Devotions Archive

Accountability: A Hedge of Protection

Today’s Truth

Romans 12:5b “…and each member belongs to all the others.”

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A certain expert guide lived in the deserts of Arabia. He was known for his tracking skills and never lost his way. The secret of his success could be found in the fact that he carried with him a homing pigeon with a very fine cord attached to one of its legs. When he had doubts as to which path to take, he threw the bird into the air. The pigeon quickly strained at the cord to fly in the direction of home, leading the …

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Praise Refreshes the Soul

Today’s Truth
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name,” (Psalm 100:4 NIV).

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One day I was mopping the kitchen floor and my words were anything but cheerful. I grumbled to myself…no one even appreciates all that I do around here. All I ever do is clean, clean, clean.  Then suddenly, God began to whisper a new thought to my heart. Suppose you were blind and couldn’t see the beautiful patterns on the linoleum floor, or the spilled juice by the refrigerator, or the crumbs …

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He Has Risen!

Today’s Truth

He is not here; he has risen! (Luke 24:6, NIV).

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The boys and girls in Mrs. Stephens’ fourth grade Sunday school class entered the room and quickly found their seats. The girls were dressed in frills and lace and chatting excitedly about the candy-filled baskets they had received that morning. The boys pulled at the unfamiliar ties around their necks and quickly discarded the sports coats they had obviously been forced to wear. The room was filled with excitement – for good reason. It was Easter Sunday.

Mrs. Stephens wanted to help her students understand …

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Feeling Empty

Today’s Truth

“Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, poured into your lap. For the measure you use, it will be measured to you,” (Luke 6:38 NIV).

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A sign was posted on a telephone pole by the grocery store:  LOST DOG with three legs, blind in left eye, missing right ear, tail broken and recently castrated.  Answers to the name of “Lucky!”

Perhaps as you’ve had times in your life when you’ve felt about that lucky! You’ve wondered how you can help someone else or encourage …

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Constant Cravings

Today’s Truth
“Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:14, NIV).

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A friend of mine is hypoglycemic. Before he was diagnosed, he had one compelling symptom. He was constantly thirsty. Now the crazy thing was, the more water he drank, the thirstier he became. It defies logic. As you live out your faith, you will have a similar insatiable thirst and hunger for God. The more you ask for His daily help, the more you will want it. But know this, friend, …

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Choose Joy

Today’s Truth
James 1:2-3 Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow (NLT).

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When golf balls were first manufactured, their covers were smooth. Golfers soon discovered that after the balls had been roughed up a bit, they were able to get more distance out of them.  Manufacturers then began producing golf balls with dimpled covers.

Life is a lot like that. It takes some rough spots to make us go our farthest. It takes some storms to teach us that …

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Strength For The Storm

Today’s Truth.

Romans 5:3-5 (NLT) “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us–they help us learn to endure. Endurance then develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation.”

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Life is filled with storms of one kind or another. In the midst of those storms, we tend to respond as if God has somehow been caught off guard. The storm makes no sense. We can’t explain why terminal illness strikes godly people. We don’t understand how our strongest friends …

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You’ll Meet An Old Lady One Day

Today’s Truth
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control,” (Galatians 5:22NIV).

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One of my favorite books I have written is The Power of a Woman’s Words.One of my favorite sentences in this favorite book is, “Our words become the mirrors in which other people see themselves.” That is a huge responsibility and a powerful privilege.

At the very end of the book, I included a piece that someone passed along to me, and I want to pass it along to you today. I think …

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Check the Radar

Today’s Truth
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).

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Fruit is one of my favorite foods. When I go grocery shopping, it always takes me longer to get through the fruit section than any other area of the store. I spend what some might consider a ridiculously long time picking out what I hope will be the juiciest apples, the plumpest grapes and sweetest bananas. Experience has taught me to quickly discard any piece of fruit that is bruised, mushy or discolored. I shake cantaloupe and thump watermelons. Ripe …

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A Willing Heart

Today’s Truth
“So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’” (2 Corinthians 5:20, NLT)

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My husband Brad went on a missions trip to Guatemala a few years ago. What he saw and experienced changed his life and increased his faith in a dramatic way. He was an eyewitness to the healing power of God. On that trip he prayed harder, believed more, and expected more from God each passing day—and as a result, God used their medical missions …

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