Devotionals for the Heart: How to survive life's storms and hardships

Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus Through Hardships
A devotional by Heidy De La Cruz

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”—Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)

I am currently reading the Bible study, “Create in Me a Heart of Wisdom” by (in)courage ministries. Week three talks about how wisdom is learned through experience. For day three, they ask for you to read the verse above and answer, “How do we not lose heart in the midst of hardships?”

My answer is: We must fix our eyes on Jesus Christ.

This is a difficult task when we are in the middle of a storm and cannot see the sunlight creeping through the dark clouds. But once the storm passes and we look back at our hardship we can clearly see that Jesus was with us the whole time. How do we remind ourselves that Jesus is with us during the storms? We can list all the previous storms of life we’ve been through and remember how Jesus helped us through them.

I want to provide encouragement today to whoever may be in the middle of a storm. Please know that you are not alone in this storm. Jesus is sitting right there with you, surrounding you, and providing comfort. You are going to overcome whatever situation you are in and you are going to be stronger. You’ll gain wisdom and will help others who may have gone through similar storms later on in life.

The Bible study reminds us that, “Wisdom is gained in suffering when we turn our eyes to look for God in our circumstances—even when we can’t seem to see Him or hear Him.” So, if you are in the middle of the storm, I challenge you to search for God. Where do you see Him in this situation? Ask Him, “What wisdom are you trying for me to gain in this season?”

I know this isn’t easy but God is always there.

Let’s Pray: Lord, You know everyone’s circumstances. You know what we need before we ask. I pray for the reader of this devotional who may be in the middle of the storm. Please provide comfort for them. Show them that You are there in the storm with them and remind them that they are not alone. Lord, help them see You. Teach them how to seek You when it feels like their circumstances are too much. You are a great God! Help us to remember when we face the storms of life that, as the Bible says, “This too shall pass.” Thank You for Your wisdom, Lord. And thank You for your comfort. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Eye of the Storm” (feat. GabeReal) by Ryan Stevenson. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Heidy De La Cruz is daughter of Christ, a wife, and a mother.

She writes poetry and encouraging spiritual blog posts.

Heidy shares her faith and life in hopes of encouraging women. She hosts the podcast, "The American Dream in The Eye of Immigrants" where immigrants share their stories about moving to the United States of America.

Heidy holds a master's degree in Healthcare Administration and bachelor's degree in Psychology. She works as a Medical Coding Specialist.

In her free time she enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, watching movies, and spending time with her husband and two kids.

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Connect with Heidy:
Blog/Newsletter: https://intomythoughts.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidy.delacruz13/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heidyreynoso13
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/intheeyesofimmigrantstheamericandream

Devotionals for the Heart: When God gives you everything you need

You Already Have What You Need
A devotional by Patricia Russell

“I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus.”—1 Corinthians 1:4 (NLT)

Have you ever received a gift card and forgotten you had it?

You know you received it. You put it away safely in a purse or a drawer. But days and weeks go by and you completely forget that you have a stash tucked away in a drawer. This reminds me of a life lesson I can take note of in The Holy Bible.

In writing to the believers in Corinth, the Apostle Paul thanks God for the “gracious gifts” He has given them, now that they belong to Christ Jesus.

Like the Corinthians, God has given gifts to all Christians who belong to Jesus Christ. When we give our lives to Jesus, He gives us gifts. Reading that caused me to stop in my tracks, reread and meditate on the fact that because we belong to Jesus, we have gifts given to us from God. We did nothing to deserve them. We didn’t have to do anything to receive them. This is all thanks to His goodness!

Can you let that sink in for a minute? What that says to me is that Imposter Syndrome or the feeling that I am not worthy to enjoy all that God has given me, should fade into the background. The one thing that every human being longs for is to be loved. God has done this. He has demonstrated this to us by sending His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16), and He has given us the ultimate gift of salvation.

The Apostle Paul goes on to say that we have every spiritual gift that we need as we “eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:7 NLT).

What is it that you need? What is it that you have been crying out in prayer for? Is it knowledge? Is it wisdom? Is it understanding? The writer wants us to know that we have it. He wants us to change our mindset on how we understand who we are and what we have. He wants us to lift up our heads and sit in the knowledge and confidence that we are equipped with what we need to do as we wait for the coming of our Lord.

During the era when the Bible was written, there was a lot of infighting going on in this church at Corinth. We can read that in the Bible books of 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. There were divisions on a lot of issues, not unlike many of our church communities today. The people of Corinth were being asked to remember the foundational truths of their call to follow Jesus. The Apostle Paul (author of Corinthians) wanted the people to remember the prayer Jesus prayed for them was for them to be one. We are better when we walk as one. We all need to be reminded of this truth, don’t we?

I have to write things down and set up reminders in my phone because I often forget what I need to do and the time by when I need to complete those tasks. However, that’s the beauty of reading God’s Word (The Holy Bible) and meditating on Bible-based devotional messages. God lets us know we need to strengthen each other because we need each other. God has given us community for the reason of strengthening each other. Where you are weak, I may be strong and vice versa.

Remember this: You are not who you were last year. You’re not who you were several years ago. My prayer is that you have grown and if you feel stuck or frustrated, sit and reflect on what God has done. Focus on what He has given you. God’s grace is available to us to do all that we are called to do. Grace is given to us through Jesus Christ to be and do all that He has purposed for us on this Earth.

Rest in God and look to Him for whatever you need from Him every day.

Let’s Pray:
Father in Heaven, thank You for all You have given to us in your son Jesus Christ. Thank You for reminding me again today that all I need is in You. I will trust You for all that I need today. Thank you for Your grace to trust You more. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “I Need You to Survive” by Hezekiah Walker. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Patricia is a worship leader, songwriter, speaker and compiler of her 2020 bestseller anthology Stronger Resilience: Stories to Empower the Mind, Body and Spirit, as well as Lord, I Trust You: Words of Encouragement, to encourage readers and share life lessons during her cancer journey. 

Patricia writes, speaks, and teaches on the power of God’s Word to heal and empower you to become all that you are purposed for. She has travelled internationally and shared her gifts with audiences to encourage, empower and share life lessons through word and song. Patricia has sung on national television broadcasts and shared the stage with several respected speakers including Anne Graham Lotz and Rev. E.V. Hill.

Her greatest joy is being married to her husband, Wayne, for 33 years. Together, they serve the community through their local congregation in various capacities. They have two adult children, Raquel and Benjamin. As a two-time breast cancer overcomer, Patricia coaches others to develop resilience and live life to their fullest.

Patricia has released two gospel music recordings: “Draw Me Nearer” and “Lord, I Trust You”. In March 2022, she launched her podcast “Becoming Resilient” which can be downloaded wherever you get your podcasts and watched on YouTube.

When not reading or studying, Patricia loves to eat Thai food and spend time with “Lucy”—her daughter’s Yorkie-poo who has taken up room in her heart.

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Connect with Patricia:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patrussellsings/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pat.russell.98877/
Website: http://www.patrussellonline.com/
E-mail: patrussellsings@gmail.com