STRENGTH FOR THE JOURNEY ~ Alexis A. Goring ~ Devotional

Strength For The Journey

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A Faithful Friday devotional by Alexis A. Goring

One bright and sunny morning, I woke up with my issues on my mind.

As the minutes of what was otherwise a beautiful morning, ticked by, I felt more upset and depressed.

I opened my True Identity Bible and prayed to God, asking Him to be with me as I read the texts. At first, I couldn’t focus. So I was honest with God, telling Him what was on my mind. Then I returned my focus to Bible study. And then I saw it: My handwritten, blue ink colored note in the margin of a page in my Bible where I commented on the boxed text. Previously, I had written, “beautiful thought, could be a devotional!”

Inspired, I closed my Bible and asked God to guide me as I turned that thought into a devotional. Less than an hour later, I had written a devotional about how believers in God need to show people Jesus Christ, not just preach about Him.

After I finished editing my devotional, I realized that I felt so much better. The heaviness on my heart and sadness in my mind were lifted. I felt refreshed. And I knew why: Instead of reaching out to a friend or family member as I had so many times before, I went straight to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

There’s a beautiful SONG by Byron Cage called “There is A Name.”

The song basically says that the precious name of Jesus brings healing. It is a holy Name that we are to praise and revere. And what really stands out to me is a practical application he makes toward the end his song when he stops singing and starts preaching. He says:

“You can’t really get the victory until you call on the name of Jesus. You can talk to your girlfriend on the phone all night long. You can talk to your mother and to your father, but it’s not until you call the name of Jesus that demons have got to tremble. You can cry about it, you can talk about it but until you open up your mouth and begin to bless the name of Jesus and begin to rebuke the adversary in the name of Jesus: I speak healing in my body, in the name of Jesus. I speak deliverance in my spirit, in the name of Jesus! I speak peace in my mind, in the name of Jesus! It’s in the Name of Jesus!”

Finally, not only did I learn my lesson of going to God before you go to people; I also experienced the peace and freedom that results in consulting God first! Taking my concerns to Jesus Christ before speaking to anyone else has greatly blessed me.

I am encouraged to, from now on, go to God first.

Just like the preaching at the end of the song says: You can talk to anyone here on Earth, but complete and true deliverance doesn’t come until you talk to God! Calling on the Name of Jesus sets you free. His name brings healing. His name brings peace. Only Jesus truly understands you and only He knows what’s on your heart before you find your voice to express it.

The older I become, the more I realize what a blessing it is to have Jesus as my Savior and my Best Friend. He understands me completely and sees my flaws, yet He loves me unconditionally.

Growing up, I wanted what people called a “forever friend” who was loyal and true and whom I could call upon any time of the day or night. As an adult, when God blessed me with a few forever friends, including one who said I can text her “anytime” as often as I need to. She assured me that I’m “not exasperating” her at all. God also blessed me with a few other God-fearing, true friends who share her sentiment and want to be there for me. I treasure their friendship, kind words and prayer support.

However, I realized that though I am grateful to have true friends who want to be there for me any time of the day or night, the only one whose love for me is unfailing and whose patience in hearing me endures forever, is Jesus Christ. He is my Forever Friend for life.

Jesus is the only one who has the power to give me a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). He is the only one who understands me and knows how to help me before I begin to ask. Even the most helpful humans can become exhausted in dealing with other humans because we’re only human. But our Heavenly Father (God) and His Son (Jesus Christ) never become exhausted! The Bible says that they never sleep (Psalm 121:2-4), nor do they become exasperated from hearing from us whenever we call, even if it’s more than once a day. And as for comfort, they send their Holy Spirit to comfort us in ways that mere mortals (humans) cannot. Read John 14:26.

As an adult, I realized how blessed I’ve always been to have the Savior of the world Jesus Christ (1 John 4:14) on my side. The Bible says that God formed us and knew us before we were born (Jeremiah 1:5). He knows us more intimately than our mamas who carried us for nine months and gave birth to us. Only He is perfectly capable of helping to meet our every need.

The older I become, the more I realize that I always need to go to God first in order to get strength for my journey through life on this Earth. God places His people on this planet in all professions to help us, and He orchestrates friendships and relationships between humans that are a beautiful blessing. However, we should never place any human before Him. And no human should ever be one who we rely on for strength. Just like the song by Byron Cage says, only the Name of Jesus has the power to set us free. Calling on Him is a game changer!

As I close this devotional, I’d like to encourage you always to remember that you have a Friend named Jesus Christ who loves you with His life (John 3:16). Ask Him to be your life coach and best friend. He’s already cheering you on because He loves you!

Jesus wants to encourage your heart as you go through the human experience here on Earth. He says not to let your heart be troubled (John 14:1) because He has overcome the world (John 16:33), and He can help you overcome it too!

Author Bio: Alexis A. Goring is a passionate writer with a degree in Print Journalism and an MFA in Creative Writing. She loves the art of storytelling and hopes that her stories will connect readers with the enduring, forever love of Jesus Christ.