Second Chances!

Today, I have shared the following devotion with the readers of LACED WITH GRACE. I wanted to share it with you here as well. Be sure to stop by www.lacedwithgrace.com every day for great encouragement from awesome writers.



I never really thought about how the story of Jonah being stuck in the belly of the fish could relate to me. I mean, when in my life will I find myself stuck inside the stomach of a big slimy fish?

Jonah ended up in the fish because he had messed up by disobeying God. I have not always obeyed God, but I am so grateful that He found other ways than having a big fish swallow me to teach me a lesson.

But what if a fish did swallow me? What would I do? Would I be able to do what Jonah did?

He prayed out to God and asked for forgiveness for his disobedience. And God heard his prayer and allowed the fish to deliver Jonah safely to the shore. It was that moment of being washed up on the shoreline that Jonah received his second chance. A chance to go back and do what he was suppose to do. A chance to get things right.

Have you ever stared at a situation that seemed totally inescapable? Like you had been swallowed whole, with no way of prying open the mouth of fear and finding calm and peace in your sea of agony and defeat?

In a recent bout with some serious physical ailments, I felt like Jonah. I felt alone. I felt isolated. I felt like I had been swallowed up with no way of returning to shore. For the first time, I could relate to Jonah and the story of the fish that swallowed him. Surely, God would hear my prayer and give me a second chance too. If He did it for Jonah, wouldn’t He do it for me too?

I love how the story of Jonah begins, “the Word of the Lord came to Jonah…”

But even after Jonah messed up, God hit “rewind” and started at the very beginning again. You can read further in scripture that it says, “The Word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time…” And it was the SAME Word! God was giving Jonah a fresh start. A do-over. A second chance.

As I reflect on the story of Jonah, I realize that the application to my life is not the desolation I feel when I feel tossed about in my storm of life, as if I were water logged in a dark, eerie place with no plan of return.

The application for me and for you is, that no matter what our circumstances, God’s Word remains the same. The storms change. The size of the fish may change. Our attitude about the bellies we find ourselves in even changes. But the promises and the faithfulness of God NEVER changes.

Two weeks ago, I lay in a hospital bed with some serious respiratory issues. As I closed my eyes, fighting for each breath, I wondered how I could still do the things that I knew God still wanted me to do. Had I let Him down by not accomplishing everything that I had been given to do in my lifetime?
And then the Word of God came to me again…

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you, He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you.” –Deuteronomy 3:16

Finally, I realized the impact that Jonah and the big fish had on my life. Jonah wasn’t the only one who needed a “do over”, a fresh start, a chance to go back and do things again. I too, was given that do-over that only my Lord could give me. Another opportunity to seize the plans that He has for me. A second chance at this thing we call “life”.

Imagine, if God would do that for Jonah and for me, What God could do for you?

I don’t know what you need a second chance at, but if you will let Him, God will give you that way of escape that you have been seeking. If you will allow His hand to pry open the mouth of your fish, His word will come to you again!

Be strong and courageous. You deserve a second chance.

Laced with Grace.... Make your life count!

Check my devotion out over at Laced with Grace today..." Make your life count"!   http://lacedwithgrace.com/make-your-life-count/

TODAY'S DAILY...Disappointment or God's appointment?

Disappointment can be a vicious enemy. And it can strike at any moment...so, it is important to learn to deal with it.

Whenever you feel disappointed with something or someone, remember to not let it shake your belief in God!

"Do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward." -Hebrews 10:35

 Another thing, when you feel let down, thank God anyway! There is always something to be

 thankful for!

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits." -Psalm 103:2

God wants us to be happy, right where we are, with what we have. So when you feel disappointed, think of it more like "God's appointment"...it could be that He has a wonderful new plan for you.

? for today...What or who disappointed you this week?

Is it possible that God is working something new for you and what seems disappointing is just a new appointment?

Trust God's plan.

TODAY'S DAILY...Who ya gonna call?

One of the worst feelings to have is looking for someone's approval and not receiving it.

All my youth years, I desired the approval of the male figures in my life. Approval from my brothers. Approval from my step dad. Approval from my boyfriend. All because the one approval I was seeking was missing. The approval of my Dad!

For the first 40 years of my life, I didn't have the ...approval of my dad because he chose not to be in my life.

I made the mistake like many of you have made -seeking approval from the wrong place. The approval I was seeking was not in others (because sometimes it doesn't come), the approval I sought was God's!

Too many times we seek to please others, and strive to get their approval when all along the only approval needed is from our Heavenly Father.

The songs we sing, the color of the carpet, the number in our Sunday school class will not compare to hearing these words..."Well done, my good and faithful servant".

? for today...think about the ministry or work that you are involved in right now...whose approval are you laboring for, God's or Man's?

"Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance." - Colossians 3:23,24

God's approval is all you need!

LACED WITH GRACE...Grace, God's wonderful grace!

TODAY I HAVE SHARED A DEVO WITH THE READERS OF LACED WITH GRACE, ENTITLED "Grace, God's Wonderful Grace"...

"Often times when someone messes up or hurts us, we write them off. We no longer associate with them or give them any more of our time.

Recently, we had someone hurt a family member deeply, While everyone else around us threw their hands up and turned and walked away from this person, I couldn’t help but to want to reach out. I don’t know, call it my mission or whatever you want, but something in me just could not walk away from this person. Instead of seeing the outward action, I couldn’t help but see the wounded soul that he was, just trying to do the right thing but struggling to find his way.

I suppose this is how God sees us when we mess up. He does not like the outward outbursts or even sin that we commit, but yet He looks deep inside and sees that our inner wounds keep us from being all that we can be in Him.

Despite our poor choices, our bad intentions and our sinful ways, God never turns ..."

Click HERE to read the rest of this devotion!

Change from the inside out!

TODAY'S DAILY...

In our world today, we truly make it seem painful, strenuous, and down right uncomfortable to change an area of our lives.

Look at the thought of losing weight, people have the DESIRE to change, but when it comes to breaking habits or changing a lifestyle, it just seems too difficult!

Proverbs 23:7 says, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he."

I think the reason it is so dif...ficult to change is because we try to do it backwards! According to the scripture in Proverbs, in order to change, we must first see ourselves on the inside how we want to look on the outside.

Don't like what you see on the outside? Change your inside.

? for today...are you trying to make the outside good enough before you surrender your whole heart?

Pursue God and when He changes your inside, lasting change will appear on the outside.

LACED WITH GRACE...mirror, mirror on the wall

Today I shared the following devotion with the readers of Laced With Grace, For other great devotions, log onto www.lacedwithgrace.com ....

One of the worst things a girl has in her room is a mirror. The reflection that she sees often times is not a true assessment of how God sees her. As a pastors wife, I have seen many young girls struggle with this.

Low self esteem.

Unfortunately, many young girls do not get victory over this and they take the insecurities of  youth into their adult life. How we see ourselves, what we think about ourselves, how we feel about ourselves, and how well we accept ourselves will largely determine what we put into and get out of life. If we look in our mirror and see ourselves as having little worth, we will never achieve the God-given potential that He has placed within us. However if we see ourselves as having great value, (not in a prideful way), but value as in how God sees and accepts us, we will, with God’s help, be able to reach and achieve our God-given life potential.

If we had a bar of iron, it would be easy to make some nails out of it, and it would be worth a few dollars. If we took that same iron and made it into weight bearing posts, it would be worth much more. If we could refine it and make it into stainless steel pots, how much more would it be worth? If we refined it even more, took out all of its impurities and used it to make finely tuned space age rocket engines, it would be worth a fortune!

Life is really like the iron. The potential is really up to us. If we believe in ourself, with God’s help and his “refining fire” (plus a lot of hard work), we can become the person God envisions us to be. We will then be able to fulfill our God-given life purpose.

What is important is not how or where we got started in life but how and where we finish! So next time you take a look in the mirror, try not to focus on the flaws and imperfections, instead see how God is going to use those flaws and imperfections for His purpose. We Will never be able to go out in the world and love others and see their beauty if we cannot accept what we see in our own mirror.

 “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than this.” (Mark 12:31)

 PRAYER: “Dear God, please help me to see and accept myself as you see and accept me, and put me through your ‘refining fire’ so that I will reach and achieve my total God-given potential for Your glory. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer.” AMEN.