping me for battle... Click To Tweet

I am in His word (the sword) and I am meeting with Him, learning to listen to His quiet voice. I am doing my life with God in the middle of it when there are no battles raging; when the water is calm or calmer. I can look at the days ahead and know that God is preparing me. He is not expecting me to get my act together. In fact, He is getting my act together. He is and will prepare me for the battle in the day to day faithful small acts of doing my life. He has begun a good work in me and He will be faithful to complete it. I can rest in that and I can rest in Him.

ITZIAR LORENZO

near, pain, grace, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, ministry, encouragement, spiritual growth

Near: Showing, and Being Shown Grace Through Pain

Devotionals, Stay SaneMay 7, 2018September 8, 2019

Experiencing pain is part of life. Hopefully it produces growth. Regardless of what gets us into uncomfortable or agonizing situations, our Father is always near to us showing us grace.

Riding a skateboard isn’t like riding a bike. You can’t jump on a board and grind your way through the neighborhood if you haven’t ridden in months. It takes core balance and a strong center of gravity, both horizontal and vertical. A lot of continued practice is necessary to hold your own on a board and become an aggressive skater. Or to use the skater term: shred. Bombing a hill is even more intense than that.

My 10-year-old son, has a pretty gnarly skateboard. My husband, Sean, got it for him right after we moved to Northern Virginia at the beginning of 2016. Last week, he tried something brave. Historically he has started at our driveway and allowed the board to pick up speed as he glides down the slight grade of our street. But yesterday he went three houses up to the top of the hill. About 35 to 40 yards down he zoomed past our house. He saw Sean watching from our yard and yelled, I’m going too fast! I’m terrified I’m gonna crash! Sean started walking toward him.

Soon after, the wheels started to shimmy. In his fear, he didn’t remember to crouch or heel brake; he just stood straight barreling down the hill. Inevitably, he crashed and rolled about 20 feet. Sean got to him. He asked, “Can you stand up?” The response, “No.” So Sean picked him up. They made the walk back to the house, my son unavoidably smiling because Sean said: That was epic. I guess you know your new limit.

At this point I walked outside and my girls told me he had crashed. I asked if it was bad and they said, “Dad’s with him.” When I saw the blood, I went back inside, grabbed first aid supplies, and took over.

Pain and Grace…

For Sean, caring for our son in that moment meant letting him be in pain, but holding him through that pain. He said, “Crying doesn’t make you weak; it just means you feel. They aren’t synonymous with one another. Pain is real; consequences can sometimes be overwhelming, but our Father stays. So will I.”

As a mother, I knew he would be okay. In God’s mercy, there were no broken bones, and his helmet had protected from a head wound or concussion. I didn’t want to fuss over him, but he was in a lot of pain. Tending to his wounds with soft cloths and oils felt like the natural nurturing thing to do.

Both approaches were good and right. Now, we haven’t always responded the way we did last week. Sean used to approach injuries with practicality. If they weren’t dying and didn’t need stitches, they’d feel better soon enough. But he was never harsh or uncaring. I, on the other hand, took the path of reassurance and hands-on treatment. Whatever they needed to feel or express in the moment was okay while I communicated the pain wouldn’t last forever. Discomfort in others equals discomfort for me. I needed to fix them and make them happy ASAP. I feel like Sean and I balanced each other out, even if we didn’t see eye to eye with the other’s methodology.

That’s why my son’s most recent crash was different. Sean took on a role of nurturing and attentiveness. I still cleaned up the wounds, but it wasn’t because of a felt need for tranquility. It had more to do with the fact that we were on our way out the door and I didn’t want blood dripping down his arms and legs at a restaurant. There was no question he would be okay. And I knew his father had cared well for him.

Near…

Experiencing pain is never fun whether self-inflicted or not. But last week’s event reminded Sean and me that every moment of brokenness is an opportunity to show or encounter grace. Testing boundaries is part of life. Hopefully it produces growth. Regardless of what gets us into uncomfortable or agonizing situations, our Father is always near to us.

Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.

Deuteronomy 31:6, MSG

Every moment of brokenness is an opportunity to show or encounter grace. Click To Tweet

Maarten Deckers

We may feel broken, but God… has redeemed.

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Useful: Foundations for Effective Serving

Devotionals, Stay SaneMay 1, 2018September 11, 2019

It is important for all of us to feel useful; to feel as though we have a purpose. Understanding and accepting the foundations of effectiveness, creates confidence in serving God.

Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

2 Timothy 2:21-22, NIV

I believe we all have this innate desire to feel useful; to feel like we have a purpose. We all want our lives to account for something. Even more, Christians feel this pull. Our example of this is modeled after a servant. Jesus is the perfect example of usefulness to the Kingdom of God. So, if He is who we should look toward, what’s our hang up?

Wrong Side Of Useful

My love language is acts of service. It’s how I show love, and also how I receive love. Unfortunately, when someone more or less tells me they have no need for my services…I feel worthless, useless, undesirable. I become fearful that I may not be doing what God is calling.

When I put my ambition in the opinions and wishes of others, I lose sight of my true purpose: serving God. When I feel inadequate because of other humans, I smack God right in the face. Absolutely, feeling rejection is awful. However, if I am truly discerning the Spirit and obeying His promptings, I should feel confident that I am being useful towards God’s will, paying no mind to the reception of others.

Serving the Kingdom

Don’t get me wrong, I have not mastered that mindset. Actually, on the contrary. The running lesson in my life is to overcome the need for approval from others. I’m slowly accepting the only opinion that truly matters is God’s. Serving Him by serving others is easy for me. However, the part where I care too much about how I’m being perceived, is hard to let go of.

In order to be useful to those around us, we have to know what they require, desire, and need from us. The same is true in our usefulness in serving God. Yes, He can use any and all situations for His glory. But, if the true desire of our hearts is to be effective for the Kingdom, we must work to stay rooted in the elements of spiritual usefulness.

If the true desire of our hearts is to be effective for the Kingdom, we must work to stay rooted in the elements of spiritual usefulness. Click To Tweet

Biblical Foundations

The Bible is the VERY best tool we have. It helps us align our lives with the commandments of God. We can daily compare our actions with the words of God. So, based on the Bible, these are the foundations I have found helpful for knowing I’m on the right track…

Knowing I Am Loved

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8, NIV

Seeking God’s Plans

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Psalm 119:105, NIV

Listening For God’s Voice

My sheep recognize my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

John 10:27, TLB

Accepting I Am God’s Creation

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10, ESV

Knowing I Am Not Alone

‘You’re my servant, serving on my side. I’ve picked you. I haven’t dropped you.’ Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.

Isaiah 41:10, MSG

Realizing My Weaknesses

But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV

Obeying God

Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

1 John 2:4-6, ESV

Having Confidence in Him

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Psalm 62:1-2, NIV

Application

Every calling is unique, but the ultimate purpose of all Believers is to serve God. Accepting and learning these foundations, is giving me an abundance of confidence in the mission God has placed on my life. Whenever I doubt, I meditate on the specific principle that needs work. Writing these scriptures down and diving deeper into their meaning, is helping me to focus on my God ordained purpose, not the purposes of the world.

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Conqueror: Using Our Super Powers, and Living Victorious

Devotionals, Stay SaneApril 30, 2018January 13, 2019

Scripture tells us that we are victorious. But what, exactly, have we been a conqueror over? If we were really victorious, why do we feel weary, and defeated? How do we fight?

I’m a bit of a brawler. I am little, but in some situations I act like I am 6 foot 4, and 250 pounds. Typically, I blame this on my mother. She was the same way. Getting my dad into fights, being kicked out of places. She blamed it on being Irish and high blood pressure.

When I feel passionate about something, mainly my family and my friends, I am completely devoted. And there better not be anyone messing with them. My mama bear instincts come out strong for all those I care about. I’ll fight, and deal with the consequences later if I need to.

I’m not one to cower. I know who the real enemy is, and I know how to fight. This is why the other day I found myself “prayer boxing”. Yep, I was spouting scripture while throwing punches. Jab, jab, hook.

We have superpowers…

With Jesus in our heart, we have superpowers. We have HIS power.

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

John 16:33, NIV

Since it is not us who have the superpower, our best way to fight is to call upon the Lord to do the fighting. Our job is to stand firm. Standing firm requires being rooted in scripture and knowing who God is.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7, ESV

Victorious…

…we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Romans 8:37, ESV

I’m not saying with these powers we won’t suffer. Actually, I guarantee that we will. I love that verse in Romans, stating I am a conqueror. It makes me feel strong, and powerful. It is not, though, the full story. The first part of that verse says, “in all these things”. And what are these things that we are conquerors over? According to verse 35, in the New Living Translation, it is: trouble, calamity, persecution, hunger, destitution, danger, death.

The superpower doesn’t mean that we are immune from attack. It does, however, allow us to overcome in spite of the suffering. In spite of our world crumbling around us, we stand with a joy and a peace that makes no sense. We can do this because nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39).

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:7, ESV

Our victory is not over hardship; it is over evil, and sin. Our battles are raging, but we are guaranteed victory.

For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

1 John 5:4-5, NLT

When we are weary…

There are times though that we become weary. The battle is unrelenting. Our defenses are low. We are tempted to give up and give in. The Lord knows this, and we are not condemned for this. Please don’t hear me saying that we are wrong or weak if we are weary. Conviction, maybe, but that comes from the Lord. Guilt, and shame, do not!

In these moments, we need the help and support of others. It’s time to call in for back up. When we can no longer stand and fight, bring in reinforcements, people who will take up the fight for you. We are to carry one another’s burden (Galatians 6:2). Know who you can call upon, and being vulnerable, ask for help.

When we can no longer stand and fight, bring in reinforcements, people who will take up the fight for you. Click To Tweet

Your battle…

What battle are you fighting? Do you need someone to stand with you? The ladies at Oh Lord Help Us are willing to stand with you in battle. If you would like prayer, please reach out.

Lucas Silva Pinheiro Santos

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Remembered: Being Comforted and Held by the God Who Sees

Devotionals, Stay SaneApril 29, 2018September 8, 2019

We are told to take care of our heart, because that is where the enemy will attack. In these attacks, we may not be able to trust our feelings, but we can trust the God who sees. We are remembered and cared for.

Soon, my son, Evan, and I will get on a plane and fly to Philadelphia. There we will meet with a transplant team that will discuss the possibility of a bone marrow transplant. To say I am beside myself does not seem to give justice to the feelings I have. This is not our first difficult decision where Evan is concerned. He has had something health related going on since birth and we have been faced with tough choices all along the way, but this feels different.

When I share this possibility with people – friends and strangers – they all look at me in wonder. Concerned. Worried. They, just like me, know the gravity of this. It’s not a broken arm. Evan has a broken immune system and its over activity is working havoc all over his body. His joints, his muscles, his pancreas, his colon, and my heart.

The attack of the heart …

Do you ever wonder why we are told over and over to take care with our heart. To know that our heart is deceitful. To take our thoughts captive. And to guard our heart. Because that is where the enemy strikes. He strikes at my heart and that is, at its very essence, my thoughts.

And where does the enemy want my thoughts to linger? Oh that’s easy. God, but not the good stuff. It’s not thoughts like: God will supply and God will show up. It’s thoughts like: how dare God and why would he, and where is he? Just like Hagar. Do you remember her?

So [Hagar] called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.

Genesis 16:13, ESV

Scripture tells us that Sarai gave Hagar to Abraham as a means to bear an heir. But it all went horribly wrong. Sarai became jealous of Hagar. The scripture says dealt harshly with her and Hagar ran off. And in the midst of all this mess, the angel of the Lord came and gave Hagar a command and a promise. And Hagar knew she was remembered. She knew she had dealt with the God who sees.

The feelings that lie…

Often, I tell my children that my feelings lie. I tell them that to remind them and to remind me. I have choices with what I do with my fear and how I view my feelings. As a believer, I have a hope. It is founded in the cross and resurrection of Jesus and in the very character and nature of God. He never changes and he is always the same yesterday today and forever. Satan’s objective is to cause me to doubt that good character and to doubt that God sees and that He remembers. He also wants me to feel that I am being harshly dealt with, that what I am enduring is not a good Father but one I cannot trust and who does not care.

The God who sees…

So what do I do when my feelings feel like the only truth I can see or my thoughts keep finding their way to despair or doubt? This is actually one of the few things I can control. I cannot control what comes into my thoughts, but I can control what I allow my heart to meditate on. That can be as simple as carrying an index card in my purse with a verse on God’s faithfulness or as complicated as memorizing several passages that remind me of what my heart is prone to forget. There have been times when every wall in my home had a scripture verse attached to it. And not beautiful framed verses but copy paper written with markers.

I am in control of so little. But this I know, I can bounce my thoughts to his word and allow his word to develop in me a heart that flees to him for comfort and truth. I too, like Hagar, may find myself fleeing from harsh situations in dry and desert-like conditions. But, I am not abandoned. God hears me and He sees. I can believe that, trust him, and meditate on his good promises.

I am not abandoned. God hears me and He sees. Click To Tweet

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Breathe: Return to Rest on Life’s Difficult Paths

Devotionals, Stay SaneApril 25, 2018January 13, 2019

The paths God leads us on in this life can be hard. He leads me down many tough, but necessary and worthwhile, roads. I want to share a lesson learned while walking towards healing from abuse. It applies to many circumstances. Perhaps one comes to mind as you read. After all, we all struggle to breathe from time to time.

There are days on this healing journey when the bumps in the road take my breath away. Some days, I will be going along and doing okay, feeling what I call normal, and then the anxiety grips me out of nowhere as I stumble over rocks I didn’t see on the path in front of me. I feel the breath being sucked out of my lungs. I breathe in…I breath out. A few second later, I remember I never took a breath in again. I sharply breath in the air though it doesn’t seem to fill my lungs. I have to actively remind myself to take the next breath.

When I forget to breath in, I don’t feel that suffocating feeling you get when you hold your breath for too long. I feel nothing, then I simply remember I did not breathe; even then, I only feel the air racing into my lungs though they never seem to take enough in. My lungs never feel empty. I just don’t feel the lack of air. My lungs never feel full. I just can’t seem to feel satisfied with the air I have. Breathe in…breathe out…breathe in again…breathe out…I keep reminding myself to breathe. On these days, breathing seems voluntary. Breathing takes physical work, and it’s exhausting. Do you ever feel this way?

Stumbling

Today I found myself struggling to breathe. All morning, I was fine, but as the day progressed, I began to stumble. I’m not really sure what rock I stumbled on, but my feet couldn’t seem to find the ground anymore. Stumbling blocks are hard to see sometimes, aren’t they. I forgot to breathe. Anxiety began to close in as air was pushed out. I had to tell myself “breathe…breathe…breathe” just to stay alive. My mind began to race, and I couldn’t complete a single thought before more words and more panic started a new one. As I tried to slow down to breathe, my mind kept moving faster until I couldn’t keep up. Just…breathe…

I knew there had to be help somewhere in my Bible, somewhere among the words God has spoken to my soul. But when my mind is racing and all my energy is put into breathing, the Bible seems awfully big and the fresh air I need seems like a needle in a haystack among the pages. So, I pulled out my kindle. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but I knew somewhere in the pages of Scripture was a breath for me. I used the search function, and I started looking for air. And God, ever faithful, showered me with His breath to fill my lungs and settle my soul.

The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is compassionate.
The Lord guards the inexperienced;
I was helpless, and He saved me.
Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
For You, Lord, rescued me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.
I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.

Psalm 116:5-9, HCSB

Returning

The whole of psalm 116 ministered deeply to my suffocating soul. Tucked away in this psalm of praise for God who delivered His child is a reminder. The psalmist recounts the Lord’s faithfulness to him then speaks to his own soul, “Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.” And with the psalmist I say “For You, Lord, rescued me from death…my feet from stumbling.” I remember God’s faithfulness. Every step of this journey, I remember God has gone with me and before me. At every stumbling, He has grounded my feet once more on Him, my Rock. He has not condemned me for faltering or sent swift judgement on me for falling down at a sharp twist in the path that caught me off guard. He has indeed been gracious and compassionate as the psalmist points out.

So I begin to remember how God has been good to me.

He has called me “daughter”
He has been faithful
He has stayed with me
He has steadied my feet
He has calmed my mind
He has held my heart
He has covered me in His healing balm one wound at a time
He has loved me perfectly

At every stumbling, He has grounded my feet once more on Him, my Rock. Click To Tweet

Remembering

Slowly, I remember to breathe again. My mind settles. My thoughts slow down, so I can manage them one by one. These lungs feel fuller. My heart feels His peace creep in and stay. I remember He cares for me. I remember He is faithful even when I stumble, even when I forget to breathe. I forget to remember, and yet, I still breathe. Little by little, I work less and less to breathe as my body takes over what it was made to do on its own without thought. Anxiety falls away slowly as air flows around me once more. He fills my lungs with the air of His promises, and breathing is easy again. And I find joy in every breath I take without giving up because I know that is one more step I’ve taken towards a healing I’ve been promised though I can’t see it from my spot on the road.

“Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.”

Breathe in… He is with me…

Breathe out… He will never leave me…

Breathe in… He is faithful…

Breathe out… He loves me perfectly…

Breathe in… He goes before me…

Breathe out… He knows where He is leading me…

Breathe in… He leads me gently…

Breathe out… He leads me to His healing…

Dorothy Lin

worth, significance, confidence, strength, Oh Lord Help Us, ministry, Christian, women, encouragement

Worth: Strength and Confidence from Knowing Our Significance

Devotionals, Stay SaneApril 24, 2018September 8, 2019

Our worth does not come from the affirmation of those around us. Once we know our significance, we have the freedom to live confidently, with strength.

I used to ask my husband to say ‘I love you’ more and tell me I looked pretty or beautiful. We’ve had several conversations, some highly emotional on my part, about my need to hear those phrases. Now, I know my husband loves me. I know he sees me as beautiful. But the desire to hear those things were deeply rooted in my soul. It took nearly two decades for me to stop needing that.

Learning to love myself as God’s remarkable and wonderfully made child has been a long journey. I grew up in a loving, secure home where I never once doubted my father’s love for me (or my mom’s). Then when I married my husband, I started down this unfamiliar path of feeling I needed his approval to affirm my worth.

When I would ask him to affirm me, it seemed silly to him. He would say things like, “I chose you to be my wife.” He believed saying that would make me feel honored; because his standards were so high. At that time in our lives, he thought he was a really. big. deal. He confesses now that that was about his ego; not about me. We were both seeking to fight for one another. The disconnect was, we were only fighting for our own perceived happiness. We failed to look out for the interests of each other. Not a good recipe for success.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:3-4, ESV

Today, my husband and I are much more attentive to each other’s needs when it comes to showing support. I make myself available when he wants to call and chat during his ride home from work. He sits in the kitchen on a hard stool instead of the comfy living room couch while I make dinner because he knows I like having him near. I set up the coffee pot the night before so all he has to do is push the button when he gets up at 5am. He’s nicknamed me ‘Little Bear’ and it makes me blush. Every time. I can’t even explain it! We laugh a lot!

Significance

The beauty is, the pressure if off. Understanding my significance as God’s child frees me up to be a stronger wife, friend, mom and coworker. I am able to recognize when I am acting out of a wrong view of who God says I am. In that moment I can smash the lies of be more, you’re not enough, you should’ve known that, and destroy the arguments that counter the knowledge of God.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

Psalm 139:14, ESV

So why don’t I crave those affirmations anymore? God has taught me and my husband where our worth lies. We came up empty when we used accomplishments as a gauge. Our finite understanding of excellence doesn’t hold a candle to God’s! But as we are learning to know God’s character more through His word, we are resting in who He says we are. Daughter. Son. Adopted. Worthy, by the blood of the Lamb. God, who called us by name, who created us in a marvelous way, loves us to the point of death on a cross. Understanding this radical love dispelled my hunger for constant affirmation. Because my worth is sealed in Jesus Christ.

Understanding this radical love dispelled my hunger for constant affirmation. Because my worth is sealed in Jesus Christ. Click To Tweet

Annie Spratt

I was afraid, but God…loved me.

relationship, love, intimacy, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, ministry

Relationship: From a Love Affair to an Intimate Closeness with The Father

Devotionals, Stay SaneApril 22, 2018June 27, 2019

Love affairs are intense, exciting, and fleeting. Our feelings of love will fizzle over time, which is why we must be continually falling in love with our Lord. This maturing of our love leads to a deep, intimate relationship.

Every now and then I realize a need in my psyche to listen to chick music. I’ve told my husband that this is necessary for healthy, female existence…at least for me. It consists of different artists for each of us, but I imagine you know what I mean. Your gal may growl out her salty words or she may purr velvet blues, but depending on the day and my mood, I can bounce from Sara Bareilles wanting to see me be brave to Adele sending her love to his new lover. Probably like you, I can swing from Julia Fischers’ fingers dancing over her violin strings to Taylor Swift singing “Getaway Car.”

And that, dear sister, is where I landed the other day while upstairs doing particular household chores which I least enjoy. It was a Taylor day. Her song, “Sad, Beautiful, Tragic,” tugged at my heart in an unusually strong way. I replayed it several times, listening intently to the words as I questioned internally why this and one other song (“Begin Again”), on the album was arresting my attention. Most chick music falls in this category: girl meets boy; boy breaks girl’s heart; girl is shattered, can never trust again OR she’s tough, moving on, getting revenge, etc.

It occurred to me that too often over the years my relationship with God has been more like a love affair than an intimate, covenant relationship; maybe yours, too.

A Love Affair…

Love affairs are initially characterized by warmth, infatuation and hormones raging. Dr. Richard Schwartz, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a consultant at McLean Massachusetts General Hospital said that in the early stages of love our levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, rises in our system. In addition, love turns on the neurotransmitter dopamine, which stimulates the brain’s pleasure centers, and drops the levels of serotonin, which “adds a dash of obsession.” When this formula is added together, the equation always equals the exciting, crazy, dare-I-say silly feeling of an early infatuation/love. As the love-year progresses, chemicals gradually return to a normal balance and, if both hang around, a mature type of love follows. The hormone and neurotransmitter oxytocin increases to produce calm and helps to cement the bond that is being created between the two people involved. Other brain specialists concur.

Pretty amazing how the Lord-of-all worked those little details out, huh?

The problem is, we humans like that crazy, exciting, OMG! first-love feeling all the time…in every relationship.

It might explain our divorce rate…might help us understand why so many singles hit the dating web sites night after night…

Might even explain our prayerlessness.

Falling in Love…

While some of us still possess the buzz of the first blush of being a new Christian, many do not. So, as John Wimber, (one of the founding leaders of Vineyard USA), said to his first pastor after a few months of sitting in a pew, “You mean I gave up drugs for this?” Wimber wanted to do what he saw Jesus doing in the gospels, but didn’t see it happening in his church. Unlike many of us, however, he didn’t settle for a cooling agnosticism to replace the fire of his first love. Wimber studied the scriptures faithfully and passionately; he learned that if our love affair wasn’t with Jesus, it would be with something else. “Show me where you spend your time, money, and energy, and I’ll tell you what you worship.” he often said. Further, Wimber later claimed,

It seems the more I think about not sinning, the more I sin, but the more I think about just loving Jesus, the less I seem to sin. Falling in love seems to be the key.

John Wimber, Power Evangelism

There it is, again – falling in love. But this love is ongoing, maturing. It’s the kind of love that is patient, kind, and not envious, boastful, or rude. This love doesn’t always have to have its’ own way, and isn’t irritable or resentful. It doesn’t do a happy dance at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love in its’ truest sense bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. In fact, it never, ever ends (I Corinthians 13:4-8).

Impossible, right? Why yes, it is!! Apart from the power of Christ within me, I am the antithesis of all of those attributes listed! I can be impatient, envious and rude -all in one breath! I can be irritable and demand my own way when my coffee isn’t prepared the way I like – all before 8 a.m.!

But God…

…has rescued me from the power of darkness and transferred me into the kingdom of His dear Son…

Colossians 1:13, NLT

It seems the more I think about not sinning, the more I sin, but the more I think about just loving Jesus, the less I seem to sin. Falling in love seems to be the key. ~John Wimber, Power Evangelism Click To Tweet

Intimate Love…

Why, WHY does the Father continue to rescue, forgive, and empower me?

Because He loves me…and you…with a deep, everlasting, intimate love that surpasses human understanding. When we became His children, God made a covenant with us through the work of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 6:13-20). It is a covenant of grace, filled with mercy, authored by Love.

It seems like drinking from a cracked cistern, really, when we, you and I, continually search for a new ‘first love’ feeling or sense of fulfillment by sipping in new relationships or attractions, whatever those may be, when Love Himself, the fountain of living waters- who has loved us like no other – is available to us at all times. He is waiting to give you, and me, a fresh drink.

For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Jeremiah 2:13, NKJV

Sharon McCutcheon

You are fiercely loved…

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Life Verse: Discover Personal Meaning in God’s Word

Devotionals, Stay SaneApril 19, 2018June 28, 2019

What is a life verse? Do I need a life verse? Am I the only one without a life verse? This discusses the what, why, and how to discover God’s personal message for us through His word.

It seems like everything we do at our church asks us to list our “life verse”. Baptism – life verse; New Comers lunch – life verse; Starting Point sign up – life verse; Awana – life verse; Join the church – life verse. You get it.

But here is the thing….I don’t have a life verse. Yes, I read my bible quite a bit. And I have a fairly good working knowledge of God’s word and love all the history contained within its books. I know that it is a road map of mandates that will help me see my heavenly Father one day and spend eternity with Him. There have been many times in my life when I needed guidance and the verse was there to help me through. No life verse though. So I began a quest for one.

Step one: What the heck is a life verse?

After reading many sources, it seems that a life verse is just your “go to” when you need reassurance of God and his position in your life. It is a verse that speaks truth to you no matter what else or who else crowds your life. The truth that God loves you, Jesus died for you, and the Holy Spirit can guide you through the trials of earthly life.

As with any question I start researching, I found a lot of information. Other blogs about how to find a life verse, lists of other people’s verses, and some cautionary discussions.

When I am struggling with something, I like to see all the sides. Take it apart and really look at the basic reasons for its existence. I think that God want us to be more conscious of His word. He gave us these stories to guide us through this life so we can join Him in the next. Being so familiar with His work that I can quote it chapter and verse seems like a good use of my time and will ultimately help me in my quest to be the best reflection of His light possible.

Step two: Choose some verses to “try on”.

I was light hearted with this at first and took a quiz. It did give me a pretty good verse:

Trust the Lord with all; your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV

But as I accepted that the quiz did a really good job giving me a verse that totally fit the criteria of a life verse, I realized something. I forgot to pray about it first. So I talked with God:

Father,

This idea of a life verse keeps coming up. I have no idea what to say and it keeps coming up. Guide me to the verse that You know will be a cornerstone in my life. Help me discern Your meaning and show me how You want my light to shine for You.

love,
me

Then I opened my Bible. I used my copy of The New Oxford Annotated Bible. I landed on The Wisdom of Solomon 18:1, “But for your holy ones there was very great light. Their enemies heard their voices but did not see their forms, and counted them happy for not having suffered.”

Problem is, Protestants don’t include this book in their Bibles. Catholics and Orthodox religions do. I’m not really clear on why, though that is now a question in my research log: A list of questions I don’t know the answer to, but would like to know more about.

Not one to give up too easily, I went and got another Bible. After a few flips through, I landed on one that spoke loudly:

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Matthew 22:37-39, CEB

But I really wanted a third option. I was really focused on the idea of the trinity here. So I pulled out my bible app and found the verse of the day. I admit, I read through a few before I found one that called out.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

John 16:33, ESV

Step three: Pray and read the verses daily.

I am still on this step. I am asking God to speak His truth into my life. My problem seems to come down to this: I need all three of these verses in my life.

If I’m discouraged or unclear about God’s path for my life, Proverbs 3:5-6 seems like God’s answer. For those times when I am not being nice or am impatient with those around me, Matthew 22:37-39 helps me find my footing in God’s light again. And when life gets hard John 16:33 is full of encouragement.

I had hoped to have an ANSWER to the question, what is your life verse? by the time I was done with this post. I haven’t found it yet. However, it has dawned on me that the idea of a life verse doesn’t have to be permanent. It can be fluid and change as life changes and your faith grows. That thinking has made it easier for me to acknowledge that I haven’t found “THE VERSE” for my life yet, but the journey to find one (or three) has been enlightening and has caused me to be reflective of my life and God’s purpose in it, which I think is the point.

A life verse doesn't have to be permanent. It can be fluid and change as life changes and your faith grows. Click To Tweet

What is your life verse (or three)? Share in the comments.

Aaron Burden