Let us look at an example in the Bible of a moment of despondency in the life of Moses. Despondent means “feeling or showing extreme discouragement, dejection, or depression.” Moses was despondent to the point that he wanted God to kill him. The children of Israel decided that they were sick of manna. Numbers 11:10 says, Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.

There are times in our lives when we become overwhelmed and just do not feel that we can go another step. Things are not going well at work. Our children are not doing their best in school. Our houses are a mess, and we are never home long enough to do anything about it. The dirty laundry is taking over the laundry room. The children are sick, so we cannot fulfill our duties at church. It is then that we often say, “Lord, this is it! I can’t take any more!” We might not get to the point that Moses did, but we do get pretty low sometimes. At this point, we need to pray, “Lord, help me, and give me wisdom to know what to do.”

Proverbs 15:13 says, A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. The definition of merry is “giving pleasure, delightful, full of gaiety or high spirits.” Cheerful means “full of good spirits, conducive to cheer: likely to dispel gloom or worry.” When we have a merry heart and a cheerful countenance, we will not have a broken spirit; however, there will be times when we get down.

I am here to say that this is not unusual! Let us look at Moses. God talked to him from the burning bush. God gave him the Ten Commandments. God allowed him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. God led His people with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. When His children were thirsty, God told Moses to strike a rock with his rod. He did, and the water came gushing out. They were hungry, and God provided them with manna to eat. After a diet of manna day after day, the people decided they were tired of it and cried to Moses that they wanted some meat. This is when Moses reached his breaking point.

Numbers 11:11-15 says, And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers? Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.

Moses asked God, “Why are You doing this to me? Did I father all these people? God, where will I get flesh to feed all these people? They are crying to me saying, …Give us flesh, that we may eat…!” Moses told God, “I cannot bear all this! It is too heavy for me. If I have to deal with this, just go ahead and kill me right now.”

If Moses felt this way, I think God understands when we get discouraged and when we do not have a merry heart and a cheerful countenance. Yes, we must work at giving pleasure to others and being delightful and happy. However, we also need to remember that, at times, we will become frustrated and discouraged ourselves, and so will others (including our children, our husbands, and other ladies). We need to stay aware of this and work at being an encourager. We may be surprised at how far just a small dose of encouragement can go!

by Carmel Bailey

From II Timothy 4

Recently in my ladies Sunday school class, we have been learning about Paul’s ministry companions. So many of his “helpers” were people who sacrificed their health, safety, families, and even their lives for the cause of Christ to help Paul spread the Gospel throughout the known world.

Paul was a “pastor” to so many interesting individuals from diverse walks of life. The actions of his people testified that they truly loved him. This love was formed in the strength of their common goal. Each person served and encouraged Paul in a variety of ways, unique to each one and his God-given skills.

However, some of these ministry companions failed Paul at one time or another. John Mark quit. Paul did not want to travel with him because he felt he was a hindrance to the work. Yet, Barnabas invested in this young man and was able to help him grow to become one of Paul’s most beloved ministry companions.

Demas stands out starkly from many of the faithful as one who turned his back on the man of God. We do not know why Demas walked away from Pastor Paul and God’s work, except that II Timothy says that he …loved this present world,… The specifics of “why” are not as important—or the Bible would tell us—as the fact that he forsook his pastor.

As a pastor’s kid, I had a front-row seat to the faithful people who were a delight to my father in the ministry. There were those who worked tirelessly and those who gave generously. Some invested in my brother and me, and others were a huge blessing to my mother. So many little “instances” come to mind of things people did or gave that encouraged my father to keep going, even when money was tight, the work seemed endless, and troubles arose.

Unfortunately, there were those like Demas, too. They had been loved, discipled, and nurtured; yet they turned their backs on my father and our church. Worse yet, there were even some who did not just walk away but returned to throw stones with the intent to do damage. As heartbreaking as it was to watch those we loved reject everything and walk away, even worse was the pain caused by those who came back to do harm.

Once, my mom reminded me that this is the way of the ministry. We cannot get hung up on those who leave but, instead, must redirect our focus to those who want and need our help. If it has been this way since the time of Paul, it should be no wonder today that, as my father so often says, “People will be people.”

Between these two extremes is perhaps an even more dangerous position—that of discontented church members. These are those who will go along with the work, faithfully serving, but do so while grumbling, complaining, and eyerolling the whole way. Their poor spirits sabotage the work and its results. Their discontentment stunts the growth and damages the spirits of those around them. They fail to appreciate and love those with whom they are serving. They have lost sight of what should be their motivation: the cause of Christ.

Discontented church members are not bad people; God loves them as much as He does the rest of us. Often, they were the most faithful, dedicated, and motivated in the past. Sadly, somewhere along the way, they allow Satan to grasp a foothold in their hearts and minds by feeding them things that eventually show on their faces, come out of their mouths, and are revealed through their actions. They need help but do not want it or think they need it—a dangerous position! More often than not, the first one with whom they disagree is the pastor.

They forget the man who loved them, prayed over their family, and fought the devil for them. Their love for their pastor is crowded out by their wounded spirit. In their hearts, they turn to bite the hand that fed them when they desperately needed the nourishment.

Let us not forget that the man of God, although not perfect, has been placed in our lives as our pastor by God. It is God’s will that he is our pastor. His love, toil, and sacrifice should supersede any “justice” we feel we are due because of unfair treatment or petty disagreements.

If you have a pastor that loves and prays for your family, you are amazingly blessed. If your pastor takes difficult stands against evil and compromise, even when his own preacher friends turn their backs on him, rejoice. Do not become part of the problem; instead, be one to help solve the problems. As you serve God, delight in the fact that you have someone God-sent who will stand between your family and the world, preaching truth.

After all, you are your pastor’s ministry companion, placed in his ministry by God.

Paul, in his last letter before his death, hailed those who had been a blessing and warned against those who had inflicted harm. What will your pastor’s last letter say of you? Will you be a Priscilla, who Paul called his …helper in Christ Jesus? Will you be hailed as a John Mark, imperfect but willing to be teachable, to try again, and to grow to become a monumental blessing? Or will you be remembered as a Demas, having left for things that seemingly mattered more than serving God? How will you be remembered as your pastor’s ministry companion?

by Tracie S. Burns

I want to preface this little devotion by saying that I am a planner. I do not keep a paper planner, but I have a running agenda in my head of what I want to accomplish on any given day. Most days, I still have several items on that agenda that did not get accomplished when or how I planned them because life happens. Maybe I had planned to get out the door at 6:45 a.m. on a school morning but did not leave until 7 a.m. Maybe I had slated a task to complete during my planning period at school, but a student needed help during that time. All these little interruptions can frustrate me as I try to accomplish my work as a wife, a mom, and a teacher. God has had to teach me that, while these are my roles in life, they themselves are not my job or my vocation, as the Bible calls it).

Recently, I read in Ephesians 4:1-3, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Surely, I had read this passage before now because I previously had read through Ephesians and even took a class in college on Pauline epistles. However, this was the first time I really paid attention to the words walk worthy. I have pondered those words often in the last few weeks.

What does it mean to walk worthy? Worthy means “having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in a specified way.” I want to walk in a way that merits special recognition, specifically the recognition of my Savior from Whom I hope to hear the words one day, “Well done.”

I started looking further in the verse, …walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,… As I looked at that word vocation, I wondered, “What is my vocation, as far as God is concerned?” I could definitely consider my vocation to be that of a teacher in our Christian school; I hold the vocation of a mother, a wife, and a church member. However, I wondered what exactly does God consider my vocation to be?

What was Jesus’ vocation? We read in the Bible that He came to seek and to save that which is lost and that He went about doing good. We read of the miracles He performed and the parables He taught. All of these had one thing in common: they were about people! He was not just doing good in the sense of doing right; He was doing good toward people!

My vocation is not a specific task. My vocation is people. As I continued to ponder these verses, I noticed the scriptural qualifications of walking worthy, …lowliness and meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit… I observed that each one of these qualities deal with my relationship with others.

Lowly means “not having position or rank.” The spirit of lowliness is not pulling rank on people. I guess I could be lowly even if I lived in a shack by myself in the middle of the woods, but I could not really show that quality without people.

Lowliness and meekness go together. Meekness means “the quality of being quiet, gentle, and unwilling to argue or express your opinions.” Galatians 6: 1 tells us, Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

The next word on the list is longsuffering. A form of this word is found in I Corinthians 13:4, Charity suffereth long, and is kind;… Longsuffering means “having or showing patience in spite of troubles, especially those caused by other people.” It takes a purposeful effort to be kind and show patience toward those who, in our earthly minds, do not deserve it.

The word forbear means “to prevent yourself from saying or doing something, especially in a way that shows control, good judgment, or kindness to others.” Sometimes, I find it difficult to stop myself from saying something that could hurt someone else. 

Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace… seems to lump everything else into it. We are not trying to keep unity if we are gossiping. We cannot be unsubmissive to our leadership while also trying to keep the unity of the Spirit. We cannot have a bad attitude and expect to have the unity of the Spirit at the same time.

As we continue in our different roles, let us always remember that our spiritual vocation is not all those earthly roles in which we find ourselves. Our vocation is doing good to the people with whom we cross path while we perform our responsibilities within those roles.  Let us walk worthy today of the vocation to which God has called us: the vocation of loving and serving others in His name!

by Vicki Voorhis

A few years ago while on vacation in New Mexico, we decided to drive up into the Sandia Mountains. The view of Albuquerque and the surrounding areas from the crest was something we had enjoyed on previous trips to the area. However, this trek proved to be quite different than our previous adventures to these mountains.

Our family—my husband, our three children, and I—piled into our car and headed up the mountains, anticipating a pleasant journey that would end in a beautiful view. When we had driven a little more than halfway to the summit, we began noticing snow on the ground. We continued driving at a slow, steady pace, still hoping to reach the top. The snow became thicker, and the drive grew more and more treacherous. Farther up, the road eventually became impassable. Disappointed, we turned around and began heading back down the mountain.

Trying to make the best of our changed plans, we found a spot to park so everyone could play in the snow. Our hands eventually became numb with cold, so we decided to get back into the car to head down the mountain. Along the road, I noticed a little parking spot off to the side with a sign that read, “Great View.”

I said, “Stop! Let’s go check out the view!” My children, still chilled from playing in the snow, decided to stay in the warmth of the car. My husband and I noticed as we began the impromptu hike that there was no path and no other signs pointing us to where this “great view” was. My husband effortlessly hiked just ahead of me, never seeming to struggle up the hill to the mysterious “great view.” I, however, struggled. I slipped a few times on the rocky, steep terrain. The hill ahead looked ominous as I grew out of breath in the high altitude. At one point, I glanced over my shoulder, saw how high I had already climbed, and thought, “If I were to go back now, I would probably roll down the hill!”

My husband, way ahead of me, said, “Are you coming?”

 “This was not a good idea!” I hollered back.

He laughed and said, “Keep going! You’re almost there!”

Finally, after a breathless struggle up that hill, I made it. The view WAS great. In fact, it was breathtaking! What a wonderful reward it was after such an arduous climb that had seemed almost impossible. It took great effort—mostly on my part—to earn that great view!

Often, we must struggle through the cares of life if we want to see that “great view.” While traversing our trials and heartaches, we sometimes slip and fall. We feel breathless with exhaustion, and our strength may seem to wane, even as we continue to take one step at a time. We may even question our decisions and think, “This was not a good idea!”

The Bible says in Numbers 13:30, And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. The Hebrew children had an important choice to make. They could listen to the bad report about what awaited them in the Promised Land, or they could listen to Joshua and Caleb, trusting the Lord to make a way.

I am thankful that God has given me a pastor, a leader like Caleb was to the Hebrew children, to encourage, guide, and teach me. Caleb reminded the people to trust God. After all, it was God Who delivered them from bondage, carried them across the Red Sea, and stayed with them in the wilderness. It would be God Who would take them safely into the Promised Land. Even today, this same God is more than able to carry us through the impossible obstacles of life.

It is so easy to see the bad all around us. Yes, the thought of overcoming obstacles can be scary and seem impossible. However, when we are traveling a path where God put us, He will always be ahead, guiding and encouraging us. He will give us the strength we need to continue. We must trust His faithfulness and keep going one step at a time up the hills of life.

When the terrain of our lives becomes steep, rocky, and impossible, we must not look back. Instead, let us look ahead and keep pressing forward, trusting our Guide to get us to the top. After all, the view will certainly be worth the climb!

by Mandy Harper

Happy Monday! As Dale Carnegie said, “Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.”

Did it ever occur to you that nothing ever “occurred” to God? The smallest details of our lives are planned by our great God. When Kind David was a prisoner of the Philistines, he wrote, Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? (Psalm 56:8)

Does He bottle our tears? Does He know our wanderings? Does He know even the smallest details of our lives? According to John 10:3, God knows His sheep by name. Our Shepherd knows us intimately. What a personal God we have! This should help to eliminate the many anxieties that happen daily.

Recently, I lost a small item that was important to me. I prayed about it and then exhausted all means that I knew to find it. Finally, I decided my carelessness had caught up with me. Days later, I was thinking of a bag of clothing that I was preparing to send to the Salvation Army. A small purse came to my mind, and I rushed to search for it. When I looked, I found the item in that purse. Some may ask, “Coincidence?” No!

The One who names the stars—ten billion trillion of them—is also the One Who cares and binds up wounds. Psalm 147:3-4 says, He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

Do you need this reality in your life today? Receive it, and remember, you are precious to God!

“He cares for you,

He cares for you,

He ever loves and cares for you;

He’ll do what no one else can do

For Jesus cares for you.”

–Frank Garlock

by Beverly Hyles

From the Mondays with Beverly blog. Reprinted with permission.

Just think—God is with us every moment of every day! He is with us when we are having a tough day or when we are experiencing the best day ever! He is our Friend Who never fails. He is that Friend Who goes with us when we are nervous about an appointment at the doctor’s office. He is with us when we are concerned about a sick loved one. He is with us when we are feeling sad or lonely.

I know I have close friends who I could call if I needed anything, but He is that Friend Who stays close to us no matter what happens! Proverbs 18:24 says, A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Read the words of the old hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”:

What a Friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer!

Whether we are going through something difficult today or we are enjoying our best day ever, we can talk to our Friend Who never fails. He is with us and will never forsake us! We can talk to Him anytime! Deuteronomy 31:6 reminds us, Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

by April Pineda

The Bible mentions Peter (or Simon Peter) many times. He was one of the three in Jesus’ inner circle with James and John. As I was reading in John recently, I noticed something interesting. Andrew was the brother who originally was listening to John the Baptist preach. He was the one who heard John say, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” As soon as Andrew saw Jesus, he went to get his brother Simon. Jesus later gave Simon the name “Peter.” At that point, it seemed that Andrew began to fade into the background. However, he was a central figure in the feeding of the 5,000 when he brought the boy with the lunch to Jesus. Later on, he presented the case of the Greeks to Jesus when they wanted to see Jesus. Other than in these accounts, the Bible mentions him only a few times as Peter’s brother or in the listing of the disciples. However, Andrew being part of the story of the Gospels is no mistake; we can learn much from Andrew.

First, we should get people to Jesus. Andrew was responsible for getting Peter to Jesus. He took the little lad with the lunch to Jesus. He let Jesus know the Greeks wanted to see Him. Just as Andrew did, we should be bringing people to Jesus, whether through soulwinning or through restoration.

Second, we should not become jealous because someone (maybe even someone we led to Jesus or even a family member) is given a position we did not get. Andrew could have been like most of us, becoming upset when we seemingly are overlooked or when others receive recognition or a position. My assumption has always been that Andrew was the oldest, since Peter seemed to have that “little-brother” tendency to run his mouth. Imagine walking around and being known primarily as Peter’s brother, especially as the older sibling. Andrew did not become jealous. He just continued in the task God had given him.

Last, just keep on! God does not reward talent; God rewards faithfulness. The Bible does not say, “Well done thou talented servant” or “smart servant.” The phrase “well done” is reserved for the faithful servant.

Andrew did not preach at Pentecost. He was not among those who discovered the empty tomb. He was not one of the chosen who saw Jesus ascend into Heaven. Even in the account of the disciples assembling (as what would become the first church) in the Upper Room, Andrew’s name is sandwiched between several others, fourth in the list of apostles.

Like Andrew, we do not need to be flashy or charismatic to be used by God. We do not need a position or notoriety, nor do we need to become jealous of those who are given those things. Fame is never a requirement for faithfulness. God just needs us to remain consistently serving where He has placed us, never wavering, ready whenever He calls.

by Vicki Voorhis

The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD… – Proverbs 20:27

What is the purpose of a candle? It is a tool that gives light. The candle gives of itself so others can see clearly. Each candle has a set amount of wax which determines how much light it will provide.

We have the same purpose of providing the light of Christ. This is an honor! We are His tools that He uses in order to help others to see Him. God has given each of us a certain amount of wax (time, resources, health, etc.), but we are allowed to choose what we do with our wax. We can choose to stay “unlit” and useless, or we can determine to dedicate ourselves to the Lord so that we can burn brightly!

In Luke 8:16, the Lord also speaks about a candle: No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. What good is a candle that is hidden? It has no purpose. It certainly is not helping anyone see clearly.

What is the benefit of Christian who studies his Bible, seeks to grow close to the Lord, allows the Lord to set his heart on fire, and then hides his light? If others never know that he is a Christian, his candle is hidden. Being a “secret-service agent” Christian serves no purpose. It is a waste of wax.

Having a desire to please the Lord is a wonderful ambition. We all should want to learn from Him, draw closer to Him, and walk with Him. However, what is the motive of doing this if we are unwilling to shine for Him?

Teaching others how to walk with the Lord is being a light. Sharing the Gospel with anyone who will listen is being a candle. Having an excellent testimony in the workplace is being a lamp.

I will not hide my light, and I refuse to allow anyone else to hide it! It is hard to imagine myself “going dark” by being embarrassed about being a Christian in this light-starved world. I will let my …light so shine before men…!

We have a limited amount of time to burn brightly for Christ, and the opportunity to shine for Him will be gone before we know it. The world is such a dark place. More candles are needed!

No Christian has the right to waste wax. It was given to us as a gift to be shared. Shine!

by Elizabeth Myers

Today, the world seems like a dark place more than it ever has. Headlines overflow with large portions of bad news. The depravity of man and wickedness of a godless society seemed to want to overwhelm all that is right and good. Our children face a world much more wicked than we faced as children. We are concerned about finances and how this unstable economy will affect our future way of life. Some have had to make hard decisions concerning employment in recent days. Those whom we trusted have turned out to be unworthy of trust, and we feel betrayed and alone.

It is so easy to get caught up in the negativity. Even those who stay far from the news and its doom-and-gloom can easily feel the pessimism creeping into their hearts and minds. As ladies, we are so susceptible to fracturing our thought life on the most trivial of matters! It does not take much to get us derailed mentally, especially in a world rocked by a worldwide pandemic and unprecedented political upheaval. This inward battle is not physical; it is a battle of the mind. When Satan can consume our thought lives, he will have control of so much more of us! We must protect our minds from things like worry, discouragement, and fear.

Fear is a real thing. If it were not, then God would not have mentioned it so much in the Bible. In fact, the Bible uses the word fear more than 500 times. It is hard to go through even one day without hearing about fear or anxiety, whether in our lives or the lives of others. Many people, even before the craziness of last few years changed our world, lived in fear of one thing or another. Whether afraid of not having enough money, rejection, disease, death of themselves or a loved one, failure, or loneliness; we could each pick our “anxiety” poison!

Think right now about your worst fear. Would it not be wonderful to be rid of it forever? To be fear-free is truly freedom! Imagine never having to think about that fear, never being kept awake at night because of it, or never having it be a part of our daily lives. What a wonderful way to live—free of fear!

I looked up the words fear not, and my concordance said that phrase appears 62 times in the Bible. God has clearly commanded us to “FEAR NOT!” In fact, the only fear that the Bible considers a good fear is the fear of the Lord. He knew we would struggle with fear and would need to know how to fight the devil so as not to get consumed with fear.

God never promised us lives without hardships. He never assured us bodies free of disease. He never guaranteed us pockets filled with plenty of money. He did not promise we would never feel the hurt of rejection, the pain of a loss, the crush of a broken dream, the ache of loneliness, or the sting of death.

However, He did promise us that we could enjoy lives free of fear! A fear-free life can be ours, but we must do our part to achieve this. We must seek the Lord and trust Him completely. When we put God first in all we do, seek Him through Bible reading and prayer, and consider Him in all our decisions, we will soon find ourselves, instead of using fear as a crutch, leaning on God to hold us up.

Psalms 34:3-4 says, O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. Our God wants to deliver us; He is just waiting to hear from us. The whole chapter of Psalm 34 is about being safe in the Lord. The last verse of the chapter says, The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate. Deliverance from our fears depends on our trust in Him. Yes, we trusted Him for an eternal Home in Heaven when we got saved. However, we must continue to trust Him each and every day. We must trust that He knows our fears and can help us conquer them. We must trust that He will keep us safe and comfort us when we are hurting. We must constantly cultivate our relationship with Him through daily time in the Bible and through prayer.

No matter how dark the world becomes, remember that we serve the Light of the world Who will one day return to rule forever. Focus on the fact that, come what may, we will win! Our hope until that day is found in our God. For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth. – Psalm 71:5

by Tracie S. Burns

Happy Monday! Today is not a dress rehearsal; this present moment is where you are. It is all you have. Maybe this is not a day you awoke feeling as if all is right with the world. We all have experienced that for whatever reason.

Is there a plan we might follow to make it a good day? Let us ponder the possibility. First, God has already provided all we need to live this one day. Lamentations 3:22b-23a says, …because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning:… God is on our side! We are more than conquerors with Him. He is (and will be) our confidence. Proverbs 3:26 tells us, For the LORD shall be thy confidence,…

Second, we are given the capability of choosing our attitude, particularly joy. Does this seem impossible to you? Someone has said, “Life need not be easy to be joyful. Joy is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of Christ.” Then again, it’s our choice.

As we face obstacles that are ahead, weakness—maybe even cowardice—can rear its ugly head. D.L. Moody stated, “In our partnership with God, all we contribute is weakness.” We learn from Paul that when we are weak, though the “thorn” is not taken away, we become stronger and our faith is deepened for trials yet to come.

At the end of the day that felt as though it was a day of defeat, it is great to know …that the trying of your faith worketh patience. James 1:3 reminds us that we have some spiritual muscles.

This makes me want to sing with A.H. Ackley:

“It is morning, it is morning in my heart;

Jesus made the gloomy shadows all depart.

Songs of gladness now I sing,

For since Jesus is my King

It is morning, it is morning in my heart.”

by Beverly Hyles

From the Mondays with Beverly blog. Reprinted with permission.

Sitting in church as a young child, I vividly remember snuggling next to my grandma with my arm wrapped around hers because the church auditorium always felt so cold. Sometimes, being cold made me wiggle or become anxious before the service ended. Grandma would lean down and whisper in my ear, “Mandy, be still.”

We did not have a clock on the back of the auditorium wall, so I never knew how long the preaching would last. I just knew I was cold, and in my young mind, I had to get out of there, lest I be frozen to death. I would look down the row to where my mom and dad sat, and Mom would give me “the look.” That meant I had better be still and listen, or freezing to death would be the least of my worries!

Recently, I had to have surgery, which involved a long recovery. This meant I could not do most household chores. My husband and three children would have to step in to do all these tasks so that I could rest. During this time, I had no choice but to depend on them to make meals, do laundry, and keep the house somewhat clean. I struggled with this because I was used to doing most of these things myself. Letting someone else help was hard, but even more difficult than that was making myself rest and be still during this time of recovery. This was such a reminder of the many times in my life, including while recovering from surgery, God has whispered to me, “Be still, Mandy.”

I believe we all go through times in our lives when we must be still. God has a plan for each of us, and sometimes we must be still so that we can pay attention to see what He wants us to do next.

Psalm 46:10 says, Be still, and know that I am God:…

As a mother of three, I can find things becoming a little chaotic at times. We all get busy with the day-to-day that we often forget to be still and listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. It is so easy to see all of our problems, the piles of laundry, the sink of dishes, and our long “to-do” lists. In the midst of this chaos, God is still in control. We may think we can handle it all, but we cannot. If we try to do it all without stopping to get His help, we eventually will tire ourselves out to the point where we are then forced to be still! When life throws us things we cannot control, God will give us the help we need, just like my family and friends did for me after my surgery, but we must accept the help He gives us. Just like the freezing air that distracted me in church, this life sends plenty of distractions to pull our focus away from God. Let us determine that, when we lose our focus, we will get our attention back on Him. Remember to “be still” to see God’s clear direction. We can take great comfort in knowing it is God who is in control of our lives!

Be still, and know you are in His care!

by Mandy Harper

Many people suffer from anemia. As of 2021, three million Americans were diagnosed with some form of anemia, with more than 65% being women. Anemia is a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the tissues, leading to fatigue, weakness, dizziness, and shortness of breath. There can be many causes of anemia and various levels of severity. Regardless of the cause or severity, most doctors are quick to identify and treat this condition because, if left untreated, the results can be tragic.

However, just as tragic as physical anemia is spiritual anemia. When the body is lacking healthy red blood cells that carry out their God-appointed functions, the muscles, brain, and other organs suffer. When the Christian does not have a daily walk with God, regular feasts on His Word, or exhortation in scriptural encouragement from other Christians, she grows spiritually anemic. In Luke 4:4, Jesus said, …It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

Several years ago, I worked at a job that was highly demanding. I worked no less than 50 hours a week, and most weeks I worked closer to 80 hours. I would work 10-hour days in the office and then go home to work several more hours there. This job was not a ministry position, nor was it in the realm of emergency services; it was consuming, nonetheless. It was not until I resigned my position that I realized how spiritually anemic this situation had made me.

My mornings were hectic as I rushed to get to the office, and my evenings were fatiguing because I was dedicated to continuing work in my home office. In an attempt to “walk with God,” I listened to an audio Bible, sermons, or Christian music. My prayer life was haphazard: me throwing out careless prayers throughout the day as the thoughts or trials presented themselves. Very few days did I make time to read the Bible and actually spend time with God. The whole time, I thought, “I’m doing okay. Sure, I’m tired and a little weak, but isn’t everyone?” It was not until I separated from that job that I realized how badly it affected both my physical and spiritual health.

Since then, I have had a personal realization of how vital a true, intentional, and spiritual walk with God is in my life. As my schedule gets busier, I remind myself that spending purposeful time in fellowship with God is most important and cannot be shortchanged with a quick supplement of spiritual iron. Spiritual anemia must be treated at its source and can only be treated by spending time with God.

I have heard often from many women how their lives are “so busy.” Some have even shared that they do not have time to really study their Bible or even read more than a couple verses each day. My heart breaks for them because I understand their situation, but I also know how desperately important it is to truly walk with God. Throughout the recent years, God has taught me some practical ways to maintain a walk with Him, even amidst the busy schedule.

Pray.

Before you begin reading your Bible, pray and ask God to clear your mind of all distractions so that your time can be efficiently spent, focusing on Him and what His Word has for you.

Have a Plan.

Take some time to map out a plan of Bible reading and study. Perhaps you will use a yearly Bible calendar. Maybe you will read a chapter from Proverbs, Psalms, and the Gospels each day.

Personally, I do not always choose a yearly plan. I think about where I am in my life and what needs I have, then I decide what I am going to read accordingly. Sometimes, my plans take a few weeks, while others keep me studying for months.

There are so many Bible reading plans available based on reading the whole Bible or reading based on a specific topic, book, or character. Take a few minutes out of your schedule and map out a plan. Estimate how many verses or chapters you think you might read in a day and fill out a schedule of Bible reading assignments for yourself, much like a teacher would for her class.

Adapt Your Plan.

I am not so naïve to think that every meticulous plan is perfectly executed. Perhaps the plan was to read one chapter in the morning and one in the evening. Then, while sitting down in the quiet of the morning and reading the first verse of the chapter, the baby starts crying, even though he was not supposed to be awake for another hour. Try as you may to eliminate distractions, there will be times that you are providentially hindered or adjusted from your plan. So, if your plan to read Proverbs in one month becomes a plan to read Proverbs in one month and 11 days, then great! You are still making progress, doing the most important thing: spending meaningful time with God.

Take Your Time.

Do not rush through your Bible reading. Really read and ask God to show you how these verses can be used in your life. If you do not know the meaning of a word, stop and look it up. There are many great tools to help you in your understanding of God’s Word. When I first got back into my Bible after quitting my job, I would tell myself, “I’m not sure what that means, but I don’t have time to look it up if I’m going to stay on track with my plan.” Now, I stop and look it up. If that means I only read, understand, and apply three verses today, extending the timeline of my plan, then so be it. I will get something valuable from God’s Word which will draw me closer to Him.

Make the Most of the Time You Have.

Many times, as I read, I find myself curious about the customs or historical significance of a story. If I chase every rabbit of research, I will use all my scheduled devotion time and walk away with no practical application from God’s Word. When I find myself falling down the “rabbit hole” of researching and studying more than reading to apply, I make a list of topics to research when I have a little more time to study. On my list are words, topics, characters, places, verses, etc., with a brief note of what came to mind and why I wanted to further study that item. As these thoughts pop up, I open my Word document on my computer or the Notes app on my iPhone, jot down these thoughts, and then quickly return to my Bible reading.

Use All Available Resources.

Dictionaries, atlases, and even some doctrinally sound commentaries are great Bible study companions. Also, make use of calendars, notebooks, journals, pinboards, and online tools—either physical or electronic—to aid in your study. Write down the things God speaks to you about, the promises He gives you, and the promises and actions you commit to God.

I also like to use colored highlighters, pens, or flags to help me quickly identify key aspects. For example, in my study Bible, I underline warnings found in Scripture in red pen while promises from God are underlined in orange.

Take Advantage of Every Moment.

One of the most hindering phrases I have heard when it comes to time management is, “By the time…” Here are some examples:

• “I only have 10 minutes before my next task. By the time I sit down and pull out my Bible, my journal, and my pen, I’ll only have a couple minutes to read, so it’s not really worth it.”
• “By the time I start reading, they’re going to call me back for my appointment and I really won’t get anything accomplished.”

This mindset keeps you from making the most of every minute. Scripture writing is a tremendously effective tool for hiding God’s Word in your heart, but many will say they do not have time to write Scripture. The average Bible verse can be written in less than 5 minutes. You would be amazed at what you could actually accomplish in only a few moments of time.

Anemia, whether spiritual or physical, is a damaging disease. When we neglect to read, hear, and study Scripture—when we fail to spend time with God—we grow weak, fatigued, and even dizzy in the work of God. We become so weary that we may get to the point that we are ready to quit. We must identify the root cause of our lack of devotion, rectify the problem, and submerge ourselves in a nutrient rich diet of God’s Word and fellowship with Him.

by Krystal Salm