And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
When all the noise is stripped away, what is your focus?
In the dark of night, what grips your soul?
Worry?
Dread?
Fear?
Or Jesus?
In this world, we will have trials.
But Jesus.
In this world, we will struggle.
But Jesus.
In this world, pain will come and go.
But Jesus.
Jesus has overcome the world and everything in it.
All our trials, struggles, and pain are piled at the foot of the cross.
What has removed your focus from Jesus?
Family?
Job?
Our country?
Jesus knows the beginning from the end.
What better to focus on then the author of all life?
Look at your mountain.
Now look again through Jesus.
Looks manageable now, doesn’t it?
Trials are real, but Jesus is bigger.
Struggles are exhausting, but Jesus is bigger.
Pain can be excruciating, but Jesus is bigger.
But Jesus.
Jesus is over, under, and beside all things.
All of the trials, struggles, and pain.
Refocus on Jesus, purposing only to trust Him with everything.
“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He.” Isaiah 43:10
Why do we allow others to steal from us?
We allow others to step into our minds, stealing one of the most valuable items we own.
Our peace.
Which affects our security.
And our sense of being valued.
Securely loved.
Just for being us.
When we allow someone to take away our peace, we are choosing to believe their small opinion of us instead of God’s.
I’m not in any way referring to ill behavior on our part, justifying their words.
Normal, everyday annoyances.
Spouse not thinking of you first.
Or at all while they get coffee for themselves.
Or choose the agenda not asking for your input.
Children, who fly into anger at the drop of a hat, blaming you for their problems.
Neighbors who voice displeasure over your landscaping choice.
Bosses who praise the next person, passing over you most times.
Drivers who have zero consideration for your pressing need to merge.
Restaurants with distasteful food you still must pay for.
Everyday things.
Why do we allow little things to bore into our very souls, determining our moods?
We take those opinions, which are dependent upon the other person’s sour moods, as truth.
We accept them as truth over God’s.
Over what you know to be the absolute truth.
That you are loved.
Secure.
Precious in the sight of God.
Never alone.
Always covered.
Safe.
The next time you are tempted to agree with someone’s poor mood towards you, stop.
I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.
You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. — I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. — Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not. John Adams’ letter to Abigail Adams, July 2, 1776
Before America’s birth, John Adams predicted we would celebrate America’s independence.
Her birthday.
Fireworks, games, and parades.
From Maine to California.
Celebrating our Day of Deliverance by our solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.
He knew it will be hard.
Birthing our country.
Separating ourselves from England’s tyranny.
Untold toil, blood, and treasure to spend.
But with those solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty, he saw the End is more than worth all the Means.
He saw our country free, celebrating our freedom every year for generations.
America was birthed almost 250 years ago.
We’ve never been perfect, but we’ve tried to do our best.
We fought against ourselves for the end of slavery.
We’ve produced unending talent easing our modern selves with food, industry, and entertainment.
We’ve fought to protect innocent lives around the globe.
America’s story is a beacon of hope for the world.
More than merely a nation fighting for independence so many years ago.
America stands for freedom.
Freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.
Freedom to say what we want.
Freedom to defend ourselves.
With hard work, we have endless opportunities in this great land of ours.
However…
Only with God’s sovereign help will even keep our country alive.
As our country was founded on the foundation of God, we must fight to keep Him firmly planted within our laws, actions, and words.
As the Israelites saw God’s provision, they would eventually forget, walking away from God.
Repeatedly, they would follow God, living within His blessings and protection.
And a few generations later, they would forget, falling down to worship false gods out of God’s protection.
As our country has systematically removed God from many avenues, may we repent for our actions.
May we seek God’s direction for our nation.
May we remind ourselves and our children how blessed we are to live in America.
And may we rise up as leaders to protect and defend our nation under God.
“The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He makes known to them His covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He will pluck my feet out of the net.” Psalm 25:14-15
God, who created ALL things, wants to be my friend when I place my trust with Him.
When I declare He is my God, He becomes my confidante.
When I decide to live how He wants me to be, He becomes my personal companion.
Someone who listens when I’m lonely.
Who watches me through the night.
Who longs to hear my voice.
Who wants to know all about it.
Every day.
Additionally, God will make known to you His covenant.
His unbreakable connection with you.
Forever.
Forever and always, God promises to be by your side as you fear Him.
May our eyes ever be towards the Lord, as the psalmist says.
As we continue to trust God for our everything, He will rescue us.
Our tangled ugly mess will become pretty as He plucks our feet out of the net.
I don’t know about you, but I regularly need God to rescue me.
Usually from me, myself, and I.
Our sinful selves rise up, don’t they, demanding we place our needs above all else.
May we continue to fear the Lord.
May we listen to the instruction He gives.
May our souls dwell within His peace.
May God’s friendship walk with us all of our days.
May we truly understand our incredible covenant with God.
May our eyes be ever focused towards the Lord.
And may He continue to rescue us from not only others, but ourselves, too.
His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. Psalm 25:13
Remember last week?
We talked about fearing the Lord.
And when we do that, God instructs us in His best way for us.
The psalm continues this week as we note your soul abides in peace or well-being when you fear the Lord, trusting only in Him.
As a return for your loyalty, God brings you His peace.
Choosing God, your pitiful soul becomes full of God’s peace.
Filled to the top with God’s calm.
His protection.
Resting within His peace.
Not only that, but the psalmist also declares your offspring will prosper.
Godly moms and dads who surrender their households to the ways of God will not only have peace in the now but will influence their children to live for God.
God will be with you when you place Him first, spreading His ways to the next generation.
In this life, people do almost anything for peace in their cluttered lives.
You’re telling me that all I have to do for real peace is to live in fear of the Lord?
Yep.
Dethroning yourself daily and placing God on the throne of your heart will bring you peace.
Not only momentary peace, but you will abide in His peace.
Abide means to dwell.
I, for one, would like to dwell within the perfect peace of Almighty God.
Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will He instruct in the way that He should choose. Psalm 25:12
Are you someone who fears the Lord?
Fearing the Lord is not cowering in the type of fear we think of first.
It’s honor.
Respect.
Submitting to the One who created all things.
Putting God first and foremost in all things.
Knowing how small you are in comparison to all of creation, eternity, and God Himself.
I know we cannot always put God first, but you can think about Him and what He would want you to do.
With even tiny things like your response to literally anything.
Thinking about what God would want you to do brings security knowing you are under the shadow of His wings.
In return for placing God on the throne of your life, He promises to instruct you in the way He chooses.
And God chooses the best for you.
How do we know that?
Because Romans 8:28 reminds us that “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose“.
Walking with God, submitting to Him, brings us to God’s purpose for us.
And that is good.
Maybe your life has been affected by other’s poor choices.
And maybe you bear the brunt of that.
Remain under God’s instruction as He works everything out for good.
Through trials of your choosing or not, choose to remain God’s.
Confident He will work everything out for your good, because you love Him.
O Lord, You have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. you search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. Psalm 139:1-4
Repeat after me.
I am loved.
I am safe.
I am valued.
Again.
I am loved.
I am safe.
I am valued.
Do you believe it?
You should.
God, who created you perfectly, loves you.
God, who stands as the ultimate protector of you, keeps you within His wings.
He protects you against the onslaught of the enemy, if you’ll allow Him to.
In order to allow God’s protection, you must trust Him.
You must ignore the lies, negating your value.
Your worth.
That you are loved.
God values you because He created you in His image.
He doesn’t make mistakes.
And His first mistake will not be and was not you.
You are loved.
You are safe.
You are valued.
Believe it and trust that God will order your steps according to His will, if you submit to Him.
He will bring others into your life for you to bless.
He will also bring others into your life to bless your socks off.
And He will perfect your ways as only He can.
Allow Him access to all of you.
Your thoughts.
Your desires.
Your choices.
As you submit to God, you will be filled with the peace of God which passes all understanding.
You will feel the love of God.
You will know you are safe.
And you will begin to see your value.
But only if you submit to God.
What are you possibly waiting for?
Self?
You will not, I promise, save yourself.
If you live for yourself, you will constantly be not only disappointed, but live in absolute misery.
Because life will disappoint.
Royally.
People will disappoint you to the point of rejection.
But God never will.
Choose God first.
Choose God first and you will forever live under His love, safety, and value.
By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. Proverbs 24:3-4
Communication is fundamental to any relationship.
Not only communicating, but listening to the other person.
Really listening.
Not half listening while also paying attention to your phone.
Not listening just to let them vent, then forgetting all of it and moving on.
Real communication is when two people come to an understanding that things need to and must change.
One voices a need.
The other listens and tries their best to understand that need.
While talking and listening are definitely important, the next step is the most.
Changing.
Actually doing the thing talked about.
That’s when your spouse knows you were actually listening.
And not nodding just to keep the other content with listening.
Action speaks louder than words.
Don’t just tell your spouse you love them, show them.
Don’t just nod your head in agreement, do the thing you agreed upon.
Don’t just give lip service to undone promises, actually do them.
Show your love in a big way.
A noticing way.
A personal way.
You know what to do.
Aren’t they more than worth it?
I know two people who have recently both lost their own precious spouse to heaven.
They’d admonish you to shower your spouse with love, not stopping.
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. John 11:33
Jesus was fully human and knew sorrow.
He wept with us.
He was filled with compassion.
Sorrow moved Him deeply.
Just like you and me.
Our weeping friends or loved ones move us deeply.
Sometimes we are the ones weeping and others are moved to compassion for us.
Weeping signals sorrow.
That something is deeply broken.
Wrong.
Needs to be fixed.
That’s when God moves in, if you’ll let Him.
Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.“
Weeping can bring fear, as one usually cries when feeling alone.
Suddenly by themselves.
But God reminds us that He is with us.
We are NOT to be dismayed, because God is our God.
He promises not only to be with us, but to strengthen us.
He wants to help us, holding us up with His righteous right hand.
Weep.
But bring it to the feet of God.
Tell Him all of your sorrows.
He will listen, as a compassionate faithful friend.
And then He will take your sorrow, turning it into His peace.
Sometimes it takes time, especially if the wound is fresh.
But if you faithfully keep giving all of it to God, He will continually strengthen you, holding you upright with His righteous right hand.
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, from this time forth and forevermore. Psalm 125:1-2
Jesus is our everything.
Our absolute everything.
Life will disappoint.
People, situations, even ourselves.
All will disappoint.
Instead, of anything else, just give me Jesus.
He is all that we need.
All we will ever need.
He will cover you with Himself.
When you are sad, He will cover you with His complete comfort.
When you are fearful, He will cover you with His perfect peace.
When you are angry, He will cover you with His tender love for others.
He will cover us, because He must.
He must cover us with His love and forgiveness.
Why?
Because we are sinful.
Selfish.
Thinking only of ourselves.
Jesus fills in the gaps others leave when they put us down.
Jesus fills in the gaps we leave when we put ourselves first.
Jesus fills in the gaping holes others leave whether intentional or not.
Jesus fills in the holes we give away when our selfishness overtakes our senses.
Jesus fills in everything.
He is our everything.
We are nothing without Him.
Thank you, Jesus, for covering us with Your forgiveness and love.
Continue to cover us every moment of every day as we choose to remain under You.
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:11
As our thoughts are focused on Jesus this Easter weekend, let’s think a moment on God’s power.
God created all things.
God (Jesus) lived on earth as a human.
Folks, He never sinned.
Even when hungry, He never snapped.
Even when tired, He still blessed others.
Even knowing how He was about to die, He still did.
For you and for me.
He allowed Himself to carry our sinful burdens to die in our place.
But He didn’t stay there.
He rose from the dead, conquering sin and death once and for all.
He healed.
He set people free physically, mentally, and spiritually.
And He’s sitting at the right hand of God Almighty, interceding for us each day.
That’s power.
Real God power, not fake movie power like Marvel or DC (sorry folks!).
But that same real power from God lives in us as Christians.
Romans 8:11 says so.
It says if God dwells in us (through the Holy Spirit), then God will give His life to our bodies as He lives within us.
God, who raised Jesus from the dead, will live within you.
I want that life surging through my veins.
How about you?
Ask Him.
Continue asking Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit.
Stop dragging your feet around in misery.
Stop focusing on all of the crud life has thrown your way.
Stop listening to Satan’s lies you know deep down are not true.
And focus on God.
He raised Jesus from the dead.
And He can raise you to life here on earth just the same.
But you must choose to rise up from your grave of sin, death, and destruction.
Fling off the dirty rags of self.
With God’s power, you will be set free to live for Him on earth.
Today, declare Jesus lives in me and I choose to focus on Him.
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today”, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:12-13
Satan rarely enters with a bang.
He rarely announces his presence, coming through our choices instead.
It’s usually one choice.
That leads you to another.
And another.
And another.
And before you know it, you don’t recognize the path anymore as you’ve veered away from God.
It’s rarely fast; it’s usually slow.
So slow, you don’t even notice.
Panic from not studying, you glance at your friend’s test paper.
Just one look.
Just one answer.
Never again, you tell yourself.
That was easy.
Next time, it’s even easier.
Justified in your mind.
You sneak a pack of gum into your pocket without paying.
At home, the gum doesn’t taste as good as you thought, but it was free.
The next time it’s easier.
Justified in your mind.
You start spending alone time with a person of the opposite gender.
Lots of time.
But you’re married.
The friendship grows.
Becomes more.
One day at a time.
Justified in your mind.
Satan rarely announces the wrecking of your life.
The justification he wants you to follow.
How do we keep doing exactly what God wants us to do?
We must weigh everything with Him.
Ask Him.
Ask Him about everything.
He’s always right there, wanting to help you.
I Peter 5:18 reminds us to Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
It’s possible to love God and remain passive.
I’ve seen it multiple times as little sins become big, building up and refusing to leave as pride takes over common sense.
Lord, may we seek Your will in all we do.
Please guide us into Your plans and give us Your wisdom for every little thing.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:2-3
Who is He to you?
Jesus.
Was He simply a nice guy?
Model of morality?
Or your King of Kings?
Savior of your soul?
Yes to all of the above.
Although, He was and is more than simply a nice guy.
Is He more than your King?
More than your Savior?
While that role is the most important, what about the here and now?
Is He your friend?
Your confidante?
Your comforter?
Your secure dwelling?
Jesus is so much more than the Savior of our wreched souls.
His role for when we die is the payor of our sins.
Completely paid for.
Miraculous.
His role for the here and now involves your everything.
He wants to be your heart’s cry.
He wants to be your first thought when you wake and your last as you close your eyes in rest.
And everything in between.
He wants to fill you with Himself so you can be His witness here on earth.
Taking other precious souls with you when death arrives.
Are you letting Him?
Letting Him be your everything?
If not, you’re missing out big time.
Allow Him to be within you, using your hands and feet to bless others.
Allow Him to bless others while you speak His words of life.
Surrender your life beyond asking Him to save your soul.
Saving your soul is the first step.
Very important, yes, but it’s not the whole package.
Allowing Him to work through you as you surrender every little thing to Him will yield not only happiness, but His perfect peace as you let fear, anxiety, and control fade away.
Simply ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit.
Talk to Him throughout the day.
Tell Him how you feel, what you need, and ask Him for His help.
His faithfulness will overwhelm you and His presence will comfort your precious self.
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep His covenant and remember to do His commandments. Psalm 103:17-18
Keep trusting.
Keep believing.
God has a plan and it is our only job to keep going, trusting and believing He will do what He has promised He will do.
You must remember how faithful God is to us, His beloved.
If you have forgotten, look through the Bible.
Look back into your life.
Notice again those moments He was faithful to you.
Inspect the lives of others and notice how very faithful God always is, even when you think He’s not.
When we have doubt, it’s because we don’t see God moving fast enough for us.
We don’t see evidence of our prayers immediate fruitfulness.
We don’t see the movement of God with our loved ones.
Those reactions are rooted in our flesh and not in the space of God.
God always hears your prayers.
And yes, they work, meaning He always hears them.
Your prayers matter.
You might not see the fruitfulness for years, but they still matter.
I understand wanting to see a sign from God, confirming the assignment of our prayers.
I’ll share mine.
I’ve been praying for the souls of my children.
While I know all 5 of them have faith deep down from their itty bitty childhood selves, their adolescent and young adult selves have not exhibited the faith they once had.
I’ve been asking God to surround them with godly friends.
To cover them with His peace, freedom, and the knowledge of His truth.
My youngest son’s life was recently spared from death.
His car was totaled on the interstate during an icy spell.
He came within inches of death and he knows it.
Thank you, Jesus, for your evidence of faithfulness.
He’s been reminded how precious life is.
His heart has been opened to God.
Both he and my eldest son have recently realized what a treasure our family is to them.
My oldest two daughters have shown care for others beyond themselves.
Restoration has happened on many levels within our family from the brokenness and ugliness of the world.
All of this possible only from the faithfulness of God.
Every morning, after inhaling my devotions, I seek the Lord for my family.
Today, God showed me He is working, even when I don’t see it.
That’s what faithfulness is – keeping the prayers flowing even when I don’t see it.
Even when you don’t see it.
Thank you, God, for allowing me to see a glimpse of what You are doing, how You are working.
May we all see evidence of Your faithfulness as we lift our families before Your throne.
And may You continue to run after our family with reckless abandon, bringing them into Your arms once again.
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly. Psalm 52:8-9
I cannot even imagine life without Jesus.
Living in absolute fear without the foundation of my all knowing God.
Not sharing my deepest fears with the One who already knows.
Not asking Him to remove my fear, replacing it with His complete peace.
I cannot imagine not having the eternal security of heaven because of Jesus’ death on the cross for my sins.
Imagine thinking about death without Him.
Death would be the end.
No more.
Imagine life without Him.
Life would be completely up to you and me…….and chance.
That would be too much pressure.
With my personality, I’d beat myself up for sure.
A lot.
I cannot imagine going through the valley of death without God’s perfect peace.
Walking in the shadow of death without God’s protection and presence would have been the end of me.
Even with God, life is no walk in the park.
But without Him in my life, all I can say is wow.
I cannot imagine life without my Savior.
Life would not be life.
It would be so materialistic and surface like.
I’m so thankful I don’t have to trust myself to get through life.
Not only to get through, but to succeed.
Thankfully, we don’t have to imagine life without God.
God is here.
He has been, is, and always will be.
Forever and ever.
There is no life without Him, there was no life without Him and there will be no life without Him.
Can I get an amen? 🙂
Guess what?
We never have to imagine a world without Jesus, unless we choose to.
For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. Romans 14:7-8
Are you your own?
Or are you God’s?
Do you live for yourself?
Or do you live under God’s breath?
Living for yourself can be fun, I will admit.
But it’s also sad.
Lonely.
And it’s a pit that never ends.
The deeper you go into yourself, the farther away you are from God, who, in fact, created everything, even that pit.
The more you chase the world, trying to find yourself, the lonelier you will remain.
What if, instead of chasing selfish whims, you chased God’s will for you?
What if, instead of slipping deeper into a selfish pit, you walked God’s plan for your life?
When you remember Whose you are, you’ll be able to stand a little taller.
When you remember Whose you are, you’ll realize none of it matters.
The matching tea towels.
The latest athletic shoes.
The perfect family photo.
None of it matters because it all points to you.
Stand up.
Stand tall.
And stand for the One who was born for You.
Because Whose you are matters more than who you are.
Webster says “of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior- ethical.”
Makes perfect sense.
Especially when Webster continues: “conforming to a standard of right behavior or sanctioned by one’s conscience.”
So, morality has to do with right and wrong.
Knowing deep in your conscience the right and wrong ways to go.
Wait.
I thought our world no longer held the standard of absolute right and wrong, because God has essentially been removed from the public square.
Unfortunately, that’s true.
Our world has adopted moral relativism, meaning what is right for me might not be right for you.
They declare right and wrong are different for everyone, depending upon what they believe is right for them.
Think about voter fraud.
If you believe it’s right for your candidate to win, you’ll justify the fake votes, because that’s right for you.
Think about extended lockdowns.
If those in charge believes it is right to remove personal freedom for the good of the general public, then that is right for them.
Nothing will stop them as it’s right for them, even if it’s wrong according to the Constitution.
Think about politically correct speech.
If someone thinks it’s right for them to be whatever pronoun they desire, no matter their God-given gender, then it’s right in their mind, suddenly becoming wrong for you to object.
Think about abortion.
If someone thinks it’s right for them to kill their baby, they remove your right to protest as they deem you wrong.
When there is no standard of absolute right and wrong, societies always fail.
They crumble.
May God help us.
May God increase our strength and words, providing us His wisdom to stand up against the moral decline of America.
May He provide us avenues to stand up for His absolute truth, teaching our children to do the same.
May we not be afraid to speak up.
Oh, God, give us your strength to stop being silent.
Have mercy on our country.
You, God, are the Author of our liberty.
Long may our land be bright, with freedom’s holy light.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11
The angel Gabriel had just disappeared, leaving her with God’s request.
Mary was left standing in the middle of the room, trembling after her encounter with God’s holy angel.
Steadying herself by grabbing a chair, she collapsed into it, wondering if she had imagined it all.
Gabriel had appeared to her, proclaiming God’s need for her to be the Lord’s earthly mother.
“How could I say no?” Mary thought. “I want to do whatever God wants me to do, but I’m scared. Really terrified, actually. What will people say? Will they believe me?”
Mary said yes to God.
She had no idea the ramifications of her acceptance into God’s will.
Her life was over as she knew it, but obeying God was more important to her than anything else.
Did she have periods of doubt?
Of course.
Did she have moments or even days of regret?
Probably.
She’s human.
Imagine yourself.
Imagine the whispers of your friends, the people you’ve grown up with your whole life.
“Did you know Mary’s pregnant? She’s not even married!”
Overhearing these comments would not sit well in her heart.
She probably cried as those pregnancy hormones raged.
And it probably never stopped.
The whispers.
The comments.
She was permanently labeled.
And not in a good way.
Mary could have listened to those lies, allowing them to define her.
But she knew they weren’t true.
All she had to do was look upon the face of God’s son Jesus, the sweet boy running around her house.
All she had to do was ask God to remind her of His purposes for her.
All she had to do was choose to believe God’s identity for her instead of the world’s.
How about you?
What identity do you embrace that is not from our loving God?
What whispered lies or comments do you bring into your heart, believing them instead of God’s truth?
And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt. Matthew 2:14
God interrupted their plans.
Big time, yes?
Joseph and Mary were ordinary people living a simple life doing normal things.
They had normal plans.
Get married.
Start a family.
Carve out the best possible existence with the resources they had.
They were not unlike all of us.
But God stepped into their lives, interrupting the journey they thought they would take.
God didn’t completely alter their plans, just changed it up, adding a baby, shepherds, Wiseman, and fleeing into Egypt in the middle of the night to avoid certain death.
But eventually, they settled into that semi-normal life they originally sought.
Normal if you can call it that while parenting the son of God.
What has God interrupted in your life?
This year has been full of interruptions.
I know, the interruptions aren’t from God, or are they?
Has God awakened your desire to know Him more?
To trust Him more?
Has God opened your eyes to see how much the world needs His good news?
Has your trust in God deepened as normal life has somewhat changed?
While God has not announced life altering declarations to you through an angel, He has allowed our lives to change.
Maybe only for a season, but they have been changed.
And because God holds all things, the past, present, and the future, in his Hands, we can trust Him through all of it.
I believe God has spoken to you through this time.
But you must listen.
Listen to His whispers of encouragement when you are filled with loneliness.
Listen to His domination over fear when you are filled with anxiety.
Listen to His great love for you when you feel abandoned.
Dig into the Bible, worship Him with praise, and purpose your mind to focus on Him and what you know He wants you to do.
Mary and Joseph did that.
They could have run away screaming from what God asked them to do when He stepped into their lives, interrupting their best laid plans.
But they didn’t.
They chose to trust in Almighty God and then obey.
Do the same.
Trust Him for your everything and then obey Him, knowing you are fully loved and fully known by God.
Amy Linnea 
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