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. 

The Wait is Over ~ Alexis A. Goring ~ Faithful Friday

The Wait is Over

 A devotional by Alexis A. Goring

 

 “But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.”

–      Isaiah 40:31 [NKJV]

Almost one year ago (August 24, 2018 to be exact), I wrote this post (“God’s Waiting Room”) that was published here on Peg’s Whispers in Purple blog and today, I’m here to tell you that as of this month (July 2019), the wait is over! God provided me with a new, full-time job in Journalism!

I’ve been through a season of waiting for my creative career dreams to come true ever since graduating from college. Since then, God has taken me on a journey of detours.

During those detours, I often asked God “Why do I have to do this?” and “When will my dreams come true?”

Looking back, I see how much God enriched my life through those detours. He gave me the opportunity to work with children from grades Pre-K through 12^th grade. He built my business skills through seasonal employment in retail working for companies like Pottery Barn Kids, Williams-Sonoma, and Macy’s. And He gave me the time to rest and make new friends in various career fields. One of my ministry friends told me during my waiting season that I have “the gift of time and friendship.”

I realize now just how many beautiful blessings God gave to me that were not work-related but more for my personal growth. Blessings that made me feel loved and purposeful, showing me that my life had more meaning to it than just going to work and climbing the career ladder.

If you want to read more about how God made a miracle by blessing me with my new dream job in Journalism, visit this post that I wrote on my “God is Love” blog this July 11. Here’s the link to “Thankful Thursdays: Answered prayers after years of waiting on God.”

If you revisit my guest post “God’s Waiting Room” on Peg’s blog, you’ll see that despite my not understanding what God was doing with my life as I waited on Him to make my creative career dreams come true, I chose to trust Him. I chose to continue believing that He has good plans for my life (Jeremiah 29:11). I chose to keep praying to Him every day and night. I chose to encourage myself through Bible study and listening to Contemporary Christian and Gospel music. I chose to keep asking the prayer warriors in my life (my family, friends and pastors) to pray for me. And ultimately, I chose to never give up.

Now, I do realize that this could have turned out another way. God could have chosen to not grant me the desires of my heart. He could have chosen to not give me a dream job in Journalism, which is what I earned my degree in, and I was prepared for that (often, I told God that anything He wants me to do, I will do it because He knows me better than I know myself).

But God is a good God (Psalm 34:8) and He likes to give good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11)! Yes, He may take you on detours. No, your original dreams many not come true. But you can trust that whatever He has planned for you (Jeremiah 29:11) is good, amazing and will help you feel like your life has purpose.

So as I close this devotional, I want to encourage you to continue trusting God. Continue seeking Him. While you’re in one of His waiting rooms, ask Him how to, as my friend Quantrilla told me, “honor Him in the wait.” If He gives you the “gift of time and friendship” (as my friend Holly told me), then deeply inhale those precious blessings! If He chooses to take you through trials and tribulations while you wait, keep pressing into Him and trusting that He’ll never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)…and when He blesses you with your wildest dreams or more than you could imagine, always remember Him as you live out your God-given destiny!

Stay the course, dear friends. God loves you too much to let you go!

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.

 

Selling a House on Faith ~ Linda Shenton Matchett ~ A Devotion

Picture from Google images

Selling a House on Faith

By Linda Shenton Matchett

Our house has been on the market for nearly eighteen months. Eighteen. Months. We’ve had tons of prospective buyers come through, even during the holiday season and snowy days of winter. Granted, the property is unusual ... eight bedrooms and seven baths tucked into a one-hundred-and-sixty-nine-year-old 4,000 square foot building ... but I didn’t think it would take this long to sell.

For those of you who have walked this road, you know the emotional roller coaster associated with selling your home. Each showing brings trepidation and anticipation. Will this be the person who falls in love with your house and makes you an offer you can’t refuse? Or will this be yet another disappointment because your house isn’t quite what he or she is looking for? Then there’s the constant worry about keeping your place spotless and uncluttered because you never know when a showing will be scheduled. Everything about the process spells stress.

As I write this, we have a contracted offer in hand and are guardedly optimistic the house will pass inspection, prompting the buyer to move forward with the purchase. If so, we’ll pack and move by mid-April (with any luck after the piles of snow have melted!). However, there is always a chance the buyer will walk away, as had happened once already.

The blessing through this situation has been the lesson I’ve learned about God’s perfect timing. Did I wish the house sold immediately? Yes. But looking back, I know that for many reasons it hasn’t been the right time. Is it time now? Frankly, I don’t know. What I do know is that when it does sell, it will be at the exact right time because God is planning what is best for us.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 [NASB]

Love’s Rescue  (https://amzn.to/2GOMWe6)

A prostitute, a spy, and the liberation of Paris.

Sold by her parents to settle a debt, Rolande Bisset is forced into prostitution. Years later, shunned by her family and most of society, it’s the only way she knows how to subsist. When the Germans overrun Paris, she decides she’s had enough of evil men controlling her life and uses her wiles to obtain information for the Allied forces. Branded a collaborator, her life hangs in the balance. Then an American spy stumbles onto her doorstep. Is redemption within her grasp?

Simon Harlow is one of an elite corps of American soldiers. Regularly chosen for dangerous covert missions, he is tasked with infiltrating Paris to ascertain the Axis’s defenses. Nearly caught by German forces moments after arriving, he owes his life to the beautiful prostitute who claims she’s been waiting for the Allies to arrive. Her lifestyle goes against everything he believes in, but will she steal his heart during his quest to liberate her city?

Inspired by the biblical story of Rahab, Love’s Rescue is a tale of faith and hope during one of history’s darkest periods.

Linda Shenton Matchett is an author, speaker, and history geek. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry and has lived in historic places all her life. Linda is a member of ACFW, RWA, and Sisters in Crime. She is a volunteer docent and archivist at the Wright Museum of WWII and a trustee for her local public library.

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Are You a Worrier ♦ Devotion ♦ Tanya Eavenson

Are You a Worrier?

by Tanya Eavenson

 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 (NIV)

Truly, how fitting that I’m writing a devotion about worrying. Just a few minutes ago, I was praying for God’s protection over my oldest daughter.

She was safe. In her dorm. But then my mind began to take over. Soon she’ll be living off campus, and thoughts about her future, God’s direction in her life, and His protection overwhelmed me. Sometimes I think I need a tattoo like this on my forehead so it's the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night. How easy it is to worry—about today, tomorrow, or months into the future.

Scripture says that we are to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts. I’d like to say that’s easy, but when is following the Lord easy? Well, sometimes it isn’t too hard. Other times, not so much. He is continually stretching us, molding us to be more. To have more faith, to have more trust, and to be more like Him.

So, what does it look like when we trust in Him?

For me, it’s praying when I can’t sleep at night and the world feels heavy. It’s believing in faith that He will do as He has promised. It’s knowing no matter what, He will be at my side; He will never leave nor forsake me. It also means needing to meditate on Scripture, not by etching verses in my skin, only to forget about them later, but to press them into my heart so I may live them out.

If you’re anything like me—a worrier—I want to encourage you. God has you in the palm of His hand. Therefore, do not worry ... because the Lord is already there. He is in our todays, our tomorrows, and our futures, asking us to trust Him.

About To Gain a Bodyguard:

A job worth dying for, a love worth fighting for.

Undercover ICE agent Madi Reynolds has spent years infiltrating a human-trafficking ring, but when her life is threatened, she is forced to walk away and advised to leave the country. Undeterred, she continues her plan to attend her brother’s Christmas wedding, with her partner assigned as her bodyguard. But after seeing Brice care for her niece, she finds it's more than her life that needs protecting. Is there really any defense for the heart?

War Veteran and ICE agent Brice Johnson has been defending his country and American lives for as long as he can remember. Now, he faces the biggest assignment of his life--protect the woman he loves. He's never been one to run from a fight, but when an old flame butts in expecting a second chance with Madi, and crippling visions of war call out to him, he begins to wonder if surrender is an option after all.

Amazon Buy Link:

About Tanya:

Tanya Eavenson is an international bestselling and award-winning inspirational romance author. She enjoys spending time with her husband and their three children. Her favorite pastime is grabbing a cup of coffee, eating chocolate, and reading a good book. You can find her at her the links below.

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Hidden from His Goodness

Hidden from His Goodness

a Devotion, by Lynne Tagawa

For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures to all generations.—Ps 100:5

Maybe you know someone whose child was born with a severe heart defect. Or a girlfriend whose marriage is in tatters. Maybe that someone is you. Has the goodness of God dimmed before your eyes? Or have you decided that God is, in fact, a liar?

I don’t think it’s good enough to make the observation that most children are born healthy. It’s not good enough to say that while your marriage may be shattered, at least you have your health. Or your 401(k).

In fact, I never really cared for the hymn, “Count Your Blessings.” It’s true that we should be thankful. That’s actually a command of God. But the idea of counting your blessings as a means of cheering yourself up sounds like positive thinking philosophy, not Christianity. We give thanks to a worthy God because of Who He is and what He has done. Thanksgiving is an act of worship, not a self-help strategy.

Millennia ago, a man named Job did everything right. He managed his property well. He raised his kids properly—and prayed for them all the time, which was especially necessary now that they were grown and out of the house. He worshiped God, and in the book of Job chapter one we find that God considered Job to be “righteous.”

Then God allows Satan to take it all away—we would say that tragedy strikes. Job’s sons and daughters are killed. His goods are stolen. Some weird sort of disease afflicts him, his wife loses any trust in God, and his so-called friends heap blame on him, telling him that it’s all because he sinned somehow.

Job is crushed. He wishes he could die. But instead of cursing God (his wife’s advice) he simply complains.  It’s as if he’s in a pitch-black room—but there’s a crack of light showing under a door, and he faces it. Clumsily, he turns to the only one Who has answers. Sandwiched in between his groaning we catch amazing glimpses of faith:

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God . . .Job 19:25-26

We all know the end of the story. After learning some huge lessons about the sovereignty of His Creator and his own unworthiness, Job is restored. But we still might come away with the question: is the God Who did this to Job really good?

Perhaps we confuse our own idea of what is “good” with the biblical definition. To us, we have “good” days and “bad” days. We define them by how well things go for us. It’s a totally self-centered definition.

Here’s God’s definition, found in Exodus 33:19, as the Lord speaks to Moses:

Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

In this passage we see the Lord revealing Himself in a special way to Moses. He speaks of His “goodness”—but the passage seems to focus on the majesty and sovereignty of God. How is this related?

In many passages of Scripture speaking of the goodness of God, we find his mercy mentioned. They are intimately connected. But what is mercy? Something deserved? No, of course not. Job learned that. After seeing the glory of God, he describes himself as “vile.” He realizes afresh that it’s all of mercy—and grace.

Moses was actually hidden in a cleft of a rock while God’s “goodness” passed before him, for his own protection. A full exposure would have killed him. Wow.

When “bad” things happen, it’s okay to feel bad, like Job. The fact that others suffered before us doesn’t mean we are to be stoic about it. They felt it. Christ felt it. But it’s also a time for worship. Even if all you can do is groan to God.

Lynne Tagawa is an educator, author, and editor. The author of Sam Houston’s Republic, she lives in Texas with her husband.

Website: Line Upon Line www.lynne.tagawa.com

Blog: http://gracetrails.blogspot.com  

HOPE: A Devotional by author Gail Kittleson

Hope

by Gail Kittleson

Hope - from Pixabay

             

            “You alone are my hope...” Jeremiah uses the Hebrew word qawa, similar to the word for trust. (Jeremiah 17:17 NLT)

            Hope means to trust in, wait for, look for, or desire something or someone; or to expect something beneficial in the future.

In Spanish, the verb esparar means both to hope and to wait. We wait for spring because we trust that winter will fade. Warmer winds will blow, as they do every year. We count on it.

Male Northern Cardinal - Pixabay

We also await answers to our prayers for wholeness and increased faith. If we see God as faithful, caring, and powerful, hope comes a lot easier. On the other hand, our woundedness can hinder trust.

My World War II characters experience this truth. Sometimes it’s difficult for Addie to believe things will ever change in her marriage. In the sequel, the merciless Waffen SS atrocities in Southern France overwhelm Addie’s best friend Kate.

But for these heroines, hope shines in the midst of struggle. They both must wait to see the end for which they long. Thus, there’s plenty of room for hope to affect their attitudes and individual growth.

Twenty-seven times, the Greek Old Testament translates qawa as hupomeno, "to wait, to be patient, to endure.” In the presence of suffering, this term implies patience in bearing affliction while hopefully awaiting deliverance. If I tried for hours, I couldn’t better express the attitude my characters exhibit in their struggles.

I hope readers find encouragement for their own difficulties through embracing Addie and Kate’s stories. This is what happens with us as we follow Biblical characters facing hard times.

For all of us, things look bleak at times—that’s when hope flutters in and encourages us.            

  

Hummingbird from Pixabay

       Emily Dickinson obviously knew hope intimately:

      “Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

Gail Kittleson
http://www.gailkittleson.com/
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