A Wealth of Wisdom

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you (James 1:5, NIV).

     Motherhood encompasses so many things. It is filled with so much joy and many blessings. However, it is undeniably a huge undertaking that is both physically and emotionally taxing. The world is quick to tell us how-to and how-not-to parent, but essentially we enter into the role of motherhood without a manual or a clear instruction guide. It is impossible to prepare for every unique parenting challenge that may come our way.

     Yet we need not fear. God is the perfect parent and teacher. His wisdom is ours for the taking. All we have to do is ask him. In every situation, in every decision made, we are not without help.

     You don't have to depend on your minimal experience; you can rely on God's infinite knowledge. What parenting questions do you want to ask him today?

Do your internal thoughts match your external actions?

Psalm 139:23

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!

The Intents of the Heart

God alone truly knows the motives or intents of the heart. He alone can search the heart and examine the mind and will reward each of us according to what our deeds deserve (Jer. 17:10). So how can we, as fallible human beings, know if our internal thoughts match our external actions and if we’re doing them for the right reasons? I am not sure we can fully do this without God’s Spirit to help us. When I look at what I do, does it match what my original intention was, or was it only to be seen by others? That’s a question we must all ask ourselves at one time or another because like my thoughts are not God’s thoughts (Isaiah 55:8), neither are my intents or internal thoughts His thoughts. Unless my internal thoughts are done out of purely unselfish motivation, it doesn’t matter what my external actions look like.

Thoughts and Intents of the Heart

Jesus once said that if we even look at someone with lust in our hearts, we have committed adultery of the heart because that’s what we were thinking (Matt. 5:28). Hopefully, the actual physical act will not ever happen, but unless we are able to look at our internal thoughts more objectively and examine whether they are pure or not, our external actions are useless if not done for the right reasons. Only God can discern our thoughts (Psalm 139:2), and this is something that we cannot fully do. Therefore, we need His help in doing this because only He can direct the thoughts of our hearts and direct them toward His purposes (1 Chron. 29:18).

He Knows Our Hearts

God knows our hearts better than we do (Acts 1:24), and what we do in secret will be rewarded openly someday (Matt. 6:4). We should realize that what we do should not be done before others because it’s likely for the wrong motives. God will repay us for our actions if our heart’s intent was right (Rom. 2:6), and He will come with His rewards in His hands to dispense to all according to what we have done in this life (Rev. 22:12). Even the secret things hidden in our hearts are plainly known to God (Psalm 44:21), which is why He frequently tests our hearts (Prov. 17:3). His eyes behold every internal thought and intent, and He will reward or withhold rewards according to what our motivation really was (Jer. 32:19). So my question to you–and asking this of myself as well–is this: Do your internal thoughts match your external actions, whether for good or bad?

A Closing Prayer

Father God, You alone know the heart and know what I am thinking and why I do certain things, whether I do them to be seen by others or whether they are done in secret and for Your glory. There is none like You, Who can see what my true motives are and if my actions are done with a pure and sincere heart–help me to know the difference. In Jesus’ Holy Name I pray.

Amen

God has given us the the weapons to protect us from evil. Will you use them?

Ephesians 6:16

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.

In All Circumstances

I loved the fact that Paul made sure to say “in all circumstances” we’re to take up the shield of faith. Like the rest of the armor of God, we are the ones who need to put it on, and in the case of the shield, we are the ones who need to pick it up because God won’t force our hands open to make us take it. Can you imagine a Roman general picking up the shields for all of his soldiers and then handing them to them? That’s inconceivable, isn’t it? The shield to the Roman soldier was used in preventing the fiery darts of the enemy from hurting or killing them. Paul loved to use the examples of the Roman soldier because he was with them often, so he knew what each piece of equipment was and why each one was critical. When foreign armies attacked the Roman soldiers, they would be attacked with arrows that had pitch on them, which was highly flammable. If one of these arrows struck the solider, the soldier could be quickly engulfed in flames. The enemy that Paul is referring to is a lot more cunning than human enemies and a lot stronger than we are, so we need the shield of faith to put out these fiery darts. But what is the shield of faith?

Saved by Faith

The fact that we are saved by faith is not a New Testament doctrine at all because even Abraham believed or trusted God. That trust or faith was accounted to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6), and this came hundreds of years before Christ came to die for us. Paul essentially quoted Genesis 15:6 when he wrote to the church at Rome that our faith in Christ is accounted to us as righteousness (Rom. 4:3). We should rejoice that we don’t have to depend on our working out our own salvation to be saved because it’s an absolutely free gift (Eph. 2:8-9). That type of faith is the faith that can shield you every day of your life as you leave your home and go out into the territory of the enemy. A shield of faith can immediately quench or put out those flaming arrows that Satan and his demons will surely be aiming and firing at us today and every day.

Strengthening the Shield

Let me stress again that you need to pick up that shield of faith because the darts or flaming arrows are coming directly from Satan (Eph. 6:16). So you’ll need all the protection you can get. How can you pick up the shield of faith every day? By picking up the Word of God every day because faith comes by the hearing of the Word and by reading it, too (Rom. 10:17). You can pick up the shied by picking up your Bible. If you are inconsistent in reading the Word of God, your walk with God will be inconsistent. The more Word that gets into you, the stronger that shield is; therefore, change your daily life by abiding in the Word daily.

A Closing Prayer

Father God, You are so good to me because You have provided me with all I will need to protect myself from the enemy, who has it in for me. But Your Word increases my faith, and I trust You. In the King of kings and Lord of lords’ name, Jesus Christ, I pray.

Amen

God has given you the armor to fight spiritual attacks. Will you wear it?

Ephesians 6:14

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.

Putting on the Armor Daily

How can wearing the breastplate of righteousness every day help change our lives? Which ways would you suggest it can change our lives? The armor of God is useless unless we put it on. It’s like a police officer going out to patrol for crime but leaving his bulletproof vest at home. He can still do his job, but he’s considerably more vulnerable to the enemy. Unless we take the time to put on the armor of God, it can’t do a thing for us. Paul writes Christians in Ephesus and tells them, “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place” (Eph. 6:14). It’s hard to stand firm if you know you’re vulnerable to attack. Notice that we must put it on because God doesn’t force Himself on us. He won’t put it on for us; that is something we must do ourselves. If you put it on daily, you’ll be like the police officer who can leave home and do his job with considerably more safety. But what is the “breastplate of righteousness”?

The Breastplate of His Righteousness

We have no righteousness of our own (Rom. 3:10-12; 1 John 1:8, 10), so you must understand Who the source of righteousness is–it is Jesus Christ. He became sin for us so that now when God sees us, He sees Jesus’ righteousness in us, not us as sinful creatures (2 Cor. 5:21). Part of changing your daily life is believing the Word of God, that we become the righteousness of Christ by repenting and trusting in Him. If you abide in the Word on a daily basis, the Word will change you on a daily basis. Scriptures such as 2 Corinthians 5:21 can give you a clear understanding of who you are in Christ and how you now have His righteousness. That knowledge should shape your day much differently than leading a daily life of ups and downs and sin and shame. The slate is cleaned by Jesus’ blood. We can confess our sins daily, and He promises to forgive us (1 John 1:9).

The Breastplate’s Purpose

The breastplate put on by the Roman soldiers was essential to going into war and living through it. Today, Christians are in a war against the devil (Eph. 6:11), the flesh, and their own carnal nature. Since we are fighting an invisible enemy (2 Cor. 10:4), we must protect ourselves as best we can. We must put on Christ and His righteousness to keep the fiery darts of the enemy from penetrating our vital organs. The breastplate of righteousness protects our hearts and gives us peace of mind so that no weapon formed by the enemy will prosper against us (Isaiah 54:17). Knowing that we have peace with God (Rom. 5:1) and that we’re no longer condemned (Rom. 8:1), we have the great privilege of putting on that breastplate of His righteousness.

A Closing Prayer

Holy Father in heaven, thank You for providing me with Jesus’ righteousness, because of myself I would have no chance to fight an enemy too powerful and invisible for me to see. Thank You for sending Your Son so that I can have His righteousness imputed on my behalf, and in His holy name I pray.

Amen

Individually Designed

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 139:15-16, NIV).

     Do you remember the first time your child surprised you? Few things are more delightful than watching our little babies become little people. Personalities emerge, opinions form, and what God has known all along begins to unfold.

     In this light, parenting can be seen as a long process of becoming acquainted with our children. What a gift! They will be both like us and entirely unique, and we must strive to embrace both. They have our dimples, but not our love for music. Their eyes are just like ours, and so is their need to always be right. They are ours to nurture and love, but first, last, and always, they are his.

     What fascinates you about your children? What delights you? What are you learning about who God has designed them to be? 

ARE YOU SHINING?

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden" (Matthew 5:14, ESV).

     Lights from major cities like Los Angeles, Nashville, and Atlanta can be seen from space. In fact, their brilliance increases 50% more during the holiday season! These cities simply cannot be hidden.

     As believers, we are to be a light, shining for all to see. If there ever was a time in history where the beacon of light needed to illuminate the darkness, it is now! We dare not hide behind the facade of political correctness and fear, but rather speak and live in the luminescence of Christ's truth. We have the light of the world living in us and we know the truth sets us free.

     Lord, shine through me this day. Give me courage to speak and live accordingly to your Word, no matter what the world may say I want your glow to radiate through me. 

Overwhelming Devotion

This forever-song I sing of the gentle love of God overwhelming me! Young and old alike will hear about your faithful, steadfast love--never failing! Here's my chorus: "Your mercy grows through the ages. Your faithfulness is firm, rising up to the skies" (Psalm 89:1-2, TPT).

     God in his great power and faithfulness never fails us, never gives up on us, and will never leave us alone to fend for ourselves. His love for us remains--regardless of our circumstances or our weaknesses--strong and immovable. His devotion to his children exceeds that of all parents. He is without limits, and nothing can ever change his devotion.

     This truth is overwhelmingly satisfying; when such devotion has been proven, what else could attract our gaze? Where else could our eyes find such beauty and purity as they do upon the face of Jesus? In awe, we recognize that his gaze is fixed right back at us, seeing us as a lovely and worthy prize. We can neither deserve this gaze nor escape it. We are flawed, but he is unwavering in his love for us.

     Thank you, Father, that you are wholly devoted to me. Your love is mine to enjoy forever. Help me to remain in that love.