Category: Uncategorized

Two-minute read.

“God hears the conversations we don’t.” Somewhere in the last couple of months, I heard that statement, and it stuck with me. Maturing in Christ, I’ve realized I don’t know what other people think, and that when I assume I do, I get myself into trouble, creating false narratives. However, the Lord does know the hearts and minds of others, and the intention behind their actions, exposing them.

During my single years, online dating frustrated me. None of the potential matches coming to fruition. As I prayed about the situation, sharing my discouragement and disappointment with the Lord, I began to gain a new perspective. God protected me from people He knew wouldn’t make a good partner for me. As I embraced that thought, it helped ease the frustration.

In the same way, when God removes people from your life, consider it an act of protection. We don’t know the conversations they have when not in our presence, nor the intentions of their heart. But the Lord does, and He protects His children from those who would do them Harm.

Arguably, sometimes the Lord does allow wicked people into our lives. When He does, God has a purpose for it, purifying and teaching us through the situation. We can’t begin to understand the Creator’s thoughts, but we can trust that He has our best interests at heart.

Whatever the situation, the Lord knows all the facts. He knows the evil intent of the wicked, and in God’s perfect timing, they will suffer the consequences of their thoughts and actions. Only when people repent do they receive the saving grace of the Savior.

And, we all have wicked thoughts, sinners by nature; none of us should consider ourselves better than others. Instead, we need to repent, confess, and believe; only then can we receive the joy of the Lord, our strength, and a firm foundation.

Journal Question:

When has God protected you from someone else’s wicked motives?

How does knowing God hears the conversations we don’t impact you?

What do you need to confess to the Lord today?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for protecting us from the wicked intentions of others. Please help us trust you more, especially when we don’t understand the reason behind a situation. Let us lean into You in all ways.

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

Divine knowledge comes from the Lord’s examination of our hearts. I used to think I had the right perspective, but God has taught me, with love, that I didn’t. Because we lack knowledge, we can’t come to the right conclusions. We may know in part, but we don’t know in whole.

“Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.”

1 Corinthians 13:9-10

Perfect in every way, God sees and knows everything. Whatever thought you think, the Lord knew it before you thought it. When we get on our high horses, thinking we have the answers, the Creator quickly reminds us, we only know in part. Only when our Maker calls us home will we receive full knowledge; until then, we only know a portion of the story.

And you know what, we don’t have to know everything because we know the One who does. With Jesus, we can live life fully, loving people for Him. Right or wrong doesn’t matter nearly as much as knowing the Savior and the gift He offers.

Let God examine your heart and teach you new ways to respond. Accept you don’t know everything and trust the One who does. When I let the Lord into the recesses of my heart, He always heals me.

For instance, I defined righteous anger incorrectly for most of my life. I thought the term meant someone offended me, but when God examined my heart, He taught me I had it all wrong. Righteous anger means someone offended the Lord, not me. Learning freed me from sin and helped me grow and mature.

Enjoy the benefits of a heart examined by the Lord. Grow in Christ as you seek more of Him and less of you.

Journal Question:

When has pushing your agenda caused you harm?

In what ways has God examined your heart?

How can you apply today’s verse to your life?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for examining our hearts and cleansing us from wrong thinking. Please help us remember we don’t know everything and do not push our agendas on other people. Let us defer to You in all things.

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

When God searches our hearts for motives, He doesn’t miss a thing. The Lord gives us breath; it permeates every aspect of our body, bringing life to us. When we allow His light to search our hearts, exposing our iniquities, it frees us from the bondage. Once we recognize a problem, we can address it, but if we don’t know about our issues, we can’t heal them.

In the Bible, iniquity is a type of sin that includes a conscious decision to hurt someone else or to rebel against God’s law. From an etymological perspective, scholars relate the Hebrew word עָוֹן (avon), meaning literally “crookedness,” “perverseness,” i.e., “evil regarded as that which is not straight or upright, moral distortion.” [1]

Hiding within our hearts, each of us has sin battles. When we have selfish motives, we try to hide them behind our actions. But God knows the inner workings of our souls and our true intentions. Revealing them to us helps us overcome them and prevents them from ruling our lives any longer.

For instance, I struggle with envy, desiring what someone else has that I don’t. I envy other people’s success —friends of friends, people who have grandchildren, and on and on the list goes. But when the Lord highlights the emotion, it allows me to conquer it. Instead of harboring hard feelings, I give them to the Savior and celebrate the other person’s blessing. Only then do I find victory.

When God reveals a sin hidden in our hearts, He corrects it with gentleness. Not with condemnation, but with love, the Lord shows us a different way to respond, helping us overcome the issue, purifying our hearts, and making us more like Christ. Nothing feels better than the chains of sin breaking and the Holy Spirit filling our hearts with His presence.

Let the Lord’s light search your heart, find freedom as He reveals truth to you, allowing you to become more like Christ.

Journal Question:

How does having God search your heart make you feel?

In what ways has God corrected you in the past?

What does letting go of your sin mean to you?

Prayer:

Lord, we thank You for Your presence in our lives, the breath You give us to breathe, and Your light that searches out iniquities in us. Please help us give You more of ourselves, seeking Your will for our lives.

IJNIP. Amen

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[1] https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/what-is-iniquity-in-the-bible.html#:~:text=Share,’%E2%80%9D

Two-minute read.

“Ears to hear, eyes to see,” my favorite six-word prayer, one I lift to the heavens often—things like hatred, jealousy, greed, and power blind us. We can get so consumed in an emotion that we can’t see or hear the truth. Pride often has a part in our blindness; like a steel wall, it shields us from vital information.

We serve a revelatory God. Through a relationship with the Savior, He reveals truth to us, things we can’t see on our own. The more we give ourselves to the Lord, the more He shows us. A spiritual world exists beyond the physical one where we live. A thin veil separates our world from the next, and Jesus connects the two.

“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”

Hebrews 11:1

The eyes and ears God gives us to see and hear rely upon faith. Amid darkness, the Lord shines a light and illuminates our path. To receive the gift, we must humble ourselves and ask for it. Admitting we don’t know everything and need help connects us to the one who does. With Christ’s help, we can become fully mature, enjoying an abundant life as we purify our hearts and follow Him.

Carrying around hatred and jealousy exhausts the soul. Wrapped in selfishness, the negative emotions rob people of life. Outside sources fuel the anger, and they get on a Ferris wheel that only ends when they choose to lay it at the foot of the cross. But to submit, you must first let go of self, the part that challenges people the most.

Receive the gift of grace God offers. Ask Him for ears to hear and eyes to see, and allow the Savior to fine-tune you, purifying your heart and giving you life in abundance.

Journal Question:

What has blinded you from seeing the truth in the past?

How would you describe the spiritual world?

In what ways has God revealed truth to you?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for the gift of eyes to see and ears to hear. Please help us submit our lives to You, allowing You to show us our iniquities, and cleansing them from us. Let us become more like Christ with each passing day.

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

“Always say please and thank you,” said my friend Leslie.

Volunteering with Leslie at church, I asked her what marital advice she would give me. She didn’t hesitate with her response. Married to the love of her life for decades, she gave me the best piece of advice I’ve ever received.

Forcing myself to say “please” and “thank you” to my husband, even when I don’t want to, makes me think about him. Selfishness tears a marriage apart, putting our needs before our spouses doesn’t produce good fruit. In God’s design for marriage, two people become one. To create an unbreakable bond, each spouse must put their partner’s needs before their own. Mindfully saying “Please” and “Thank you” helps acknowledge the other person and their efforts to become one.

Asking the right questions leads to good advice. Wisdom comes by requesting it. In my prayer time, I ask the Lord for His wisdom, and in life, I seek it from my wise friends. Every person we meet has wisdom to share. If we learn to ask the right questions, we’ll find good advice on whatever the subject.

To receive good advice, we must desire it. Then we must search for people who possess it. For me, I go to people whose lives I would like to model. During my single years, I sought advice from married couples whose union I respected and admired. Since I’ve married, they have become our marriage mentors. Their support and love help us become one, experiencing marriage to the fullest.

Live life to the fullest by learning how to mine good advice from the wise. Seek wisdom from those who possess it. Start with God, ask Him for guidance on seeking advice, and see where He leads you.

Journal Question:

What advice have you received that has impacted your life the most?

In what ways do you seek good advice?

How can you tell who will give you the best advice?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us wise people who can give us advice. Please help us seek wisdom by asking the right questions to You and others. Let us become wiser with each day that passes.

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

Reject discipline, and you will not become knowledgeable. Remaining teachable requires humility and understanding that we all still have more to learn. If we think we have all the answers, we stop listening and, as a result, turn our back on knowledge.

As a teenager, I remember getting irritated with my mother because I received so many lectures on various life topics, and I tuned her out. She could talk all she wanted, but I didn’t hear a word she said, my mind somewhere else. At that point in my life, I thought I knew everything and didn’t want her input.

But now, four decades later and ten years after Mom moved to heaven, I would love another lesson from her. The older I get, the less I know. This world has so much in it, we can’t possibly know everything about it. Only the Creator knows His creation’s secrets. But we can listen and learn about them as long as we remain teachable.

I joined a Discipleship Group this fall at our church, which consists of six women who gather weekly to discuss the Bible. Using a 260-day New Testament reading plan, we hold each other accountable to do the work. Five days each week, we read a portion of the Bible and then use the HEAR (Highlight, Explain, Apply, Respond) method to analyze whatever verse stands out to us, texting a picture of our notes to the group after we finish, helping us build a daily discipline of studying God’s word.

Discipline with accountability helps you remain teachable. Listening to the Lord’s instructions and applying them to our lives allows us to grow closer to God and each other. Remain teachable, keep listening, and keep learning.

Journal Question:

When have you ignored someone’s instructions?

How can you become more teachable today?

In what ways can you develop better discipline?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us instructions to follow. Please help us remain teachable, keeping our eyes and ears tuned to You. Let us learn the lessons You have for us, as we become more like Jesus with each one.

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

Why do we blame God for our poor decisions? Each day, we make bad choices for numerous reasons. Yesterday, while golfing, I picked the wrong club. I knew as I swung the metal rod that I should have gone with a different one, yet I kept swinging. As a result, I shanked it in the woods, costing myself a stroke. I made that decision, not the Lord.

Just like in my twenties, when I led a promiscuous lifestyle, I made those choices. God clearly guides us in pre-marital relationships through His word. Raised in the church, “I knew better,” as my mother loved to tell me, but I did it anyway. The Lord didn’t lead me down that path of heartache and pain; I took those steps on my own.

And when we suffer the consequences, instead of taking responsibility for our actions, we blame God. Misplaced anger separates us from our Maker, stunts our growth, and prevents us from living life in abundance. Until we learn to take responsibility for our actions and accept our sinful nature, we can’t experience the grace Jesus offers.

“You have to love the good, the bad, and the ugly, all parts of yourself,” said my therapist in one of our first sessions. Through the work we’ve done together, I can look at the not-so-nice parts of myself, admit they exist, accept them, and learn to love them as I strive to become more like Jesus.

Transformation happens when we acknowledge our sins and allow Christ’s grace to help us do better.

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

Romans 5:8

Don’t blame God for poor choices. Instead, confess them to the Savior, receive His grace, and allow Jesus to transform your life.

Journal Question:

When have you blamed God for your decisions?

How can you take more responsibility for your decisions?

In what ways does God help you make better choices?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for loving us despite our many flaws. Please help us take responsibility for our choices and make better decisions by seeking You first.

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

Rushing into things without taking the time to research the situation well always gets me into trouble. In my latest episode of not doing my due diligence, I got carried away in Hobby Lobby, shopping their fall assortment. Finding pumpkin and leaf-shaped cookie cutters, I bought them before knowing what I would do with them. And after unsuccessfully finding any cute ideas, I donated them, wasting the time and money.

Lots of things seem like a good idea. If we don’t take the time to gain knowledge, we make mistakes. My husband, the opposite of me, researches everything to the extreme; he doesn’t rush into things, but he often misses out on something because he waits too long. Together, we make the best decisions, his research and my impulsive nature meeting in the middle.

However, I need to learn from my husband, put my emotions in the trunk, take the time to think logically, gain knowledge, and make a more informed decision. In the case of the cookie-cutter debacle, I would have found something to do with them before purchasing them, which would have saved me money.

To make fewer mistakes, we must take more time when making decisions. Whether buying a house or cookie cutters, do the research before making the investment. Living wisely requires getting the facts and making informed decisions. Haste makes waste, but diligence makes wise choices. Waiting 24 hours before making a purchase or decision gives you time to control your emotions and gain more knowledge.

Journal:

How has making a hasty decision hurt you?

How can you take more time and gain more knowledge before making a commitment?

List five ways to gain knowledge and make better decisions.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for pointing out the problem with making hasty decisions. Please help us take the time to gain knowledge, make better decisions, and avoid mistakes.

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

For many years of my life, I didn’t listen first. Instead, I arrogantly assumed I knew someone else’s thoughts and, therefore, didn’t need to hear their words, making my perspective a priority over theirs. One of my biggest regrets, I try to spend more time listening and less time pushing my agenda.

I realize I don’t know what others think, and when they tell me, I’m always surprised. Giving others the chance to talk and express themselves, creating an environment where they feel safe to share their thoughts and feelings, will help the relationship flourish. Listening first and gaining all the facts allows us to gain wisdom and knowledge to love people better.

As a volunteer in children’s ministry, I find that kids help illustrate this point. When I see a pouty face and ask them why they feel sad, I’m always surprised by the answers. Sometimes a game goes awry, or an argument with a friend brings them down. I will never forget the night I asked one little girl why she wore a frown:

“My mom has breast cancer. She’s gotta get treatments and is going to be really sick.”

I didn’t even know how to respond; the answer surprised me. Knowing her mom, my heart instantly sank, and the prayers quickly started heavenward. If I hadn’t listened first, I would have made a wrong assumption and very possibly worsened the situation.

Before you speak, listen. Ask questions that help bring clarity to the situation, ensuring you understand before making yourself understood. Wise people talk less and listen more. Like Jesus, put others first by giving them time to speak and listening to what they have to say.

Journal Question:

When have you ever pushed your agenda on someone else without listening to them first?

How can you become a better listener today?

How can listening before speaking help you love people better?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us ways to create healthy relationships by putting others first. When we have conversations with people, help us listen before speaking and ensure we understand them before trying to make them see our point of view.

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

“Did you hear that so and so had this happen?” Dainty morsels usually start with a statement like the opening phrase. Someone discovers something about another person and can’t wait to share it. People lean in when juicy gossip enters the conversation. The more we hear, the more we want to hear.

Trader Joe’s sells bite-sized dark chocolate peanut butter cups. The store displays them at the register, and every time I shop there, I can’t resist the temptation of the delicious treats. When I bring them home, they only last a day or two; having one makes me want another. The mixture of peanut butter and chocolate proves a dainty morsel that I find hard to resist.

Gossip does the same thing. When we hear of someone’s misdeeds, our human nature wants to know more. Sad but true, often listening to gossip makes us feel better about ourselves because we don’t have that issue. Focusing on someone else’s problems effectively keeps our minds off our struggles.

Unfortunately, gossip typically doesn’t tell the entire story, leaving out the whole truth. When a neighbor’s yard became overgrown, dainty morsels of why peppered the community. When the truth came out that a medical illness prevented the person from mowing their yard, it debunked all the myths, and people felt remorse for believing the lies.

Don’t fall into the trap of gossip. When someone starts sharing a dainty morsel, stop them. If you don’t start down the rabbit trail of gossip, you will avoid its pitfalls. Instead, seek truth and don’t believe everything you hear.

Journal Question:

When has gossip affected you personally?

In what ways do dainty morsels tempt you?

How can you prevent rumors from getting started?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for helping us understand the pitfalls of gossip, and how dainty morsels can lead to big problems. Please help us stop gossip before it gets started by seeking Your truth instead of juicy tidbits.

IJNIP. Amen