OUT OF THE FOG ~ Leslie L. McKee ~ Devotional ~ Faithful Friday

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Out of the Fog

A devotional By Leslie L. McKee

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Eph. 3:17-19 (NIV)

I woke up this morning to find a “fog alert” on my phone. Sure enough, when I looked out the window, I couldn’t see beyond the edge of my front porch. It reminded me of years ago when I used to work downtown in a large city.

I loved seeing the skyline as I approached the city by bus. I had to walk a number of blocks to get from the bus stop to my office building. I’m barely over 5 feet tall, and I was always in awe of the buildings around me. Their height was impressive. I enjoyed seeing them rise up into the sky before seemingly disappearing into the clouds. Some of the buildings had very distinct architecture, which I found helpful. I’m quite directionally challenged, so I would navigate with the assistance of some of the buildings. If I could see them in the distance, I knew I was headed in the right direction.

On foggy days, however, it was another story. The magnificent skyline changed. Sure, I logically knew the buildings were still there, but the view was totally different. Instead of looming, they now appeared short and cut off. Their benefit in my navigation suddenly disappeared. Things felt unfamiliar, and perhaps a bit scary, as I was now left to figure out the direction I needed to go by other means. I felt lost, even though I was in a place I had been in time and time again for over a year.

This challenge to navigate is somewhat similar to some people’s spiritual journeys.

1 Peter 2:25 states, “Once you were like sheep who wandered away.”

Without a shepherd leading the way, it’s easy for sheep to get lost. The same can be said of humans, as well. Just as I used those buildings to navigate, Christ-followers rely on their Shepherd to lead the way … and to help them find their way when they wander or get lost.

We may not always know which way to go or what step to take next … but the Lord does. His love, grace, and strength (and so much more!) are always available to us. He will provide clarity when we’re confused, peace when we’re anxious, and guidance when we feel lost.

He is with us … always … no matter how many foggy days we encounter along the way.

Dear Lord, thank You for your clarity, guidance, and love, which is deeper and wider and greater than anything we could ever encounter.

Author Leslie L. McKee

TRUSTING GOD ~ Alexis A. Goring ~ Faithful Friday

Trusting God

devotional by Alexis A. Goring

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” –Psalm 20:7 [NIV]

The song “Trust in You” by Anthony Brown & Group Therapy opens with lyrics to encourage the listener, declaring that God did not create us to worry or fear; He created us to worship Him and trust Him.

The song lyrics remind the listener about the magnitude of God! He is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Jehovah-jireh (our provider)! The music artists who perform this beautiful song emphasize God’s glory to remind the believer just how big the God we serve is and that no problem that we face here on Earth is too big for God to solve! He’s not just the Creator of the Universe; He is your Heavenly Father and He knows what is best for you.

The Bible says in Luke 12:7 that God numbered all of the hairs on our heads (and if you have a lot of hair on your head like I do then you know the significance of that saying). I think that this Bible verse means that God knows you more intimately than any human ever will and He is perfectly capable of meeting all of your needs!

God met my needs recently in a powerful way.

Early on in the week of Jan. 26, 2020, I asked all of the prayer warriors in my life to pray for me. I shared that ever since being let go from my job the previous year, I had been struggling to pay my bills and that this particular week, I was down to nothing. I did not know how I would be able to pay my bills for that week. I also asked my prayer warriors to pray that God would bless me with more work that pays well so that I could pay my bills on time.

Less than five minutes later, prayer support and notes of encouragement started flooding in. Several people even shared their own stories about their struggles and how God came through for them just in the right time.

Among those prayer warriors were ones who said that they felt God leading them to give me a monetary gift and when I received their gift, it was just what I needed at that time.

I was amazed at how God moved on my behalf in less than a few hours!

This experience taught me so many lessons:

Lesson #1: Always go to God first. He loves you with ALL of His Heart and He cares about everything that impacts you here on Earth.

Lesson #2: Always feed your faith, not your fear. I made a point that morning after private prayer time with God to publicly post that song “Trust in You” and note that it’s the new anthem to my REAL life story! I chose to praise God and trust Him to take care of me. I refused to give into to fear of the future based on my circumstances.

Lesson #3: Don’t be afraid to ask for prayer support from the people in your life who believe in God and follow Jesus Christ. I sent private messages to all of my prayer warriors and asked for prayer that God would provide for me by helping me get more work that pays well and helping me be able to meet my financial needs. I did not ask for financial help but God impressed some people to send monetary gifts to me anyway! What a blessing!

Lesson #4: When God blesses you, don’t stay silent! A few days after this amazing blessing and prayer support, God impressed me to write about my experience. I believe that He wants us to share our stories to encourage others who are going through similar situations. Our stories inspire hope!

On that note, I’d like for you to please know that no matter what you’re facing in this life here on Earth, you always have hope because you have God. He loves you with all of His Heart, even if you don’t know Him yet! That’s why He sent His Son (Jesus Christ) to save you! Read John 3:16.

Following Jesus Christ and praying “the prayer of faith” (James 5:13-16) is something God wants all of us to do! Why? Because the Bible says in Hebrews 11:6 (NLT), “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

My “Word” for the New Year 2020 was “Trust.” What a way to start the first month of that year with this teachable moment from God! After my experience in January 2020, I am encouraged to trust Him more and never stop praying about my every need because He cares and even when He’s silent, He’s there.

I hope that my testimony has encouraged your heart and inspired you to trust God with every need, every desire, every dream, and every plan for your life. Remember this: God is Good. God loves you and He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)!

May God bless your life story for His glory!

 

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. 

Melody at Midnight, a devotional by Alexis A. Goring

Melody at Midnight

A devotional by Alexis A. Goring

God speaks to me through Contemporary Christian and Black Gospel music.

I always know He’s sent me a message through song because often it’s a song that I’ve heard before but all of a sudden, certain lyrics stand out to me.

These are always the lyrics that speak directly to my current situation, lyrics that didn’t mean the same profound truth or provide the much-needed deep comfort as they did when I first listened to the song years in the past.

Sometimes, God sends devotional ideas by highlighting lyrics to the songs. Such is the case with today’s devotional. The title I gave it is borrowed from a lyric from Kirk Franklin’s song, “Why We Sing.”

Somehow, though I’ve heard this song countless times before, this part really stood out to me earlier this November 2019. It’s the line where Franklin declares: “You’re my melody at midnight, Jesus!”

Instantly, my mind began to expound on that line in ways it never had before, and I knew that God wanted me to write this devotional.

Here’s what I realized from that one line: No matter how dark trails in life may be, Jesus Christ is by your side and gives your heart a sweet song to sing! Why? Because you have HOPE when you have HIM in your life! Following Jesus Christ will propel you into the promise of eternal life after human history ends and He returns to take His faithful followers home to Heaven.

Earlier this week, one of my author friends (AngelaRuth Strong) shared that she was recently diagnosed with cancer. It’s a disease that runs in her family so she knew it might be a challenge that she’d face one day but in no stretch of the imagination did she think that it would happen so soon! She’s not near old age yet. But the doctors confirmed that she has breast cancer.

Angela is married to the man of her dreams named Jim and has three young adult children from her marriage to her first husband. She wants to see her children graduate from college, and she wants to be present for each child when they get married. This is definitely a dark time for Angela, but she’s surrounded by the love and support of her family and friends. But most importantly, she’s being held by her Maker (God) who is carrying her through this uncertain time.

As I close this devotional, I’d like to encourage you to listen to the song “Why We Sing” and I’d like to invite you to pray for Angela.

Finally, I’d like to encourage you to remember that Jesus Christ wants to be your “melody at midnight.” No matter how dark and challenging the trails of life are, you always have hope when God is in the picture … and the good news is that God is always in the picture!

Be encouraged, sweet friends.

Love,

Alexis

About Alexis: 

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.