Devotionals for the Heart: When God meets your needs and answers prayer

Saying Yes to The Opportunities That Move God's Heart
A devotional by Sarah Cole

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”­—Ephesians 1:3-6 (NIV)

As I picked up the phone, my client Pam sounded upset.

“Sarah, do you have a minute? I’ve had a rough week. Frank is a handful, and I can't care for him anymore. I want to find him a good home but can't stand the thought of putting him in a shelter, so I wondered if you would take him. He loves you so much. I feel like such a failure, but knowing he'll go to a good home would be an enormous relief.”

For a moment, I pondered this life-changing choice. I loved Frank from day one and would give him a good life, but I couldn't deny the sacrifice of owning a second dog. Yet, God knew I wanted to adopt a Dachshund, and this was His appointed time so I accepted Pam’s offer. When I hung up the phone I was over the moon and a few days later I welcomed him home and handed Pam a care package to show my support, knowing how hard it was to say goodbye to him.

When we're at a crossroads, we can be confident when our hearts say yes to what moves the heart of God. But doing something out of obligation when our hearts aren't fully invested causes us to miss God’s best, leading to a lifetime of regret. Love is the core from which God acts, and we glorify Him when we enthusiastically accept the opportunities that He places in our path to do His work on this Earth until He returns to take His faithful followers home to Heaven.

Perfect love motivated our gracious and merciful God to say yes to humankind's original dilemma by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins on the cross at Calvary. God’s unchanging love saves us from living forever in a dark and lonely place (Matthew 13:49-50). When we accept God’s gift of salvation (John 3:16), He adopts us into His forever family so we can spend eternity in His heavenly home.

Fellow traveler, God isn’t surprised by what you're facing today. If you feel weary or defeated, keep your chin up because He already has a plan to deliver you (Psalm 50:15). Don’t be surprised if He places someone in your path today who is ready to say yes to Him by meeting your need (Philippians 4:19). Christ’s “yes” to you at the cross means He’s available now at a moment's notice. So, go to Jesus today and lay your burdens at His feet. He’s waiting to shower His extravagant love on you.

Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for adopting me into Your forever family by rescuing me from a dark future without you. When the trials of this life test my faith and I’m too weary to take another step, help me remember that when Jesus came to save me, His “yes” at the cross means everything else I face will work out according to His plan. In Jesus’s Name, I pray, Amen.

Song of Reflection: “No Longer Slaves” by Zach Williams. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Sarah Cole’s interest in writing began in grade school when her poem was published in the local paper. As she got older, her mother’s chronic illness inspired her to design a line of greeting cards. Since then, she has written for her college newspaper and two community newspapers where she wrote restaurant reviews and articles for their “Best of” spread. 

Her experience as an administrator in the marketing field gave her the opportunity to write ads for a local business journal.

After a 20-year detour and a three-year season of adversity, God reignited her passion to write. Two divine appointments later, the short story she wrote about her father appeared in the St. Paul Almanac, and a short story about Gigi (her Cocker Spaniel) was published in Guideposts (magazine) Mysterious Ways. She believes her adversity was worth the lessons God taught her.

Since 2022, Sarah’s devotionals have been published in The Secret Place by Judson Press, as well as David C. Cook’s Devotions and The Quiet Hour. To this day, she smiles, pinches herself and gives God all the glory.

When she’s not writing, Sarah enjoys watching cooking shows, designing cards and mugs, and taking day trips.

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Connect with Sarah:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smittyc65
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@SarahCo45835279
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarah.cole.52

Words of Faith: Ada's story

Faith Is A Decision

A Words of Faith story written by Ada Brownell

I wasn’t surprised when atheists responded to tweets about my book Facts, Faith & Propaganda.

They usually want to argue. I always tell them “argument only proves who is best at debate.”

In several of my books that speak about faith and in all my writing I emphasize we decide what we believe. You can’t prove whether God exists, and atheists can’t show he doesn’t. There’s a reason for this—faith in necessary for salvation. We can’t please God if we don’t have faith. The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 KJV).

I met a woman from Sweden in the airport and we discussed faith after my husband told her I’m a writer and gave her my card and a bookmark.

“I don’t worry about whether I believe in God, and I’m letting my children grow up and make their own decisions,” she said. “I’m a good person, and that’s all that’s necessary.”

She was nice, but as her daughter lay nearby reading I explained, “Belief in God is a decision. As he traveled the world, Billy Graham called people to the altars to ‘make a decision for Christ.’ If you ignore God, you decided not to accept His sacrifice for sin so that you could live forever. It’s the choice you already made.”

I talked to her about evidence for faith and the need to choose Jesus as Savior.

She smiled. “You’re messing with my head. I’ll need to think about this.”

Here are some facts about faith:

What is faith? “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and confident of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV).

God has given each person a measure of faith (Romans 12:3 KJV). Often people who don’t think they believe cry for God’s help spontaneously in crises.

Faith comes through hearing the Word—the gospel (Romans 10:17 KJV). Because faith is necessary to be redeemed from sin and to have our name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, God “breathed” truth into writers He chose to pen His love message to humankind. It is through that love letter—the Bible—we gain knowledge of Him and why He allows us (anybody) to accept it and love and obey Him (2 Timothy 3:15-16 NIV).

We must voice our belief. “For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation” (Romans 10:10 NIV).

Our brains may be made to believe in God. In a CNN report by A. Chris Gajilan on April 4, 2007, Dr. Andrew Newberg, neuroscientist and author of "Why We Believe What We Believe," says the human brain is affected during prayer and meditation. He suggests brain scans may prove our brains are built to believe in God. Because of this God-shaped place within, nearly every person worships something, even if they create it themselves.

Faith comes through the will. We decide whether to believe God’s Word, a false religion, or atheism (everything about who we are, why we are here and where we are going takes faith). Yet it takes a leap—a decision:“...Choose you this day whom ye will serve.” (Joshua 24:15 KJV) Read John 3:16 KJV which says,“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Jesus is our only hope. “Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 KJV).

Salvation is a Gift we receive: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ his Son” (Romans 6:23 KJV).

Don’t wait to decide what you’ll believe. Remember much of what atheists and agnostics think they chose to believe, is based on propaganda. If you would like evidence of that, read my book Facts, Faith, and Propaganda which can purchased online at this address, https://www.amazon.com/author/adabrownell

Read the first chapter free. A review says the book provides information from both sides without preaching. Just the facts. Remember, however, Peter wrote “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables” (2 Peter 1:16).
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Author bio:

Ada Brownell, a devoted Bible student, has written for Christian publications since age 15 and spent much of her life as a reporter for The Pueblo Chieftain in Colorado. She also is a veteran youth Christian education teacher.

After moving to Missouri in her retirement, she continues to write books, freelance for Sunday school papers, Christian magazines, write op-ed pieces for newspapers, and blogs with stick-to-your-soul encouragement.

She is the author of six books. She is a member of Ozarks Chapter of American Christian Writers and American Christian Fiction Writers. She and her husband have five children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Her historical romance, The Lady Fugitive, is a 2015 finalist for the Clash of the Titles Laurel Award.

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Connect with Ada:
Amazon Author page - http://amzn.to/1OZWrRq
Blog - http://inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com