Devotionals for the Heart: Why we should ask God for a heart like His

A Heart to See as God Sees
A devotional by Monique M. Anderson

“For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” –1 Samuel 16:7 (NKJV)

One day, the Lord spoke to me through a friend of mine.

She approached me randomly while volunteering at church and said, “God wants you to tell Him what you want.” Completely puzzled, I replied, “Huh?” She repeated herself. I stood there in silence, momentarily processing the question.

I feel like this is the “million-dollar question” that we all wish God would ask us. If we had time to practice, we could provide Him with a long list of things. However, when you are not expecting it, it can be daunting to think of everything you want on the spot. Nonetheless, slowly, each desire started to come to mind one by one: what I wanted for myself, my future, my family, my finances, business, ministry, etc. Once I got going, tears started to flow as I thought about the more in-depth things I wanted—certain loved ones to come to know Jesus Christ and give their life to Him, for other loved ones to be delivered or healed.

Once I was done listing everything in my heart, my friend continued to deliver God’s message to me. The Lord told her he would grant me the desires of my heart under one condition: I had to see His people’s hearts the way He did. These are the same people I continually pray for but find challenging to minister to. I had to find a way to see their hearts how God sees them so that I can reach them.

God was giving me a conditional promise. If I did not keep up my end of the bargain, God would not deliver on His. There was just one problem: It was hard for me to see good hearts in challenging people. Particularly in people whose behaviors and actions do not align with a good heart. How could I see what I could not see?

One day, while praying for one of these seemingly difficult people. I started to ask God to help me. I asked Him to help me see this person’s true heart, and not what they portray. It wasn’t easy at first. I did not understand how this would work. Then the Holy Spirit stepped in, and I found myself praying the Word of God over them.

I started to declare Psalm 51:10 (NKJV) by saying, “Create in them a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit.” I also prayed Jeremiah 24:7 (NKJV) by saying, “Give them a heart to know you, Lord, and they will be your child, and you will be their God, and they will return to you with their whole heart.” Finally, I prayed Ezekiel 36:26 (NKJV) by saying, “Give them a new heart, Lord, and put a new spirit within them. Take out their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”

On and on I went, praying God’s truth over the lies of their character and calling those things that were not as if they were. I spoke about what I wanted to see and what God already sees. I continued this daily until I started to see them the way God does. I began to see the actual pain behind their ugly behavior. I started to see the true intent of their ungodly actions. It was genius. It made it easier to show compassion for those who are challenging to love and minister to.

I don’t know who you are called to help, but not everyone you are sent to will be an easy case. Whether a family member or a stranger, we are all called to help God’s people, especially the challenging ones. We can’t run from them or hide from the assignment. We must tend to those in need. Therefore, I encourage you to pray for what you want to see for your loved one. Pray God’s truth over them so that while you wait on the Lord to change them internally, you can already begin to see what God saw all along.

Let’s Pray: Father God, I thank You for the call. Although challenging, I thank You for equipping me for the task. Thank You for showing me the heart of your people so that I can better serve them and tend to their spiritual needs. Thank You for showing me how to be as compassionate as your Son Jesus Christ. Continue to guide me and teach me to walk in Your ways. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “A Heart Like Yours” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Give Me Your Eyes” by Brandon Heath. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Monique M. Anderson is a writer, creator, wife, and bonus mom. She was born and raised in Mount Vernon, NY, where she still resides. She released her always present yet hidden talent of writing to the masses in June 2019.  

Monique always felt like God was chasing after her but was never ready to surrender. Finally, she reached a point in her life when things started going left, and she no longer felt in control. At this point, she was ready to hand over the reins to God. After forming her relationship with God, she always felt compelled to share the revelation’s that His Word gave her. She felt The Holy Spirit prompting her to write but was afraid of what people might think. So, her writing started in her journal. The journal turned into a book and the book into a blog.

Her obedience provided more opportunities. In late 2021, Monique became a partner with the notable YouVersion Bible App as a Content Creator. With her first Bible plan debuting in December of 2021, she will continue to provide content for the app as long as God allows her to.

In 2021, God revealed her prophetic gift and how He wants her to use it. Monique always felt compelled to pray for others but had no idea God would use her in this way. Through this gift as a prophetic intercessor, she’s not just writing about what God can do but showing what God can do.

Since God has shown her who He created her to be, she now feels it is her life’s work to help those taking their first steps in their walk with Jesus Christ. She is doing so through her blog, prayer, and soon-to-be-published works. She is excited to extend her reach to YouTube, podcasts, and speaking engagements soon.

Her blog is the stepping stone to fulfilling the vision God gave to her: “Sharing God’s revelations so we can all better reflect his image and fulfill His purpose.”

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Connect with Monique:
Website: www.yourstrulymoe.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourstruly__moe/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Yours-Truly-Moe-140255684101423

Devotionals for the Heart: Learning what the Bible says about love

How to Fully Love Others
A devotional by Dr. Jessica B. Turner

“A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 

–Matthew 22:39 (NLT)

If you go to church, study the Bible, read Christian books or listen to faith-based podcasts, then you have most likely heard the commands Jesus Christ gave in the Scripture above.

If you are anything like me, you have likely heard it so many times that you don’t give it much thought anymore. We know we are called to love our neighbors. That is one of the first things you learn as a Christian. We may even understand that Jesus was talking about our literal neighbors as well as those across the ocean.

Plain and simple: We are called to love.

That should be easy enough, right? Yet it’s not. I struggle to love the way Jesus calls us to, especially when my “neighbor” is someone who doesn’t believe the same things I do.

But what about when it’s also difficult to love people who are like us? I believe the answer is in the latter part of Christ’s command. We tend to hear the part telling us to “love your neighbor” but we somehow gloss over “as yourself.”

This should prompt us to ask the question, “How do I love myself?”

If you struggle to answer that question honestly, you are not alone. I was in your shoes not too long ago. However, I’ve learned during my walk with God that it is extremely hard to love the way He calls us to when we don’t even love ourselves.

When I first gave my life to Jesus, I was broken. I had decades of buried trauma that I never fully acknowledged or attended to. Even as an adult, I saw myself as the little girl who was never good enough for my peers. This belief led to me feeling inadequate as a wife and a mother. No matter how hard I tried, I simply couldn’t seem to love myself the way I longed to. That is until I invited Jesus into healing my past wounds.

For once, I began to see myself the way Jesus saw me. Not through the lens of this world but as a daughter of the King of Kings! It was then that I realized the reason I always struggled with loving others freely was because I didn’t love myself the way God loves me. As soon as I opened my heart to His love, I was able to share it with others.

Today, I hope you see that you, too, are loved more than you will ever be able to comprehend! Such an understanding should encourage you to love in such a way that others experience a little piece of Heaven when they are with you.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me the way You do! Open my eyes to how You see me. Soften my heart so I may receive the fullness of Your love for me. When my self-image becomes hazy and the world begins to dictate my worth, help me to hear Your words of love and encouragement over all the noise. Fill me with Your love. Allow it to overflow so my love for others may reflect You. I love You and I trust You. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “How Beautiful” by Twila Paris. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Dr. Jessica B. Turner is a wife, mom, and LSU graduate with a degree in veterinary medicine. 

After practicing small animal medicine for six years, she traded in her stethoscope to become an online wellness coach, motivational speaker, and writer with a passion for mental health advocacy. This major life change was sparked after Jessica struggled with postpartum depression soon after she birthed her twin girls.

Along with Jessica’s career change came the discovery of who Jesus Christ really is and how He was the missing piece for her to be able to move forward in past trauma that she had suppressed for decades. Jesus walked alongside Jessica as she underwent a transformation like none other.

God transformed Jessica’s life from a broken mom who struggled with depression, anxiety, disordered eating, and PTSD from witnessing an attempted suicide, to using her experiences to make her a powerful vessel for Him. To this day, God enables Jessica to touch the lives of others through her often unfiltered, yet inviting form of storytelling.

Throughout this process of refinement, Jessica has shared her life story with the world through her social media platforms, in-person events, blog posts, and podcasts. She values the gift of transparency and has discovered that what so many people need to know is that they are not alone. Jessica has walked in their shoes, and she wants the world to know that Jesus is walking with them as well.

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Connect with Jessica:
Website: www.jessicabturner.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessicabturner/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicabturner/

Devotionals for the Heart: Why we need to love difficult people

Loving difficult people
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

They’re everywhere, aren’t they? That critical coworker always on your case. That backstabbing neighbor who pretends to be your friend yet gossips behind your back. That passive-aggressive family member or drama-hungry colleague always stirring up emotional chaos. Even your sweet child or spouse, who also happens to know exactly how to push all your buttons and drive you bonkers.

Whatever label you attach—rude, mean, judgmental, antagonistic, snide, or just plain annoying—“difficult” people aren’t always easy to love. Maybe they’ve always been difficult, but you’re forced to interact with them because you are closely connected, such as a relative. Or maybe they’re normally just fine, but they’re going through a rough patch, such as a breakup, death, mental health crisis, or job loss, and not dealing with it well.

These are the folks whose phone calls send that “oh, no” dread into the pit of your stomach, who you’re tempted to find out have RSVP’d before you accept that party invitation, who you avoid when you see coming so you don’t have to interact with them in the hallway. Sometimes, they have the ability to turn your sunshiny day into a gloom of despair. Sometimes, it’s a nonstop fight.

Over the years, I’ve known a lot of difficult people. Truth be told, sometimes I’ve been that “difficult person,” myself. I’ve had dark phases where I was filled with insecurity, envy, ambition, greed, fury, and wildly unrealistic expectations. I didn’t even like my own company very much, and I imagine others didn’t either.

As a Christian, how do we deal with “difficult people”? Jesus commands us to “love thy neighbor” (Matthew 22:36-40), but does that mean we have to like them, too?

The short answer: Yes.

Here’s the thing—difficult people are nothing new. We’ve grumbled, complained, lusted, lied, thieved, and envied our way through relationships since the days of Adam and Eve. People can be wonderful, loyal, loving, and supportive companions, but we can also be real jerks to each other—even (and sometimes especially) to those we love. Now, if that difficult person in your life is abusive in some way, that is different. Abuse is illegal, dangerous, and by no means permissible or explainable.

But for those “regular” difficult types, I offer two key things that can help you as a Christian love—and even like, or perhaps just tolerate—that person better.

The first is looking within. Are their behaviors a little too “close to home”? Many times, I feel an aversion to someone who reminds me of myself in some way—and particularly of things I don’t like about myself and strive to push past. Maybe you have far more in common with that “annoying coworker” than you think you do. Maybe she’s just an earlier version of you, and you could help her evolve just like someone else helped you.

In Matthew 7, Jesus said, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye’” (Matthew 7:3-5 NIV).

Think about it. Pray about it.

The second is grace. Other than Jesus, I’ve never met a single perfect person—myself included. God made every one of us, and He loves every one of us in spite of this. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the debt of our sins so we could have eternal life, and He did this not because of anything we accomplished, but because of the vast and inexplicable love He has for us. We are to model that, too, as best as possible, including when that is not easy. That’s called grace.

As the apostle Paul wrote to the early church in Colossae, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12-14 NIV).

Remember: Love is quite often a choice, not an emotion. It’s deciding to accept a person, flaws and all, and walk beside them. It’s choosing to care for them as much as or even more than you care for yourself.

Choose to love. Choose grace. Choose compassion.

And live in the full freedom of Christ.

~*~
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.

You can also connect with her on YouTube, 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.