Devotionals for the Heart: Feelings

All The Feels
A devotional by Kristy Horine

Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
— Luke 1:39-45 (NKJV)

Sometimes, my excitement just gets all out of control. 

My body parts flail around. My feet bounce off the ground. I laugh too loudly. I use too many words in a sentence, and the words I do use are so jammed up it’s hard to tell where one word ends and the next one begins. I smile so broadly that my cheeks hurt for days. In times of extreme joy, anyone within a football field’s length of me will know about it.

This extreme excitement can happen at any time. I receive notification about someone wanting to publish my work, I get excited. My adult child applies for her dream job and scores the position, I get excited. All my hens lay perfect eggs, I get excited. The five-year-old uses her manners without me reminding her to, I get excited. I read a verse I’ve read a hundred times before and the Spirit gives me some new takeaway, I get excited.

Usually, after the initial excitement dies down, the doubt steamrolls in. Thoughts filter into my heart, like maybe good news accidentally came to me. Feelings of unworthiness loom large. Or, circumstances douse my excitement when I receive five rejections for every one acceptance.

As I read through Old Testament in The Holy Bible, I find that a lot of the people I call my Bible heroes often felt the same way. They vacillated between joy and grief, awe and conviction, excitement and doubt. Prophets, priests and kings were all driven to their knees by the presence of Almighty God. In many ways, the stories of God’s relationships with the ancients resembled the best and worst roller coaster rides ever imagined.

And then, in what scholars call the Intertestamental Period – the four hundred years between Malachi and the Gospels (books in The Holy Bible) – silence.

Silence.

Four hundred years is quite a long time with nothing happening which is exciting enough to write home about!

Perhaps that is the reason for so much emotional action in our passage. The angel Gabriel delivers the message to Mary that she will carry the long awaited Messiah within her womb in Luke 1. The roller coaster of emotions begins. In these six verses, each emotion is accompanied by action.

· Mary hastened and believed.

· Elizabeth was filled and humbled.

· An unborn baby leaped for joy.

God With Us – Emmanuel, Himself – was coming! God ordained it. Prophets foretold it. Angels proclaimed it. Mary believed it. Elizabeth accepted it.

And what about me? Or, you?

In this season of silence between Thanksgiving and Christmas, how will we prepare our hearts to receive anew the gift of the Christ child?

Why not try on a little of each emotion? Consider the joy and the grief, the awe and the conviction, the excitement and the doubt, the belief and the humility. Take a few moments each day to meditate on His Holy Word (The Holy Bible).

Here’s a list of Bible verses for you to start meditating on:

· Joy – Luke 2:10-11 and Hebrews 12:1-2

· Grief – Isaiah 53:4-6 and 2 Corinthians 7:10

· Awe – Psalm 65:8 and Exodus 15:11

· Conviction – 1 John 1:9 and Romans 8:1-2

· Excitement–Psalm 28:7 and Romans 15:13

· Doubt – 2 Corinthians 13:5 and Romans 8:38-39

· Belief – Mark 9:23-24

· Humility – Philippians 2:1-11

Yes, my arms will still flail around, my feet wildly bounce, my laugh will be too loud and my words will run on and on … but that’s how it is in the midst of all the feels. All the wonderful, life-giving feels that come with the advent of Jesus Christ.

Let’s Pray: Father God, refresh my spirit, cleanse me from iniquity, may all my excitement, all my joy, all my belief, be found in You. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Kristy Horine is a Kentucky writer, freelance journalist by trade and creative by God’s grace.

She writes a little bit of everything including poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. Her professional and creative work has been published in newspapers, magazines and anthologies in Kentucky and beyond.

Kristy founded 3rd Letter Christian Writers in Lexington, Kentucky in 2015. Read more of her work at www.kristyhorine.com.

Devotionals for the Heart: How to Prepare for the Battles of Life

Stand Strong in the Armor of God
A devotional by Kristy Horine

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” 

– Ephesians 6:10-13 (NKJV)

The white clad figures sat in a circle on mats in the strip-mall-type row of Louisville warehouses. Huge fans at the bay doors sucked air into the sweltering room. Sensei Lane paced at the center of the circle, arms folded, black belt cinched tight at his waist. Training in defensive technique is the heart of Jiu Jitsu. It is serious business. It is warrior business.

Sensei Lane points to a volunteer.

“When this guy pushes us from behind, what is his main objective?”

As one, the people in the circle point to the mats. Sensei Lane nods.

“That’s right. He wants us on the ground. He’s pushing. He wants to pursue. It’s very, very important that you redirect that.”

The volunteer pushes the sensei from behind. The sensei steps forward, pivots, raises his hands in a defensive position. He combines a number of maneuvers and in seconds, the volunteer attacker is on the ground.

Sensei Lane straightens his gi, adjusts his belt. The teaching continues.

“Realize something is happening. Be prepared to take a punch, and a hard punch at that. Be ready to do something instead of just close your eyes and hope it goes away,” he says.

I sat on the chairs at the side of the room and watched. Part of me wanted to be in that circle, learning, moving and being cool like they were. But the bigger part of me was thankful I didn’t have to take the hits and the throws. After watching the Black Belt test that morning, which was the reason why I was there, I realized there are parts of Jiu Jitsu that make you move much slower the next morning.

Sensei Lane chooses a different volunteer and demonstrates another maneuver. There are endless ways to prove the value of defense.

“He’s hoping he’s going to get me to the ground, but as soon as I start to defend, his reaction changes.”

The sensei twists his attacker’s arm under his own, bending the attacker’s wrist into a tight V. A light series of taps from the volunteer indicates a certain pain threshold has been reached. Sensei Lane immediately releases the volunteer. The taps are a safety mechanism. This is, after all, just training.

“Everything has to work,” Sensei Lane stresses. “I want him to want to get away. If you don’t have strikes that work, if you don’t have pinpoint accuracy, if you don’t have proper throws, it’s not going to work.”

I went home that night thinking about what the sensei said. While I have taken a self-defense class and I could probably fend off an attacker if that time comes, I am not quite ready to join the work at the dojo, don a white gi and move through the skill levels.

But what about in my spiritual life? How are my defensive maneuvers? Will I be ready to stand when the day comes?

In Ephesians 6:10-11 (NKJV), the Apostle Paul gives the Christians of Ephesus practical advice in spiritual defense. He said, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

Paul goes on to tell us in Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV) exactly who we fight against. He said, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

In the final verse of this section of Scripture, Paul restates the practical advice, and then looks forward to what will happen when we use our spiritual defensive maneuvers.

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” – Ephesians 6:13 (NKJV) 

In the end, we stand.

But we don’t get there until we are willing to get off our sideline chairs, join the warrior’s circle, and prepare.

This is how we dress ourselves with the Armor of God:

· The belt of Truth (Ephesians 6:14)

· The breastplate of Righteousness (Ephesians 6:14)

· The shoes of the gospel of Peace (Ephesians 6:15)

· The shield of Faith (Ephesians 6:16)

· The helmet of Salvation (Ephesians 6:17)

· The sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17)

All this armor seems heavy, doesn’t it? If we had to carry it by ourselves, surely we would fail. The good news is that we aren’t alone.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”

–Ephesians 6:10 (KJV)

His strength. His might. His truth. His righteousness. His gospel. His faith. His salvation. His sword.

Get dressed in the Armor of God. Know the basic defensive maneuvers found in His Word (The Holy Bible) then Stand strong!

Let’s Pray: Oh Heavenly Father, I am so thankful that when the enemy comes – and he will come – I don’t have to fight alone, dressed in my own flimsy armor. Give me the desire and the perseverance to get dressed in Your Armor and to train for Your glory. In the Name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Kristy Horine is a Kentucky writer, freelance journalist by trade and creative by God’s grace.

She writes a little bit of everything including poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. Her professional and creative work has been published in newspapers, magazines and anthologies in Kentucky and beyond.

Kristy founded 3rd Letter Christian Writers in Lexington, Kentucky in 2015. Read more of her work at www.kristyhorine.com.

Devotionals for the Heart: Life lessons learned from the devotion of a bulldog

Bulldog Devotion
A devotional by Kristy Horine

“Establish Your word to Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You.”

– Psalm 119:38 (NKJV)

I once had a friend named Reeca. She once had a friend named George.

George weighed seventy pounds and was nearly twenty inches tall. His nose smashed back into his face. Furrows of wrinkles rippled from there all the way back to his ears. His teeth were horribly crooked, yet his severe under bite gave him quite an endearing countenance. His bowed legs and curled, stumpy tail rounded out the extraordinary features of his breed.

Yes, George was a dog. Although George was a prime specimen of English Bulldog, he possessed an admirable trait that far outweighed his physical characteristics – this dog was devoted.

He was devoted to the idea that he was a lap dog, despite his size. Those who survived his antics received a towel to sop up the viscous liquid that continually dripped from his enormous jowls.

He was devoted to the complete and utter destruction of Reeca’s daughter’s bike. It didn’t matter if the bike was parked or in use, George was intent on annihilation of the conveyance.

He was devoted to anything that remotely resembled food. Even with his five square meals a day, he stood at the ready to cocoon morsels in his giant tongue and draw them into the nether regions of his cavernous mouth.

Sometimes, I wish that I were a dog. Maybe it would make my life a bit easier. You see, my devotion is there, just not all there at all times. I go back and forth between being close to Jesus and being close to me. The struggle to have a wholly devoted heart for my Savior is real.

What am I to do with a heart that wants to be all in, but struggles with constancy?

I turn to my Father (God) and I read verses like Psalm 119:33-38 (NKJV): “Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way. Establish Your word to Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You.”

God is there to offer strength in my weakness and focus in my fractures. Notice the terms of responsibility in this passage.

The inside work comes from the Lord. 

Remember these key points:

· He teaches the way.

· He gives understanding.

· He moves my heart.

· He revives me.

· He establishes His word. 

Please note: The outside work comes from me. Remember these key points too:

· I move my hands and my feet to serve.

· I dedicate time to the Lord.

· I obey.

My physical work is simply an outpouring of my gratitude for His transformative work in my heart, and the food for this journey is a heaping helping of holy words found in God’s Word (The Holy Bible).

My Prayer: Oh, Dearest, Most Holy Father (God), You have used the foolish antics of a dog to keep me from being wise in my own eyes. I praise You for Your loving kindness in every day lessons. I plead like the Psalmist in Psalm 119:33-38. Work on my inside so it proves my devotion to You on the outside.

~*~
Author Bio:

Kristy Horine is a Kentucky writer, freelance journalist by trade and creative by God’s grace.

She writes a little bit of everything including poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. Her professional and creative work has been published in newspapers, magazines and anthologies in Kentucky and beyond.

Kristy founded 3rd Letter Christian Writers in Lexington, Kentucky in 2015. Read more of her work at www.kristyhorine.com.

Devotionals for the Heart: A Challenge to Remember Who You Are in Christ

Whose Are You?
A devotional by Kristy Horine

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” –1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)

Momma tells the story of how I got my name from time to time.

“I always liked the name Kristine and we knew Robinson was a long last name. So one night when I was sound asleep, your Dad woke me up and said, “Eva! Eva Kristine Robinson!”

“We both liked it, so that’s what we named you,” Momma says.

Eva Kristine.

It just sounds fine, doesn’t it? Perhaps it’s fine because I’ve lived with it for so long that I’m resigned to the name. Perhaps it’s fine because I was named after one of the grandest women I knew growing up: Eva Cundiff Melvin. She was my great-grandmother on Daddy’s Momma’s side. All the grandkids and the great-grandkids called her Ebie. My grandfather Robinson called her Lady Eve.

To me, she was the gourmet chef of burgers cooked to perfection in an iron skillet. She was the dispenser of Fig Newtons that were too expensive for our family to buy. She was the generous giver of “just thinking of you” greeting cards with silver wrapped sticks of Wrigley’s gum tucked inside. She knew all the right forks to use and in what order. She drank her tea in delicate china cups with matching saucers.

And I – the first girl in a long line of grandsons and great-grandsons – had her name. I carried that name everywhere I went. I carried it to family reunions and country church suppers. I carried it to Momma’s homemaker meetings and the occasional trip to the grocery store. I carried it to the garden when I pulled weeds or picked green beans. And, I carried it through the fields I tromped across in search of a lost halter or a stray bunny that might need a home.

I carried it to school with me when I was old enough to go. It was there that I learned how a little girl’s fingers could tremble.

It was a five-mile bus ride from our family farm to the local elementary school. Our bus had to cross two rickety bridges to get to its final destination. When the teachers called roll, they used our full names. When I heard my Ebie’s name, I shot my hand straight as an arrow toward the ceiling. The boys noticed it, too. On the way back home, they sat in the back of the bus, bouncing on the brown plastic seats to the rhythm of the bumps across each rickety bridge. They chanted as they bounced.

“Eva! Eva! Igor! Eva! Eva! Igor!”

Igor? That hunched assistant in Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory?

My face burned with shame. The name of that beautiful woman united in a phrase with a wretched, ugly being? The boys hurled the insults at me and I caught every single one of them. I lost sight of the wonderful woman and focused on the twisted ugliness. I carried those barbs for a long time.

Today, over forty years later, I sometimes struggle just like I did when I was a child. I sometimes forget the reminder that I am adopted through faith into the family of God, because I have repented, believed, and do trust in Jesus Christ as my Savior and my Lord.

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”
– Romans 8:14-17 (NKJV)

God calls me “daughter”. I call Him “Father”. I have Jesus Christ in my heart. I live by the witness of the Spirit. How, then, can I have this roaring lion in my head? Why do I feel the hot breath of that mangy beast on my neck?

It’s because life on this earth is very much like riding the bus. The bully bouncing on the seat doesn’t want to simply hurt my feelings, he seeks to destroy me and all my adopted sisters and brothers in Christ.

Here is where the Good Father comes in with 1 Peter 5:8 to help us on this ride:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” –1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)

In the Greek, sober means to be calm and collected in spirit. Likewise, the Greek word vigilant means to watch, be cautious, take careful heed. One day, this bus ride of life will stop and we will get off to go to our eternal home.

My Prayer: Abba Father, we still have a ways yet to travel through this life. I pray that for the duration of the ride, You will help us remain sober and vigilant. When the roaring lion makes us forget who and whose we are, give us courage to replace our fear and remind us of the assurance of adoption in Christ Jesus. Impress on our hearts we are truly children of the King!

~*~

Author Bio:

Kristy Horine is a Kentucky writer, freelance journalist by trade and creative by God’s grace.

She writes a little bit of everything including poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. Her professional and creative work has been published in newspapers, magazines and anthologies in Kentucky and beyond.

Kristy founded 3rd Letter Christian Writers in Lexington, Kentucky in 2015. Read more of her work at www.kristyhorine.com.

Devotionals for the Heart: Suffering

Who Needs Enemies When You Have Friends Like Eliphaz?
A devotional by Kristy Horine

“Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place – Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him." ~Job 2:11 (NKJV) 

Job understood the truth of this title.

This Old Testament man’s life was good. His kids were all grown up and doing good things, home life was sweet, business endeavors were flooding his accounts with incredible ROIs … then, he lost everything in a day. As if that weren’t enough, his entire body erupted with boils “from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.” (Job 2:7 NKJV)

For Job, what remained included a wife who encouraged him to curse God and die, and three friends who came and stirred up the ashes of his dreams with hot, accusing breath.

On an infinitely smaller scale, I share Job’s feelings of loss and despair. Every time I’m disappointed as a hope is doused. Every time I receive a rejection letter for the writing. Every time one of my ministry ideas is shot down. Every time a reasonable expectation is unmet, I see a tinge of the darkness.

I’m guessing you might see it, too.

By chapter 22 in Job, I’m counting down how much more I have to read. I mean, how long can this go on? I feel the sting of Eliphaz’s words in Job 22:5-11 (NKJV) where he said: “Is not your wickedness great, and your iniquity without end? For you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason, and stripped the naked of their clothing. You have not given the weary water to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry. But the mighty man possessed the land, and the honorable man dwelt in it. You have sent widows away empty, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed. Therefore snares are all around you, and sudden fear troubles you, or darkness so that you cannot see; and an abundance of water covers you.”

Job, man, you are drowning in wickedness. 
There must be something wrong with you. 

I somehow believed the words Eliphaz said.

With the edges of the darkness closing in, I could see Job stripping people buck naked, withholding water and food, ignoring the widows and crushing the fatherless.

I believed the false accusations. In the span of 22 chapters – 517 verses – I forgot what God said about Job. Let's read Job 1:8 (NKJV) where the Lord said to Satan: “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”

In the midst of your darkness and ashes, in the mire of a multitude of jagged-edged voices, have you forgotten what God says about you? Have you forgotten how deep and high and wide is His love for you?

Scripture tells us:

· For those who repent and believe, they will be saved (Acts 16:31).

· For those who are in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1).

· For those who are called according to His purpose, He works things out for good

(Romans 8:28).

· For those who are free in the Son are free indeed (John 8:36).

Precious friends, Eliphaz doesn’t know Jack and he doesn’t know God and what the Lord Almighty has said about you.

Push a stick into those ashes and find a little coal there. While you are hurting still, and trying to figure out a way to heal both from what is real and from what is imagined, focus on the thing that glows. It will give you enough light to make it through the night. 

~*~

Author Bio:

Kristy Horine is a Kentucky writer, freelance journalist by trade and creative by God’s grace.

She writes a little bit of everything including poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. Her professional and creative work has been published in newspapers, magazines and anthologies in Kentucky and beyond.

Kristy founded 3rd Letter Christian Writers in Lexington, Kentucky in 2015. Read more of her work at www.kristyhorine.com.