A Voice of Thanksgiving - Patricia Jordan

That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, And tell of all Your wondrous works. Psalm 26:7 ESV

Using a voice of thanksgiving is one of the best ways to witness for God.

During our children’s childhood, we attended churches where, on the fifth Sunday night, folks gave testimonies or asked for their favorite hymns to be sung. I enjoyed it and chatted with many people about how their testimonies uplifted me. 

One summer, I attended a friend’s church revival. People gave testimonies about how God answered their prayers. A woman in the choir told how God delivered her from heavy alcohol consumption. Since then, her life had become fuller and more enriched than ever before. She cried tears of joy over her new life in Christ. I didn’t see her as being too emotional, and neither did those around her. They hugged her or patted her on the back as the choir stepped down. 

In 1975, I lived in Atlanta, GA. I had lived an ungodly lifestyle for several years, moving from place to place and job to job and running from my bad decisions. I worked full-time, but still lost my car. I felt discouraged. But my sister Deena encouraged me to join the military.

On a Sunday morning in April, while sipping coffee, I thought about my life’s direction. While lost in thought, I saw myself sitting with my parents and four older siblings on a church pew during a revival night. I was nine that summer. As the choir sang their last song, the preacher looked in my direction and asked, “Are you washed in the soul-cleansing blood of Jesus?”

I wasn’t a Christian but wanted to be one. I went forward, confessed my faith in Jesus, and was baptized Sunday night. My decision on that revival night, along with reliving that memory, changed the direction of my life. I found a local church, joined it, and then investigated the military idea. I’ve lived a Christian life ever since. 

Sharing testimonies strengthens our faith and the faith of others. I love telling the story of how I returned to faith in God at twenty-three. 

With a voice of thanksgiving, tell others what God has done in your life. 

Patricia Jordan is a seventh-generation southerner from the Appalachian Mountains. She is thankful to return and live there after living in various parts of the world with her retired military husband. They have raised three daughters. She has published You Are Valuable (Westbow), which is her story of how she overcame chronic low-grade depression through Bible study, prayer, and talk therapy. Lately, she has turned her writing talents to writing devotions about walking with God.  

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Conquering Depression - Martin Wiles

I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Psalm 143:6-7 NLT

Many people experience small bouts with it at winter’s onset; others do battle with it more often. 

SAD—or seasonal affective disorder—was first named by Norman Rosenthal and his colleagues at the National Institute of Mental Health in 1984. Symptoms include oversleeping, overeating, difficulty waking up, lack of energy, trouble concentrating, and withdrawing from friends, family, and social activities.

SAD and other types of depression can result from medical, self-inflicted, circumstance-related, or Satan-instigated sources. Conquering it is possible, but how?

Consult the proper Source. David’s present depression was circumstance-related and Satan-instigated. God anointed him as Israel’s king, but prior to assuming the role, he faced jealousy and life-threatening tactics from the sitting king. He found himself running for his life.

God is our ultimate emotional healer when we’re depressed. Our efforts toward restored health should include praying for guidance, searching his Word for comfort, socializing with those who share our beliefs, and confiding in trustworthy Christian acquaintances. When God directs—and when conditions warrant--we may need to visit a medical professional for counseling and/or medication.

Admit helplessness. Depression often brings with it feelings of “darkness” and confinement, as if lingering under an ominous cloud that neither dissipates nor delivers rain.

I’ve taken a few cave tours in my lifetime. While I enjoy pondering underground structures, one part makes me nervous: when the guide turns off the lights. What if they don’t come back, or what if the flashlight batteries die and he has no extras? Darkness is eerie; absolute darkness is nerve-racking.

David was a darkness expert. He slept in it as a young man while tending his father’s sheep, and he hid in it in a wilderness cave because a jealous king wanted him dead.

Helplessness isn’t easy to admit. We’re more likely to have an attitude of “There’s nothing I can’t conquer.” But like the addict who must confess their addiction before help can be effective, so conquering depression involves admitting to God we’re helpless to overcome without his assistance.

Examine our relationship with God. Charlie was a good girl. Although her father rarely darkened the church doors, her mother made sure she and her brothers attended. When a teenager, she accepted Jesus as her Savior at a church revival and after graduation married her high school sweetheart. They soon entered full-time Christian ministry.

But somewhere along the way, Charlie changed. Her love for church dwindled, and her new friends led her down roads taking her away from God. She began experimenting with sinful behaviors, which accelerated her downhill slide. Eventually, Charlie walked out on her family.

David once ventured into forbidden areas after becoming king and discovered what Charlie did: sin never delivers what it promises. He attempted to enjoy life with lies, sexual immorality, and murder—but inherited only depression and God’s discipline. 

Disobedience can be a major cause of a believer’s depression. Anytime we choose to walk away from God, an emotional struggle develops. If not quickly settled by confession and repentance, our emotional war will be lost to depression. Sin always takes us farther than we want to go, keeps us longer than we want to stay, and costs us more than we want to pay.

If depression threatens, start by taking it to God.

Father, draw me to you when the dark clouds of depression hover over me. 

*These issues vary greatly from individual to individual, so it's impossible to address every need. If you or someone you know suffers from mental illness, seek professional guidance.  

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Broccoli Casserole

 

Ingredients

3 CUPS LIGHTLY STEAMED BROCCOLI

1 CUP MILK

1 STICK BUTTER (MELTED)

1 SLEEVE RITZ CRACKERS

2 CUPS SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE

         

½ CUP MAYONNAISE

1 CAN CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP

      

2 EGGS (BEATEN)

SALT/PEPPER

Directions

MIX BUTTER AND CRUSHED CRACKERS TOGETHER.

 SPRAY CASSEROLE DISH.

PLACE ONE HALF OF CRACKERS ON THE BOTTOM OF DISH.

MIX SOUP, MAYONNAISE, EGGS, MILK, AND SALT/PEPPER TOGETHER.

LAYER BROCCOLI OVER CRACKERS, SOUP MIXTURE, AND CRACKERS.

TOP WITH CHEESE.

BAKE AT 350 FOR 30 MINUTES OR UNTIL BROWN.

If you seek hope and healing because of hurts you have faced, then Hurt, Hope, and Healing is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

The Hiding Place - Martin Wiles

For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. Psalm 32:7 NLT

One sheet and four kitchen chairs made a perfect hiding place.

Lovey was my maternal grandmother’s half-sister. My memories of her are fading, but I recall her playing with my cousin and me. One of our favorite activities was making a tent. We did this by taking a sheet and spreading it over four kitchen chairs. Seems like an easy enough exercise, but if the chairs weren’t positioned correctly, the entire thing would collapse. 

After we constructed our tent, my cousin and I went in and sat down. Being young boys, we probably giggled and talked. We were in our hiding place … safe from the world. Though anyone could have easily discovered us by looking beneath the cover, we didn’t see ourselves as exposed. 

God was the psalmist’s hiding place. Someone he could run to for protection when his enemies were fast upon his heels. Someone who comforted him when it appeared others had turned against him. 

I’ve experienced other-than-honorable conditions in which I tried to hide from God. Mainly when I intentionally sinned or engaged in other shameful behavior. Rather than confessing, I tried to hide as Adam and Eve did. Hiding didn’t work for them, and it didn’t for me either. God’s convicting Spirit worried me until I made things right with God. 

God would rather we hide in him for more honorable reasons. When life—or others—has frustrated, disappointed, betrayed, or angered us, we can hide in him for comfort. 

We can hide in God’s love. It’s unconditional. Nothing we do or say can make him love us more or less. He loves us consistently—though this doesn’t relieve us of the need to live according to his standards. 

We can hide in God’s power. Nothing life throws at us is more powerful than God. Lions, bears, and an angry king were not more powerful than the psalmist’s God, and life’s present enemies aren’t more powerful than God’s power to deliver us. 

We can also hide in God’s salvation—not from life’s trials and tribulations, but from sin’s power. Through the forgiveness offered by Christ, we can enjoy the assurance of God’s forgiveness and acceptance. No more do we dwell under condemnation. 

Let God teach you to hide in him—not from him or in anything else. 

Father, thank you for the comfort of hiding in you for salvation and from life’s trials. 

If you seek hope and healing because of hurts you have faced, then Hurt, Hope, and Healing is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

The Walk - Lynne Phipps

Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. . . . Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Genesis 5:22, 24 NIV

My dogs and I try to walk every day. Since our property is fenced, the dogs can run freely. Some of them like to be out in front of me. Some cast back and forth across the field, and if not for the fence, would soon be out of sight. Others, however, always walk closely by my side. The walk is the highlight of my day.

As I contemplated the way the dogs and I walk together, I thought of how I walk with God. Do I like to walk out ahead of him, seeking my own path, only running back to him when I find myself in trouble? And do I cast about in the field of life, checking out all the exciting things it offers. Looking at things that can pull me farther away from my walk with him, until I can no longer hear his voice on the horizon of my mind? Or do I choose to walk closely beside God daily? 

In the Old Testament, those who walked with God did so by faith. They looked forward to the coming of the prophesied Messiah, Jesus Christ. Today, we walk with God through the guidance of his Holy Spirit, who resides in all who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. He is the Messiah, whom God foretold at the beginning of time in the garden after Adam and Eve sinned.

Walking closely with God, by remembering and dwelling upon the truth of his Word and by the power of his Holy Spirit, keeps us on the right path for life. Additionally, it protects, comforts, and guides us in the best way forward. Doing so also opens our eyes more each day. God shares with us just who he is and how much he loves us.

How is your walk with God? Are you out front, doing your own thing? Casting about, looking for something you think will be a little more exciting? Or calmly and obediently, like Enoch, are you walking by his side, feeling his approval day by day, until he takes you away to dwell with him forever?

Think of ways you can walk with God daily. 

Father God, may I choose to walk with you closely each day. Help me enjoy the peace, joy, comfort, protection, and love that come from doing so. In Christ’s name, amen.

Lynne Phipps and her family live on a small hobby farm in the heart of Alberta, Canada’s farming country. She has been writing devotions for forty years and never tires of the spiritual correlation the Holy Spirit blesses her with. He uses normal everyday events and the behaviors of the multitude of glorious creatures He has brought across her path to point her to the truths of God. Lynne is a devotion writer for VineWords: Devotions and More, Christian Devotions, and Love Lines from God. 

If you seek hope and healing because of hurts you have faced, then Hurt, Hope, and Healing is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

The Best Exercise - Martin Wiles

Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8 NLT

If having one would help me keep track of my health, then why not buy it? 

What initially attracted me wasn’t its sleek style or the many things it could do. It combined the functions of a watch and an alarm, and I’ve been a sucker for a watch since I was nine years old. But since my wife and I had been on a health kick, I had also been attracted to its benefits.

Fitbit is an American company known for making wireless products that track steps, heart rate, vigorous activity, sleep quality, calories, and other personal metrics. An added feature is that it syncs with my iPhone and alerts me when I have text messages, calendar notifications, and incoming calls. 

Until I was forty years of age, I could eat anything I wanted without consequence. Not so now. And as I get older, I realize I must take care of myself (and my wife) if I want to increase my chances of staying here a little longer. Because my wife has more health concerns than I do, I had no problem justifying spending the money for a Fitbit if it would help us. Eventually, however, my iPhone eliminated my need for the Fitbit. 

Paul commends physical exercise and good health. After all, God made our bodies and expects us to treat them with care. For believers, our bodies house his Spirit and are a temple. They are also living sacrifices. 

As good as physical exercise and proper eating are, spiritual exercise is better. Physical exercise is good for this life only; spiritual exercise is good for both this life and the next. In fact, without proper spiritual exercise, we won’t enjoy what the life to come offers. 

Spiritual exercise helps us enjoy the abundant life Jesus says we can have now. A life lived daily with confidence and assurance. Confidence that God loves us and has accepted us into his family. Assurance that nothing or no one can take us from his hand. A life lived without condemnation because Jesus has taken our sin. 

Spiritual exercise isn’t easy, but it’s always beneficial. We’ll never lose when we devour God’s Word, bathe in prayer, commune with other believers, love everyone unconditionally, serve others with kindness, forgive our enemies (and friends), and care for God’s world. 

Exercise physically, but don’t miss the benefits of the best exercise.

Father, give me the stamina to exercise spiritually every day. 

If you seek hope and healing because of hurts you have faced, then Hurt, Hope, and Healing is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients

2 MEDIUM STALKS OF BROCCOLI

½ CUP RAISINS

1/3 CUP REAL BACON BITS

2/3 CUP MAYONNAISE

2 TABLESPOONS SUGAR

2 TABLESPOONS PURPLE ONIONS (CHOPPED)

1 CUP SHREDDED CHEESE

2 TABLESPOONS VINEGAR

Directions

CHOP BROCCOLI INTO SMALL PIECES.

ADD RAISINS, BACON, ONIONS, AND CHEESE. SET ASIDE.

IN A SEPARATE BOWL, MIX MAYONNAISE, SUGAR, VINEGAR, AND SALT/PEPPER.

 MIX WELL AND COAT THE BROCCOLI MIXTURE.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.