RUNNING OUT OF STEAM

It's easy to start well. Much harder to finish that way.

Last week we headed to the airport for an adventure. Our flight wasn't until 10am, but my husband had to drop us off at 6am to be able to then get to work on time. "Three and a half hours until boarding--this should be interesting," I thought. But it was fine at first:

The kids played in the atrium, pretending to be airplanes, having a blast, and running on sheer adrenaline. But by the time we actually boarded the plane, they had run out of steam. Big time.

The thing is, they still had the majority of the journey ahead of them when this picture was taken, and frankly, they were kind of over it. Up since 4 o'clock, tired, and a little less motivated to get where we were headed. A five-hour flight seemed like an eternity, and they weren't sure they wanted to make the trip anymore!

Maybe you're not some Israelite on a trek through the desert, but you're on a journey. And maybe you're not sentenced to forty years of wandering, but maybe you feel like you are! Perhaps you're reading this, having run out of steam. And the calling on your life may even be something you may not even be sure you want part of--because maybe you're just plain over it. Seems irreverent to say we might feel "over" the calling God has placed upon us, but these feelings really do come up--Please tell me I'm not the only one who has been there!

But do we not know--have we not heard? The LORD is the Everlasting God, Creator of the ends of the earth--He will NOT grow tired or weary! And His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak!

"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40

"Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

Psalm 27:14

ONLY THE PART THAT WILL BE SEEN

"Maybe I'll just worry about the front. That's the only part that will be seen."

I was frantically trying to get ready for a family photo shoot yesterday morning. I was tackling my nightmarishly curly and frizzy hair with my flat iron when I glanced up at the clock--It was almost time to go. So I thought maybe I would leave the back unfinished, since only the front of my hair would be the "seen" part.

I do that a lot, unfortunately. I get concerned with what's to be seen. I want things to look good and appear pleasant. Maybe you do it, too.

Maybe you don't want others to know how deeply you're hurting. Maybe you're scared others will know how sin has gotten a grip on your life. Or maybe it's that desperate need to appear to have it all together.

Jesus recognized this tendency in us and called it out in Matthew 23:23-39. "You spend your time shining up the outside of your cup while it is filthy inside," He said, exposing their motives. "First clean what is unseen, then what is seen will be clean."

I could flash my prettiest smile with a matted mess of hair on the back of my head. I could hide a secret that is allowing the enemy to gain an ever-tightening grip on my heart. I could grin and bear it while suffering in silence.

Or I could first take care of what is unseen. For then what is seen will be clean.

PULL OVER

Sometimes it's tough not to pull out ahead.

We were headed to church this morning, and our visiting relatives were coming, too. We were traveling in separate cars, so my father-in-law pulled over so we could lead the way.

"Why did Papa pull over?" asked my son.

"He doesn't know the way and we do, so he's pulling over so we can show him which way to go."

Maybe I should take a tip from my father-in-law.

Because aren't there times when we inch ahead of the One who knows the way? Aren't there instances when we think we can edge ahead and sort of "help Him out" with some ideas of our own?

My father-in-law knows the general direction to our church. But without following us, he'd probably miss a turn he needed to take, or take a turn he shouldn't.

That's what happens when you don't know the way.

And we don't know the way! The general direction, perhaps. As believers, we know the things to do and not do, we know the things to pursue or not. But we're each walking a unique and divinely appointed path--and our reliance on the Lord to lead is critical. Of course our paths are laden with grace--but if we don't follow the One who knows the way, we will miss turns we were meant to take, and will encounter what He never intended for us. Period!

Search my heart, Sovereign God. Is there ANY area of my life in which I'm inching out in front of You? Any area at all? Reveal those areas in which we need to PULL OVER. They may not even yet be discernible to us, but to You, they are evident. So bring them to light for us.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you and watch over you.

Psalm 32:8

I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.

Isaiah 48:17

DOES "NO NEWS" MEAN "NO USE"?

Dust-covered dreams.
Ministry at a stand-still.
Unpublished manuscripts.
Words of truth gone unshared.

So what happens when the inbox is empty and the phone doesn't ring? Does "No news" mean "No use?"

Back in 1997, a woman spoke over me that my words would be used to bring healing and blessing. I thought she was a little bit crazy. Maybe even a lot crazy.

But then in 1999 at the end of one of the worst, scariest days of my life, I was asked to speak at a banquet about God's faithfulness. The timing seemed laughable--not at all in a "ha ha" sort of way. But the Lord used that raw, real, terrible time to bring forth the words that needed to be heard. I remember wondering if maybe there was something to the so-called crazy woman's words a few years earlier.

And then came the 10-year desert.

And in the desert I prayed. And wrote. And prayed. And went to writing conferences. And prayed. And went to speaking conferences.

And waited. And waited. And waited.

It truly seemed at times that NO NEWS really meant NO USE--that I wasn't being used by God, that I was never going to be used by God. At least not in this way.

On November 18th, I woke up in the morning after weeks and months and years of praying and preparing for something I had absolutely no guarantee would ever even come. Normally I'm up early and taking care of the kids--but this particular morning I had just kind of hit a wall. Justin sensed this and got the kids their breakfast while I struggled to even get out of bed.

All I could do was pour out my heart to the One who made it: "What is there to show for all of these years? Will there ever be a chance to share what you have been burning into my heart for so very long? Were those words spoken over me as a teenager true? I know you're using me as a wife and mom and in other areas--and I am SO grateful. But will you ever use my words?"

And then I used this very phrase:

"I feel like I am in a wasteland! A land of wasted passion and wasted time and wasted words!"

When I managed to drag my pitiful self out of bed, I grabbed my Bible and half-heartedly opened up to the book of Isaiah where I'd been reading for several weeks. I took the bookmark out of chapter 43 and read these words:

"See, I am doing a new thing; now it springs up--do you not perceive it?" (v. 19)

"Um, sorry--but NO, I do NOT perceive it!" I thought to myself. I probably even rolled my eyes, to be honest.

But He continued.

"I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself, that they may proclaim my praise."

I provide streams in the wasteland, that they may proclaim my praise. That's all I wanted anyway!!

WITHIN THE HOUR of reading those words, I received an email from a dear friend. It was an invitation to speak at her church. I will never forget that moment--I must have read that email ten times. I was overwhelmed with gratitude.

Because, as it turned out, "No news" didn't mean "No use."

God has made a way to use what He has put on my heart. In the past year I have had some opportunities that have made me tremble with joy.

But I don't know what is next. I don't know what awaits. It may be another season of silence. And if so, then glory to God. He is faithful. Of course I want to be used, that I may proclaim His praise. But He's trustworthy.

And should I enter another "No news" season, I will know to rest in the One who was up to something when I could not perceive it--and fully trust the One who provided streams in my wasteland.

NOW...OR LATER

These are spider eggs. In my house. I find them in these groups of, say, 50 spider eggs. They are tiny, almost imperceptible, but let's be honest--they're pre-spiders. Pre-spiders that are in and around my house.

And so when I see those spider egg clumps, I grab the bug killer and do away with those eggs. Because all the while I'm thinking, "These are Pre-spiders." And it's a lot easier to deal with 50-something tiny, contained, harmless dots than to chase down 50-something spiders inhabiting my home!

What if we could see those seemingly harmless sins in our lives as the PRE-state of where it actually leads?

Harmless habits...or Pre-addictions?
Fun flirtations...or Pre-affairs?
Hurtful words...or Pre-relationship enders?
Meaningless omissions...or Pre-lies?

Nobody "oopsie"s their way into the catastrophic effects of sin. There's a beginning--usually occurring in the mind alone. But what begins as something seemingly imperceptible is a PRE-something. And should we neglect to wipe it out when it's tiny, it will grow to something that can bite and infest.

So that PRE-something you're dealing with...do you plan to wipe it out now?

Or are you going to be chasing a bunch of spiders later?

LOVE ME SOME DANIEL 10

Under the September 9th heading in my chronological Bible last night, I smiled to see that Daniel Chapter 10 would be part of the daily reading.

Because I just really love Daniel 10. I read it again last night and delighted in the story of answered prayers.

Then this morning, I awoke to the sound of my son crying loudly in his bed--my son who usually wakes up happy as a clam. I ran into his room--apparently not as quickly as he thought I should have--and he bellowed, "Why didn't you come?" And I replied, "Sweetie, I didn't hear you--I would have come if I had heard you!"

And as those words left my mouth, I thought, "Daniel 10."

Because verses 12-14 in Daniel 10 say "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day tht you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, YOUR WORDS WERE HEARD, AND I HAVE COME IN RESPONSE TO THEM. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. NOW I HAVE COME to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come."

Daniel was heard. And God had sent the response to Daniel's prayers. And though that response was delayed three weeks, it was on its way all along--and it eventually arrived!

The same hour today that I thought to myself, "I need to do a blog post on Daniel 10," on Proverbs 31 Ministries' Facebook Page I saw a link to Wendy Pope's blog: "Delayed Answers to Prayer Do Not Mean Denied Answers to Prayer" -- all about Daniel 10. Wendy Pope was the one who told us about the chronological Bible at the She Speaks Conference, so perhaps she too was just reading about Daniel 10 yesterday! Click on the title and it will send you to Wendy Pope's awesome video post on Daniel 10.

I think I'll do the 30-day prayer challenge Wendy mentions. Who's with me?

"I would have come if I had heard you!" (The words of a loving-but-flawed mom).

"I heard you on Day One and sent my response in perfect timing." (The heart of a loving and perfect God).

A SCOOP AND A SCOWL

Today I was struck by the sight of a little boy at a birthday party holding a big bowl of ice cream.

And his face wore a big frown.

How can you possibly hold a bowl of ice cream and wear a frown at the same time? I wondered.

"I don't want this bowl, I want another bowl!" he wailed. He was so upset about the ice cream arriving in a way other than he was hoping that he couldn't even get happy about the ice cream that awaited.

All he knew was that it didn't come the way he had hoped. And he couldn't get past it.

Is there some blessing you're having trouble receiving with gratitude, simply because it didn't come in the way you were hoping? Have you found yourself having the audacity to scowl while something sweet is right there in your hands? Has your ungrateful heart nearly refused God's providence and graciousness because it didn't arrive in the right packaging?

SWERVE

"Ponder the path of thy feet..." Proverbs 4:26

Swerve. This week has involved too much swerving in one respect, and not enough swerving in another.

Almost every day this week I have tried to get up for my quiet time, only to get a few minutes into it and have my time with God cut short for one reason or another. And I've felt the effects of missing that time. Actions...attitudes...I've felt the effects.

And so I woke up this morning with this picture in my mind of a path. A path I wasn't on--but should have been. I was actually standing to the right of it.

Enter Proverbs 4. Today is September 4th, so today was the day to read the 4th Proverb. Which, apparently, is the chapter all about paths. Of course, right? :)

"Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil" (v. 27).

I've swerved by wasting time in the evenings.
I've swerved by not protecting my time with God.
I've swerved by forgetting to seek Him on some matters.

Sometimes when we swerve, we end up crashing into something off the path.

And then I haven't swerved when I should have: "Do not set your foot on the path of the wicked--avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way" (vv. 14-15):

I haven't swerved when I let my guard down and watched a movie on TV that is hilarious, but questionable (at best) in some of its content.
I haven't swerved when I was tempted to put myself first when it comes to my family.

And sometimes when we're on the wrong path and we don't swerve, we end up crashing into something that was on that wrong path.

Lord, strengthen our feet to stay on the paths you desire for us. And keep our feet far from the way they will inevitably end up taking if we don't remain in You.

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, and is certain, confirmed, firm, and fitted for us.

But the way of the wicked is like thick darkness and gloominess;

They do not know what makes them stumbled, fall, decay, and be cast down."

Proverbs 4:18-19

GOTTA BE HERE FOR THIS

Aila ran up to me and asked, "Mommy, can you pull up my skirt, please?"

"Sure," I replied. But as I reached out to do so, she took off running away, yelling, "Thanks, Mommy!" over her shoulder. Before I had a chance to do what she'd asked me to do.

"Um, Aila--I kind of need you to be here for this part!" I called out to her.

But I had to smile and laugh, because I've done the same thing.

There are times when I ask Him to do something in me--something noble to request, perhaps--but something that requires me to be with Him for the transformation to take place.

Aaaand then I take off.

It's like I don't always recognize that what I need Him to do in and through me requires that I remain in His presence in order for it to happen.

"Lord, make me humble and sand away my rough edges. Mold me into the woman that you want me to be. Now I'm going to go away and do my own thing and will be nowhere near You for awhile--but can you do it all from afar? Thanks!"

I couldn't hitch up my daughter's skirt from across the room. And I can't be formed into who He wants me to be from afar, either.

What's that change you've been requesting from Him lately? Does it require that you abide in His presence?

IT'S BOTH

"Mommy, look! It's a cross!" Aila said as we drove down the road.

But Trevor just rolled his eyes and said, "That is not a cross, Aila. It's a power line."

But when we consider the cross of Christ, we realize it was much more than a couple of wooden beams fashioned together to form a place on which punishment occurred...

The cross of Christ is a power line.

Through His death and resurrection on the cross we have divine power that demolishes strongholds, power to stand up under temptation, power to live and love beyond ourselves. And mostly, in the cross is power to save us from sin and death.

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. But to us who are being saved, the message of the cross is the power of God."

1 Corinthians 1:18

THE FIRST TO FALL

If the first domino never falls...

how will the rest?

I'm a wife and mom hoping for influence in my greatest sphere of influence:

My family.

I pray for my husband to be spurred on to the things of God because he sees the evidence of those very things in my life.

I am hungry for my children to love God and His word.

And I couldn't want more for the three of them than to fall on their knees before our God and King.

But what if I'm the first domino in line?

And what if maybe--just maybe--as I fall down in worship of our Savior, others begin to fall down, too?

The domino effect of

my husband falling on his knees before the Lord.

and my children falling on their knees before the Lord.

And then maybe as they fall, they will tip other dominos

that more

and more

and more will fall on their knees in worship.

What a beautiful domino effect.

But what if you are the first domino in your sphere of influence?

And what if you never fall?

****************************

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him.

Psalm 22:27

MY HANDS IN THE OFFERING PLATE

I stole from the offering plate.

I wish I could say it never happened, or maybe that it only happened once and I learned my lesson.

But I've done it several times.

People don't even know that what they thought they were giving to the Lord, I have taken for myself.

And maybe I'm not the only one. Maybe your hand has been in the offering plate, too.

Oh, I'm not talking about offerings of dollars and cents, but offerings of praise.

You know the drill--Someone pays you a compliment, and instead of acknowledging the Lord and passing it along quickly to Him, you wear it around for awhile. Maybe a little too long.

Now, I want to be clear--I haven't taken these things because I want to be up on some pedestal. I'm not some diva who needs to be celebrated. I've stolen His praise because it's made me feel like I'm simply okay.

I've dressed myself in His praise not for my own elevation--but for my validation.

I've worn the accolades meant for Him because I've thought they would give me worth--and that perhaps I'm not worth much without them. But the garments of His glory don't fit me, and were never meant to. I'm like a child parading around in her mother's clothes, only I'll never grow into them.

And I shouldn't even struggle with this. I was raised in a home full of love. But the world outside that safe home has been cold outside, and I've been wounded. I've believed those who have said I'm not worth much. And so I've dipped my hands into His praises and taken them for my own.

Isaiah 42:8 says "I am the LORD, that is My name! I will not give My glory to another or My praise to idols."

And so I'm learning. He's been reminding me that His love for me compelled Him to the cross. That's what defines me. I have worth because He said so. He doesn't want me pursuing the praises of man as my source of validation--He is my validation.

But it's more than that. He wants me to get my hands off His glory for my own good. It's like He's been saying, "Thea, My praise in your hands is like a hot potato. If you pass it along quickly to Me, you'll be kept safe. But if you hold My praise too long, it will burn you."

I would never dream of reaching into the offering plate and church and taking money out. But I've had to learn that grabbing at His glory will undo me.

Psalm 29:1 says "Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength, ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name." It's not just what I'm commanded to do, it's what I really want to do.

I'm learning to get my hands out of the offering plate and let His praise be His praise.

ONCE IT'S IN THERE...

Wish I'd never downloaded it in the first place.

When I got my new phone a few months ago, I was excited to download a few apps. One of them was the People Magazine app, which keeps me in the loop of what's going on in the (unreal celebrity) world.

Because who doesn't need to know what Gwen Stefani's kids wore to the park today, right?

The thing is, very little of what's streamed onto that site is of any value to me. And I wish I could tell you that I'm so spiritually mature that I don't care about what people wear on the red carpet, or what new couple has been seen together, but I can very easily get sucked into all of that.

But once I want out of it, it's not so easy.

I can't figure out how to get rid of that People Magazine app. It's on there, and I've tried a few times to delete it. But I can't figure out how!

The best I can do is to put it in the HIDE folder. Sure, it's still there. I may have removed it from my sight, but it is still there and I can choose to access it when I want.

I think it's that way with ANYTHING we allow into our hearts and minds...

Once it's in there, it is in there.

Sure, we can regret allowing it in, and can resolve to tuck it away into some HIDE folder in our minds. But should we still choose to access it, we can find a way to do it. And once we've downloaded certain things into our hearts and minds, we can try to make it more difficult to retrieve....but it's still there.

Seems that God SO knew what kind of battle we'd be up against with our minds, and really desires that we keep ourselves far from those destructive downloads in the first place:

"Whatever is pure, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is true, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things."

Philippians 4:8

YES, GOD

Kickoff was Tuesday night. And I wondered that morning how women would respond to the Holy Spirit. Would they believe Him on the matter? Would they turn away or would they say yes?

On Monday Aila came with me to the church to pray with the other Women's League women for the next night's Kickoff. We had just walked in and they asked us to stand in the circle as they prayed over me and over our family.

Then Tuesday morning I was praying with Aila and as I prayed, she just kept saying "Yes, God. Yes, God. Yes, God." And since I don't think she's heard me say that in prayer before, I realized those Women's Leaguers must have been rubbing off on my two-year old daughter!

And I smiled. And simply found myself praying that the women who would fill the room that night would just respond: "Yes, God. Yes, God. Yes, God."

What a night. The only way I know how to recap the night is to say that as I looked around the room at all those women, there was almost this visible YES, GOD in the room in the form of arms raised all around the sanctuary.

Collectively we declared,

"I'll stand

with arms high and heart abandoned

in awe of the One who gave it all.

I'll stand

my soul Lord to You surrendered

all I am is Yours."

Yes, God! :)

WHY I RUN

"I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free."

Psalm 119:32

I don't walk on eggshells.

I don't cling to the fence when a playground awaits.

I don't drag around fetters or chains.

I don't collapse under condemnation.

I don't tiptoe in fear.

I RUN within the safety of Your commands. For You, precious Lord, have released my heart from all things, but bound my wandering heart to You!

CONFIDENCE IN A CROSSWALK

I nearly hit someone with my car tonight.

I was driving down Main Street near Swift-Cantrell Park when a man stepped right into the road--in a 40 mile an hour zone! It was really odd because there's this random crosswalk right in the middle of a really busy street--no intersection anywhere around. Quite strange that it's even there. And even though I am supposed to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk, I still thought it was pretty bold of him to step out in front of my car, fully trusting the power of the crosswalk to keep him safe.

Aren't there times in our lives when we unwisely venture out into dangerous situations, presumptuously trusting that the Lord will not allow any harm or consequence to come our way? Have we treated Him like He's our own personal safety net whose sole purpose is to run around bailing us out?

Look, I absolutely know the Lord as my Protector and the One who has spared me of some of what I wanted.

Some--not all.

He is merciful and gracious--slow to anger, and abounding in love. But it also says in the Word that He turned people over to what they wanted, even when He initially tried to protect them from it, because their hearts were so bent on pursuing what they wanted. And in turning them over, He allowed the consequences to come as well. Psalm 81:11-12: "But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices." And I'm sure some were surprised when they came face to face with the "oncoming car" of consequence.

I've seen people charge their way into a pit of debt as fast as they're asking the Lord to keep digging them out of it, only to wonder what happened when it caught up with them.

I've listened to people lament their marriage troubles after saying "I do" to an unbeliever.

I've known people who danced on the line of infidelity, only to be shocked when the slightest nudge actually pushed them over that line.

I've seen people tear others down mercilessly, only to be incredulous when they're held to the same rigid standards.

Would I step out into 40-mile an hour traffic simply because of a few lines painted on the street? Um, no. I wouldn't assume the driver would stop for me enough to put my confidence in a crosswalk.

But have I put my trust in my own desires, and assumed that the Lord would spare me of any repercussions?

Hm. That's a different story.

"He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely is kept safe."

Proverbs 28:26

EVIDENCE OF WHERE I'VE BEEN

Today I was at the store with the kids when a woman and two young boys went past us. "Those are my friends!" Trevor insisted. But I'd never seen them before. A few aisles over, we saw them again and the mother said, "My boys are convinced they know your son." And then she said, "You go to Gold's Gym a lot, right?"

(Take a moment and laugh out loud. I know I almost did.)

Turns out our boys go to the same school, but I could not help being amused that she thought I might frequent the gym. After all, I wish I could say I'm rockin' the evidence of being a gym-going-girl in the form of 36-24-36 measurements, but I am SO not. I've got jiggle in my jello. And (most days) I'm okay with that.

But it made me wonder if I wear the evidence of where I've been. I don't have a tush you could bounce quarters off of, but then again, I haven't been in a gym in a few years. But do I hope there's evidence of sitting at the feet of Jesus? Absolutely.

I hope I wear grace and mercy. I hope there's evidence of love and self-control. And I wouldn't mind rockin' some patience and assurance in Him.

"Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works

and praise your Father in Heaven."

Matthew 5:16

Based on the evidence...where will people assume you've been?

COOLING OFF

I plan to buy stock in Quaker Oatmeal. My kids would eat it morning, noon and night, if I'd let them. I've made that stuff 6 times this week alone.

I make a big batch, then I scoop a big spoonful into a bowl for Trevor, and then for Aila. I find that the oatmeal begins to cool off much more quickly when it's removed from the pot, and then it's ready to eat a lot sooner.

In my life I've found that when I've been in fellowship with other followers of Christ, I've been more on fire for him. It's almost contagious. But in seasons when I've withdrawn, or removed myself from the pot, so to speak, it's amazing how quickly the cooling off happens.

"Let us consider how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds. And let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the day approaching."

Hebrews 10:24-25

Are you staying connected? Or have you been isolating yourself...and cooling off?

THEY HEARD ONE BUT BELIEVED ANOTHER

How would you feel if you spoke and spoke, and those listening to you ended up believing someone else?

I'd think things were exactly as they should be. :)

I was reading in Jonah (which is so much more than "big-fish-swallows-disobedient-man-and-then-spews-him-onto-a-beach-three-days-later," by the way) and found this very scenario.

So in chapter 3 when Jonah finally went to Nineveh (where he should have gone in the first place), he proclaimed the impending doom of their city. So JONAH SPOKE (and oh, I love the next words!!)--

and THE NINEVITES BELIEVED GOD.

I read that over and over. The Ninevites believed GOD! Not Jonah, even though he was the mouthpiece. They believed God.

And they responded. The king got up off his throne and removed his royal robes--in essence, stripping himself of anything regal to humble himself before a God he and his people had offended. And then he declared that everyone should "call urgently on God" (v. 8) and break from their evil ways.

A messenger spoke the word. And they believed God.

Then they responded.

Lord, this gave me so much joy to read this morning. Thank You! I'm praying this for the upcoming Kickoffs. You've put these words on my heart not so that I will be heard BUT THAT YOU WILL BE BELIEVED on the matter. I don't need anyone to be convinced of what I have to say but of what You desire for them. Please, use the message to compel women to life change because they have believed You have spoken to them. I pray women will respond to YOU and begin consistently meeting with You, simply because they are fully persuaded that it's what YOU long for them. Let life change flow out of what they know You have spoken.

NOT YET REDEEMED

Ever been in a season in which, as tough as it is, you're still able to say
"I trust He can redeem this, and I can't wait to see how"?


A few weeks ago I found myself praying the words "Redeem this. Redeem this. Redeem this, Lord."


And I realized that being in this pre-redemption phase is a little like having a winning lottery ticket on your kitchen table that just hasn't been redeemed yet. You know it will be worth something of great worth one day. But in the meantime, you don't have much to show for the treasure that awaits.


And so maybe it's about choosing to look at our pre-redeemed situation as that unredeemed lottery ticket--something that will really be worth something day.


And when it is, we'll give glory and thanks...to the Redeemer.