Good morning 🙂 I’m sure you’ve read this verse countless times but have you wholeheartedly applied it to your life? David’s life is reflected in its meaning and gives us an idea of what he was going through. If you recall, David said earlier in this Psalm that the Lord would save him from his troubles:
Psa 55:16-17 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. (17) Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
David’s burdens were heavy but he knew what to do with them. He knew from where his source for comfort came. Where does yours come from, dear lady? Today’s verse tells us to cast our burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain us. The word cast, as defined by Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary means:
Cast: To throw, fling or send
David tells us to “throw, fling or send” our burdens upon the Lord. My imagination runs away with the thought of flinging my burdens upon the Lord 🙂 David continues to say that God will sustain us. Noah Webster defines “sustain” as:
SUSTA’IN, v.t. [L. sustineo; sub and teneo, to hold under.]
To bear; to uphold; to support; as, a foundation sustains the superstructure; pillars sustain an edifice; a beast sustains a load.
To hold; to keep from falling; as, a rope sustains a weight.
To support; to keep from sinking in despondence. The hope of a better life sustains the afflicted amidst all their sorrows.
I love this verse so much! Our Shepherd wants us to cast (throw, fling or send) our burdens on Him and He will keep us from losing hope. I’m sure you’ve seen believers who are going through terrible trials but yet seem so burden free. They are believers who have gotten a hold of Psalm 55:22 and know exactly from where their help comes.
How about you, dear lady? It takes practice to continually place our burdens on the Lord but when the habit is formed, it brings great solace. 🙂
Life today can be very stressful; especially in today’s world. Women are challenged spiritually every day. They are challenged with taking care of the home and their children, by other women, television and social media. Today’s woman has a lot more unnecessary things to deal with than those in the nineteenth century. Back then, there wasn’t television, phones, or radios. Women in the nineteenth century took care of their home and families and most likely didn’t leave the home except for church. But today’s woman is busy with the children’s school activities, her time at the gym, etc. Stress can make you feel overwhelmed at times. But how should you handle stress?
To the born-again woman, however, there is help and encouragement in the scriptures. The unsaved woman has her husband, friends or parents to turn to in time of need. But you, dear lady, have the Lord and His word! The scriptures contain the truth that you need when you’re looking for answers. God wants you to turn to Him and unload your burdens.
Mat 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
God never lies and His word says He is our shield, our comforter, and helper.
Num 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
What a blessing it is to know that no matter what stress you encounter, you can turn to Him and His word to get help? God has also given you a husband, parents and saved friends you can share your troubles with. But if your husband is not saved, or your friends are not saved, the challenges can be overwhelming. This kind of stress can be difficult and if you don’t take care of it early, you may find yourself compromising your faith.
The first would be to have little fellowship with unsaved friends, other than to talk to them about the Lord. Unsaved friends don’t want to talk about the Lord. They are worldly and will lead you down the wrong path if you’re not spiritually discerned, amen?
2 Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
Unsaved friends can add stress that you don’t need in your life. It will interfere with your walk with the Lord as well as cause hardships. Instead, surround yourself with godly friends, those at church, and make sure you are in the word of God so that you can easily discern what is right.
Good morning, lady! 🙂 It’s a beautiful day and today’s picture inspires me so much! It reminds me of Psalm 121:
Psa 121:1-8 A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. (2) My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. (3) He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. (4) Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. (5) The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. (6) The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. (7) The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. (8) The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
David was telling the Lord how blessed the Lord was. Why would David say this, I wonder? David knows where his help comes from. A holy God desires communion with His creation. David is telling God how much he desires to learn His word and His ways. If you want to learn about cooking, you go to a recipe book or follow a chef on social media. But if you want to learn about God’s ways, you turn to your bible, amen?
Our Heavenly Father left us His words so we can learn about Him – learn about Jesus and His ways. Who best to learn from than the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Amen? A humble heart accomplishes much.
Psa 10:17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: Psa 69:32 The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.
Good morning! Today’s verse brings much comfort! Hagar experienced great comfort when God appeared to her and gave her the good news: He not only saw her but He was going to bless her and her seed!! How encouraged she was and her countenance changed!
You are not alone, dear lady, even though it may feel like it. The bible says:
Psa 139:1-5 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. (2) Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. (3) Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. (4) For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. (5) Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
Your Heavenly Father is well aware of each detail in your life, including those that are hidden deep in your heart. Be encouraged! He loves you and will care for each of those needs just as He did for Hagar. ❤ It brings great comfort to me that my Heavenly Father “sees me”!
We women have that internal desire to keep our homes clean and in order. God made us that way. I always feel good after I have cleaned and everything is in its place, don’t you? When you have kids, that clean house only lasts but a few moments.
But should that desire stop with our home? Absolutely not! We also have the responsibility for keeping our minds, and therefore our children’s minds, clean. We arm ourselves with cleaning products, a broom and cleaning cloth and get busy. But how do we arm ourselves for spiritual cleaning? The Apostle Paul gives us wonderful example in the following verses:
Eph 6:11-18 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (13) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Everything starts with our minds. A thought pops in – when will I get the laundry done? Those thoughts come at the most inopportune times, don’t they?! I fight those thoughts each morning when I’m trying to get my bible reading done. It’s a constant battle. I need to put on an impenetrable helmet – I start off asking the Lord to remove distractions from all around me. I need to leave my cell phone in the other room so I’m not tempted to reach for it when I hear a message coming through. Nothing is that important that it can’t wait. But my time with the Lord is the most important part of spiritual house cleaning. So I need all my armour in order to succeed at this task.
In fact, Paul speaks of putting on the “whole armour” of God:
Girted loins – this was an idiom for preparing yourself for battle. We may not be in a battle per se, but we have a daily battle with the devil’s temptations. Satan takes great pleasure when he can get a Christian to be distracted enough to not tell others about Christ’s saving power. The apostle Peter said: 1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
Feet shod – Be ready to go share the gospel – at the grocery store, at the bank, etc. Peter also said 1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
Shield of faith – A shield protects the vital organs of a soldier. It’s the heart that accepts the word of God, amen? The Holy Spirit prepares the heart and makes it ready for the Christian to come along to share the gospel. Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Helmet of salvation – The helmet protects the head. We need to protect our minds from infiltrating thoughts from the enemy. Renewing our minds is a daily effort; sometimes even every minute. Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Spiritual housecleaning starts with us, ladies. We cannot help to clean our children’s spiritual lives until our own has been cleaned. We are all in different phases of life. Some of you ladies do not have children yet; some of you are in the middle of raising your family; others, like me, are retired and have already raised our families. But our houses will always need cleaning and the spiritual part of our lives will always need cleaning as well.
Being different is not always a popular thing in today’s world. The world wants us to act like them, talk like them and even participate in events with them. This is more relevant in today’s news than ever, don’t you think? Are you anti or pro vax? Are you for or against capitalism? Just start a conversation and you will see both sides come out. But what does God expect of a Christian woman?
Just as a caterpillar transforms into a beautiful butterfly, so should we, ladies. We should continually be changing, transforming and growing in Christ. Yes, we can have an opinion, that’s not what I’m saying. However, our opinions should align with the word of God, amen?
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
God tells us that we should not be “conformed” to this world. Conformed means:
CONFORMED, pp. Made to resemble; reduced to a likeness of; made agreeable to; suited.
When we’re younger, there’s nothing more important than to be accepted by our peers. I was not saved during my youth; I was 25 years old and I remember how much I wanted to fit in with my co-workers. I would try to dress like them, talk like them and even act like them. But should this be true of a Christian woman? Not at all – not according to God’s word.
The apostle Paul continues to say in that same verse to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind.” How does one renew her mind? The answer follows in the last part of the verse. Paul tells us the reason why it’s so important to renew our thinking and the reason why is there as well. He says that our minds should contain what is good, what is acceptable and what is the perfect will of God. So how do we go about having a mind like that? One can only achieve this with reading the bible. Daily doses of the clean and fresh water coming from the fountain of life, God’s word, cleanses our mind and wipes clean the things of the world. Worldly thoughts are replaced with godly thoughts, Christ-centered thoughts.
Why is this so important? Do you think when Jesus was a teenager, He wanted to be like His friends? Jesus was only 12 years old when He was separated from His parents. They frantically looked for Him and found him three days later in the temple.
Luk 2:46-49 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. (47) And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. (48) And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. (49) And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?
He was sitting amongst the knowledgeable ones and everyone was amazed at His understanding and knowledge! Yes, He was God but He was also 12 year old boy, with the same feelings and thoughts as other 12 year old boys. Jesus controlled His thoughts so that He could do the will of His Heavenly Father (look at verse 49). He had a job to do and He did everything to accomplish His goal.
Some of us are single, some married and others married and raising children. Our lives can be filled with the flow of outside information, opinions and other people’s thoughts. But as emotional creatures, we must guard our thoughts because our emotions can take the better of us and lead us down a trail of thoughts that are not Christ-centered.
When your thoughts are heading in a direction that you know would not please the Lord, don’t conform but work hard to transform your thoughts – head them off as they enter your mind and fill your mind with the word of God. Why?
Rom 8:28-29 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (29) For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
We are to be conformed to the image of Jesus and the only way to do that is to know as much of the bible as you can. In doing this, you will automatically be different from everyone else. You will be able to teach your children how to do this because you have mastered it. And if your children are not saved, your light will shine brightly on their sin and they will feel conviction as they reach that age of accountability. Who knows if God will use you to lead them to Him!
Being different for Christ is never easy but it will always be rewarding. Those rewards will be eternal!
Good morning! 🙂 Has it ever happened to you where you wake up in a great mood and get yourself ready for the day and you have a fight with your husband or teenager? Where did the morning go wrong? you may wonder.
Most of the communication problems in our lives are due to misunderstandings, selfishness, or a lack of communication. For example, your daughter has plans with a friend to do homework together after school. However, you remind her to start the laundry and cut up the vegetables for dinner because you have appointments and won’t be home till later in the day. An argument takes place and you angrily walk away thinking she is being selfish.
Has this, or something similar, happened to you? The hardest thing to learn is how to be selfless. We are born with a selfish nature. We believe life revolves around us and our needs. After all, a baby cries every time he is hungry, needs a diaper changed or wants attention. He continues to cry until his needs are met. As the baby grows older, he begins to understand that every time he cries, his parents will meet his needs. Parenting involves teaching a toddler to control his temper tantrums but without being taught, that toddler will grow up to be a selfish adult.
Today’s verse shows us what the bible has to say on this issue. I’m sure you realize you can’t have everything go your own way. Sometimes it takes ingenuity. When conflict arises between you and your spouse or children, take time to calm down and ask the Lord what He wants to teach you. If you recall yesterday’s devotional, we spoke on listening twice as much as speaking. Today’s verse goes hand-in-hand with that verse (James 1:19).
We all want to do things “our way.” But as in the example above, you could ask your daughter to invite her friend to come to the house to do homework and stay for dinner. This would be the adult way to respond instead of storming out angrily. Do you see the difference? The bible says in Pro 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. You have read this verse multiple times, more than likely. To just read it does not help you, but obeying it will most certainly be helpful! I was saved five years before my husband and I can’t begin to tell you how many times this verse came to mind during arguments.
That is why the bible says to be “doers” of the word and not just “hearers only.” Put feet to what God teaches you in His word – put your knowledge into action.
There seems to be a lot of anger in the world today: so many news items that upset people and they let those feelings out by being angry. That anger overflows into families, the work place, and school. But what does the bible say about dealing with anger? Do you have a problem with anger, dear lady? How do you handle your feelings and emotions when you are angry? God’s word has a lot to say about this topic and that should be the first place you check when you want to learn. First let’s look at some verses dealing with this issue and then we can talk about it.
Today’s verse tells us what the result of anger is: when you are angry and you display that anger with harsh words or actions, it is not a righteous reaction. You are not “working” the righteousness of God. The verse before this one, verse 19, says: Jas 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: My grade school teacher always said that we have two ears and only one mouth. That means we should listen twice as much as we speak. She was actually obeying God’s word but she didn’t realize it. Today’s world teaches that you should speak your mind. However, that’s not what God’s word says in verse 19. Amen?
Words can be cruel and can cause more harm that you think imaginable. When you squeeze a tube of toothpaste and toothpaste comes out, how easy is it to put the toothpaste back in the tube? It’s impossible, right? It is the same when you speak harshly when you’re angry. You can never take those words back, even if you say you’re sorry. Your harsh words will be hidden in the heart of that person for a very long time. Here’s what God says:
Jas 3:6-8 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. (7) For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: (8) But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
We’ve all heard messages on this topic. But think about this for a moment. Harsh, mean or angry words are like a deadly poison. Why do you think God would word it this way? If poisons can kill, what do you think angry words do? Angry words kill a person’s spirit. Angry words can take a person from being nice to a person who is defensive and hurt. I don’t know about you, ladies, but if my husband and I are arguing and I start spewing out my anger, it only adds fuel to the fire. Instead, Proverbs teaches us that a soft answer turns away wrath. When you apply God’s word, you are using that knowledge and you are wise. When your heart doesn’t want to apply His word but you want to make an angry point, you will pour out foolishness.
Pro 15:1-2 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. (2) The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
That is why it’s so important to listen before speaking and hear your husband out. Think about what he’s saying before you blurt out something you’ll regret later. That’s why it’s so important to read your bible so you can be equipped to be kind hearted and sweet spirited. God’s word will reveal your sin to you. When you ask forgiveness, God promises that He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). If your heart is not right, your words will not be right either. Why? God’s word says that what is in your heart will come out your mouth.
Mat 15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
Anger can cause you to do and say things that you will most certainly regret, dear lady. Get on top of your anger by confessing it to God and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in His word so you can learn to be a listener instead of a woman who speaks her mind. No matter if the world says it’s good for someone to say what’s on their mind, God’s word says differently. It’s better to obey God’s word and not have to worry about hurting someone then it is to speak your mind and possibly cause a wedge between you and your husband, or a friend/family member. Amen?
Good morning! Today’s verse is good example of how God gives us a clear view of what He means. Years ago, my Sunday School teacher taught me that since Jesus is known as the Word of God and the law is complete in Him, one can replace any word in Psalm 119 that refers to “word, law, precepts, testimonies, commandments” and replace those words with Jesus. Psalm 119 truly opens your eyes to how the Lord is at the center of His words!
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Rev_19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Let’s take today’s verse and experiment with it: Psalm 119:9 BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to “Jesus.” Do you see what I mean? Therefore, how can you have pure thoughts? You can do so by heeding the scriptures. If you don’t already do so, each day you should take time out and read your bible with purpose, preferably first thing in the morning. What do I mean by purpose? You want to get something out of your reading, don’t you? That’s how we grow closer to God. Pray first, asking the Lord to speak to your heart through your reading.
After you’ve read, think on it for a few minutes. Mull it over in your mind a bit. The more you think about a verse, the more you will learn from it: the more it will “speak” to you. Then pull out your study notebook and ask yourself “who, what, when, where, why and how.” Answer as many as possible. This will give you something to pray about. So let’s look at today’s verse:
Who is God talking about? He’s talking to me.
What is God saying? He’s telling me how I can cleanse my way.
When? When I am confronted with the temptation to sin.
Why? To keep me from sin.
How? By taking heed to His word.
Now I pray about this verse and what the Lord has taught me. Heavenly Father, help me to take today’s verse at heart and obey your instructions. Impress that verse upon my heart every time I am confronted to go against your will for my life.
When a verse really speaks to my heart, I tend to remember it throughout the day and it pops into my mind when I really need it. That’s what today’s verse is all about. 🙂
I hope you are blessed with today’s devotionals. Please leave me a comment should you have any questions.
Good morning! I am resuming my blog after seven years hiatus. I have been devoting my time on my “Pull Up A Chair” blog. However, that site has been hacked and I have not been able to write for almost a month now. I thought that the Lord may be telling me to get on top of my other blogs, so here I am 🙂
Today’s verses, Job 23:10-11, are quite popular verses when you do a Google search. However, have you ever taken the time to read the following verses?
Job 23:12-14 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. (13) But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. (14) For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him. (15) Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him. (16) For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me: (17) Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither hath he covered the darkness from my face.
As a wife, we have the awesome responsibility to keep our spiritual walk in tune with the Lord, amen? The wife is the “holy spirit” of the home as she receives guidance and direction from her husband. If a wife is “running the show” at home and taking the leadership role away from her husband, she will find her children will go in that direction as well. They will not honor their father as they are supposed to and command to in the scriptures. Therefore, it is our responsibility to allow the Lord to make our hearts soft and allow the Holy Spirit to trouble us.
Verse 14 says that God appoints things in our lives in order to accomplish His will for us. If we do not listen, then our homes will suffer, amen? As verse 15 says, be sensitive to God’s voice. Have reverential fear and obey Him so that your home can be at peace. Granted, we may have to go through tribulation, but we are never alone when those come into our lives. Staying close to Him will give us victory as Verses 10 and 11 confirm.
The Helpmeet's Corner 