When God Speaks to Me

“Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs” (Matthew 10:27).
The truth is, what you see in me – or read in my words – is not all there is. I may look wise and together on paper, but it’s not the full picture. Like many of you, I wrestle daily with depression; it has been my constant companion since I was a teenager. It has taken me to some deep, gloomy places. It has cost me a great deal in relationships, health, time, money, hopes, and dreams. Medication, Scripture, therapy, and prayer have helped, but they haven’t made it completely go away. The past several months have been a struggle for me.
With all that, do I really believe the things I write about God breaking through despair to bring hope? Yes – because before I put it out there for you, He has spoken it to me. His continual stream of goodness and inspiration keeps my feet steady and my head lifted. These devotionals are a constant reminder to me of the love flowing through His Word and His Spirit, shining in my darkness. My Father knows me so well. He knows that I can’t make it one day without the hope He gives. So He speaks to me.
Then He tells me to speak to you. Because He knows you, too. He knows that some days are so hard you don’t even want to get out of bed. He knows that you are lonely, grieving, hurting, fearful. He knows that you have been disappointed, forgotten, rejected, passed over – and so He tells me, “Take the words that have been spoken over you and speak it over them.” That is why I write. It’s so you can grab onto the same lifeline God threw out to me. Because I can’t keep His kindness and faithfulness to myself – it’s much too big and wonderful for just me. It’s for you, too. It’s a warm blanket we can share in a cold world. It’s a patchwork quilt of encouragement.
Beloved, come join me in the sweet, blessed comfort of our Heavenly Father. Hear His words of hope, peace, encouragement, and Joy. Let the warmth of His love wash over you. We’re in this together – you and I – and the God of Heaven and Earth. We’re gonna make it—He told me so—and then He told me to tell you.

Family Tree

Genealogy is a big deal these days. Folks are curious to know about their heritage; I am a descendant of royalty or (hopefully) wealth? Unfortunately, they sometimes uncover family secrets they wish they’d left buried. But it’s always been so. In the very early years of the nation of Israel, land rights, property, and position were determined by genealogical records. Many of the ancestral tribes held certain positions for generations. Like Issachar and Zebulun, who, during the forty years of wilderness wandering, were commanded by God to guard the tribe of Judah, the royal line from which the kings of Israel (and the King of Kings) would come. These two tribes took their charge very seriously. The Bible notes that almost a millennium later, the sons of the sons of the sons of Issachar and Zebulun were still at their post, protecting the king in his palace.
I love that. I love a strong, godly heritage that continues through the generations. I think of the family of Billy Graham and his many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who serve in ministry. I know of many families who have multi-generational pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders. I especially love to see several generations crowded together on the church pew every Sunday. A godly heritage is a precious thing.
But maybe that is not your heritage. Maybe your family tree, like mine, produced a lot of bad fruit and more than a few nuts. We have cattle rustlers, bank robbers, and a lot of racism in our family history. There is a long, sinful thread running through one side of my family. Does that mean that I am destined to follow their paths? Not if God has anything to say about it.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” When He saved me, God gave me a new name, a new lineage, and a new future. I am now a child of God, and my family history is that of Jesus Christ and all the saints who have gone before me. Our heritage is godliness, obedience, endurance, faithfulness, righteousness, holiness, and blessedness. When the enemy tells me who I was, I tell him who I am: God’s daughter, washed in the blood of the Lamb, called and anointed as a servant of Christ, and destined for eternal life. Beloved, don’t accept the lie that you can’t rise above the past – your family’s or your own. Take God at His Word and grab hold of the new life and the new destiny that awaits you in Jesus Christ.

Why Do I Sin?

Why do we sin? Why are we so prone to turn our back on God and go our own way? Why are we easily drawn astray from the Lord? I believe there are two answers to those questions.
The first is pride. Pride reared its ugly head when Eve was tempted by the serpent to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. She saw that the fruit was “good for food,” “pleasing to the eye,” and “desirable for gaining wisdom” (Gen 3:6). Satan tapped into an innate desire to become “like God, knowing good and evil” (v. 5). Pride drove her to reach out and take the bait and bite into the fruit. John called this “the pride of life” (1 Jn 2:16), and it brought condemnation to all humanity. The lost world is a prideful world, and the mantra people live by is “I don’t need God.” That is the heart and soul of pride.
But what about Christians? Why do we still succumb to sin? Being a Christian does not always eliminate pride. Ask me how I know, and I’ll tell you about a time I got “uppity” and prideful and God took me to the woodshed. But that’s a story for another time.
I found something in the Bible that I think answers that question even more.
Psalms 106 is a historical account of Israel’s rebellion after the spies reported that Canaan was indeed a magnificent place, but it was also filled with terrifying giants. The people balked and vowed to return to Egypt. They rejected God’s plan and His command to take the land. The root of it all is found in verses 24 and 25: “They did not believe… and did not obey.” Unbelief kills obedience every time. It was true for the Israelites, and it is true for you and me today.
Obedience is not just an action, but is evidence of our faith. When we trust God, we obey Him. But if we do not trust Him . . . well, you get the point. If you and I don’t believe that God is faithful and true we will be paralyzed by fear and doubt. We will fail to obey.
Beloved, what promise has God given you, and what act of faith has He called you to based on that promise? Do you believe Him? The proof is in your obedience. What step of faith will you take today?

“Lord, I Can’t”

Have you ever looked at the difficult, even impossible, situation in your life and said, “I just can’t.” I gotta be honest, I have said that often – in fact, I said it just this morning. “Lord, I can’t do this.” But God didn’t give me an out, nor did He say, “Now don’t you worry, everything is going to work out just fine.” When I prayed, “I can’t,” in my spirit I heard Him say, “But I can.”
He reminded me of Moses. When the Lord called him to go back to Egypt and deliver His people from slavery, Moses balked. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Ex 3:11) God didn’t say, “You can do this! You’re going to be great in the history of the people.” He said, “I will be with you.” (v. 12). In essence, “It doesn’t matter who you are – or are not. I will do this through you.”
Joshua clearly had a confidence problem as he took the reins from Moses. Three times the Lord told him, “Be strong and courageous.” The people reiterated it for a fourth reminder (Jos 1:6, 7, 9, 18). And just as He told Moses, he reminded Joshua, “I will be with you” (v. 5, 9).
Gideon saw himself as the least person in the smallest tribe in Israel, so when the Lord told him he was going to rescue Israel from the Midianites, Gideon was not convinced. But the angel of the Lord assured him, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (Jud 6:12). I laugh at Gideon’s response, “Pardon me…?” (v. 13). He asked, “How can I save Israel?” (v. 15). And the Lord said “I will be with you” (v. 16).
God told Moses to keep his eyes on the Lord. He told Joshua to meditate on His Word. Gideon needed only to remember the Lord’s divine name for him. And all three needed to hold fast to His promise to be with them. I hope that speaks to you like it speaks to me. This life is hard, and we will walk through difficult valleys. You and I need to know how to stay strong in the Lord.
Beloved, if you feel like you just can’t anymore, talk to God about it. If He called you to it, He will do it. That way, you don’t wear out, and He gets all the credit.
Deo est gloria.

How Can You Love Hard-to-Love People?

Do you have anyone in your life who is a challenge to love? Yeah, me too. I think every person who seeks to follow Christ will have the “blessing” of hard-to-love people. It’s one of the tools God uses to shape and mold us into the image of His Son, which is the point of our lives (Romans 8:29). I call them sandpaper people – people who “rub us the wrong way,” People God uses to sand away certain characteristics that hinder the fulfillment of His purpose for our lives.
Hallmark makes love look so easy. It’s not. Love is hard. It’s painful. It’s demanding and messy. It’s often unfair. Love will take you to hard places and cost you more than you ever imagined. That’s why people give up on love so easily.
I’m struggling with some of those people, too, so I pray that the Lord will help me to love as He loves. 1 John has a lot to say about love. I learned some things there, and I thought I’d share them with you. By the way, I purposefully didn’t quote the actual verse so you would look these up for yourself.
First, I cannot love difficult people on my own. I can only love them out of the love God has for me (4:16).
Love comes only from Him (4:7). (Not my human emotions).
God is love (4:16). He has lavished His great love on me (3:1).
Because God loves me, I can love them (4:19).
Because I know God – who is love – I can love them (4:8)
Because He lives in me through His Spirit, His love for others lives in me as well and completes and perfects my insufficient love so that I can love them (1:12, 17, 18).
God loved me sacrificially (4:9-10). I must love them the same way (4:11).
God expects me to love them (4:20-21).
When I consider how unlovable I have been – and often still am – I marvel that God loves me. Yet He does. So how can I, as His child, in whom His Spirit dwells, withhold love from those who are unlovable to me? I have read the Bible from cover to cover, and I find no place where God said, “Stand up for your rights!” But over and over, I find these two important truths: God calls me to love, and He calls me to humility. Those clash greatly with our “Me first” culture.
Beloved, I don’t know how much clearer it can be. We are called to love God and love others – even, especially, the ones who make it hard to love. They need it most of all.

Can I Really Know God?

When I was a teeny-bopper, I LOVED Donny Osmond. I knew every word of every song he sang. I knew the inflections in his voice. I could imitate perfectly his cry when he sang “Someone help me, help me, help me please!” in “Puppy Love.” I had a binder that contained every article and picture of Donny that “Tiger Beat” magazine published. I slept on a Donny Osmond pillowcase, and I wore purple because that was his favorite color. I was an expert in all things Donny. But that doesn’t mean that I knew Donny Osmond, and he certainly didn’t know me. Our “relationship” never went any further than my dreams.
In the Bible, God repeats the phrase “know that I am the Lord” at least seventy times. But this is more than head knowledge and storing up facts about Him. This “knowing” is a recognition that comes through revelation and intimacy. You and I cannot know God unless God reveals Himself to us. Moses pleaded with God, “Teach me your ways so that I may know you” (Exodus 33:13). And that is the key. It is important that we learn about God’s ways – His character, His actions, and most certainly His Words, but we do so in order to enjoy a deeper relationship with Him. And remember that the word “know” is also used in Scripture in the context of the marriage relationship and the most private moments between a husband and wife. It means that nothing comes between them to hinder their intimate connection. That is the depth of the relationship God wants with you and me.
We often speak of a relationship with God as if we have a celestial “best buddy.” He’s there when we need Him. But try to wrap your mind around the fact that the holy, sovereign, divine God of Heaven welcomes you and me into a personal relationship with Him. David said, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain” (Ps 139:6). What else can we do but thank and worship Him? And love Him.
Knowing God is so much more than gathering information; facts don’t make a relationship. Knowing God is spending time with Him, in His Word, in prayer, and in worship. Beloved, you have the remarkable opportunity to know God – deeply, intimately, eternally. Don’t settle for a bunch of facts about God – know Him – with all your heart.

When the Enemy Speaks

If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know that I preach shutting out the voice of the enemy. He has absolutely nothing good to say to you. He speaks lies with every breath. You and I probably don’t have earthly, human enemies like the people of Israel did in the Ancient Near East. God was constantly having to rescue His people from their clutches. (The fact that they were in the enemy’s clutches was almost always due to their sin.) Those ancient enemies generally used verbal attacks to intimidate Israel and cause them to lose heart before the battle ever started. God warned them repeatedly to disregard the words of their enemies – except for that one time…
Israel had been under intense oppression from the Midianites, because once again “The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord” (Jud 6:1). It was a continuous pattern. God called a young man named Gideon to be His warrior to rescue Israel. But he was a shaky hero, “My clan is the weakest in Manasseh and I am the least in my family” Jud 6:15). Yet God said, “Go in the strength you have … I will be with you… (Jud 6:14, 16).
He also gave some very strange counsel. Go out with your servant and listen to the enemy. What Lord? Did I hear You right? Indeed, you did. With the enemy camp at the foot of the hills below, God told Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, and listen to listen what they are saying” (Jud 7:10). This they did, and they heard two of their enemies discussing a dream. “‘I had a dream. A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.’ His friend responded, ‘This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon, son of Joah, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.’ (Jud 7:13-14). You can imagine how that encouraged Gideon, and he returned to his camp with renewed courage. The small army of 300 men defeated the armies of Midian.
I’ve heard the cold, harsh voice of the enemy of my soul. It will chill your heart and your bones. But when I turn my ears to the Lord, I hear His promise to be with me and give me victory in His name. Beloved, whenever the devil starts yammering at you, drown Him out with the Word of God. Let the Lord speak peace and victory into your ears and your soul.

When God Changes Your Plans

I had a plan for my life when I was much younger. The only part of my plan that came to reality was that I got older. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” I could have written that verse myself – you probably could have too. For sure, Paul understood those words and lived them out. His life plan was to be a Pharisee – he was trained in Jewish law by the wise Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). But the Lord had other plans for him – “to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people Israel” (Acts 9:15). He interrupted his plans on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19).
The Lord also interrupted his plans in Acts 16:1-10. Please read this passage and come back here.
Paul had plans to take the gospel into new territory. But Luke said that he had “been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia” (Acts 16:6). This was followed by another redirection as “the Spirit of Jesus” prevented them from entering Bithynia (v. 7). No additional details are given, but as the passage unfolds, we learn why. God wanted Paul elsewhere. During the night, Paul receives “a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’” (v. 9).
I can relate to Paul. More than once, God has put a twist or detour in my life that has rearranged everything. I later learned what some of those were for, but there are some that I still don’t understand.
Here’s what the Holy Spirit is pointing out to me. First, when God saved me, He also claimed me as His own. It is His right to override my plans and send me in another direction. Secondly, His plans will always be better than mine. But here’s where I am being confronted and convicted. Paul didn’t complain. He responded with immediate obedience. “After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them” (v. 10).
God has no qualms about changing our plans. That is the exciting (and sometimes nail-biting) part of being a Christian. When I look back over my life and my plans, I see the foolishness and futility of them. I’m grateful He turned everything upside-down and inside-out. Beloved, are you still clinging to your plans, even as God has shown you a new direction? Lay them down and follow where He is leading you. The sweetest place you can ever be is in the center of His will.

The Dwelling Place

Often, when we read the biblical text, we rush past it without giving it much thought. I almost did that this morning as I was reading in Psalm 90, which is a prayer of Moses. He began by declaring, “Lord, You have been our dwelling place throughout all generations” (Psalm 90:1). Don’t zoom over that. Think about it.
Who was Moses? He was the one who led the Israelites out of Egypt. Okay, that’s good to know. But wait. Remember, he was also their leader through forty years of wilderness wandering, the result of their disobedience and doubt. lived in tents and even worshiped in a tent. They pulled up stakes day after day after day. So, when Moses said that the Lord had been their dwelling place, He was speaking a powerful witness. The people who lived a nomadic life for two generations found their dwelling place in the Lord God. That word in the Hebrew means a place of refuge, a safe haven.
When I get off work and drive home, there is a sense of relief and comfort when I walk through the door of my house. I can relax here; this is a safe haven for me, even in times of storms. I remember when Hurricane Michael came roaring through in 2018. We sat in our strong, sturdy house and watched the wind and rain drop trees in our backyard. I admit, I was anxious, but our house withstood the storm. It was a place of refuge.
Moses declared that despite their wandering, God had been with them and they had found refuge in Him. He was their safe haven. He continued the theme, declaring, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust” (Ps 91:1-2). And trust is the key. Any place can be a house, but if God is there with you, you have a place in which you can dwell forever. My dad was in the Army for my whole childhood and youth, and we moved around a lot. But wherever we went, if Mom and Dad were there, it became home.
Jesus calls us to the same. In John 15, He said, “Abide in me… let my words abide in you… abide in my love” (vs. 5, 7, 9 – some translations say “remain”). Jesus is inviting us to make Him our dwelling place. Don’t rush past that, Beloved. He is calling you Home in Him.

Lessons From a Runaway

The angel of the Lord found Hagar…” Genesis 16:7
You know the story of Abraham and Sarah – childless and old, God promised them a son, but in the waiting, they grew impatient, and Abraham slept with Sarah’s maid Hagar, and she conceived. She ran away and wound up in a desert, weary, hungry, and frightened. But “The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert” (Gen. 16:7). The Hebrew word for “found” means “to cause to encounter.” God purposefully put Himself in Hagar’s path to cause her to have an encounter with Him. He set Himself right where He knew she was going. Hagar gained precious insight into who God is. Realizing that the God of her master was very much aware of her and her plight, she named the Lord El Roi – “the God who sees me” (Gen. 16:13).
After the birth of Ishmael (which- by the way – means The Lord has heard – Gen 16:11), Hagar and her son were forced to leave. When their meager supplies of food and water ran out, Hagar put Ishmael under a tree and walked away, so as not to watch her weakened son die. God once again came to Hagar and assured her that He was aware of their plight. Genesis 21:19 says, “Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.” Oh, do you see the beauty of this passage? El Roi – the God who saw Hagar, now opened Hagar’s eyes so she could see. He showed her a well of life-giving water that would minister to their bodies and to their spirits.
You may find yourself in some difficult places and very hard circumstances, but I can assure you that you have never been out of your Heavenly Father’s sight. There is no place you can go that God will not be. Whether they are physical places, emotional pits, or spiritual dark caves – God has promised, “I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5) The truth is, it’s often in those hard places that we see the God who sees us. I know this to be true in my life. When I was unable to put food on our table, I discovered Jehovah-Jireth – the Lord who Provides (Gen. 22:8). When I was desperately ill, I found Jehovah Rapha – The Lord our Healer (Ps. 103:3). When I was discouraged and fearful, Jehovah Shalom – The Lord is Peace (Jud. 6:23-24) and Yahweh-Tsuri – The Lord my Strength (Ex. 15:2) came to encourage and strengthen me. If you are in a difficult season, look for God to reveal Himself to you in a new and encouraging way.
Beloved, if He was faithful to a frightened, lost Egyptian slave girl and a gray-haired Nana from podunk, Alabama, He will surely be faithful to you.