Devotionals for the Heart: Why we should seek God's Kingdom first

Seek First: What Has to Move Before Everything Else Falls into Place
A devotional by Heidi Lewis-Ivey

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”—Matthew 6:33 (KJV)

There’s a word most of us skip right past in our anchor text above: first.

We read it in Matthew 6:33 the way we read a stop sign we've driven past a thousand times—technically registering it, not actually stopping. Seek first the kingdom of God? “Sure. Of course,” we may think. Then we go right on seeking whatever we were already seeking, with God added somewhere near the top of the list instead of in first place at the very top.

I've read this verse more times than I can count. But sitting with it again recently, I got stuck on that one word in a way I hadn’t before. Not “seek God” in general. The word first, which means everything else in me has to be willing to move.

The verse was never really about what to add. It's about what needs to be reordered. When we read The Holy Bible, we see that Jesus Christ doesn't hand this verse about first seeking the kingdom of God to His disciples out of nowhere. Prior to the “seek ye first” sermon, Jesus spent several verses talking them down from anxiety. According to Matthew 6:31–32 (NKJV), Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”

I want you to notice something here: Jesus doesn't treat worry and misplaced priority as two separate problems. He treats them like the same problem. The anxious questions “What will I eat?” or “What will I wear?” or “Will I be okay?” are really questions about what’s sitting on the throne of a person's heart. Worry is what happens when something other than God has been quietly put in charge of your security. His prescription isn't “worry less.” It's “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33, NKJV). Not “Manage your anxiety better.” Reorder what you're seeking.

What Was Actually Sitting There

This is where it stopped being theoretical for me. I had to ask myself honestly: What have I been seeking first? Not what I’d say out loud in church. What my calendar says. What my mind drifts to the moment nothing else demands it. What I reach for when I'm anxious.

Jesus had already named the competition a few verses earlier, and I think it’s easy to read past this one too: “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:20–21, NKJV).

Treasure isn't only money. It's whatever I've quietly organized my life around protecting. And most of us have treasure we've never actually said out loud. Treasures like comfort, approval, control, the appearance of having it together. Seeking the kingdom first was never about adding God to a list that already has a king on it. It's about letting Him remove whoever's currently sitting there, even when what's sitting there feels harmless.

A King Who Actually Did This

While I sat with this passage about seeking God first, I kept coming back to the Bible stories about King Solomon. God gave him about as open an offer as a person can receive ask for anything. He could have asked for wealth, long life or the defeat of his enemies. Instead, King Solomon said, “Give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil” (1 Kings 3:9, NKJV).

He sought something aligned with what God had actually called him to, not just what would make his own life easier. And Scripture tells us exactly what happened next: God gave him the wisdom he asked for and the wealth and honor he never asked for. Remember: King Solomon didn’t seek riches and hope wisdom would tag along. He sought rightly, and the rest was added.

What Actually Gets Reordered

Here’s what I needed to hear myself: Seeking the kingdom first was never about abandoning the rest of life. Jesus says those things are added, not stripped away. But they need to come second. Paul puts it in slightly different words when he says this in Colossians 3:2 (NKJV), “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”

That’s not a call to disengage from work, family, or responsibility. It’s a call to hold all of it with an open hand instead of a closed fist to let God's kingdom be the thing everything else gets organized around, instead of squeezing Him into whatever space is left over after I’ve secured everything else first.

Where I Landed

I walked away from sitting with this passage less concerned with what I needed to add to my life, and much more aware of what needed to move. Seeking God's kingdom first was never about doing more for God. It’s about letting Him take the first place that something else—comfort, control, approval, even things that are good—has been quietly occupying. The Bible says in Psalm 37:4 (NKJV), “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

Reordering costs something in the moment. It always does. But it's the only way the rest of it ever actually falls into place. Think about what needs to be reordered in your life. Write it down. Don’t condemn yourself. Allow God’s Holy Spirit to show you what’s out of order. Ask Jesus, “Lord, what am I still holding on to that You are asking me to place on the altar?”

You don't have to have it all figured out before you come to Him. He’s not waiting for a perfect response, just an honest one. Whatever comes to mind as you sit with that question, don’t push it back down. Bring it right here, right now, and let this be the moment you lay it down. Let’s turn that honesty into prayer.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,

I confess that I haven't always sought You first. I've let comfort, control, approval, and a dozen smaller things quietly take the place that belongs to You. Forgive me for the ways I've managed my own life instead of surrendering it for the times worry revealed exactly who, or what, I was really trusting.

I don’t want to just add You to what I’m already seeking. I want You to lead. Take the throne of my life back: my time, my decisions, my fears, the things I hold too tightly. Where I’ve built my own house while Yours sits unattended, forgive me, and give me the courage to trust You to reorder what I’ve let drift.

I trust that as I seek You first, You will take care of the rest, just as You’ve promised. Have Your way in me, Lord. Lead me, Lord, and I’ll follow.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “O Come to the Altar” by Elevation Worship. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Withholding Nothing Medley” by William McDowell. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “Just Want You” by Travis Greene. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #4: “Nobody But Jesus” by Kelly Price (feat. Vanessa Bell Armstrong). Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #5: “First” by Lauren Daigle. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #6: “First Things First" by Consumed by Fire. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #7: “Lead Me Lord” by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. 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: Are you ready to meet Jesus Christ?

Are You Ready?
A devotional by Colette Christopher

“And just as each person is destined to die once, and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.”—Hebrews 9:27-28 (NLT)

It is easy to believe we have time on our hands. When asked about doing something, we usually say, “Tomorrow,” or “I will think about it and let you know tomorrow.” But what if tomorrow never comes?

The Apostle Paul tells us in Hebrews 9:27-28 that Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He reminds us that each of us has an appointment with death, and that after death there will be a judgment. These words were not written only for us to read and not respond; they call for a decision. This decision is a life-and-death one, and the choice we make determines our eternal resting place. We are living in a time when so much is happening that it seems our soul destination is not uppermost in our thoughts.

I think of our Heavenly Father’s great love for us: He sent His only Son (Jesus) to die for us (John 3:16). Our response to that love is revealed in the choice we make. We can say yes today or postpone the decision until tomorrow. The question Jesus asks us is the same for everyone: “Will you choose Me today?”

Yet our answers differ. The recent tragic flooding in Nepal that claimed many lives was painful to witness and a powerful reminder of the anchor Scripture (above). What people fail to realize sometimes is that tomorrow isn’t promised. When asked if we choose Christ, it is important to not delay that decision because the Bible says tomorrow is not promised (James 4:13-14).

This question of “Are you ready to meet Jesus?” has been lingering in my thoughts for the past couple of weeks. Some of my closest friends have lost their loved ones within the last two months either tragically or without warning. Some had put off their decision to choose Jesus until tomorrow. Others made the decision to choose Christ today.

“You can’t speed up nor slow down death.” The Holy Spirit spoke these words to me in my mind as I mourned with my friends through their loss and mourned the loss of one of my best friends. I heard the next question in my heart: What did these deaths have in common? “They all passed suddenly,” I responded. Then God gently said and they all had time to decide. Because we can neither speed up or slow down death. We cannot know when we will die. Therefore, what we do with our lives matters and the choices we make in either saying yes or we want to wait until tomorrow to decide has eternal consequences now.

The Bible says in Hebrews 3:15 (NLT), “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.”

I don’t know where you are in your faith walk with Jesus Christ. Maybe you have said yes to Him or may still be on the fence, or you may be waiting for tomorrow. Wherever you are, I encourage you to take this decision very seriously.

None of us know when we will die. Therefore, the best response to the Holy Spirit’s tug on your heart should be to say yes today. It will be the best decision you will ever make in your life, as not only will all your sins be forgiven, but you also have the assurance of eternal life with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Nothing else is more important than this life-changing decision because it determines where we will spend eternity.

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for sending your only Son who was sinless, to die on Calvary’s cross to pay the price for our sins. Lord, I pray for every person reading this devotional today. Remind them of your love, and that your plan for us to spend an eternity with you. Wherever they are in their journey with you—whether on the fence or waiting on the “right” time—I ask that You will impress on them the urgency of deciding to follow Christ. Lord, have your way in their lives and let your plans and purpose for them be accomplished. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “Tomorrow” by The Winans. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Can You Reach My Friend” by Helen Baylor. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “I Will Follow Christ” by Clay Crosse, Bebe Winans, and Bob Carlisle. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Colette Christopher is an empowered woman who inspires women to be who they were created to be. Her core message is empowerment. She is an author, certified life coach, podcast host, and trainer with the Maxwell Leadership team. 

Colette believes that an empowered woman empowers others and is powerful in knowing who she is and what she can accomplish. Colette is on a mission to impact the lives of the women assigned to her, whether she is their coach or trainer or shares a word that will transform their lives.

Colette utilizes her Christian principles as the base of all her engagements. She is passionate about fulfilling her life purpose of empowering women to know who they are, rebuild their confidence, and use their voices as tools to uplift themselves and others.

​​She is the founder of the M.E.E. Movement L.L.C., a faith-based empowerment ministry business that helps women of faith rebuild their confidence and use their voice to walk in their purpose through life coaching, mentoring, and empowerment speaking. Colette believes in using the gifts God has given her to help women be who God has called them to be and ultimately fulfill the purpose for which they were created. She lives by Romans 8:28 (NIV), that promises, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

A native of Jamaica, Colette resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She is the mother of two beautiful young women, a son-in-love, and two grandsons. Colette enjoys reading, writing, watching good movies, and chatting with her daughters and friends.

~*~
Connect with Colette:
Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2367935
Email: Colettemarieonline@gmail.com

"Praying God's Blessings in Christ as We Suffer" (book) by Dr. Lauri Hogle

The Story Behind Dr. Lauri Hogle’s book, Praying God's Blessings in Christ as We Suffer: Scripture Prayers for the Hardest Days:

Several years ago, after a second brain surgery that brought only partial relief, I lay in bed wrestling with unrelenting chronic pain.

Kind friends, wanting the best for me, would say they were praying for God’s favor and blessing so that the suffering would finally stop. Their words were full of love, yet each time I heard them I felt an anguished cry rise within me: But I already have His favor and blessing!

In the quiet of my tears, God reached into my hurting heart. He flooded me with the rich truths of Scripture and the voices of faithful hymn writers who had walked through their own valleys. Songs like “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” and “Blessed Assurance” became lifelines. Ephesians 1:3 exploded into living reality: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” I began to see that the greatest blessings are not the absence of pain but the presence of Christ Himself—pardon, peace, adoption, eternal life, the indwelling Spirit, and a guaranteed future glory.

These truths did not remove my affliction, but they reframed it. They gave me language to pray when words failed and songs to sing when sorrow threatened to drown out hope. That experience birthed this book, Praying God's Blessings in Christ as We Suffer. I wrote it because I desperately needed these truths myself, and I know many others do too.

Too often, Christian teaching on suffering focuses primarily on asking God to take it away. While there is nothing wrong with crying out for relief, Scripture invites us into something deeper. Even in the darkest nights, we are called to remember what God has already given us in His Son (Jesus Christ). The Apostle Paul, writing from prison, could still praise God who “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.” If that was true for Paul in chains, it is true for us in chronic illness, grief, disability, or any form of ongoing tribulation.

This book is not a theological treatise or a step-by-step guide to “victorious living.” It is a lament prayer book. Each chapter draws from God’s Word and pairs it with hymns and prayers that help us speak Biblical truth to our souls when pain, fear, or doubt scream the loudest. Each chapter is filled with the honest tension many of us feel—prayers for earthly comfort colliding with the deeper reality of spiritual riches we already possess.

I wrote this book for fellow sufferers who know Jesus as Savior and Lord. Whether your pain is physical like mine, emotional, relational, or the heavy burden of watching a loved one endure hardship, these pages are for you. I also wrote it for those nearing the end of earthly life who wonder if greater tribulation awaits.

My prayer is that this book will function as a healing balm and a gospel trumpet for weary souls. I hope readers will discover, as I did, the power of praying Scripture back to God—thanking Him for His past faithfulness, His present mercies, and His future promises. I want sufferers to be able to sing with fresh confidence: “Blessings all mine and ten thousand beside!”

I hope the book helps shift our gaze from what we lack to what we possess in Christ. When chronic pain flares, when grief feels crushing, when the future seems frightening, may these prayers and songs anchor us in the unshakeable reality of our union with Jesus.

One of the old hymns included in the book says it beautifully: “Ten thousand blessings it contains/Divinely rich and free/or helpless, wretched, ruined man/Though vile and base as we.”

That is the heart of the gospel. It is not a message for the strong or the comfortable only. It is especially sweet for the weak, the afflicted, and the needy. I pray this book helps readers feel welcomed at the throne of grace, not as those who must first “prove” their worthiness or “fix” their circumstances, but as those already purchased by the blood of the Lamb.

Writing this book has been an act of worship born out of my ongoing chronic pain. It has forced me to preach the gospel to my own soul day after day. Some mornings I can barely whisper the prayers; other days I sing them through tears. But every time I return to these truths, my heart finds rest. My hope is that your heart will too.

If you are suffering today, know that you are not alone. Bring your tears and fears to the Lord. Let His Word wash over you as you pray. May you leave these pages more deeply convinced that you are blessed in Christ—truly, eternally, and presently—whatever your circumstances may be. And may we together “bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalm 103:2).

That is why I wrote Praying God's Blessings in Christ as We Suffer: Scripture Prayers for the Hardest Days. Not to offer false hope of earthly ease, but to point us to the living Hope who holds us fast. May He use these prayers to comfort, strengthen, and sustain you as you walk through the valley, until we see Him face to face.

In Christ’s love,

Lauri A. Hogle, PhD

~*~
Author Bio:

Lauri A. Hogle, PhD, music therapist, music educator, and church musician, heads Singing Christ's Hope, a nonprofit ministry found at singchristhope.org. 

Her words and musical offerings have touched lives across the globe. 

Lauri's Bible study prayer books, including "Praying God's Blessings in Christ as We Suffer," "Near to God," "Praying God's Promises Into Suffering," "Singing the Gospel to Job," and a children's book, "In the Valleys of God's Love," are complemented by weekly playlist gifts for suffering Christian women.

Her lifelong passion is to glorify God through music, teaching, research, and writing. By God's gracious blessing, in many years of serious illness, her great joy is as wife, mother, and Nana.

~*~
Back cover copy for Lauri’s book: 

Amid chronic suffering, tribulation, or our life's final days, where does a Christian find hope? This poignant and powerful book invites you to discover the unshakable blessings already yours in Christ, within your deepest suffering and pain.

Written during Lauri’s journey of severe, chronic physical affliction, this book weaves together short lament prayers, Biblically grounded hymns, and Scriptures about God’s unending favor toward His beloved in Christ. This 90-day devotional is a tender companion for anyone facing trials, offering a pathway to sing and pray of God’s past, present, and future blessings to those united with Jesus.

Whether you’re enduring chronic suffering, fearing future tribulation, or seeking peace in life’s final moments, Praying God's Blessings in Christ as We Suffer is a healing balm for your soul. Let it lead you to cry, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2 ESV), as you rest in our faithful Lord’s continual blessings in Christ.

~*~
Connect with Dr. Lauri:

Website: singchristhope.org

Substack: https://lauriahogle.substack.com

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@singingchristshope?si=cYHRjf5fA1Y9_gyE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SingChristHope

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauribellehogle

Devotionals for the Heart: God is our refuge when life wears us down

Finding Refuge When the Weight Is Too Much to Bear
A devotional by Erica Bryant

“Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.”—Psalm 61:1-3 (NKJV)

Life has a way of shifting on a dime.

One phone call, one doctor's report, one sudden change in circumstances, and the ground beneath us can feel unstable. Recently, I received bad news. It was a crushing weight that seemed only to grow heavier as it consumed my thoughts, leaving me completely overwhelmed in every sense of the word.

According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, the word “overwhelm” means “to cover over completely” or “to overcome by superior force or numbers”, or “to overpower in thought or feeling.” This was my exact reality. I felt buried beneath the news, defeated before I even had a chance to process it. It was simply too much to carry, too much to bear. Yet, as we so often do, I tried to carry it anyway. Day after day, I dragged that heavy burden around, attempting to just keep “doing life” while carrying a load that was literally crushing me.

Then, I remembered to cry out to God.

Running to the Rock

In Psalm 61:1–3 (NKJV), King David wrote: “Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.” David knew troubled seasons well. While scripture doesn't detail the exact crisis behind this psalm, it reveals something far more important: In times of trouble, David knew where to run.

Notice how David opens this psalm: “Hear my cry...attend to my prayer.” He starts by asking God to hear and attend to his prayer. It wasn't that David doubted God’s willingness to listen. Rather, it was the raw cry of desperation; much like asking a loved one, “Do you hear me?” when the pain is so deep you just need to know you aren't alone. David knew God heard him, but he needed the grounding reassurance of God's presence in the midst of his trouble.

When life's circumstances push you to the edge and your heart feels submerged in waters that are too high, you don't need a quick fix; you need a higher foundation. You need to be led to the Rock that is higher than your circumstances. This is more than just a place where God lifts you above the immediate fray and surrounds you. That Rock is Jesus Christ, and that place is His presence.

Where Does Your Heart Lead You?

We all experience hard times, but the real question is: In those moments, where do you run?

When the weight becomes unbearable, it's easy to retreat into temporary numbing mechanisms:

• Escaping into alcohol, drugs, or food
• Retreating into oversleeping or endless doom scrolling
• Burying ourselves in busy work to avoid feeling the pain
• Acting like everything is okay while we're collapsing inside

None of these remedies can ease the load of an overwhelmed heart. They only delay the reality waiting for us when we wake up or put the phone down.

Instead of turning to things that temporarily dull the pain, we are invited to turn to the One who is a genuine shelter and fortress—a safe place for us, even while the storm continues to rage. You were never designed to carry life's heavy burdens in your own strength. When your heart feels overwhelmed, run to the Rock. Run to Jesus. He is strong enough to handle every problem. And He cares enough to carry you!

Running to the Rock

Running to the Rock means shifting your focus from your big problems to an even bigger God. When your emotions are spinning, running to Jesus is a step-by-step choice to trust Him.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, I advise you to take these three steps:

Step #1: Cry Out When You Are Overwhelmed

Psalm 61:1-2a (NKJV) says, “Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You.” David does not wait until he feels better to pray. He prays from his state of brokenness. Make prayer an immediate response, not a last resort.

Step #2: Ask God to Lift You Up

Psalm 61:2b (NKJV) says, “When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” David recognized that the Rock is too high for him to climb on his own strength. He needs help to get there. Surrender control. Stop trying to climb out of your problems on your own. Ask the Holy Spirit to pull your mind and heart up to God's perspective.

Step #3: Remember the Goodness of God

Psalm 61:3 (NKJV) says, “For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.” David runs to God because he remembers God's perfect track record of protecting him. Practice holy remembrance. When a new storm hits, remember to intentionally look back over your life and list the times God has already protected, sheltered, and saved you.

The next time life threatens to overwhelm you, remember this Biblical truth: You don't have to carry the weight alone. There is a Rock higher than your circumstances, a shelter stronger than any storm, and a Savior (Jesus Christ) who invites you to come just as you are—broken, weary, and desperate. Run to Him. He is waiting.

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father,

When the weight of life feels too heavy to bear, remind me that I was never meant to carry it alone. Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I am. Help me run to Jesus, my shelter and strong tower. When I feel overwhelmed, help me to run to You first, not last. Lift my eyes above my circumstances to see Your goodness, Your faithfulness, and Your perfect love. In my weakness, be my strength. In my fear, be my peace. In my brokenness, be my healer. I surrender this pain to You, trusting that You care for me and that You can carry what I cannot.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “Lead Me to the Rock” by Carly Fletcher. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “A Secret Place” by Karen Clark Sheard. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “One Thing I Know” by Selah. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #4: “Healer” by Kari Jobe. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #5: “His Strength is Perfect” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Erica N. Bryant is a passionate Bible teacher, speaker, and author who desires to see believers live in the complete freedom and joy of the Holy Spirit. 

As the founder of Sparrow's Song Ministries, Erica invites a community of believers to get to know God by falling in love with His Word. Through Bible study resources, devotionals, teaching, and mentorship, Sparrow's Song encourages others to grow in intimacy with God and walk daily in the power of His Holy Spirit. She began The Word W.O.R.K.S. campaigns to help believers walk in Wholeness, Obedience, Righteousness, and Kingdom Success.

Erica is a writer with several published works including devotionals for adults and children, topical and textual Bible studies, and Scripture journals. In her debut book, Dwell: Living Life Fully Knowing that the Holy Spirit Lives in You, Erica draws from her own journey of healing from childhood trauma, rejection, and the struggles of fear and anxiety. With honesty and hope, she invites readers to embrace the life-giving truth that God's Spirit resides within them. Erica believes that when you know the Holy Spirit dwells in you, everything changes.

Erica is a passionate speaker who effectively communicates God’s Word with clarity and conviction. She speaks a relevant word to hearers and ministers to their hearts, inspires practical application, and empowers them to grow in faith and purpose.

Erica is a devoted wife and loving mother who actively serves in various roles at Strait Gate Deliverance Center.

Ultimately, she is just a girl in love with God and she is a soldier for Jesus Christ.

Devotionals for the Heart: Why Jesus Christ wants us to focus on Him

Fixing our eyes on the One who gave His life for us
A devotional by Regina Marcazzo-Skarka

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”—Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)

Hebrews 12:2 is one of two verses that I recite to myself most mornings before I get out of bed every day. I chose the verse as one to keep me grounded and focused on the one who saved me instead of the trials and sadness that sometimes drag me into a pity party and make me feel far from God.

Do I think Jesus Christ was happy about the race He willingly marked for himself to suffer and die on a cross? Jesus who lived a perfect, sinless life, was surrounded by two criminals and jeered at by countless people watching His crucifixion. To top it off, He was worn and in pain from being tortured and nailed to the cross.

But He did it because of the joy it would give him knowing that we would spend eternity with Him in glory. How can we live a life worthy of His sacrifice?

It is not easy or possible but praise God that we don’t have to. After all, we are saved by grace through faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9).

As Christians, we take part in the lifelong sanctification process and are called to follow the path Jesus “pioneered” for us by focusing on Jesus and reflecting on what He did for us and how He lived while He was on Earth. Jesus not only died for us to save us from our sins; He gave us an advocate (the Holy Spirit) to live inside us and guide us while we are still living in this fallen world. Jesus gave us everything we need. I am grateful.

If you’re anything like me, it’s easy to get sidetracked and let the things of the world become a source of discouragement. We should try not to let our mind stray to negativity or sadness. Instead, we should strive to move forward, trusting God’s perfect will for us with the help of His Word (The Holy Bible), through community with other believers, and by using our experiences to help others. Sometimes we just need to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).

But how do we fix our eyes on Jesus when there are so many distractions and so much pain that we hear about every day via the news and other sources?

Feasting on God’s Word (The Holy Bible) and fellowshipping with other believers is important, as is praying without ceasing. Thinking about the lives of Bible heroes and the trials they endured can also lead to gratitude and wonder thanks to the power of God. Reading through the great faith chapter (Hebrews 11) in the Bible and remembering the lives of incredible men and women who obeyed God through trials and tasks that most of us could never imagine, is very inspiring—especially when we read that some of those people we read about in the Bible never saw the promised outcome on this side of Heaven.

I’ve often tried to figure out who amazes me more: Abraham who ventured into unknown territory then brought his son Isaac to be sacrificed, or Noah who appeared as a fool building a gigantic ark because God told him to in preparation of the flood God would send. Noah built the ark despite everyone thinking he was crazy because rain never poured out from the sky. And there are so many more true stories in the Bible about heroes of the faith who obeyed God without question.

Hebrews 12:1 begins with “therefore” which refers to the great faith chapter as a reminder of how well the heroes of Hebrews 11 trusted God even through intense adversity and how we should remember that faith and trust God as we navigate both hardship and good times.

I may not always like the race marked out for me, but I love the idea of running that race with perseverance and with gratefulness always remembering how Jesus, my Savior, died so that I could live.

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord,

Thank You for your sacrifice on the cross and the pain you bore to save me. I praise You for filling me with the Holy Spirit and ask that I be reminded to seek Him in every decision. I pray that throughout my life I would grow in my faith and that I would live my life sharing You with those who do not know You. Help me to fix my eyes on You every moment of my day. Help me to show love to others like You showed love to me. Teach me how to live a life that shows a reflection of You in me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” by Hillsong Worship. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “I Will Follow Christ” by Clay Crosse, Bebe Winans & Bob Carlisle. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “Fix My Eyes” by for King and Country. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #4: “Every Moment” by Forever Jones. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #5: “Thank You Jesus for the Blood” by Charity Gayle. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #6: “Knowing You, Jesus” by Graham Kendrick. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #7: “Everything” by Lauren Daigle. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #8: “Mercy Tree” by Lacey Sturm. 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: A simple solution for when you feel anxious

What to do when you feel anxious
A devotional by Patricia Russell

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

—Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)

“I find myself getting so anxious these days and I don’t know why!”

This was the cry from a dear mother, we’ll call her Victoria, who I had spent a few hours visiting. She was feeling overwhelmed and anxious. I assured her that everything was going to be alright. I could not lessen her fears, but I offered hope. My response came from my own personal experience because I’ve been there too. I know that distressing feeling as if you’re about to drown in a rush of drowning emotions like the rising wave of water.

“Stop,” I told Victoria. Because when our thoughts begin to spiral, our natural instinct is to rush ahead. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is stop. Pausing to take a breath. Consciously feeling our breath move through our lungs and slowly releasing it gradually changes the direction those anxious thoughts want to take us. This simple action can shift the direction of our anxious thoughts. It may sound unusually simple, but it still works.

This stress-reducing response is a practice we can use daily, not only when we are feeling overwhelmed. I have learned to have a strategy in place knowing it’s not if, but when those moments arise. When we study the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we see how He responded in times of crisis. Think of Him in the wilderness. His body and soul felt weary from fasting for 40 days and 40 nights. Jesus was emotionally and physically depleted, but His spirit was very much alert. The devil appeared to him at this weakest point and tried to tempt Jesus several times. But each time, Jesus responded, “It is written” and spoke what was already deep-seated within Him: Scripture. The Word of God (The Holy Bible) was Christ’s weapon to fight the torment from the devil that was meant to get Him to sin and therefore fail His mission to save the souls of humankind (John 3:16-17).

We can follow Christ’s example by having that resolve to resist the devil and respond to temptation with Scripture, but we need to prepare for these battles through reading God’s Word, praying to Him and meditating on His Word. Are we consciously preparing for those moments of temptation, anxiety and frustration?

Let’s look at another example found in the Bible story about King David. As a youth, David was anointed to be the next king. He boldly chose to face a literal giant, Goliath, and struck him down using a slingshot and a stone. He did this to make God’s name great but was not ready for what would follow. The people praised him by saying, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7 NIV). They heralded the great success David had over their current King Saul. This drove Saul into jealousy, and he wanted to kill David.

The Bible tells us of a time when David was playing a lyre in the presence of King Saul who then tried to hurl his spear at David, hoping to pin him to the wall (1 Samuel 18:10-11). But David escaped him. Can you imagine the confusion, fear and anxiety that began to sweep over David? He had to run for his life. He went from being a hero into hiding because Saul continued to try to kill David.

We have many passages of Scripture to show us David’s emotional health during this time. Psalm 55:1-3 (NIV) says, “Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me, and I am distraught because of what my enemy is saying, because of the threats of the wicked; for they bring down suffering on me and assail me in their anger.”

David cried out to God because he needed answers. His thoughts were going wild. God is not afraid of our honest cries for help. He heard David’s cry then and He hears our cries now. Like David, we need to stand on God’s faithfulness.

Feelings of anxiety and overwhelm may come in waves. Consider tracking them. Notice when they hit. Is it in the morning activity, in the evening or while doing certain activities? When the waves roll in, open The Holy Bible and search for scriptures that talk about fear, anxiety, and burdens. The Psalms are great place to start because it reminds us that David cried out to God for help and God answered.

The Book of Psalms shows us that David always remembered the times when God had brought relief and strengthened him. It is those times of reflection that helped David to press on. The same is true for us today. When our thoughts start to spiral downward into depression and despair, we need to stop, speak to the Lord and stand on the truths we know about Him.

Remember how you experienced God’s help in the past. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). God remains faithful. He will be faithful to walk with us in the happy moments as well as the dark days that will inevitably come our way but will come to pass. Be encouraged!

Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father, I’m so thankful that You are aware of the anxiety that we face at times. Those are hard days and I need You to remind me that your strength is made perfect in my weakness. I need to know You are near. Remind me of the truth found in Your Word. Help me to hold onto these truths as I walk through tough times. Remind me that You are with me through it all. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “Trust in God” by Elevation Worship (feat. Chris Brown & Isaiah Templeton). Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Draw Me Nearer Medley: I Am Thine, O Lord / Draw Me Close” by Patricia Russell. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “Press On” by Selah. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #4: “He’s Been Faithful” by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and TaRanda Greene. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #5: “He is with You” by Mandisa. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #6: “Through it All” by Andrae Crouch. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #7: “Draw Me Nearer” by Meredith Andrews. 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: Why we need to not neglect our physical body

Why God Wants Us to Take Good Care of Our Body
A devotional by Erica J. Hill

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”—1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (NIV)

Honoring God is not just about praying and reading God’s Word (The Holy Bible)—it’s also about taking care of the physical body He gave us.

Too often, we prioritize convenience and comfort over care. We sit for hours binge-watching shows, scrolling through our phones, and ignoring the body's need for movement and strength. But if we truly believe that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, then caring for it is an act of worship. 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (NIV) tells us, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

When we neglect our physical bodies, we can sometimes find our energy and focus lacking as well. Not getting enough rest can make it harder to get up early and meet with God. Honoring our bodies doesn't have to begin with dramatic changes. Discipline may begin very simply: taking a walk, drinking more water, stretching, getting adequate rest, turning off the phone, preparing nourishing food, or consistently making time for movement. And when we add God into it, we are honoring our spirits as well. We can incorporate God into every walk, run, and workout—not only building our physical strength but our spiritual strength as well.

Ephesians 6:11 (NIV) tells us to “put on the full armor of God.” Let’s be real—armor is heavy. However, a soldier doesn’t show up to the battlefield unprepared. They go through rigorous training—what we call “bootcamp” today—to condition their bodies and minds for the weight they must carry. Training happens beforehand, repeatedly, until the body adapts. Similarly, we as believers carry burdens daily: the weight of our calling, the struggles of our families, and the challenges of standing for Jesus Christ in a broken world.

Like bootcamp, our faith walk with Jesus includes building physical strength through movement and discipline, spiritual endurance through prayer and Scripture, and combat readiness through spiritual warfare. We face trials. We lean on our community. We practice sacrifice. And through each of these experiences, God is developing our endurance. One workout cannot build strength, just as one morning of prayer cannot sustain an entire spiritual life.

Consistency doesn't mean we never miss a day or never struggle. It means we keep returning. It means choosing to spend time in God’s Word when we would rather scroll, praying when we don't feel particularly spiritual, and continuing spiritual habits even when immediate results aren't visible. We shouldn't wait until the crisis comes to develop discipline. We can pray consistently before the diagnosis, conflict, loss, temptation, or disappointment. We can study Scripture before we desperately need to remember what God said. We can strengthen our bodies before life requires stamina from us.

There will be mornings when we don't feel like exercising. There will be evenings when prayer feels difficult. There will be seasons when spiritual growth seems slow. Just as Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 9:27 (ESV), “I discipline my body and keep it under control.” Discipline says, “My feelings don't get the final vote.” We aren't doing this just to win, but to give God the glory.

Hebrews 12:1–2 (NIV) reminds us (I am quoting part of these two verses, not all of it), “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” We may have difficult days, slow seasons, and moments when we need to begin again. But we can continue moving forward, trusting God to strengthen us along the way.

Following Jesus invites us into a life of growth and faithful obedience. Let’s honor God with our soul and our body. Move your feet in prayer. Stretch your faith and your limbs. Train for the fight. Not because we must prove ourselves, but because we want to steward well what God has entrusted to us.

And when we stumble, we don't have to stay there. His grace gives us the freedom to begin again. We don't have to get everything right. We can simply return to what matters, trusting God to meet us in the small, faithful choices we make each day.

The goal isn't perfection. It's faithful preparation. One prayer. One step. One healthy choice. One act of obedience at a time. And with God beside us, we can keep showing up.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for making my body a temple of Your Holy Spirit. Forgive me for the ways I’ve neglected this gift. Teach me to care for my body with the same intentionality I give to my spiritual life. Help me train like a soldier—strong in faith and firm in body—so I can carry the armor You’ve given me with grace and endurance.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “The Battle is The Lord’s” by Yolanda Adams. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “The Battle Belongs to God Praise Medley” by Nathaniel Bassey. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “I Will Follow Christ” by Clay Crosse, Bebe Winans & Bob Carlisle. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #4: “Be the One” by Al Denson. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Erica J. Hill is a wife, mother, and proud grandmother living in Georgia. 

With a career spanning both elementary education and higher education, she has served as an elementary and middle grade English Language Arts (ELA) teacher and now works as an administrative assistant in higher education. Currently pursuing her master’s degree in Instructional Technology and Media Center Specialist, Erica’s love for learning and teaching runs deep.

Raised in the Southern Baptist tradition, she has faithfully served as a Sunday School teacher and now as one of the youth directors at her church. A lifelong writer at heart, Erica once set her passion aside to pursue other career goals—but recently felt God’s undeniable tug to pick up her pen again, this time to write for His Kingdom.

She is currently working on her first book, Worthy. Whole. Woman. It is a devotional that she hopes will be an encouraging resource created to uplift and empower women—especially women of color—to walk confidently in their God-given identity.

Through her words, Erica blends faith in God, personal reflection, and practical wisdom to inspire women to heal, grow, and embrace the fullness of who God created them to be.

Originally from Atlanta, Erica now calls Macon County home, where she lives with her husband and children. In her free time, you’ll usually find Erica curled up with a good book, working on DIY projects, or planning her next travel adventure.

~*~
Connect with Erica:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leahsgrace2931/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahsgrace2931/

Devotionals for the Heart: When our garden needs to be pruned by God

Sometimes Our Spiritual Garden Needs a Little Pruning
A devotional by Alicia Searl

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”—John 15:5 (NIV)

When I was a young lady in college, I remember sitting in a small church, listening to the pastor explain this verse, and thinking to myself: Am I a true follower of Jesus Christ? 

At the time I didn’t think so. The loneliness I experienced in those years brought me to a place of longing to know who I was and who God really was.

Honestly, it’s a journey we must all face. However, if you have currently (or have ever) questioned your faith, it can be comforting to know that we have the Bible that gives us glimpses into the lives of Godly people that also encountered trials in their faith. Some doubted God, others denied Him, many drifted or went astray, and a few failed to see the purpose of this life. Thankfully, God’s Word (The Holy Bible) provides answers and delivers the hope we need to soothe our aching hearts and confused souls.

In John 15, Jesus Christ is teaching His beloved disciples one final invaluable lesson. As He dined with His friends for one last meal, He wanted to make sure they understood the importance of how much He loved them, but also how much they would need to rely on Him to mature in their faith.

Jesus, being the greatest storyteller, uses the illustration of a vine and branches to demonstrate the precious relationship with Him and their Heavenly Father (God). While He is addressing His disciples in this passage, it easily pertains to us as believers. Jesus refers to Himself as the vine, the sustainer of life. While referring to God as the gardener (John 15:1). Then Jesus implies that we are the branches, and God cuts off branches that do not produce fruit, while pruning others to produce more fruit.

As a girl who dabbles in gardening, I can tell you pruning is essential for growth and life. Some branches need to be completely cut off to help the plant survive, while others show signs of possible life and only need a good trim to help the plant thrive. God’s love for us is similar because He sees our potential as He shapes and molds us, pruning and cutting away things that don’t serve us, so that we can be more of a reflection of Christ.

If your faith is in question or you find yourself in a spiritual drought, go back to the basics and reclaim the truth out loud for your heart, mind, and soul to hear: God is our ultimate sustainer of this life and He exists in three persons: Father (Gardener), Son (Jesus Christ as the Vine), and Holy Spirit (our spiritual guide to tend to us as the garden). Allow God to do a great work in and through you to revive and awaken your faith!

The truth of the matter is that we cannot thrive and produce “good fruit” (Galatians 5:22-23) of the Holy Spirit without being “rooted” in Christ. Our personal connection to Jesus doesn’t allow us to just merely get by; it allows us to flourish and live this life abundantly. We are designed to connect intimately with Jesus. And through that connection we are reminded that we are chosen. We are loved. We are a friend of God.

Let’s Pray:

Faithful Father,

You are so very good to us! We are grateful that You tend to us in every shape and form—from the nature of our hearts to the foundation of our faith in You. Give us the ability to soften the soil in our spiritual gardens so that we can grow deeper in our faith walk with Jesus Christ and draw closer to You. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “The Garden (Acoustic)” by Kari Jobe. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Graves into Gardens” ft. Brandon Lake | Live | Elevation Worship. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “Friend of God” by Israel Houghton & Churchome Music. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Alicia Searl is a Christian author, writer, writing coach, and speaker who is passionate about sharing God’s Word to spread hope and healing. 

She has an educational background and a master’s degree in advanced literacy. She is a contributing writer for iBelieve, Crosswalk, Christianity.com, and Your Daily Prayer. She has authored two devotionals, a children’s book of grief, and several Bible studies and prayer journals.

Alicia enjoys helping new and aspiring writers follow their calling and pursue their God-given purpose and shares personal faith stories on her blog. Her heartfelt words and authenticity are portrayed in each of her literary pieces in hopes of bringing her readers a sense of understanding, comfort, and encouragement on their faith journey.

Alicia resides in Texas where her family is currently fixing up a tiny home in the Piney Woods in East Texas to spread hope, bring healing, and share God’s love with others.

Devotionals for the Heart: Why we should pray to God when provoked

Provoked to Pray: What Do You Do with the Thing That Won’t Leave You Alone?
A devotional by Heidi Lewis-Ivey

“And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb.”—1 Samuel 1:6 (KJV)

There’s a word most of us don’t like—provoked.

When we hear it, we think of something negative. Someone provoked me. Something set me off. It’s the word we use for irritation, for conflict, for the moment right before we say something we regret. We talk about being provoked to anger, provoked to violence, provoked to say the thing we can’t take back once it’s out of our mouths. Go back and think about the last time you used this word. I’d bet it wasn’t in a positive sentence.

And yet, if you trace this word through Scripture, you’ll find it doesn’t always point downward. Sometimes it points a person straight to the throne of God.

There’s a woman in the Bible whose whole story turns on this word. Her name is Hannah, and her story is found in 1 Samuel chapter 1. What happens to her—what’s done to her—is described using this exact word: provoked. But watch what she does with it. She doesn’t let it turn her bitter, or hard, or cynical—though she has every reason to. She lets it turn her toward God.

That’s the whole idea I want to sit with here: the same pressure that could break you can also be the very thing that drives you to your knees. The provocation doesn’t determine the outcome. What you do with it does.

Let’s explore this Bible story in the book of 1 Samuel, starting with the setting:

Hannah is married to a man named Elkanah, who loves her—the text makes that clear. But Elkanah has two wives, which was not God’s original design but was common in that culture. His other wife, Peninnah, has children. Hannah has none.

In that ancient world, a woman’s worth was often measured by her ability to bear children. So, Hannah isn’t just dealing with personal disappointment, she’s carrying a weight her whole community would have recognized, and in some cases, judged her for.

Peninnah knows it. 1 Samuel 1:6 (KJV) tells us Peninnah “provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb.” This wasn’t occasional teasing. It happened year after year, every time the family went up to worship in the house of the Lord at Shiloh. Hannah’s pain had a source, and the source had a face, it was a person in her own household who knew exactly where to press.

Some of you know exactly what that’s like. Maybe it’s not a rival. Maybe it’s a coworker who never lets you forget your mistake, a family member who brings up the same wound at every gathering, or a voice in your own head that sounds suspiciously like someone from your past.

This wasn’t a one-time offense Hannah could shake off. It was a pattern, a season, where she had to keep showing up to the same feast, in front of the same rival, carrying the same wound, over and over again. Some of us aren’t dealing with a single provocation either. We’re dealing with a recurring one: the same argument at every family gathering, the same diagnosis update at every appointment, the same empty side of the bed every night, the same bill in the mailbox every month.

Hannah didn’t get to escape Peninnah. She was bound to that family, required by her faith to go up to Shiloh every year right back into the presence of the person who hurt her most. Many of us can’t escape our provocation either. We can’t quit that job yet. We can’t walk away from that family member. We can’t undo that diagnosis.

So, the real question Hannah’s story forces on us isn’t, “How do I get away from what provokes me?” For most of us, that’s not on the table. The question is: What am I going to do with it, since I have to keep facing it?

What Provokes Prayer

Provocation isn’t always sin, and it isn’t always someone else’s cruelty. Sometimes it’s just the ache of unmet longing, of delay, of grief and God can use that ache to move us toward Him.

God will use whatever gets your attention. For Hannah, it was a rival’s cruelty. For you, it might be a diagnosis, a prodigal child, a marriage that isn’t what you hoped, a bank account that won’t stretch far enough. The question was never whether you’d be provoked because life provokes everybody. The question is: Provoked toward what?

Peninnah and Hannah shared the same husband, the same household, the same yearly trip to Shiloh. But Peninnah had children and Hannah didn’t. That difference gave Peninnah daily intimate knowledge of exactly where Hannah was wounded, and she used it as a weapon rather than showing mercy. Hannah, with no equivalent advantage to strike back with, had only one real option for her pain and she chose the altar instead of retaliation. Two very different situations, but what stands out is what each woman did with what she had: one used her advantage to wound, the other brought her lack to God.

Hannah, provoked by a rival, becomes a woman of prayer. The provocation was real. The pain was real. But none of them let the provocation have the final word. They let it become the first word of a prayer instead.

What Provoked Prayer Looks Like

So, what does it look like when someone takes their provocation to God instead of letting it curdle into bitterness?

1 Samuel 1:10 (KJV) tells us this about Hannah: “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.” Her bitterness didn’t disappear before she prayed. She didn’t clean herself up first or wait until she had the right words. She brought the bitterness with her into the presence of God.

1 Samuel 1:15 (KJV) gives us the phrase worth camping on: Hannah tells Eli, “I have poured out my soul before the Lord.” Poured out—not measured out, not carefully worded. Like a jar tipped all the way over, holding nothing back. Eli watches her lips moving with no sound coming out and assumes she’s drunk. That’s how undone this prayer looked from the outside. This wasn’t a tidy, church-appropriate prayer. It was a woman laying her whole broken heart out in the open, and it looked strange enough that a priest misread it entirely.

God is not asking us to compose ourselves before we come to Him. He’s asking us to come to Him. That’s the same invitation Jesus Christ gives in Matthew 11:28 (KJV). He says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He doesn’t say come once you’ve set your labor down. He says come as you are, and He’ll meet you there.

Many of us think prayer has to be dignified that we need the right theology, the right vocabulary, our emotions under control, before we’re allowed to approach God. A lot of us have been trained, not by Scripture but by habit and tradition, to believe God only receives the well-organized version of our pain. Therefore, we come to Him with our hurt filtered and edited when what He’s looking for is the truth. Psalm 62:8 (KJV) puts it plainly: “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” God doesn’t say to come to Him after you’ve cleaned it up. He wants the unedited version of your prayers.

Provoked prayer isn’t neat. It isn’t quiet. Sometimes it’s tears with no words, like Hannah’s. I can remember my own seasons of sitting in God’s presence with nothing to say not because I had nothing to bring Him, but because the weight of it was too heavy for words. Just tears, silence, and a God who didn’t need me to explain myself before He understood. If that’s where you are, you’re in good company.

A Word on How to pray to God when you feel provoked 

It’s fair to ask: How do I do this? How do I take what’s provoking me and turn it into prayer instead of bitterness? Here are a few practical handles:

Name it out loud, to God, specifically. Hannah didn’t pray a vague prayer. 1 Samuel 1:11 records the actual content of her vow. She names her condition, her affliction, and her request. Vague pain produces vague prayer. Specific pain, named honestly, produces the kind of prayer that pours out a soul.

Don’t wait until you feel spiritual enough to pray. Hannah didn’t wait for her bitterness to pass she brought it into the prayer. Philippians 4:6 (KJV) says to bring everything to God “by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving” in everything, not after everything is resolved.

Let prayer be a place, not just a moment. Hannah kept going back to Shiloh. For people who are provoked, prayer usually isn’t one dramatic outburst that fixes everything it’s practice, a return trip, or a place you keep going back to.

Bring your provocation to God before you bring it to people. Hannah’s pain went to the altar before it went anywhere else. James 5:13 (KJV) asks, “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray.” Not, let him vent to everyone who’ll listen. That doesn’t mean you never talk to trusted people about what you’re carrying, but the reflexive move should be toward God first.

None of this requires a theology degree or perfect words. It requires what Hannah had: enough desperation to stop pretending, and enough faith to believe God was listening.

What Provoked Prayer Produces

Eli tells Hannah, “Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him” (1 Samuel 1:17). Verse 18 adds something small but significant: “her countenance was no more sad.” This is important to note because it means Hannah was no longer sad about her situation before she’s even pregnant. Nothing had changed circumstantially, but something had shifted in her because she’d poured out her soul and trusted God with the outcome. Sometimes peace comes before provision. Sometimes prayer changes you before it changes your situation.

The story doesn’t stop there. Hannah conceives and names her son Samuel “Because I have asked him of the Lord” (1 Samuel 1:20). Samuel grows up to anoint Israel’s first two kings and hold a nation together in one of its most unstable seasons. His whole existence traces back to a woman who took her provocation to an altar instead of letting it turn into poison. Worth noting, too: The text says her answer came “in the process of time” (1 Samuel 1:20), not that same night. Lesson learned: If you’ve been praying a provoked prayer for a long time and you’re still in that in-between, remember her peace came before her pregnancy, not after. God sometimes gives peace before the answer because He wants you to trust Him, not just His timeline.

One more detail matters. When Hannah brings Samuel to Eli, she names publicly what happened “For this child I prayed” (1 Samuel 1:27) and then gives him back to God. Hannah said, “Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord” (1 Samuel 1:28). The very thing she was provoked to pray for, she surrenders the moment she receives it. Her prayer was never about winning an argument with Peninnah or proving something to her community. It was about giving God something He could use the difference between provoked prayer that stays selfish and provoked prayer that becomes worship.

I see the same pattern in ordinary lives, not just ancient ones. Some of the most fruitful ministries and faithful intercessors I know didn’t start out that way. They started out provoked by a loss, an injustice, or a need nobody else was meeting. Somebody buries a child and starts a ministry for grieving parents. Somebody survives an addiction and spends their life walking others out of the same pit. None of them would have chosen the provocation. But each one laid what was breaking them at an altar instead of letting it turn them hard and on the other side of that surrender, God did something with it they couldn’t have engineered on their own.

Where Is It Sending You?

Something in your life right now is probably provoking you. Maybe it’s a person, like Peninnah was for Hannah. Maybe it’s a circumstance, or a season of being hunted and misunderstood. Maybe it’s grief, delay, injustice, a diagnosis, or a silence from God that’s gone on longer than you expected.

You don’t get to choose whether you’ll be provoked. That’s just life in a fallen, unfinished world. None of us are exempt from it. But you do get to choose where the provocation sends you. It can turn you bitter, sharp-tongued and resentful—the way it could have turned Hannah toward Peninnah instead of toward God. It can turn you cynical about prayer altogether—so worn down by asking that you stop asking. It can isolate you, convince you that no one not even God really sees what you’re carrying.

Or it can send you to the altar of God. It can drive you to pour out your soul to Him without polish or pretense, trusting that the God who saw Hannah’s lips moving with no sound sees you too. It can turn you into someone who reaches out even when you have no right to expect anything. Someone who refuses to quiet down just because the crowd is uncomfortable with your desperation. Someone who keeps pressing even after it sounds like the answer is no.

So, here’s the question worth sitting with: What’s provoking and where is it sending you? If it’s sending you toward bitterness, toward silence, toward isolation, I want to invite you to let it turn. Not because someone’s telling you to, but because Hannah showed us there’s somewhere better to go with the pain to go.

Don’t let it make you bitter. Let it make you pray. And if that ache has no words yet that’s alright. Hannah’s lips moved and no sound came out, and God still heard her. You don’t need the right words. You just need to go to God.

Let’s Pray:

Lord,

Thank You that You don’t ask us to get ourselves together before we come to You. Thank You that You meet us in the mess, in the bitterness, in the ache we haven’t found words for yet.

You know what’s been provoking us, the face behind the pain, the weight we’ve carried year after year, the thing we’ve prayed about before and am still waiting on. We don’t ask You to explain the timing. We ask You to meet us in the waiting the way You met Hannah, with peace before the provision, with Your presence before the answer.

Our hearts are too heavy for words right now. You saw Hannah’s lips move with no sound, and You heard her. Hear what we can’t say out loud.

Turn what could make us bitter into what drives us to You instead. Where we’ve been holding onto resentment, loosen our grip. Where we’ve gone quiet instead of praying, give us the courage to pour it out. And whatever You do with what we bring You now, let it be for Your purposes not just our relief, but Your glory.

We pour out our heart and soul before You. Receive us as we are.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

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Song of Reflection #1: “A Secret Place” by Karen Clark Sheard. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “The Lord’s Prayer” by Jubilee Worship (feat. Phil Thompson). Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “Jireh” by Elevation Worship & Maverick City. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #4: “Take It to the Lord in Prayer” by Aeolians of Oakwood University. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #5: “Come Just As You Are” by Crystal Lewis. Listen to it here.

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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.

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

Devotionals for the Heart: When you let God help you move the mountain

When the Mountain Won’t Move
A devotional by Kim McGovern

“The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.”—Habakkuk 3:19 (NIV)

Are you so worn down that facing one more battle feels impossible?

Grief and endless demands can leave us staring at the ceiling at night, whispering into the dark, “I can't do this anymore.”

I carried that ache into a women’s retreat in the Colorado mountains, hoping the change of scenery might thaw my ice-cold, weary soul. But my grief felt as ancient and unyielding as the peaks around me—frozen beyond tears, untouched by the warmth I had come seeking.

On the first evening of the retreat, as voices rose in worship, I lifted my hands, not in adoration, but in surrender. My shoulders sagged under the weight of unanswered prayers as I begged God to break the hardened ground of my soul.

He met me there, not with spectacle but with a whisper strong enough to crack the ice within: “Daughter, I am fighting for you.” Not “I will fight.” Not “I fought.” But “I am fighting” at this very moment.

But how do you keep believing that God is fighting for you when everything in front of you still says otherwise?

The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk wrestled with that same question. Violence and injustice ran through his own nation, and God seemed to do nothing to stop it. So, Habakkuk dared to say the words most of us keep locked inside: “How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” (Habakkuk 1:2, NIV).

God’s answer unsettled Habakkuk. Judgment would come to God’s people through a violent foreign army soon to sweep across the land. Still, he did not walk away. Habakkuk chose to watch, wait, and stay in conversation with God until hope stirred again.

God did not remove the threat or shorten the long wait ahead for His people. The danger still loomed on the horizon, and nothing in front of Habakkuk had changed. Yet neither had God's promise that “the righteous person will live by his faithfulness” (Habakkuk 2:4, NIV). He called Habakkuk to trust Him in the middle of it, and as the prophet kept bringing his fears and questions to God, trust slowly took root again.

By the end of his prayer, Habakkuk envisioned trust not as escape from the climb but as strength to keep walking, like a deer steady on rocky heights. The Bible says in Habakkuk 3:19 (NIV), “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” God does not always move the mountain in front of us—but He does give us deer’s feet to climb it.

Maybe your mountain won't move either. Grief lingers. The marriage hangs by a thread. Responsibilities crush you, and loneliness refuses to lift. You have prayed, you have worshiped, you have poured out your heart—and still the path stretches steep and unrelenting before you. Take heart, friend. The same God who steadied Habakkuk and met me in my own dark night, walks with you now. He doesn’t ask you to be strong enough; He gives strength for each step, just enough for today, and then the next.

Our strength begins where Jesus Christ won our victory. At the cross, He climbed the steepest mountain we never could, bearing the full weight of our sin and death. And because He conquered that ultimate summit, rising from the grave on the third day, He now gives us sure feet for every climb we will ever face.

We are not promised that every earthly battle will turn out the way we hope, but in Christ we hold an eternal victory that cannot be taken from us. Nothing can separate us from Him—no failure, no heartbreak, not even the deepest grief. What Jesus completed on the cross holds firm forever.

The mountains still stood outside my window the next morning, as did many of the burdens I had carried into the retreat. But something within me had begun to shift. The ice around my heart was cracking. For the first time in a year, tears flowed freely as God began to thaw the frozen places within me. My circumstances had not changed, but I had. I left knowing I was no longer facing the climb alone.

Your mountain may not move today. But the Sovereign Lord is your strength. He gives you deer’s feet to take the next step when the path feels impossible.

Let's Pray:

Heavenly Father,

When grief lingers, prayers seem unanswered, and the mountain before us remains unmoved, remind us that You have not abandoned us. Thank You that in Jesus, the victory has already been won—one we would never achieve on our own. Help us trust You in the waiting and find our strength in You as we take the next step in faith. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “Trust in You” by Lauren Daigle. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Into the Sea (It’s Gonna Be Ok)” by Tasha Layton. Listen to it here.

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

Song of Reflection #4: “Battles” by The Afters. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #5: “Fighting for Me” by Riley Clemmons. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #6: “Victory Belongs to Jesus” by Todd Dulaney. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #7: “Move Another Mountain” by Helen Baylor. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Kim McGovern is passionate about helping women reorient their hearts to the uninterruptible love of Jesus Christ. 

A former IT professional turned writer, she meets women in the messy middle of faith—where grief, joy, doubt, and hope often collide. Her work draws from decades of ministry leadership, special needs advocacy, and personal seasons of surrender that deepened her dependence on God's presence.

Kim's writing has been featured by Proverbs 31 Ministries, Encouragement for Today, Joyful Life Magazine, (in)courage ministries, Truly Magazine, and numerous other faith-based publications.

She and her husband savor the quiet rhythms of life on Florida's west coast in Homosassa, where the river serves as their backyard playground. They have four grown children and grandchildren who daily remind them that the best stories are still being written by God's grace.

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Connect with Kim:
Website: https://kimmcgovern.com/
Substack: https://kimmcgovern.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_kim.mcgovern/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimEMcGovern/