Christian Devotional

Have you ever felt at your wit’s end…puzzled and perplexed about a situation? Perhaps you don’t know what to do with a child or your marriage. You may feel at your wit’s end in regard to a work situation or friendship. When we feel at our wit’s end it is often because we’ve exhausted our resources. We’ve tried everything we know to do and haven’t come up with a solution. Talking things over with a friend or family member hasn’t helped. Recommended books and resources haven’t provided the answer. 

When we’re at our wit’s end, we do well to “stop, drop, and pray” as I write in “Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion.” Stop and drop to our knees. Why? If we’re already “dead in our tracks” about what to do, what better place and before whom could we better stop? We bow because we are humbly aware that we need a higher power and His name is Jesus Christ. 

We stop and drop to our knees because we want to hear from the Lord, who says in Psalm 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go.” 

We’re bowed and quiet, looking up for divine help. We’re listening to what some call a still small voice and is, in fact, the Holy Spirit speaking into our spirit. 

If you’ve never tried it before, I encourage you to stop, drop, and pray, “Lord, instruct me and teach me the way I should go… with my job, with this project, with my child, in my marriage, with this health concern.” 

Lord Jesus, my INSTRUCTOR, I love and adore You and thank You for the promise that You will instruct me and teach me the way in which I should go. Help me listen well. 

Would you like to develop a deeper prayer life? Get a copy of Debbie’s book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, to learn how.

Have you questioned God’s goodness when He didn’t answer your prayers, or didn’t answer in the timing you wanted? If so, it helps to meditate on Isaiah 40:28 which reminds us of how much higher God’s ways are than ours. “The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.” 

What does that verse have to do with God not answering our prayers or not in the way we want? 

Isaiah points out that God’s understanding is inscrutable. The New International Version of the Bible states, “His understanding no one can fathom.” The New King James Bible states, “His understanding is unsearchable.” 

In other words, when we pray and God doesn’t answer in the way we want or the timing we want, it has nothing to do with God’s goodness. Rather, it’s important to remember that God’s understanding of what we’ve prayed about is beyond our understanding, but not His. His understanding is “inscrutable;” limitless. 

Trust and faith are essential not only in our profession of faith but also our daily walk and prayer life. We can trust God, whose understanding is inscrutable, beyond what we can understand. Will you trust Him today, knowing He is good? 

Lord, Your understanding is INSCRUTABLE, beyond what I can fathom. Help me look to you in faith, trusting in Your goodness. 

Are you facing disappointment or struggling with unmet expectations? Get a copy of The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World to discover how to take charge of your thoughts and let God reignite your hopes and dreams.

Can you imagine being told that a distant relative passed away and left you all his money? “That’s nice of Uncle Fred,” you say, thinking of his modest clothing and car. Then, the executor of the estate continues, “Congratulations. You’re a billionaire.” Stunned, you realize that you never knew how much Uncle Fred possessed. 

Believers may be like that in relation to our inheritance in Christ. If so, consider how David recognized the Lord as his inheritance in Psalm 16:5, “The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot.” 

David is mindful of the ways the Lord is his inheritance and praises Him for what he has inherited in the Lord: His goodness (v. 2), His support (v. 5), His counsel and instruction (v. 7), His steadying presence (v. 8), eternal security (vv. 9-10), and resurrection to heaven’s joy (vv. 10-11). 

Do we recognize the Lord as our inheritance and praise Him? If not, we can begin today because when Christ died, we were granted an inheritance in Him. First Peter 1:3-4 states, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” 

The Lord Jesus, the resurrection from the dead, heaven, the right to the Tree of Life, and so much more is our inheritance. Are your feet dancing and hands praising the Lord? 

Lord, You are my INHERITANCE. I love, worship, and rejoice in you! Thank You! Thank you! 

Want to learn more about the imperishable inheritance believers have in Christ? Watch this video clip of Debbie’s teaching on the subject.

Have you ever let something spoil in the refrigerator? You meant to eat it, but didn’t. Later, you discovered the leftovers, opened the lid, and whew – it stunk! It had perished. It was ruined. 

Not so with God, His seed, and word. He is imperishable as 1 Peter 1:23 points out, “for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” 

The Greek word for imperishable in reference to God is aphthartos and means uncorrupted, not liable to corruption or decay. 

What a contrast between God’s seed that is imperishable and Adam’s seed that is corrupted and perishable. 

Peter is not the only apostle who wrote about the imperishable nature of God and of believers inheriting His nature. 

In 1 Corinthians 15:50, Paul wrote, “Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable;” continuing in verse 53, “For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

The great news is that the imperishable uncorrupted Christ is in believers. We’re indwelt by the imperishable Jesus through the living and enduring word of God. Hallelujah! 

Lord Jesus, I worship You, the IMPERISHABLE One. Thank You for making it possible for me to be born of Your imperishable, uncorrupted seed. I love and praise You! 

Believers will inherit Christ’s imperishable nature, but we can also live by His divine nature while we’re here on this earth. Want to learn how? Grab a copy of Debbie’s 2 Peter Bible study, Living by the Divine Nature Instead of Our Fallen Nature, HERE. You can also access the free accompanying videos and podcasts by going HERE.

Have you ever wondered if the word “judgment” is used in reference to believers? First Peter 1:17 as well as other Scriptures answer that question. “If you address as Father the one who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth.” 

Although we are not saved by works, God judges how believers act; as Peter points out in 1 Peter. We might consider if: 

• We fervently love one another from the heart, 1:22. 
• We put aside deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander, 2:1. 
• We proclaim the excellencies of Christ, 2:9. 
• We keep our behavior excellent, 2:12. 
• We follow in Christ’s steps, 2:21. 
• We’re harmonious, sympathetic, kind, humble; not returning evil or insults, but give blessings instead, 3:8-9. 
• We don’t speak evil and lies, 3:10. 
• We turn from evil and do good; seeking peace, 3:11. 
• We keep a good conscience, 3:16. 
• We live for the will of God, 4:2. 
• We live in the Spirit according to the will of God, 4:6. 
• We’re hospitable to one another without complaint, 4:9. 
• We use the gift God’s given us to serve one another, 4:10. 
• We cast our anxiety on God, knowing He cares for us, 5:7. 
• We resist the devil, firm in our faith, 5:9.

Yes, God judges our actions and attitudes. Which of the above do we need to confess that we have failed to do; ever grateful that God forgives us? Which do we need to pray for the Lord to empower us to do?

Lord, thank You for being an IMPARTIAL JUDGE who calls and empowers me to walk in newness of life. 

Would you like to do a more in-depth study of 1 Peter? Grab a copy of Debbie’s 1 Peter Bible study, Experiencing Grace and Peace in Cultural Chaos, HERE. The study includes free accompanying videos and podcasts, which can be accessed HERE. 

Have you ever been with a person whose convictions changed with the culture? Perhaps they started their Christian walk by believing in Jesus and who He said He was, Lord and Savior. But along the way and through the years they drifted. Christ’s teachings weren’t fresh in their minds. Social friends influenced their thinking. Instead of Jesus being Lord, He became one of many teachers who pointed the way to heaven. Instead of the Bible being the authoritative word of God, it became an outdated book filled with symbolism and not relevant to today’s culture.

The truth is, God, not the culture, is reliable. The Bible is the revelation of His character, which is unchanging as Hebrews 13:8 clearly affirms. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” 

What difference does it make for you that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever? 

It means that what the Lord called holy yesterday is holy today and will be holy tomorrow. What He called sin yesterday is sin today and is sin tomorrow. And most important, the grace God extended yesterday is the grace He extends today and extends tomorrow. 

It means that when cultural debates about moral issues arise, we don’t have to be confused or compromise. We speak the truth in love and stand on the solid foundation of the Word of God, Jesus, and the Bible. We follow and serve an unchanging, immutable God. 

Lord Jesus, I praise You, IMMUTABLE, unchanging Lord God! 

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God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM;’ and He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ …This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations'” (Exodus 3:14-15b).

A person’s name represents the person. If you say “Billy Graham,” not only is a visual of the man formed in your mind, but also what Billy Graham represents. If you say the name, “Hitler,” another visual pops into the mind, along with his character.  

When Moses asked God what His name is, God states that His name is, “I AM;” meaning “I am the One who is.” His name, “I AM,” emphasizes “God’s dynamic and active self-existence.” ¹ He is not only the God who was. He is not only the God who will be in our future. He is the God who is presently active, dynamic, and self-existent today.  How aware are we of His active, dynamic presence in our life?

Lord, I praise you, the great I AM!

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¹ Charles Ryrie, Expanded Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition, New American Standard Bible, pg 94.

“For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth” (Isaiah 54:5).

“What does your husband do?” Many women are asked that question when first getting to know someone. For a single woman who longs to be married, such a question can be exasperating. For a woman whose husband works in a position she doesn’t respect, the question can make her uncomfortable. But what if someone asked about your husband and you replied, “He’s God of all the earth, the Lord of Hosts.” 

God chose to describe Himself as our husband who is committed to us for eternity. He cares for us. He loves us. He is our provider and protector. He’s prepared a place for us to live. That’s something to smile about.

Lord, HUSBAND, Maker, Lord of hosts, Redeemer, Holy One of Israel, God of all the earth, I love You and thank You for Your sacrifice and commitment to me. Help me be faithful to You as You are faithful to me. 

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