Christian encouragement and devotionals for your walk with Christ
Finding God when you feel broken and abandoned is something we all face at some point in our lives. When we are reeling from a great loss when life doesn’t go our way and we find ourselves trying to piece the remnants back together again. You’ve been in the storm for what feels like …
There is no shame in returning empty, but don’t stay there. So often we allow the pain of “empty” to drive a wedge between God and us. We let it drive us behind a self-imposed wall in a useless attempt to hide from the pain, the questions, the shattered places to keep you from your savior’s arms. We allow it to become an excuse for staying locked behind solid walls. Plug back into Him, and fill back up. Let God pour over your bruised soul like a soothing balm.
I’m a planner. I like lists, I have stashes of sticky notes around the office to keep track of my priorities and ensure the most important stuff gets done before the important. Have you ever noticed in the Bible His priorities aren’t always what we think is most important?
The story of a nameless Samaritan woman at the well in the book of John is a short but powerful story in the New Testament. This story is filled with so many important truths for our lives. Her encounter with Jesus has so much in it that can impact us today and through her story …
The Lord is in this place, so often we forget this, the pain of our circumstances blind us. Our regrets, our disappointments steal our focus. We beg for validation, for hope, for someone to see our hurt and care enough to do something, to fix it- but we are looking for the answer in all the wrong places.
I think sometimes God leads us into a dry season because He needs to deal with something in us. He’s got to unearth some things we’ve allowed to take up residence in our hearts and dethrone Him so that He can prepare us for what lies ahead.
As the Lord led the Israelites out of Egypt in Exodus 13 the bible explains why He led them through the desert. Despite the fact that they left arrayed for battle they were not prepared to face the battles which lay ahead so God takes them the long way around.
It’s hard to recognize the importance of something in the midst of the season we’re walking through. It’s hard to see the reason we had to journey through some of the places we’ve been to. Sometimes we find ourselves like the Israelites, wandering around the desert and the promised land seems so far away. Day after grueling day they trekked on for forty years before they came to the place they had been promised.
It’s easy to honor our friends, to be kind to those who are nice to us… but when a family member or friend lashes out and tries to destroy us it suddenly becomes a very different story. This is where we find David in 1st Samuel. This is our David, the boy that fought the giant Goliath and won. The shepherd boy anointed a king. David, the harpist called to sooth Saul in his most tortured hours. The boy who became like a brother to Saul’s own son and given the hand of his daughter in marriage because of his amazing victory in battle.
Who are the Gibeonites and how does their deception have an impact on you today? The story of the encounter of the Israelites and Gibeonites is a powerful look at how quickly we can fall into a parasitic relationship and how God’s grace covers us even when we are undeserving. Joshua 9 shows us what …
Toxic Friendships: A Lesson From When The Gibeonites Tricked The Israelites Read More »
