Author: Beth Morrison

Two-minute read.

Finishing recording the audible book for 4:13 Doing Hard Things with Strength, I devote an entire chapter to controlling your words, which starts by controlling your tongue. James describes the power of the mouth well:

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.  The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

James 3:3-6

One of the smallest parts of our body gets us into trouble when we don’t control it. If we don’t stop and think before we speak, unwanted commitments get made, feelings get hurt, and relationships destroyed. With our mouth we confess our sins and belief in Christ. Others use their tongues to deny Jesus and live life separated from Him.

After placing our faith in the Savior, our language should change. Using our words to uplift and encourage other people makes good use of our tongues. Controlling what comes out of our mouths starts by taking time to think about our words and how they will impact the receiver.

Communication has two parts: the sender and the receiver. When we send information, we should always consider the recipient. Taking the time to think about the other person will help us control our tongues and avoid getting into trouble.

Journal Question:

How has your tongue gotten you in trouble?

What tactics do you use to control your tongue?

How can you uplift people with your words today?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us the ability to speak. Please help us control our tongues and use our words wisely. Let us use uplifting and encouraging words always.

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

“Words create worlds,” Pastor Mike Cooke often says. What we speak impacts the listener and can turn a frown upside down. Speaking hope and encouragement into someone’s life helps them persevere.

Erika Kirk, in the aftermath of her husband’s assassination, didn’t know how she would persevere through the devastation. Standing on the tarmac, watching her husband’s coffin loaded onto the plane, she confided in her friend, Usha Vance, who spoke words of life into Erika’s grieving heart.

“You will get through these 15 minutes and the next 15 minutes after that.”

When life knocks us to our knees and we have no place to look but up, we have a Savior who meets us in our darkest moments and helps us keep going. Worry may weigh us down, but fourteen words of encouragement, like those the Second Lady spoke, can keep us going. Jesus told us we would have trouble in this world, but take heart, He has overcome the world (John 16:33).

Cling to the words of the Savior. Trust Him that whatever worries weigh you down today, He has the answer, and He will carry you through the storm. Practice speaking life into others by helping them through these fifteen minutes and the next fifteen minutes.

Create worlds filled with hope and anticipation for tomorrow, knowing that what lies ahead far exceeds our best day in the past. Jesus loves you, He died for you, and He wants you to have life in abundance. By speaking words of life to others, you will refresh your soul as well and remind you that this, too, shall pass.

When worry weighs you down, reach out to the Savior. Ask for divine intervention, and let His words bring cheer to your heart.

Journal Question:

How have words helped you defeat worry?

What worry do you need to give to Jesus today?

How can you use your words to create worlds filled with hope?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us Jesus to fill our souls with hope and giving us words of encouragement to speak to ourselves and others. Please help us use our language well, giving life to others with what we say.

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve worked. Mom had me dusting the furniture as my first chore, and eventually doing the weekly cleaning. Each night, I said the prayer at mealtime and did the dishes afterwards. At eleven, I started cleaning a neighbor’s house and helping my family mow the church cemetery.

To this day, I love working. In fact, I’m struggling to take a Sunday Sabbath, because I have work I want to do. But the Lord rested, and He expects me to do the same, so I’m trying. God blesses our efforts and the work we do.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Colossians 3:23-24

Hard work never hurts anyone and blesses the doer. Thieves serve only themselves and become jealous of other people’s loot. But work done for the Lord bears good fruit and blesses others.

Praying over meals and washing the dishes blessed my entire family. My brothers mowing the lawn and taking care of outside chores blessed me. Working together, we created a loving home that welcomed others and brought joy to anyone who walked through our door.

God gives us jobs to do. If we still have breath in our lungs, then the Lord still has tasks for us to do. We can’t control what the thieves do, but we can control our actions. Working unto the Creator will bring joy to your heart and satisfaction to your soul.

Nothing gives us a better night’s sleep than a day of hard work for the Lord. Serve God by doing your assigned tasks and reap the fruitful rewards.

Journal Question:

What do you enjoy most about your God given work?

How does your work bless others?

What kind of fruit does your work produce?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us purpose through our assigned task. Please help us work well for You, giving You the glory as we produce fruit for the kingdom.

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

With roots extending as deep as 400 feet, the wild fig tree, native to South Africa, has the longest root system of any tree.[1] Penetrating rocks, the tree’s search for water overcomes the challenging environment where it lives, pumping over six gallons of water a day for survival.

One could argue that we live in an even more challenging environment than the fig tree. Bombarded with the world’s lies, pressured by its people, Christ followers have a myriad of things trying to distract them from the Lord. The deeper we grow our roots into the Rock, the firmer we can stand in the onslaught of false information that pummels us daily.

Last year, while hiking the mountains of West Virginia with a friend, we came upon trees growing out of rocks. “It means you can still have life after hard things,” my friend said, spotting the roots growing down over the rock, moss covering them as they dug into the soil, creating a firm foundation.

Her words struck me, knowing the hard things she had endured, and the new life we found together, persevering with the Lord through life’s difficulties. We need roots, not only to help us stand firm, but to nourish our bodies, and help us grow through the struggles of this life, knowing our treasure awaits us in the world to come.

God reveals truth to us in His time and way. The deeper we merge our spirit with His, the more discernment we will have. Charlie Kirk says it best:

“There’s not a truth of the Bible that if you apply it to your life, your life does not improve dramatically.”[2]

Applying God’s word to your life causes you to grow deep roots. The more you experience the divine love Jesus has for you, the more you will desire it. In Christ, we find life to the fullest; the deeper our roots, the fuller our life.

Journal Question:

What do you picture when you think of deep roots?

In what way has applying biblical principles to your life helped you grow?

How can you deepen your roots with God today?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us fertile soil to grow our roots. Please help us mature and become tree bearing fruit. Let us stand firm in the face of adversity and honor You in all we do.

IJNIP. Amen

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[1] https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/which-tree-has-the-deepest-roots-in-the-world/248787361

[2] https://www.facebook.com/pray/videos/charlie-kirk-1993-2025-/1124891729008737/

Two-minute read.

Blessing others blesses us. Other translations of this verse say, “…those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed” (NLT). Nothing compares to putting someone else’s needs before your own and encouraging them along the journey. Their delight will delight you.

Over the summer, we had friends over who have six children. Knowing the kids well, I had activities set up for them to enjoy their time in our home, and bracelet making quickly became the hands-down winner. I can still see the tiny heads around our table, working earnestly to create beautiful pieces. The memory warms my soul months after the event. When one of my young friends presented me with the bracelet she made me, it touched my heart like nothing else. The multi-colored jewelry reminds me of her every time I see it, and instantly brings a smile to my face.

Young or old, when we do things for others, it blesses us, maybe even more than the person. Knowing you have brought sunshine into someone else’s life, making them feel loved and accepted, refreshes the soul. Knowing how much God loves us, we can’t help but want others to know that He feels the same about them.

Jesus refreshed all our souls with His actions on the cross. Without Him, we couldn’t experience the blessing of new life in Christ, free from our past mistakes, living in the hope of tomorrow. Sharing the Savior’s love with acts of kindness introduces people to Him. Dying to self, meeting the needs of others, mimics Jesus’s example and refreshes our spirit like nothing else can.

Find ways to refresh others today, and experience the renewal of your soul as you put other needs before your own.

Journal Question:

Who has refreshed your soul and how?

In what ways can you bless others today?

How has Jesus refreshed your soul?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us a Savior who shows us how to love others and bring refreshment to their souls. Please give us eyes to see and ears to hear ways we can bless others today and every day. Let us represent Jesus well in our daily lives.

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

When a religious leader asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29), the Savior answered by telling him the parable of the Good Samaritan. A man lies beaten and half dead in a ditch. Three men walk past him: a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan. Only the Samaritan helps the victim, showing him compassion.

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Luke 10:36-37

Jesus’s parable has many lessons we can extract from it. He defines neighbor as everyone. We live in this world, surrounded by people, all journeying through life together. Treating others with the dignity and respect they deserve means not discounting anyone. The Savior wants all people saved and in a relationship with Him.

Loving others for Jesus helps them get to know God’s Son. Whoever the Lord places before us at any given time, He expects us to love. The Lord has no time for belittling His creation. When you mock other people, for whatever reason, you belittle your neighbor and cause division.

Not everything needs saying, and not everyone needs to hear your opinion. If the words you speak don’t lift and encourage someone else, then keep them to yourself. Better to stay silent than say something mean and inflammatory, making someone else feel less than.

Words have power. We must learn to use them wisely and think before we speak. Jesus never said anything that caused harm. If we want to become more like the Savior, we’ll listen more than we talk, use life-giving language when we do speak, and love our neighbor as Christ loved us.

Journal Question:

How have you belittled your neighbor?

In what way have negative words impacted your life?

How can you love others like Jesus did with your words?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for the Savior and the example He set for us. Please help us love our neighbors as Jesus loved us, remaining silent if we don’t have anything positive to say. Let us love in word and deed today and always.

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

Humility comes with self-awareness of your place in the world and God’s sovereignty over it. When things happen, humble people defer to the Lord’s will, understanding His ways differ from ours, and we can’t comprehend all that He does. Pride, on the other hand, has self-bestowed divinity and an inflated ego. In other words, they think the world revolves around them and their opinion, not the Creator’s viewpoint.

As one of the pastors in my life said, pride is the root of all sin. I made that comment in a women’s group, and one of the ladies disagreed, saying she thought selfishness caused sin. Although we didn’t have the opportunity to discuss it, I don’t disagree; however, I do think that selfishness stems from pride.

Pride, as defined by Expositor’s Bible Commentary, “is literally a boiling up; thus an overstepping of the boundaries and insubordination is meant.” Thinking we know more than God never goes well.

“You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not make me”? Can the pot say to the potter, “You know nothing”?”

Isaiah 29:16

When pride rears its ugly head in our lives, we turn things upside down and act like we created the world instead of God. We can’t comprehend how the Lord transformed darkness into light and brought life into existence, yet at times, we act as if we do.

Allowing pride to lead the way gives the devil a foothold. Self-righteous anger begins to develop, and everything becomes about us, and we can’t see the whole picture. Only when we humble ourselves and surrender to God’s authority can we begin to see the truth.

Stay humble by submitting your life to the Savior. Seek His will for your life. Live abundantly, serving the Creator in His creation.

Journal Question:

How has pride affected your life?

What indicates pride to you?

How can you remain humble?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for creating the world and giving us life. Forgive us when we let pride inflate our ego, blinding us to the truth. Please give us the tools we need to remain humble and hungry for you.

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

“All the houses are concrete,” a friend said after house hunting in a hurricane-prone part of the United States. Because of the strong, 100-plus-mile winds that habitually blow against the waterfront homes, they build them of heavy concrete that can withstand the storms.

Better concrete than the wooden homes, built on stilts, I’ve seen wash into the ocean waves when the hurricanes come. The foundation determines whether or not the house will survive torrential wind and rain. Both types of homes will experience hurricanes, but one has a firmer foundation than the other.

In the same way, we choose our foundations of faith. Some put theirs into worldly things, equivalent to wooden homes. But others choose a firmer foundation, the Rock that endures life’s storms. Placing our faith in Jesus anchors us to the Rock, providing a dependable foundation, no matter what storm winds may blow. Because God never lied to us, we know that in this world we will have troubles, but we can take heart, because Christ overcame them on the cross.

When Jesus walked the Earth, He faced many trials. The Lord taught us that we can’t avoid hardship and struggles; they come with life. But Christ also promised never to leave us nor forsake us when they come, offering us relief from our sufferings as we rest in Him.

Amid our heartache, we may feel alone. Don’t believe the lie. God lives in us, His Spirit guiding and directing our steps. Jesus never leaves nor forsakes us. He walks through the fire with us, helping us persevere through the flames. The storm winds may blow, but we won’t fall, anchored to the Rock; we have all we need to stand tall.

Journal Question:

How has Jesus helped you persevere through life’s storms?

How does knowing struggles come with life help you prepare for them?

In what way has Jesus shown up for you during a storm?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for preparing us for life’s storms and giving us a Savior who walks through them with us. Please help us find our footing on the Rock and trust You when the storm winds start blowing.

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

Love’s strength defeats hatred’s strife. A single scroll through social media reveals the power of hate to inspire wickedness in people. Feeding the powerful emotion allows it to control us, giving the devil a foothold in our lives and leading us down crooked paths. Jesus gave us a new way to live, defining love and showing us how to apply it to our lives.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

To defeat hate, we must first understand love. An action verb, love has movement. Enduring affection requires us to have patience, respond with kindness, and avoid becoming proud and arrogant; instead, we should lead with humility. Always seeking the truth, love never ends; it forgives quickly. We experience and share it because of our divine relationship with the Savior.

Love, like faith, requires a choice. God gave us free will because He understands that for love to flourish, we must choose it. To experience eternal life, we must place our faith in Jesus, the starting point of love. Once we begin following the Savior, we start to understand love. The more we study Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, the more we will understand the nature of unconditional love. As we grow in knowledge, we will also grow in love.

In every circumstance, you have a choice: love or hate. Each day, you choose which one you will feed by what you allow into your heart, mind, body, and soul. Turn to the Savior, let His Spirit guide and direct your actions, and become known for your love as we know Jesus for His.

Journal Question:

How have you experienced love defeating hate?

How has knowing Jesus taught you about love?

In what ways can you cover someone else’s sin with love today?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for teaching us about love and sending Jesus to set an example for us. Please help us guard our hearts and minds from anything that would fuel hatred, fill our souls with Your divine love, and enable us to share it with the world.

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

For our anniversary, we did something we had never done before: we went to a NASCAR race. Preparing for the event, we didn’t think to research parking, so we just parked in the first open lot we found. As we slipped out of the truck onto the grassy hill, we fell in line behind the other people entering the gates, having no idea which way to go.

Once inside the race track, we quickly realized we had parked as far away from our seats as possible. And so we continued to follow the crowd, unsure of our destination. Eventually, we stopped and asked for directions, and then made our way to our seats, which took us over half an hour to reach.

Because we didn’t know our destination, nor understand the course, we walked a crooked path. Only when we had clear directions did we walk confidently towards our seats. Without instructions, we journey with uncertainty and go astray, but with divine guidance, we can walk confidently towards our future, knowing what awaits us at the end of our journey.

God instructs us to walk with integrity, which means telling the truth and living a life of honesty. When we start to veer from truth, following lies, our paths get crooked, and we waste time and energy on things the Lord never intended for us to do.

Value integrity, develop strong, consistent moral and ethical principles based on biblical truth. Walk confidently ahead, knowing the next right thing to do because of the Lord’s guidance. Fulfill your divine mission, loving God and others, living a purposeful life for Jesus.

Journal Question:

When have you walked a crooked path?

What does living with integrity mean to you?

How can you love God and others today?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us written directions to follow, allowing us to have confidence in which way we should go. Please keep us on the straight and narrow, not allowing us to stray onto the crooked path.

IJNIP. Amen