DAILY DEVO...In God we trust!

? for today...has someone broken your trust?

A broken trust leads to hurt, confusion and anger. While all of these feelings are real and even reasonable, broken trust leads us to not want to trust anyone any longer.

But dismissing all relationships because we can't trust is simply closing the door to joy and fullness of life that God intends for us.

We must remember that we live in a imperfect, sinful world and each of us, in our sinful nature, has the capability of breaking a trust. No-one is perfect and often times we just act, or speak, without thinking. That's the human side of us.

While none of us may feel like we can find someone who is totally trustworthy, trust can be found. Jesus Christ can be trusted.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

As you work through your trust issues, remember that even when everyone else fails you, Jesus will not.

You can trust Him. In everything. For everything.

LACED WITH GRACE...change your perspective!

Today I shared the following devotion with the readers of LACED WITH GRACE. Please take time to check this devotional site out. I am honored to be a regular contributor to this sight along with many other gifted Christian writers.  www.lacedwithgrace.com

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“This trial that I find myself in seems so difficult, it is so frustrating at times. Dear Lord,  surely, it is about to be over.”

I wonder how many of you have been in this place? Just this past week, I was spending time with God and asking Him to show me the purpose of my current difficulty. Now listen to me! I DID NOT ask for Him to take it away, but instead, asked if He would at least open my eyes to the what purpose it served.

I think that this is a legitimate question to ask.  A lot of Christians tend to be afraid of asking God why, we often think that asking such a question indicates a lack of faith or an admission that we do not want to endure such a struggle. We certainly would not want others to see or hear us questioning God, after all, what would they think of us and our Christianity?

Why do we get so confused, frustrated and even disillusioned or deceived during hard times? If we do not know WHY things are happening or worse yet, if we cannot figure out WHAT we can do about it, we fall apart.  Yet, in the Psalms, we see David went through so much and yet he still trusted and obeyed, more than most of us could ever do. David asks God the hard questions. However, he did not stop there, David knew God intimately and he trusted him wholeheartedly, EVEN, in times of severe trials!

Do you have a problem you are facing today? Look at your problem thru the eyes of God! He does not see our trouble like we do…

We see stress, He sees opportunity!
We see crisis, He sees growth!
We see failure, He sees potential!

I do not know what purpose your difficulty has but today I was able to see my own hardship thru the eyes of God. While my cloud of darkness seemed to stick around, and I didn’t understand why, God sent someone along my path that also had a dark cloud, perhaps darker than my own. It was in this moment that I recognized the opportunity to minister to someone in a way that I may not have been able to before enduring my difficulty.

 ”God is our Redemption, so because of what He did, we can draw our strength from Him and rest in His protection. Remember He always helps in times of trouble, if you do not see it, then you are not looking. (Ps. 46:2)

You see, difficulties are not punishments. They are opportunities. It is a growing time. And it is a breeding ground for potential. It’s really all in how you look at it. Changing your situation may ease the pain, but changing your perspective will change everything!

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!