devotional – Anna's Alcove

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Greater Is He That Is In Us

Have you ever found yourself wishing for a miracle?

There are numerous times where Christians want God to step in to save them, whether it’s dealing with a financial situation, an unexpected injury or some other joy-stealing circumstance. In most cases, we’re praying for God to make the first move, but what if He’s waiting to perform the greater work through us?

Let me explain what I’m getting at. In John 14:12-14, it says:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also;
and greater works than these he will do because I go to My Father.
And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

Remember how I was alluding to the greater power that is at work within us in previous posts? The minute the Holy Spirit enters our life, He immediately starts transforming us into the image of Christ. Sometimes it starts out slowly and other times it’s an instant change, but in the end, we have the mind of Christ. What does that mean? Exactly what John 14:12 says! As long as we believe in Him, we have the power to do greater works than Christ did because He is seated victoriously at the right hand of the Father.

So, how does this work? That’s where the second part of John 14:12-14 comes in. All we have to do is ask. Now, keep in mind that He doesn’t say He will do it “immediately,” “right away,” or anything like that; it’s all based on God’s timing. But we have the assurance that there is a greater power at work within us and that God has heard our prayers and will follow through on His promise of doing something about it.

The bottom line is, don’t hesitate to ask for a miracle. It doesn’t matter what the situation is – our God is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8)! He is our Healer (Psalm 41:2-3)! He is our Provider (Phil. 4:19)! He will never change, which means that we can always count on Him to raise us up with His righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).

He might choose to step in and save the day or He might want us to take authority over the situation in Jesus name and perform the miracle through us. No matter what the circumstances are, we can rest assured that our God is faithful and will never fail us nor forsake us. (Deut. 31:6)

We have the mind of Christ! (1 Corinthians 2:16)

February 27, 2015 / Anna / 0 Comments

Whether you’re new to Christianity or believed in Christ at a young age, you’re bound to hear that fact more than once.

But what does it mean?

Granted, it will be different for everyone. I’ve struggled with this verse off and on throughout my walk with Christ and still have yet to come to a full conclusion of what it means for me.

How can we, as humans, have the mind capacity of the Creator? There’s so much about God that we don’t completely understand yet, so how can we understand or comprehend the mysteries and knowledge of Him?

In 2 Peter 1:2-4, it says “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature…”

The first part of that verse is easy to grasp. Peter is blessing the people receiving the letter in the knowledge of God and of Jesus (which is kind of like blessing them in the name of God). But then it goes on to say that through the knowledge of Him, we may be partakers of the divine nature.

What all does that encompass? When you think about your “nature,” what comes to mind?

Your soul, thoughts, feelings, personality, creativity… the very essence that makes you you, right?

Take a moment and realize what that means for us as believers.

Mind blowing, I know… and it gets better:

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1)

It is by faith, and faith alone, that we have a part in God’s nature. There’s nothing that we can do to earn it. We were made in His image (Genesis 1:26-27), so He pretty much imprinted Himself on our souls and being “partakers of the divine nature” and “having the mind of Christ” is a part of following Jesus.

Getting access to all that knowledge doesn’t happen automatically when we believe, but we’re given a key. Once we realize that we have the key to the mind and knowledge of God and claim it for ourselves (fully believe it), that’s when things start happening:

Colossians 2:2-3 gives us a glimpse of what we could experience once we start seeking to know to mind of God and take ownership of our right to the divine nature: “… that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Wow…

I mean, as believers, this passage says that we have the right to seek after the mysteries and knowledge of God! Too many of us don’t take advantage of it and miss an entire aspect of our faith. God wants to reveal more of Himself to us, His beloved creation, and He’s waiting for His followers to actively start seeking after the divine nature that is rightfully ours.

Like I said, I’m still trying to wrap my mind around this and figure out what it means for me. But I’m working on talking with God more frequently and asking Him direct questions instead of wondering quietly to myself. Diving into His Word and discovering new meanings behind well-known passages has been one of the immediate benefits.

The Holy Spirit will be faithful and will open your mind to more of who God is. Strive toward Him. Claim your divine inheritance. Don’t get stuck in the lie that God won’t reveal things to us because we’re mere human beings.

Remember:

We have the mind of Christ!

God-Dependent

September 17, 2014 / Anna / 0 Comments

“To become a [true] servant is to become radically strong spiritually”<
[Be] God-dependent rather than spouse-dependent”

During one of my mornings with God last week, reading from a book called “Sacred Marriage” by Gary Thomas, these phrases popped out at me and got me thinking…

What does it mean to be “God-dependent”? How does that come through in every day life?

I know that most of us, growing up in Christian homes and churches, have been taught at a young age to put our trust in Christ, to have our happiness depend on God rather than our family or friends. To a young girl, that seems easier said than done.

My happiness depends on a God I can’t even see? How does that work? He can’t make silly faces that get me to laugh, He can’t tell me a joke or take me somewhere fun or sit for hours to just talk and catch up.

But as I got older, I began to realize what being “God-dependent” really means.

Throughout high school I got excited whenever one of the older guys happened to smile at me or when one of my friends invited me out to a girls’ night. Then college came, I got a boyfriend and felt like I was on cloud nine because I finally had someone who seemed to value me for who I was and who I enjoyed spending time with.

And what happened?

I broke my heart multiple times because those high school boys were just being nice and had no interest in me whatsoever. Most of those girls’ nights ended up being gossip-fests that I couldn’t share in because I was homeschooled and didn’t know anyone outside of church. Half of the guys in college, including my then-boyfriend, weren’t interested in a long-term relationship and eventually started to push me away.

The bottom line is that people will let you down, whether intentionally or unintentionally. It’s just the way we are with the sin nature in our lives… and that’s why we’re encouraged to allow God to become the source of our joy and happiness.

David realized this when he wrote Psalm 28:7:

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him and I am helped;
therefore my heart greatly rejoices and with my song I will praise Him.”

What does he do in this verse?

David owns the truth by saying “my strength” and “my shield.”

By claiming that truth as his own and striving each day to place his dependence on God alone, David was able to “greatly rejoice” and “praise” the God of joy and peace!

So, how would that apply in real life?

The verse that popped in my head was Ephesians 5:21, which says:

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

As we start to turn our focus toward Christ and work to base our joy off of our relationship with Him, everything else will fall into place.

It’s just like Thomas says:

“If [you] are faithfully serving [your spouse] when [they’re] in a surely mood and [they’re] not exactly falling over [themselves] to show [their] appreciation, [you] still receive an inner affirmation and sense of fulfillment from God. [You] have that inner witness that tells [you] that [your] Creator is pleased with [you]…”

When we place our identity in the One who is the source of joy and happiness, it won’t matter so much what other people do to us, as long as we’re faithfully striving to serve our heavenly Father and do His will by loving on those He created…

… because He will be pleased with us.

“There is true joy when true service is offered up with a true heart”

The heavens declare the glory of God

January 25, 2014 / Anna / 0 Comments

Waking up on a Thursday morning can go two ways…

You crack open an eye at the sound of the alarm, groan, smack the “snooze” button and drift back to sleep because you know you still have two whole days to get through before the weekend officially begins. Getting out from your cocoon of blankets is the last thing you want to do.

You open your eyes, taking in the soft sunshine pouring through the window. You stretch luxuriously and yawn, thinking, “The weekend is within reach! Only two more days to go!!” The smell of the coffee brewing downstairs wafts up your nose.. you let out a happy sigh; nothing can get you down today!

Normally, I’m the first option on a Thursday morning. I am not a morning person and some days it just seems extra hard to get out of bed, especially when the weekend is just out of reach.

But this past week, God gave me a pleasant surprise.

As the alarm went off, I stretched and started to hit the “snooze” button, when something caught my eye. The movement of the blankets had sent a small puff of air toward the blind, making it swing back and forth ever so slightly.

I sat up, grabbed hold of the blind, gave it a tug and, as it rolled itself up and revealed the entire window, my jaw dropped:

I stared at it for a while, in awe of the many intricate designs that were all over the bottom window pane, and then I kicked off the blankets and dove for my camera, snapping a few quick pictures while the lighting was just right.

It’s moments like these that reaffirm the fact that there is a Creator and that He delights in making beautiful things, which is evidenced in the words repeated over and over again in Genesis (1:4, 10, 14, 18, 21, 25 and 31):

“And God saw that it was good”

Everything God created, down to the last miniscule detail, was and is considered good by His standards (which is pretty awesome if you think about it. I mean, this is God we’re talking about, and if He says it’s good… well, it must be really good!).

As Creator, God enjoys making new things, perfecting each detail, and making it beautiful.

This is also seen in Matthew 6:28-30:

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow.

They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon

in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,

which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire,

will He not much more clothe you?”

If it pleases God to spend so much time on the designs on the petals of the flowers in the fields or the frost on the window that is here one moment and gone the next, how much more time will He spend on you… shaping, molding, breaking and strengthening you to become all that He wants you to be?

Let that sink in for a moment.

“O Lord, You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise;

You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down;

You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O Lord… My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.”

(Psalm 139:1-4, 15-16)

The next time you start feeling overwhelmed by life or that things are careening out of control, just take a look around you.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands”

(Psalm 19:1)

Look at all of creation and remember that there is a Creator who is orchestrating your life down to the last detail. He’s got everything under control and He won’t let you down. Take the time to get to know Him more and He will reveal Himself to you in ways you never expected or experienced before.

Spend time in His Word.

Spend time enjoying His creation…

… and give Him the glory!

Chosen

January 14, 2014 / Anna / 0 Comments

The birds are chirping and the sun is shining through your curtains. You open one eye, stretch lazily and smile. It’s a brand new day and, while the blankets are still surrounding you in a cocoon of coziness, you’re excited to get out of bed and head to work.

Why?

Because you managed to land your dream job fresh out of college! You wake up each morning knowing that you’re getting paid to do what you love!

Ok, ok, so maybe you haven’t quite gotten to that point.. but can you imagine what it must be like to work in the job of your choice, doing what you love and getting paid for it?

Seriously, take a moment and think about that. Imagine having a job so perfectly suited for your abilities that you genuinely look forward to getting to work every single day… what would you be doing if you had a choice?

Each person has a unique set of skills and abilities and there are certain things that come easily to some than for others. One person can be really good at computers, while another person can hammer out a paper, grammatically correct and all, in less than an hour. Or someone can be really good at helping people to solve relationship problems while still another person is good at creating beautiful pieces of art out of pretty much anything.

Is one better than the other?

Of course not. We’re all gifted in different ways for a reason, but that doesn’t make one person better than the next.

This past week, I was reading Exodus 31 (the last part of God’s instructions to Moses on Mount Sinai), and this part stuck out to me:

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel, son of Uri, the son of Hur,
of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God,
with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts…
Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him.
Also, I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you.”
(31:1-6)

Here’s what stuck out to me the first time I read this passage: God had gifted these men with the skill, ability and knowledge AND filled them with the Spirit of God to enable them to complete the task before them.

Yes, they were talented craftsmen who knew their work, but they were also selected and chosen by God to be skilled in these specific areas. They were granted divine wisdom in order to complete their assigned task.

Can you imagine what a difference it might make in your life if you knew that the God of the universe had selected you for a specific task?

Well, guess what?

He has!

In His overall plan, you are meant to play your part. You may feel insignificant at times or that your skill set is only so-so, but don’t give in to those lies! You are important and have a very significant part to play in the great picture of life!

While your dreams may seem so far-fetched that there’s no possible way for them to become a reality, or you may be stuck in a dead-end job with no forseeable way out, God does have a plan for your life… yes, you specifically… and nothing can ever get in the way of His sovereign will for you.

How do I know this?

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you a hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11

“All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.”
Psalm 139:16

That’s the thing about God. When He makes a promise, He will follow through with it.

Just like He had selected and gifted Bezalel and Oholiab in Exodus to create the furniture, ornaments and utensils for the Tent of Meeting, He has also selected and gifted you with a very unique set of skills and abilities in order to complete the task laid before you.

All that’s required of you is to trust,

have faith,

and to constantly seek after Him…

in ALL things 🙂

New Year Resolutions

January 5, 2014 / Anna / 0 Comments

It’s a new year and you know what that means… New Year’s resolutions!!!

The beginning of the year is a good time to reflect on the things you wish you had done last year and resolve to achieve your goals for this coming year. I personally have never made a new year resolution, but many people will try to reshape their eating habits, others try to prioritize their lives and still others want to get in better physical shape.

But what would happen if we dared to go deeper, to make a resolution that has the potential to change your life?

I’m talking about making it a goal to pursue a closer relationship with our amazing God this year. Open up and completely surrender to His will, letting His love fill you up and overflow into the lives of those around you.

While it may not seem like much, making a point to daily seek after God with your whole heart, soul and mind will start you on a journey that’s bound to turn your world upside down!

How do I know this?

“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deut. 4:29)

“… if you seek Him, He will be found by you…” (1 Chronicles 28:9b)

“If my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:33)

It’s all throughout the Old and New Testament. When God’s people actively pursue a relationship with Him, seeking Him with their whole heart, soul and mind, He will be found by them.

God wants us to get to know Him more and longs for us to be more like the people He created us to be. The only way that can be accomplished, without Him stepping in and taking control, is by us humbling ourselves and making it a point to spend time in His Word and prayer.

Read the Bible as if you can’t get enough of it.. take notes… pray about everything… talk with brothers and sisters in Christ about what you’re reading and learning (they can offer good feedback and encouragement during the rough times).

I challenge you (and myself) to seek God first in everything you do; when you wake up, throughout the day and before you go to sleep at night. Make Him a part of your everyday life and just watch the change that is bound to happen!

Happy New Year 🙂

There is no one who is youer than you!

September 2, 2013 / Anna / 0 Comments

“What kind of people are we?
What kind of culture have we created?
What do we want our children to be?”
– I Weep for Miley by Trevin Wax

These are the questions we should be asking ourselves on a daily basis. We may not realize how much of an impact we can have on those around us, but if you stop to think about it; every little Facebook post, every person you meet or text.. every little thing we do leaves a mark on someone’s life, no matter how big or small it may be.

I’m assuming everyone saw (or at least heard about) Miley Cyrus’ VMA performance. She pretty much came out of a robotic monkey’s belly, tongue hanging out and dressed in a sleazy teddy bear leotard, which she tore off half-way through her performance to reveal a nude bikini. Miley then proceeded to make inappropriate gestures and twerked against Robin Thicke during his song “Blurred Lines.”

It breaks my hear to think of all the young girls who had looked up to her during her career as Hannah Montana. What must they be thinking now? Is that performance considered to be cool or shocking to them? Is it the “latest fad” or something not to aspire to?

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says:

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.”

Yes, I understand that we are all human and none of us will ever attain God’s standard of perfection, but that doesn’t give us an excuse to flaunt our sexuality and come across as crass and indecent.

A woman shouldn’t feel like she needs to reveal as much skin as possible in order to feel accepted or noticed. Women have been blinded by this false idea that we can appear “sexy” if we wear low-cut shirts, really short skirts or skin-tight jeans.

A bunch of my friends went to Musikfest in Bethlehem this past month and one of the major things they noticed was not the number of great bands that performed or the delicious food that was being served… the one thing that really stood out to them was the number of young girls (preteens and teenagers alike) who were wearing practically nothing!

Reality check… all these girls are doing is buying into the lie that they’ll be more attractive and socially accepted if they show off their bodies or act a certain way.

What girls need to hear more and more of these days is that they are beautiful just by being themselves. The Bible couldn’t make it clearer in 1 Peter 3:3-4:

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

Our Creator made each of us beautifully unique and special in our own way.. and guess what? No one in this whole wide world of ours is exactly the same! Yeah, there may be billions of people out there, but I’m not kidding you.. you’re the only one who looks like you, acts like you, dresses like you, thinks like you and lives like you.

“Today you are YOU,
that is TRUER than true.
There is NO ONE alive
who is YOUER than YOU!”
-Dr. Seuss

Please don’t fall for the lie that you’re not beautiful unless you slather on the makeup or show off more skin with the clothes that you wear. Remember that our heavenly Father made you the way that you are for a purpose and loves you unconditionally. You are not a mistake!

You are BEAUTIFUL! 🙂

Love is…

July 30, 2013 / Anna / 0 Comments

Most of us know (or at least recognize) the familiar 1 Corinthians 13 passage:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails” (13:4-8)

Yet, do we ever stop to think what that love would look like in action? What would it look like to love, really love, as Christ loves us?

In the book of Matthew, we find a passage where the Pharisees overheard Jesus talking to the Sadducees about the law of Moses and decided to question Him as to what He considered to be the greatest commandment. You know what He told them?

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself'” (Matt. 22:37-38)

It sounds simple, right? Love others as God loves us.

Yet, while it’s such a simple command, it can be easy to get stuck in the “good Christian” mindset. You know what I mean. The mindset that says, “Of course I’m a good Christian. I go to church every Sunday, I help out with the kids in youth group, I read my Bible every day. I post verses as my Facebook status.”

Those are all good things, don’t get me wrong, but the danger is when our heart isn’t fully in it and we start mindlessly going through the motions each day.

Kind of reminds me of the story of the rich young ruler. This guy had strictly followed the commandments, given a part of his earnings to the religious leaders and done everything that was required to be a follower of Christ… or had he?

“Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’

But at these words he was saddened and he went away grieving,

for he was one who owned much property.”

(Mark 10:21-22)

Living a life for God should be about sharing the love that He so generously gives to us… and that can be a lot harder than it sounds. We can become so caught up in what others think or trying to get it right, that we forget to include the most important thing..

… LOVE

Each of us are gifted with different talents that we’re to use for the glory of God. Some are good with talking, others are better at listening and still others are better at hands-on/helping type of love.

I like how Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6:

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.”

Each of us are given certain talents to use for the glory of God and we’re all given a unique purpose for our lives, but there is only one command that overrides everything else: “love.”

That’s it. And the thing is, it doesn’t have to be anything huge. It can be as simple as…

…a kind look.

…a helping hand.

….taking the time to listen to someone or just be there for them when they needed a shoulder to lean on.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity”

(Colossians 3:12-14)

“Counterfeit Gods”

June 18, 2013 / Anna / 0 Comments

“You might say, “I don’t believe in God,” but the Bible says, “Not possible,”
Everyone has a God, whether or not it’s the God of the gospel…
Even the dictionary defines God as “whatever we make supreme.”
It’s a theme, a thread, it’s inside of all human beings,
The fact we all worship, and no it’s not just about singing.
I know some of you already like “Jeff I don’t worship, I put that on the shelf,”
But I say technically we all do, we just worship ourselves.”

This is the beginning of “Counterfeit Gods,” a spoken word piece by one of my favorite artists, Jefferson Bethke. He has made a number of videos that touch on a lot of hard issues that we, as Christians, face in our every day lives… tattoos, sex, identity, relationships and idols.

Many of us don’t like to admit it, but we tend to place our own personal interests higher in our priorities than God at times (and I’m speaking from experience here):

The anticipation of logging onto the social networks to see who commented on a post or who has the most “likes” on a photo.

The adrenaline rush movies and books provide; giving you the opportunity to escape from the real world and go on crazy adventures all without leaving the couch.

Having a knight in shining armour (or in a really sweet sports car) come whisk you away to live happily ever after!

It may not seem like we’re outright worshiping idols, but think about it… what are we really doing when something of the world takes priority over the God of the universe? Aren’t we just gently pushing Him to the side and asking Him to wait for when we have time to spend with Him.. special time that we set aside for devotions, prayer or journaling… when, in reality, He should be infiltrating our entire existence?!

“Yet, we mock and we laugh at the Israelites Golden Calf,
But we do the same right back; it just looks different than that.
So question, what’s on your throne?
What do you chase so you don’t feel alone?
So what defines you, what do you give ultimate worth?
And what if taken from you would bring ultimate hurt?
Now see, that is your God”

I know I’m getting deep on this one, but God did state in the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20:4-6
“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God”

Did you catch that the second time? Our God is a “jealous God”! He can’t stand the thought of anything taking higher priority in our lives. Yet, we do it over and over again, sometimes without realizing it.

“And you ladies, no guy can love you more than Jesus already has,
So stop getting your worth from Magic Mike. Jesus is so much better than that.
I know you’re thinking, “So Jeff, are you saying we should hate money, hate drinking, and never have sex.
No, I’m not saying that. The Bible says enjoy it all; in its proper context.”

While God is over here trying to tell us that we’re the most beautiful thing He has ever seen, we end up comparing ourselves to the friends in cyber world who have the most “likes” or settling for the fact that we’ll never live up to the Hollywood version of “perfection.”

Without even realizing it, we get so caught up in dreaming about what lies ahead for us (boyfriend/girlfriend, marriage, a career, fame), that we tend to forget that God is already taking care of our past, present and future.

So I ask you… does God have the priority spot in every little part of your life, including your things, friends, social networks and countless other way that you connect to this world? Have you given it all to Him? What would happen if it was all taken away in the blink of an eye? Would your world shatter to pieces around you, or would it stand firm on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ?

“He exchanged himself for us, absorbing all our sin.
God put on flesh and do you see how we treated Him?
The ultimate war veteran, because He was killed for our freedom.
Nonetheless, He was thinking of you and me, with every whip that beat em,
And to think he did that knowing full well we’d say, “Nah, we don’t really need Him.”
But like a Father, He couldn’t bare His children to not be free
So He thought up that tree, paid our fee, for specs of dirt like you and me.
So my plea is let Him restore His proper place,
I promise you He loves you right now. Just trust in His grace.
Because before I leave, I’ll leave you with this:
What of those other things you worship took nails in their wrists?
Or how about when was the last time money or sex forgave you?
When’s the last time your boyfriend set you free from all you’re enslaved to?
What else is there that died so you could be made new?
Or when’s the last time the world promised satisfaction, and actually came through?”

I’m still learning, just like you… so I ask that, as brothers and sisters in Christ, please pray for each other to not become to attached to the world around us. While it may be enjoyable for a while, it’s never gonna last.

But there’s one thing that can never be taken away… our awesome God who is overflowing with unconditional love and never-ending patience.

Anna's Alcove

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Tag: devotional

Greater Is He That Is In Us

We have the mind of Christ! (1 Corinthians 2:16)

We have the mind of Christ!

God-Dependent

The heavens declare the glory of God

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There is no one who is youer than you!

“Counterfeit Gods”

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