Devotionals for the Heart: When God uses struggles to strengthen you

The Necessary Struggle
A devotional by Heidi Lewis-Ivey

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”

—1 Peter 5:10 (KJV)

Nobody tells you that growth feels like breaking.

I know this because I had to eulogize my aunt, my hero, the cornerstone of my family, while I was still figuring out how to breathe without her. I stood up and found words for everyone else’s grief while mine was still raw, still unprocessed, still too big to name.

They show you the before and after, the transformation, the glow-up, the redemption and skip over the part where you were on the bathroom floor at 2:00 in the morning wondering if you will ever feel like yourself again. They skip the months when you couldn’t tell if you were healing or just getting better at pretending. I’ve been thinking about that gap a lot. The space between who you were and who you’re becoming. Nobody warns you how long you live in that space. How uncomfortable it is to exist in the middle of your own story, without knowing how it ends.

Here’s what I’ve come to believe: The struggle isn’t a detour. It is the road.

We’ve been sold this idea that difficulty is a sign something has gone wrong. That if you’re suffering, you must have made a wrong turn or picked the wrong career, the wrong relationship, the wrong path. So, we spend enormous energy trying to outrun the hard parts, or numb them, or at least make them look more bearable on the outside.

But what if the friction is the point?

Muscles don’t grow without resistance. A person doesn’t either. Not real growth, not the kind that changes how you see yourself, how you move through the world, what you’re willing to tolerate and what you’re not. That kind of change requires pressure. It requires uncomfortable confrontation with your own limits.

The struggle isn’t proof you’re failing. It’s often proof you’re in the middle of something that matters. I’m not romanticizing suffering. Let me be clear about that.

There is suffering that serves nothing and grinds you down without teaching you anything, that you should walk away from if you can. Not all pain is meaningful. Not all hard things are worth enduring. Some struggles are just bad situations you need to exit. But there’s another kind. The kind that comes from choosing something difficult on purpose and starting over, telling the truth, walking away from what felt safe, asking for help when your whole identity was built around not needing it. That struggle is different. That struggle has direction to it.

The question I’ve learned to ask myself is: Is this hard because I’m growing, or hard because I’m ignoring something? The answer changes everything about what to do next. The hardest part of my own necessary struggles hasn’t been the struggle itself. It’s been resisting the urge to rush through it.

We want resolution. We want to arrive. We want to be the person who has already figured it out, not the person still in the middle of figuring it out. So, we skip steps. We declare ourselves healed before we are. We perform the after before we’ve lived through the during.

And then we wonder why the same patterns keep showing up. There’s no shortcut through the necessary struggles. You have to let them take the time they take. You have to sit in the discomfort long enough to learn what it’s trying to teach you.

That’s the part no one wants to hear. But it’s the only part that’s true.

There’s a promise in 1 Peter 5:10 that I keep coming back to. It says, “after you have suffered a while, God himself will make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”

Four words. Four distinct things. And I don’t think they’re accidental. Let’s examine each word:

Perfect means not flawless, but complete. Whole in ways you weren’t before. The broken places filled in.

Stablish means established. Rooted. Fixed to something that holds even when the ground moves.

Strengthen means not just surviving, but capable. Able to carry what you couldn’t carry before.

Settle means that deep, quiet thing. The internal stillness that does not depend on your circumstances being calm.

Notice what all four of these words have in common: None of them are possible without the suffering that precedes them. You can’t be settled without having first been shaken. You can’t be strengthened without having first been stretched. The struggle isn’t the enemy of the outcome; it’s the condition for it.

If you’re in the midst of something hard right now that you chose or that chose you, I want you to know something: The fact that it’s hard doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. The fact that you’re not okay yet doesn’t mean you won’t be. The fact that you can’t see the other side doesn’t mean there isn’t one.

Remember, God promises to restore you “after you have suffered a while”. Not forever. A while. There is a duration to this, even when it doesn’t feel like it. And on the other side of it not despite the suffering but through it you will be more complete, more rooted, more capable, more settled than you have ever been.

Some of the most important becoming of your life is happening in the moments that feel the least like progress. Keep going. Not because it will get easier immediately. But because you are, right now, being built into something stronger than what you were whether it feels like it or not.

The struggle is necessary. So are you.

Let’s Pray:

Lord,

I come on behalf of everyone reading this who is in the middle of something hard—the ones holding it together on the outside while quietly falling apart within. The ones who have cried in the car, in the shower, in the silence of 3:00 in the morning when the rest of the world is asleep. The ones who are grieving for what they lost, what they never had, or who they used to be.

Meet them here. Not on the other side of this, but here. In the thick of it. In the mess and the confusion and the exhaustion of a struggle that has gone on longer than they thought they could bear.

Remind them that You are not absent from their pain. That You are not waiting for them to get it together before You show up. That You are close to the brokenhearted—not close to the healed, not close to the finished, but close to the broken, right now, exactly as they are.

And Lord, let Your promise in 1 Peter 5:10 be real to them today—that this suffering has a while on it. That is not permanent. That on the other side of this, You will make them perfect, stablish, strengthen, and settle them in ways they cannot yet imagine.

Do what only You can do in what they are walking through. Make them whole where they are broken. Root them where they have been shaken. Strengthen them where they have been emptied. Settle them where there has only been chaos.

And until that day, give them just enough grace for today. Just enough strength for this moment. Just enough hope to keep going. They are not forgotten. They are not forsaken. They are being formed.

In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “Wait on You” by Elevation Worship & Maverick City. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Open My Heart” by Yolanda Adams. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “I Won’t Complain” by Le'Andria Johnson. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #4: “God Restores” by Dynamic Praise. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #5: “Meet Me There” by Lydia Laird. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #6: “Eye of the Storm” by Ryan Stevenson (feat. GabeReal). Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #7: “Jesus Walks with Me” by Be Still Studios. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Heidi Lewis-Ivey is an affirmed prophet and an internationally acclaimed speaker. 

She impacts audiences with her authenticity and bold style of delivery. She has had the opportunity to minister in Trinidad, St. Thomas USVI, Manchester and Liverpool (England).

Heidi is an award-winning and bestselling author. She is the author of Can I Rest Awhile? and Black Girl Cry: What Black Women Need to Know to Amplify Their Voices. She is a co-author in Soulful Prayers (Volume 1 and Volume 2) and Soulful Affirmations. Heidi is the convener of the Encountering the Courts of God movement and the founder of Visions International, a training ground for five-fold ministry gifts.

She holds a Master of Business Administration in Organizational Leadership from Norwich University and a Bachelor of Science in Management from Boston University. Heidi is the CEO of Nael & Associates Inc and franchise owner of Patrice & Associates recruiting firm. She is a member of the Pentimenti Women Writers Group, a former mentor with Year Up, former board member for Friends of Young Achievers, and a Diversity Equity and Inclusion Strategist.

Heidi is the proud aunt/great aunt of 14 nieces and nephews and two bonus nieces. They are her joy. The older nephews have become her protectors.

Heidi is an NFL football fan. As a child, she taught herself the game. In 2017 she won her NFL.com fantasy football league. Heidi is an avid reader (Audible listener) of romance novels, a lover of purses and handbags, and a tea snob who believes bling is always appropriate.

She lives in Boston, MA.

~*~
Connect with Heidi:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamheidi01
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/heidi-lewis-ivey

Devotionals for the Heart: How God taught me to always be thankful

How God taught me to always be thankful
A devotional by Regina Marcazzo-Skarka

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”—1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

When I stood on the reception line waiting to greet attendees after my 31-year-old son’s celebration of life, I was grateful for the love I felt from family and friends who traveled from near and far, and for the kind words spoken about my son.

I knew he was a warrior for Jesus Christ and that through his love for Christ and the Godly life he modeled, this world was a better place. But the magnitude of the number of lives that were changed because of his example was mind-blowing.

After two celebrations of life, I learned that my precious boy ministered to so many different people. What was more amazing was how those who learned more about his life at the services felt the desire to change their own lives and seek Christ.

An over 80-year-old relative came up to me crying saying that she wanted to be like my son. A younger relative said it was time to rethink his life and my son’s former classmate came up sobbing and said he wanted to follow Jesus. Those words did not take away the pain of losing him, but they did demonstrate the awesome works of our God.

I chose 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 as the anchor text for my devotional today because the verse relates to so many areas of life, even the hardest ones such as losing a treasured child. I could see the value of all three commands during the many months of endured hardship while he was sick.

“Rejoice always” is a command and a reminder of how we are to live at all times— no matter what is going on in our lives. Praying continually does not mean that we should sit bowing in prayer day and night, but it does refer to having an ongoing conversation with God throughout the day—and if you are anything like me, I talk to God many moments throughout the night.

I am thankful for the way God used my son to change others, to point them to Him. I am thankful that God trusted my husband and I as his parents. I strive to carry on my son’s legacy of sharing Christ with others, not with words, but with my life. I am thankful for countless blessings throughout my son’s two bouts with cancer: one when he was 18 and the other at 30. During the illnesses and in the time in between there were so many miracles and so much good living.

Will sadness and longing to see him linger? Will anger and questions asking God “Why?” continue to swirl in my mind? Of course! But one thing I am sure of is that my God is faithful and He works all for the good of those who love him.

Why do I rejoice always? It’s simple: I am a child of God and His word tells me to rejoice. Why do I pray continually? Because I need to converse with God all the time. Why should I be thankful in all circumstances? It’s also a command and it is important to note that it is “in” all circumstances, not “for” all circumstances.

When I recite the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, I realize how difficult and easy it is to say the words “rejoice” and “be thankful in all circumstances.”

In the deep sadness that I continue to feel and the longing to hug my son and tell him how much I love him I am reminded that his ministry did not end the day he took his last breath here on earth. The life he lived for Jesus remains in the minds of those who are still here, spurring them on and reminding them to make every minute count on this earth whether they are healthy or not, going through a dark time or joyfully dancing in the light. I know that is my plan.

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord,

Thank You for your love and for your perfect plan. Help us to recognize that You are in control of all things and though we may not understand the why, we can surely trust You. Help us to rejoice always, pray continually and to be thankful in all circumstances. Help us to point others to you with our lives. We love you. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “Praise You in This Storm” by Casting Crowns. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Even If” by Mercy Me. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “Worn” by Tenth Avenue North. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Regina Marcazzo-Skarka is a writer, a journalist, and a lover of Jesus Christ, her family, church, mission trips, travel and foreign languages. 

Having traveled to over 25 countries, her exploring the world has only just begun. She has also been part of numerous mission trips both domestic and international. She loves getting to know people, their languages and their culture. A life dream of hers is to speak five languages. So far, she speaks English, French, Italian and some Spanish. Her goal is to improve her Spanish speaking skills and to learn a language with a different alphabet, perhaps Arabic.

Regina holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics with a minor in Romance Languages from City University of New York, Hunter College; a Master’s Degree in Journalism from New York University; and a Master’s Degree in Teaching Foreign Language from SUNY Stony Brook. Regina has studied in France. Regina has also studied, lived and worked in Italy.

She taught high school French and Italian for 17 years before retiring from teaching. Prior to teaching, she worked as a journalist, both freelance and as a staff writer for local Long Island, New York weeklies. She also spent two years as a United Nations employee in the Department of Public Information. She currently writes full-time for a weekly newspaper in St. Lucie County, Florida.

Regina is currently working on proposals for two books that she is writing.

She is blessed with an awesome husband of 34 years and two children, their spouses and three treasured grandchildren.

~*~
Connect with Regina:
Website: https://reginamarcazzoskarka.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wipeoutworry/
Email: ginamarcazzo@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Why we should let God carry our grief

God Can Carry Your Grief
A devotional by Heidi Lewis-Ivey

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” 

—Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

Grief is one of the heaviest burdens we can carry. It can feel overwhelming, like a storm that will never pass.

When someone we love is gone, or life doesn’t go as we hoped, pain can consume our thoughts and even disrupt our daily routines. Sleep can become elusive, meals may lose their appeal, and even small tasks can feel monumental. But God is not distant from our suffering; He draws near to us in our sorrow.

When I experienced the unimaginable loss of my brother, I felt as if I were walking through a dark tunnel with no light in sight. Questions ran through my mind: “Why did this happen? We were supposed to grow old together!” “What do I do with the void in my heart?” “How can I move forward and not feel as though I’m forgetting him?” I felt weak, vulnerable, and alone. But in the midst of my grief, I had to turn to God’s Word to rediscover that He was closer than I imagined. Psalm 34:18 reminded me that God is near to the brokenhearted, and His presence is a source of comfort even when life feels heavy.

Grief is not a journey we are meant to walk alone. God’s Word promises that He will walk with us, offering comfort, strength, and hope. Yet, walking with God through grief requires intentional steps, a willingness to open our hearts to Him, and patience with ourselves.

Here are four ways I learned to lean on God when grief feels unbearable:

Way #1: Bring your grief to God in prayer.

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” God wants to hear and feel your pain, your tears, and even your anger. Prayer is not just about asking for relief; it is about giving God permission to carry the weight because you can’t. Be honest with Him. Pour out your heart don’t hold back. There is freedom in knowing that God hears you and understands every ache.

Way #2: Seek comfort in Scripture.
Psalm 147:3 (NIV) says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” When grief clouds our hearts and our minds, Scripture becomes a guide through the dark places. Reading and meditating on God’s promises allows us to see that He is a healer, and our pain does not define the entirety of our story. Over time, His words provide the comfort our souls desperately need.

Way #3: Let the Holy Spirit guide your healing.
John 14:16-17 (NLT) reminds us the Holy Spirit is our constant helper. Jesus Christ said in this verse, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” Grief can make us feel disoriented or lost, but the Holy Spirit gently leads us, reminding us that we are not alone. By listening to His guidance, we can find small measures of peace each day and begin to experience healing even in the midst of sadness.

Way #4: Take small steps toward restoration.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV) says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Healing is not instant. Grief has its seasons, and each person moves through them differently. Allow yourself to feel, to remember, and to grieve fully, but also trust God to guide your steps forward.

Closing Thoughts:

Grief taught me that it is okay to move slowly. It taught me that leaning on God is not a sign of weakness but a pathway to strength. When I allowed myself to trust God, to bring my pain to Him, and to follow the guidance of His Spirit, I began to feel light return to my heart. Peace replaced some of the heaviness, and slowly, I am beginning to see life with a new perspective one shaped by God’s enduring love.

Even when grief lingers, God’s presence transforms it. The pain may not vanish completely, but His comfort makes it bearable. He provides hope, restoration, and peace that the world cannot take away. God is patient with us. He does not rush our healing or force us to “move on” before we are ready. He walks beside us every step of the way, offering love that never fails.

Take heart in knowing that your grief is seen, your tears are known, and your pain is held in God’s hands. Lean into His promises. Pray without hesitation. Read His Word (The Holy Bible) for comfort. Listen to God’s Holy Spirit for guidance. Take gentle steps forward, trusting that He will bring you to a place of peace.

Let’s Pray:
Father God, thank You for being close to us in our grief. Thank You for holding our hearts when they are broken and for comforting us with Your presence. Help us trust You fully through our pain. Teach us to lean on Your Word, listen to Your Spirit, and take small steps toward restoration. Thank You for never leaving us alone, for healing our hearts, and for bringing hope where there seems to be none.

In Jesus’s Name I pray.

Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “God Restores” by Dynamic Praise. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “The Reason for the World” by Matthew West. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “Meet Me There” by Lydia Laird. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Heidi Lewis-Ivey is an affirmed prophet and an internationally acclaimed speaker. 

She impacts audiences with her authenticity and bold style of delivery. She has had the opportunity to minister in Trinidad, St. Thomas USVI, Manchester and Liverpool (England).

Heidi is an award-winning and bestselling author. She is the author of Can I Rest Awhile? and Black Girl Cry: What Black Women Need to Know to Amplify Their Voices. She is a co-author in Soulful Prayers (Volume 1 and Volume 2) and Soulful Affirmations. Heidi is the convener of the Encountering the Courts of God movement and the founder of Visions International, a training ground for five-fold ministry gifts.

She holds a Master of Business Administration in Organizational Leadership from Norwich University and a Bachelor of Science in Management from Boston University. Heidi is the CEO of Nael & Associates Inc and franchise owner of Patrice & Associates recruiting firm. She is a member of the Pentimenti Women Writers Group, a former mentor with Year Up, former board member for Friends of Young Achievers, and a Diversity Equity and Inclusion Strategist.

Heidi is the proud aunt/great aunt of 14 nieces and nephews and two bonus nieces. They are her joy. The older nephews have become her protectors.

Heidi is an NFL football fan. As a child, she taught herself the game. In 2017 she won her NFL.com fantasy football league. Heidi is an avid reader (Audible listener) of romance novels, a lover of purses and handbags, and a tea snob who believes bling is always appropriate.

She lives in Boston, MA.

~*~
Connect with Heidi:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamheidi01
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/heidi-lewis-ivey

Devotionals for the Heart: Don't give up during difficult times, look up!

It’s Time to Arise!
A devotional by Patricia Russell

“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.”

— Isaiah 60:1 (KJV)

For anyone who has lost a loved one through death or divorce, you understand that there is a season of grief that can be challenging for us to walk through.

This time can seem long to others, but time stands still when you are the one grieving. No one can really put a timer on how long that season will last. Whether days, months or years, there is a portion of your heart that knows a deep pain that is like nothing you’ve ever felt before. And then, like turning pages in a book, there is a day when the pain changes, opening a space for joy to take some space and help you to sit up a little stronger. I know this to be true when my father died on a sunny Friday afternoon.

My Dad and I exchanged wishes to have a great day, not knowing it would be our last morning seeing each other. I still remember taking the phone call where I was told of his passing and crying out in shock. Yet the Lord had been with me throughout the day, not only in my thoughts but like a warm blanket that I felt wrapped in the comfort of His presence when I needed it most. Perhaps you’ve known this feeling and pain too—whether a sickness leading to death or the stress of a strained relationship that ends up broken. When the pain hits, our heart feels weak but it's right then we can stretch our hands up and worship with our whole heart. It’s painful and the weight of the pain is heavy. We don’t have to carry it alone. He is present, even in the darkness.

Israel had been in captivity for many years. They obeyed then disobeyed repeatedly yet God had promised deliverance and there came a time when He spoke through his prophet to tell them to “Get up and arise.” The wise king Solomon told us “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV). At this time, the nation of Israel was entering a new season, and it was time to step out of the ashes of the past sin. God wanted them to step out of the memories of repeated disobedience and reconnect with the only One who could save them, deliver and comfort them: their Creator (God), who had called them to be His special people.

King Solomon learned that everything has a time. Wherever you are in life right now you may be wondering, "When will things change? When will the clouds of darkness dissipate? How long will God allow certain things to go on and on? Does He not think it’s time to turn things around? Does He not believe it’s time to bring judgment down on the wicked people?"

You may know this, but I’ll say it anyway: God knows. He is fully aware of everything that is happening in our town, city, county and country. God knows we don’t know everything, but in those times, He wants us to look up. He wants us to get up. He wants us to arise! He wants us to look up to Heaven and look forward in faith. God knows our past, and He has plans for our future. It’s a future filled with hope and promise (Jeremiah 29:11). It’s time to rise.

Let’s Pray:
Dear Lord, I know You are fully aware of where I am and how I’m feeling right now. I look to You in faith believing You see what’s happening in my present, but You also hold my future. So, I trust You and look to You, dear God. Thank You for the light of hope that shines bright because that light is You! In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “I Lift My Hands” by Chris Tomlin. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “He Knows” by Jeremy Camp. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “The Reason for the World” by Matthew West. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Patricia is a worship leader, songwriter, speaker and compiler of her 2020 best-seller 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 traveled 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 34 years. Together they serve the community through their local congregation as well as providing premarital and marriage coaching. 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 also seen 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.

~*~
Connect with Patricia:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patrussellsings/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pat.russell.98877/
Email Patricia: patrussellsings@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: When Jesus Christ asks you the eternal question

The Eternal Question
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

—Matthew 16:15 (NIV)

Questions come at us all the time. How are you? How’s work? Are you dating anyone? How’s the spouse? What are you cooking for supper tonight?

Those are the generic, everyday questions we always hear. Then there are the seasonal questions: Where do you spend your holidays? Do you have any seasonal traditions? Do you travel during the winter or summer? Where do you like to go?

And there are also those very personal questions that we don’t share with just anyone. Do you love me? Do I love you? Will you marry me? Do I want a ring on my finger? Can I commit to marriage? Do you want to have children? Where do we want to live?

These are important questions that we all must answer sometime in life, and they change the direction of our careers, our spouses, and our families.

But there is another question that holds even greater importance. It changes the trajectory of our lives here on earth, and the rewards or consequences of our answers will be ours for all eternity. This momentous question sounds like a simple one: Who is Jesus Christ to you?

Ah, there it is. Who is Jesus? People have myriads of answers. He was a good man, a good teacher. Some might think He was a prophet, or somebody in the Bible they’ve heard about. In some hearts, Jesus is the one who makes us feel guilty when we hurt other people, or who makes us angry when we meet someone from church wo has an oh-so-righteous-holier-than-thou attitude. His name might be one we’ve only heard when someone is cursing. Some might say that Jesus doesn’t even exist. He’s just a fairy tale within the pages of the Bible.

Throughout my lifetime, I’ve heard all these answers, but my skeptical heart couldn’t really buy any of them. For me, it took years of digging into the Scripture and asking what seemed like thousands of questions before my real question about Jesus was answered.

Jesus is exactly who the Bible says He is. He is the long-awaited Messiah of the nation of Israel. He is the Savior of the world. He is the Prince of Peace. And there’s more! Jesus is the lover of my soul. He lifts my weary head. He forgives my sins. He is the Lord of my life. Jesus is God’s Son, and because I have believed that Jesus died for my sins and I have asked Him to forgive and save me from those sins, I’m also considered a member of the family of God.

There’s even more than all that! When Jesus Christ returns to earth to take His faithful followers home, I will be welcomed into God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom to live forever. My death won’t change anything but my address because the life I am living now is centered on Jesus. And that’s exactly what eternity promises.

There’s nothing in my life that has earned God’s favor. Just the opposite is true. I was sinful and rebellious toward God. Nothing could convince me that He is real and that all His promises are true until He opened my eyes to read the Bible and He gave me the ability to trust Him. His first gift to me was belief in Jesus. His second gift was His forgiveness of every sin. His third and lasting gift is His abundant life in Jesus Christ, right here on earth for now, and then forever in Heaven with Him.

So, each of us is faced with the question, “Who do you say Jesus is?”

Your eternity hinges on your answer. Which will you choose? Eternal salvation in Heaven with the Lord who loves you, or eternal damnation in hell without Jesus? Remember, dear one, eternity is just as real as Jesus is, and what we choose now determines either eternal life or eternal death.

Choose Life, Beloved. Choose Jesus.

Let’s Pray: Dear Jesus, I trust You, and I believe that You are the only way to be saved in your Kingdom. Please forgive my sins and accept me into Your family forever. Thank You, Lord. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Choose Life” by Big Tent Revival. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers. 

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Why we need to learn how to number our days

Numbering Our Days
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

—Psalm 90:12 (NIV)

When God created us in His own image back in Genesis 1:27, He also designed us with an internal clock.

Only He knows the exact moment when our time on earth expires. We are clueless when we try to determine our life’s span, although many of us desperately try to figure it out, especially when we try to stave off death by taking any number of vitamins, special diets, or guaranteed exercise programs to postpone the inevitable.

But God isn’t interested in us scrambling around trying to number the days of our lives. He already sewed that up. In Psalm 90:12, God calls us to do more than just buy stock in the most recent Fountain of Youth. He calls us to make every one of our days count—for eternity.

Okay, that sounds daunting, right? We tally up the scores for our good days and our bad days, hoping that the good days will somehow counterbalance the bad ones. Then, maybe, our eternity will be in Heaven, and not in Hell. That will never work, but God has a plan.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to Earth in the form of a helpless baby and grew into a man, the Son of Man. He began to teach people about God, His Father. And because He is God, He never had days when He was bad. He went through His life only doing good—our sinless Savior.

Then the evil in people killed the Son of God—crucified Him, and then buried His lifeless body. But three days later, Jesus rose from that grave, defeating death and all the evil that tries to rule us. And because of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, we can accept His sacrifice for our own sins and believe in Him as our Savior. That decision leads us to not just good days, but the best days as we prepare for our life in Heaven with Him forever.

So, today counts, but with another question: “How?”

The possibilities are endless! Because we believe in Jesus as our Savior from sin, we are God’s children, His men and women. We read His Word, the Bible, and gain wisdom. We are just and kind to every person we meet. We respect the other eight billion human beings who share the planet with us. And we tell as many people as we can about the living Jesus who died for us so that we wouldn’t have to die eternally for the sins we’ve committed. We teach them to turn away from their sinful lives and to trust Jesus with their todays and their tomorrows.

Most of all, throughout each day, we are obedient to our Lord. He tells us to love God and to love all those eight billion image bearers of God. And not just like them, either. Jesus tells us we are to love them as much as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). And that is hard. So, we try to obey, and the Lord Jesus helps us to do it. We won’t ever be perfect at loving others as we love ourselves, but our honest attempts are what count. They make our days count.

And now for the best part: Our obedience leads to the ability of our hearts to gain more and more of God’s perfect wisdom. It grows more love, more kindness, more goodness, more of everything that creates connections between us. People draw close to new life in Jesus. And we have whole new families of people we may not know, but who share the love of Jesus with us. And our hearts grow fuller and richer with His love in us. These are the days that count, for today and for all eternity.

Let’s Pray: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your salvation. Thank You for Your wisdom. Please give us Your strength as we walk through our days and as we make them count—for You. It’s in Your Name we pray, Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Teach Us to Number Our Days” by Marty Goetz. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers. 

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: When you ask God to do whatever it takes

Whatever it Takes
A devotional by Aubrey Taylor

“Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”– Colossians 4:17 (NKJV)

When I was younger, and not walking with the Lord, my mother often prayed a simple prayer for me: “God, please do whatever it takes.” I was not the worst of sinners, but I was not walking closely with the Lord, either. I was doing my own thing and not inclined to surrender to Him.

As you read this, consider if God is putting someone on your heart. Perhaps He has placed a call on their life, yet they seem complacent, unwilling to disrupt the status quo. They know and love God, but they do not want to trade their plans for His. Or perhaps they are backslidden. Perhaps they do not even know God at all.

Are you brave enough to pray this prayer for them? “God, please do whatever it takes.” Whatever it takes to bring them to a place of surrender. Whatever it takes to convince them that Your plan is better than the life they have mapped out for themselves. Whatever it takes to bring them to Yourself.

I’m sure my mother was scared to pray that prayer, but she was also desperate to see me walk closely with the Lord. I don’t know how many times she had to pray this way before I began to embrace Him more fully, but I do know what it took. At the time, she could not have realized that one of the things it would take for me would be years of depression and anxiety. She could also not have realized that it would take me losing her (she died suddenly and unexpectedly when I was 26).

I hope it does not sound like I believe God caused me to suffer depression, or took my mother from this world in order to woo me to Himself. There were various reasons these things happened, and He has woven her story intricately together with mine. Her faith in His wisdom and goodness was evident in her willingness to allow Him to have his way in both her life and mine. When she prayed, “God, whatever it takes,” she didn’t hesitate at the thought of what that might entail. Whatever means God chose to use, she knew they would be right. This enabled her to release any desire to place conditions on her prayer, and simply just pray.

A few of us may read this and realize that God is asking us to pray these words over our own lives. We long to draw nearer to Him, and to fulfill the calling He’s placed in our lives, but we do not want to let go of comforts and plans. These conflicting desires are creating uncomfortable friction in our lives.

If that is you, are you brave enough to ask God to fulfill the call He’s placed on your life? Will you pray that He does “whatever it takes”?

Let’s Pray: Dear Jesus, I thank You that Your plan for my life, and Your plans for my loved ones, are perfect. In Your wisdom You have called us, and You want to see us walk fully in the things You have ordained for us. Sometimes, we resist. Forgive us. Thank You for the people who have prayed for us. May we be sensitive and willing to step into what You have planned. May we stand by our loved ones, praying and cheerleading without pressuring them, that they too may begin to walk fully in the things You have created them for. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “He’s Calling You” by Donnie McClurkin. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

The only child of a single parent, Aubrey Taylor filled her younger years by creating characters and writing stories. This ended around age sixteen when music, friends and part-time jobs began to fill her time. After that came college, work, marriage, and children. 

It wasn’t until the world was beginning to come out of the COVID pandemic that God led her back to her love for writing, coupled with a passion she’d always had for history. It was time to start a new adventure!

Along with writing devotionals, Aubrey is the author of the German-perspective 20th Century Fiction series, Gott Mit Uns. She lives in Upstate New York with her husband and three children. When she’s not writing or taking care of her home and family, she enjoys singing and dancing with friends from a German choir and a Bavarian folk dancing group. She is also a lover of Jesus Christ, The Holy Bible, history, German culture, tea, and cats!

~*~
Connect with Aubrey:
Website: https://www.aubreytaylorbooks.com
Blog: https://www.aubreytaylorbooks.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aubreytaylorbooks/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aubtaybooks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aubreytaylorbooks/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21846520.Aubrey_Taylor
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/aubrey-taylor
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Aubrey-Taylor/author/B0973KWXV8

Devotionals for the Heart: How to experience peace during storms

Experiencing Peace Through the Storm
A devotional by Heidy De La Cruz

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”—Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)

When was the last time you were in a storm or going through something challenging and yet, you felt peace? This question came to my mind while reading the Bible study, “Create in Me a Heart of Peace” by (in)courage ministries.

I’ve written about these studies before, but they are so good that I highly recommend the whole series. Anyway, as I’m reading about peace, week two in this particular study talks about how peace is a posture. This brought the question to my mind: “When was the last time I was in a storm or going through something challenging and felt peace?”

My mind immediately went to the season where I was drowning in grief but felt such peace in my soul. It was August 2020, and my grandfather passed away—not of COVID, gratefully. But I was saddened that it was his time to rest in peace. To this day, I still cannot believe he is gone. As I’m navigating a new life without my grandfather’s presence, God tells me to have another baby. And if you know me, you know this is all God. So, in November of 2020, I got the two lines on a pregnancy test that told me I’m expecting! But this dream was very short-lived as a few days later, I experienced my first miscarriage, and a new level of grief entered my body.

Fast forward to March of 2021. I’m still grieving my grandfather, still grieving my baby who didn’t make it, and then my mother-in-law died. And yet, I felt peace. It wasn’t because I wasn’t missing my loved ones. I was missing them hard. My grandfather passed unexpectedly, and my mother-in-law was diagnosed with cancer. Although that doesn’t make her passing any easier, I was missing them while still grieving the loss of my baby. But there was peace.

Let me tell you why. I was deeply rooted in God’s Word at that time. Remember: Peace is a posture. At that time, I was reading Priscilla Shirer’s Elijah: Faith and Fire Bible study. I don’t know if you can tell, but Bible studies are my thing! Although this study wasn’t about peace, being rooted in God’s Word, studying it, praying, and staying focused on God and not the grief and chaos around me led me to peace. A peace that only Jesus brings.

In the current Bible study I’m reading by (in)courage ministries, Becky Keife writes, “Peace always sounds like such a pleasant quality or experience, doesn’t it? The tranquil sound of a babbling book. The gentle spirit of a sweet friend. A quiet afternoon with the company of a good book. On the surface, peace is the absence of anything unpleasant. But a peaceful environment is not the same as a peaceful soul.” Take a breath and let that sink in!

The only way I was able to feel peace in my soul during that heavy season of grief was because of Jesus. There’s no other way! So today, I’m asking you, when was the last time you went through something challenging but felt peace in your heart? And if you haven’t, what can you do today to help you prepare for your next life’s challenge and be at peace?

Remember: Challenges in life do happen, but with Jesus, we can have peace (Philippians 4:7).

Let's Pray: Dear Jesus, I pray for whoever is reading this that they will encounter your peace. The peace that only You provide. The peace that calms our soul and anchors us. Lord, I thank You for the peace You provide because there’s nothing like it. When the world feels like it’s on fire, You are with us and keep us calm. I pray that we can all experience that internal peace no matter our current circumstances. In your name, Lord, I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “I’ll Give You Peace” by Sandi Patty. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Heidy De La Cruz is a published writer/author and podcaster. She writes the weekly newsletter “Into My Thoughts” on Substack where she shares personal development content, life experiences with life lessons, and faith-based encouragement posts. 

Heidy is the host of “The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast” where immigrants share their stories about moving to the United States. She is also a podcast coach and helps those who desire to host their own show launch.

Heidy holds a master’s degree in healthcare administration and a bachelor's degree in Psychology. She works as a Medical Coding Analyst.

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

~*~
Connect with Heidy:
Website: https://heidydelacruz.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidy.delacruz13/

Devotionals for the Heart: When and how grief can be good for us

Good Grief
A devotional by Kayla de Jong

“Jesus wept.”

— John 11:35 (NIV)

What is grief? Some people would describe it as a dark night. But there is hope!

Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky who was critically acclaimed as one of the greatest novelists in the literary world, once said, “The darker the night, the brighter the stars, the deeper the grief, the closer is God!”

After unexpectedly losing my mom when I was only 21, I found myself wrestling with God in my grief. Hopefully, the insights I have gained on my grief journey can benefit you as well, even if you are not grieving the loss of a loved one. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of grief is “deep and poignant distress caused by or as if by bereavement.”

I’ve learned that grief is not just about death; it is about loss. Perhaps you are grieving losing a spouse through divorce or the lack of relationship with a child or the decision a friend made to stop following Jesus Christ. I believe grief is a good thing if done the way God intended. And knowing how to grieve in a godly way can not only help you grieve but also prepare you to walk with others in their grief journeys.

Let’s read Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 (NIV). It says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot.”

Knowing that there is a season for everything—happiness and sadness—comforts my soul. I am comforted to know that God does not expect me to feel happy all the time. To me, these verses give Christians the permission to have what society deems “negative” emotions. While this is not a devotional about emotions, I will quickly say that I don’t think God views our emotions as good or bad. However, I think what matters to Him is how we handle them and how they affect our behaviors and relationship with Him and others (and ourselves). Ecclesiastes 3:4 supports this idea by declaring weeping and mourning appropriate for certain times. Notice how we are not instructed to always dance and laugh.

Another concept that has helped me understand grief from a biblical perspective is that God grieves too. And knowing that God expects me to manifest characteristics that are His, this means God expects me to grieve as well. Let’s talk this through: Jesus Christ wept on His way to raise His friend Lazarus from the dead, knowing fully well that Lazarus would soon be alive again. Yet He wept (John 11:35). Why? I believe He was not only showing His followers that it is okay to grieve, but I also love the footnote found in the Amplified version of The Holy Bible that suggests Jesus was angry at the sorrow induced by death.

Now let us look at biblical instruction on grief in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 (AMP), which reads, “Now we do not want you to be uninformed, believers, about those who are asleep [in death], so that you will not grieve [for them] as the others do who have no hope [beyond this present life].” In other words, Christians can grieve but not without hope. We know if we continue to follow Jesus Christ then we will be reunited in Heaven with our fellow Christians who have passed away and are no longer living on Earth. When we are in Heaven, we will be fully healed and holy in the Presence of God. Simply put, in the midst of our bereavement, we can choose to rejoice that God has provided a means to eternal life with Him that is far better than this life on Earth.

So, based on these few biblical examples, it seems that grief is an appropriate response to death. God, even though He is omniscient, and death is no surprise to Him, grieves too. However, it is clear that we are not to view death as “the end.” Instead, let it serve to remind you of eternity and salvation and hope from God.

Let’s Pray: God, thank You for giving me hope while I am grieving and let me share this with others who have lost someone or something important to them. Thank You for the time I had with my loved ones who have passed away. Help me to have a healthy perspective on grief. Thank You for comforting me, Lord, when I am sad. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Light of that City” by Allison Durham Speer. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Hi! I’m Kayla de Jong! 

I’ve lived in Indiana my whole life and was blessed to have been raised in a Christian household. I have an associate degree in library science and have worked in various libraries for over six years. I love reading and writing!

I have mostly written poems, some of which were published in the compiled works of a local writers guild. I am in the middle of seeking a new career. I would love to be an author, artist, or journalist. But most of all, I would love to be a stay-at-home mom someday.

~*~
Connect with Kayla:
E-mail: kaylagmcdaniel@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: How the kindness of God can change the world

God's Kindness Changes Everything
A devotional by Sarah Cole

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” 

—Galatians 6:9-10 (NIV)

Unexpected kindness is one of life's sweet surprises.

I needed something sweet after attending a friend’s funeral last month, so I stopped at Trader Joe's on the way home. It was the day before Mother's Day, and carts were full of colorful produce and fragrant bouquets of roses, tulips, and carnations. I typically avoid crowded places like a date with my dentist, so I planned a quick exit.

When the cashier asked how my day was going, she missed the evidence my mascara left behind. I'm not a good liar so I told the truth: My friend passed away.

The cashier looked at me with tears in her eyes and walked away. Puzzled by her departure, I admired the dark chocolate bars at the register and threw some in my cart. Moments later, when she returned with a bouquet, my words seemed inadequate. It was one of the kindest things anyone had ever done for me, and I left determined to pay it forward.

Hundreds of decisions define us each day while we’re living here on Earth. Some are life-altering, while others are insignificant, like what kind of eggs to fix for breakfast, what toothpaste to buy, what flowers to plant, and what song to tell Alexa to play next. But when we go out of our way to be kind, it costs nothing, pays big dividends, and makes us feel fantastic.

I'll never forget when my friend John who was grieving significant losses of his own, offered to put my dog down, knowing how hard it would be for me to do it alone. Or the joy in a first grader's eyes when I gave him an Easter basket. Or the gratitude my friend felt when our church's life group served the food at her sister's funeral.

I belong to what my pastor calls “the kindest church in Minnesota” because being kind is the way we live. When our women's ministry isn't making gift baskets for a local women's shelter or blankets for a local kid's outreach, our church’s Care Ministry sends cards to members who are sick or grieving.

The possibilities to do good are endless, but the ultimate act of kindness happened 2,000 years ago when Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for our sins (John 3:16). There was nothing random about His mission to save us (Luke 19:10). He showed us how to live a holy life (1 John 3:16-20) and changed countless lives in the process.

When you experience God's kindness for yourself and allow the Holy Spirit to change you from the inside out, He gives you the power to live as Jesus did. And that, my friend, changes everything.

The opportunities to be kind are everywhere if we look closely enough. While you're out in the world today, take time to do an act of kindness for someone. Most likely, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what happens next.

Let's Pray:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, to show me how powerful kindness is. Help me identify opportunities around me today to be His hands and feet and, in the process, bring You glory. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Kindness” by Steven Curtis Chapman. Listen to it here.

~*~
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.

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

Devotionals for the Heart: Finding hope when you're in a dark time

Finding Hope in Dark Times
A devotional by Tema Banner

“For surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off.”

–Proverbs 23:18 (NKJV)

Some places I drive to in my hometown make me want to bawl my eyes out.

I had a charming, kindhearted, blue-eyed son whose mischievousness got him into hot water with his parents and teachers more than once in his youth. In elementary school, he was known to charm the little girls into doing his classwork, and old ladies in the grocery store could not resist his winsome smile and pleading eyes for fifty cents for a candy bar—much to his mother’s chagrin. Like his grandmother, Steven made friends with everyone he met and never had qualms about asking for directions or help to find items in the store.

That same personality put him in contact with some he should have given a wide berth. Since he chose not to, many years were spent in courtrooms, rehab clinics, hospitals, and eventually, an early rest in the cemetery. During those years of highs and lows, the Lord gave me hope through this scripture (Proverbs 23:18). The first time I read this verse it was in the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible, which reads: “There is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.” I was convinced it meant Steven would overcome his addictions and be a powerful witness to others.

Standing by his grave, I was disappointed, confused, and a little mad. Other parents’ children had overcome, why had my son not? And what about the hope I was promised? Then I read the New King James Version (NKJV) of this scripture and the word “hereafter” jumped off the page. It was beautiful proof of God’s living word and His gentle reminder that Steven’s life will continue with Him. Because Steven had accepted God’s Son (Jesus Christ) as his Lord and Savior, I knew he had a future hope that did not end in that cemetery with a dash that indicates a life way too short. And because of my faith in God, I know I’ll see him again in Heaven.

The many places that I drive in this city bring reminders of my time with Steven. They are a mix of memories that make me smile and others with a depth of sadness that squeezes my heart and makes me want to cry—sometimes I do. But more often, I see the lives that were touched by my blue-eyed boy and the faithfulness of the God we serve.

There are times in all our lives when we face battles, sorrow, and hardships. We seek deliverance and I have seen miracles and answers to prayers that are everything prayed for, but I’ve also seen times when the answer is no. I recognize in those moments that we live in a fallen world that is often harsh. I encourage you to know that even in hard times, God is still good and He loves you.

Let’s Pray: Father God, thank You for Your faithfulness. In our times of distress and doubt, Your Word is ever present to encourage and remind us that You are in control. Help us to remember that You have good plans for your children. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: "God Loves You" by Jaci Velasquez. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Writing stories that take the reader on a journey of discovery into a deeper relationship with God through His Son (Jesus Christ), has been a lifelong goal for Tema. She enjoys history and continues honing her knowledge of history and writing skills to create those stories.

God is her guiding light and the reason for every endeavor in her life. She is a member of the South Carolina ACFW chapter as well as a former member of her local RWA chapter, Carolina Romance Writers.

Tema has served as president and secretary of her local RWA Chapter, Carolina Romance Writers. She is the honored recipient of the Harold Lowery Service Award, presented by the Carolina Romance Writers.

God has gifted her with a loving husband, two children and four grandchildren who are the delight of her life.

In her spare time, she gardens and digs into genealogy for nuggets to use in her stories.

~*~
Connect with Tema:
Website: https://temabannerauthor.com
Blog: www.temabannerauthor.com/blog
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/temabanner/

Devotionals for the Heart: God is still with you in the heavy seasons of life

God is There in the Heavy Seasons
A devotional by Heidy De La Cruz

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

–Psalms 147:3 (NIV)

The time in between August 2020 and March 2021 was a heavy grieving season for me. My grandfather died in August 2020, I suffered a miscarriage in November 2020, and my mother-in-law died in March 2021. Fortunately, if you can say that, this wasn’t my first season of grief. I learned the hardship of grief early in life. When I was only 23, my biological mother passed away suddenly.

You don’t think about the passing of your mother. Although it’s possible, you tend to think of her as immortal—someone who will always be there for you. That wasn’t the case for me. Everyone around me still had their mothers, so no one could understand my pain. They didn’t know the void in my chest that never leaves, the constant heaviness that hurt even to breathe. They didn’t understand that a part of me died and I would never be the same.

Since I had already endured the pain of losing a loved one, I thought I knew how this season of grief would be. However, I thought wrong. Each season is different because your relationship with each person is different. Losing a baby is another type of grief, but I’ll leave that story for another day. One difference in this season from the first was my relationship with God was stronger. I want to share three things that helped me in my most recent season of grief.

Point #1: Talking about my memories with my grandfather

My grandfather lived with us since I was 16 years old. We lived in a humble two-bedroom house. I slept in the living room while he slept in my room. My grandfather was involved in many milestones of my life. For example, I took my driver’s test with his car. He helped me purchase my first car. He was present for my high school graduation. When I was younger, I was told that he would go to a children’s boutique in the Dominican Republic to purchase a dress for me as a birthday gift. He did that for the first five years of my life. My mom would then get professional pictures taken of me in the dresses. To this day, I still have the pictures. Sharing all these stories and memories with whoever would listen was helpful for me.

Point #2: Going on a trip to the beach

My husband’s birthday is August 13. Hoping to celebrate, I planned a trip for us to Ana Maria Island. My grandfather passed on August 10—just three days before the trip. I was so conflicted if we should continue with our plans. I wanted to celebrate my husband’s birthday, but I didn’t want to seem insensitive to the situation. Since we couldn’t receive a full refund, we went for three instead of going for four days. I am so glad we went. It’s hard to continue your day-to-day routine when your heart is so heavy, and this trip helped us get out of routine. It gave me time away from everyone to process my feelings and distract my mind for a few days. Also, I feel the closest to God at the beach, which was therapeutic for me.

Point #3: Staying rooted in God’s Word (The Holy Bible)

As I mentioned above, you can’t do business as usual when your heart is heavy. So, your schedule and routine are all messed up. However, in this season of grief, I was intentional about continuing to read the Bible. I continued my daily Bible study plan and enjoyed reading the Bible at the beach. Listening to worship music while going through the miscarriage was comforting. During my mother-in-law’s passing, I signed up for an online Bible Study. Although I couldn’t log on to the calls, I continued to do the study. This helped me stay mentally and emotionally stable.

These three things listed above helped me during my heavy season of grief.

I know that everyone processes grief differently, and grief doesn’t look the same for everyone, but I hope my experience can help one person. If you haven’t experienced grief, I hope you save this message and use it as a resource to help you during that difficult time.

I want to leave you with a Bible verse that came up multiple times during this season and reminded me that God was with me. Psalms 147:3 (NIV) says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

God can heal your broken heart if you let Him. May His love fill the void in your heart.

Let’s Pray: Lord, I pray for anyone who may be going through a season of grief that they feel your presence. I pray they draw closer to you and feel your embrace. Please provide the comfort and strength you provided to me during my heavy grieving season to them. Thank you, Lord, for all of your blessings, in your name, I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “He Will Carry Me” by Mark Schultz. Listen to it here.

~*~
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.

~*~
Connect with Heidy:
Blog: https://heidyreynoso.wordpress.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 won't heal you on this side of Heaven

Healed Through Jesus
A devotional by Cyndi Staudt

“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” 

–Matthew 4:23 (NIV)

Huddled over the tiny casket at the front of the room were the family members still in shock at the nightmare unfolding before them. How could their sweet toddler be gone? 

We had cried out to God, fasted, and prayed around the clock, yet God had chosen not to heal their sweet child this side of Heaven. At a complete loss on what to say and how to support them through this journey of grief, I fought to find words to express to God how I was feeling. If I was honest, I was probably a little angry with God. At the very least, disappointed. This was a good family, faithful in their walk with Jesus, always serving and giving to others selflessly. They didn’t deserve this.

I didn’t feel like praying but knew I needed to. I wanted to turn away from God in a toddler-like tantrum, but I knew that wasn’t going to help. In a gentle whisper, the Holy Spirit encouraged me to come back to what I knew about God and sit there for a while. As I reflected on the character of God and was reminded of the immutable nature of God my breathing began to slow and my thoughts began to quiet. And in the stillness, He soothed my hurting heart and spoke sweet truths to my spirit until I could crawl to my knees and come to Him with all my raw emotions in prayer.

It can be hard to understand how and when God chooses to heal His children (or not), regardless of their age. I would be willing to bet most of us have prayed for someone’s healing at one time or another only to have it delayed or, perhaps, withheld completely. Maybe we have believed for a restored relationship that remained forever dismantled. Or watched a loved one’s mental capacity be stripped away until they were virtually unrecognizable. We know that God can heal, but it doesn’t always mean He does. And this can be a hard truth to wrestle with. We want to make sense of it all. Find a logical conclusion. Unfortunately, one is rarely available.

It can test our faith when we pray and believe God for healing and it doesn’t happen. But we must be careful not to let doubt creep into our minds and hearts. When healing is delayed or doesn’t come at all we must trust that God is still able, faithful, loving, and gracious. He promises perfect health to us. Sometimes that comes in this life while other times it comes in the next. We must believe that God is still on His throne, He is still sovereign, and He is still in the business of doing miracles whether we receive the answers, outcomes, and miracles we are seeking or not.

Friends, let’s not lose sight of the truths we know about God. When we are faced with what seems like insurmountable or unfair circumstances, we are called to continue to seek God and come before Him in prayer.

There are also practical things we can do while we are continuing to seek Him and cry out to Him. We can seek medical advice, counseling, or assistance as the situation calls for. We are to pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on us. That way no matter what the outcome, we know that we have done everything we can, then we leave the results up to God. 

Whatever God decides to do, we need to trust Him and praise Him in the process, knowing one day we will all find ourselves forever healed in Jesus.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,

We know that Your ways are not our ways and Your timing is not our timing. Help us to remember this when we are confused and wondering why our prayers are not being answered in the ways and timetable we had hoped or imagined. Let the Holy Spirit within us remind us of what we know to be true about You even when what we see and feel tries to tell us otherwise. Give us eyes to see You in the midst of our circumstances and ears to hear You through the noise of our lives so we never lose sight of Who you are. We thank You for all You do for us and for Your grace to see us through the highs and lows of life. In Jesus’ s Name we pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Light of that City” by Allison Speer. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Cyndi Staudt is a Jesus-loving, adrenaline junkie who is devoted to living her life for Jesus Christ until the day she is living with Him.

With a passion for cultivating a craving for God’s Word, her devotions and Bible studies are saturated with faith and hope to stir your soul to connect with God in deeper, more intimate ways.

Through her writing she hopes to ignite your desire to read God’s Word, invite your heart to experience God’s love, and inspire you to live your live life “souled out” to the One whose love has no limits.

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Connect with Cyndi on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/souledoutcyndi/

Devotionals for the Heart: Why there is always hope, even in grievous times

Hope in the Grief
A devotional Jessica Brodie

Have you ever experienced a time of loss and sadness that is simultaneously also filled with deep joy? That was our family this week as we journeyed to Ohio to celebrate the life and mourn the passing of my husband’s grandfather.

Grandpa Bob was 95 when he died, and what a man! A World War II Navy veteran who enlisted at age 17 and saw significant action—including the Battle of Iwo Jima, the Okinawa Invasion, and Operation Crossroads for the Bikini Atoll nuclear bomb tests—he also served in the Korean Conflict on the USS Wisconsin. After his discharge, he spent his career in Ohio’s oil and gas drilling operations. He had three kids, then remarried and gained three stepkids, and at his death claimed 12 grandkids (plus spouses) and 15 great-grandkids, all who loved him dearly.

Matt and I and our four kids road-tripped from South Carolina last week for the funeral, joined by parents and a host of other cousins, aunts, and uncles, all of us surrounding Grandma Mary, his wife. At age 99, she and Grandpa Bob still lived in their house. Together, we mourned his death but celebrated his life with deep and affirming joy.

Why joy? See, in addition to being an outstanding person and family man, Grandpa Bob’s most important role was “child of God.” A Christian and active member of his local United Methodist church, one thing we all knew when Grandpa Bob passed on was that we didn’t need to wonder or worry what would become of him. We knew, because he was a follower of Jesus, that he was assured eternal life.

Yes, there were tears at his funeral. We miss him! But there was also… laughter. Giggles. His eulogies at the service—delivered by his pastor, one of his sons and his stepson—recounted stories about mishaps with dynamite and catching himself on fire, his love for John Wayne and gardening, his silliness rolling around on the ground with puppy dogs or playing at Cedar Point.

“Loyal, faithful, and hardworking,” are how his pastor, Jim, described him. “Disciplined but always fair,” his son, Uncle RJ, said.

A man of stories, said everyone.

That’s how I, a latecomer blessed to marry into this family, knew him. Grandpa Bob was an outstanding storyteller. I remember how we’d visit and he’d tell about standing on the deck of his ship in WWII, or about riding horses, another of his loves.

Uncle RJ shared how he had the opportunity these last years to spend at least two mornings a week having long coffee chats with his dad, listening to old tales told and retold, sometimes the same story twice in one day. What always struck RJ was the joy with which he told those stories. That’s what I had loved, too…and, come to think of it, is what always makes an extraordinary storyteller. It’s the love of the tale.

Grandpa Bob had that. He shared that. And oh, what a legacy.

A couple of the grandkids were not able to attend the funeral, and during the service, Uncle Warren shared a special memory one of his own sons had about Grandpa Bob. During their last visit, they’d sat on the porch together talking about the future, and Grandpa Bob passed on some sage advice to him: “We are ultimately measured as men by how we react to uncontrollable things.”

Wise, wise words from a good, good man.

As Pastor Jim said at the funeral, an eternal perspective in this life keeps us in balance. As believers in Christ Jesus, we know infinitely more awaits us in heaven. The casket is not our end.

Each of us who believe can hold fast to the promises of Scripture, promises like 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14: “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (NIV).

It's not that we do not grieve, but that we don’t grieve as others.

Our grief is rooted in hope, in joy, in promise.

We will be together again one day—thanks be to God.

Rest in peace, Grandpa Bob. We love you dearly.

Let’s Pray: Father God, thank You for the hope You give all of us who believe in and follow You: the hope of salvation. Thank You that the casket is not our end. Help us spread Your word to others so they can share in this, too. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

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Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden.

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com. She has a weekly YouTube devotional and podcast.

You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.