I have this friend who has something I want so badly but will never have. She has a lot of women in her life.
My friend has a sister. She has some aunts. She still has her mom. And she even has her grandmother. Not to mention the women on her husband’s side of the family, too.
What makes them even more of a blessing is that they all live fairly close to her, they’re all healthy, and they all spend a lot of time with her and her children.
A few years ago I was looking for a part-time job. I came across a job opportunity for a reading teacher at the local community college. Since I am a former reading teacher, and have a master’s degree in reading education, I was qualified for the position. There was no reason to not go on the interview and accept the position. Except that God told me not to.
No, He didn’t audibly tell me not to take the position, but as I prayed for the opportunity and prayed through the interview process, there was still this uneasiness in my spirit. You see, even though I was definitely qualified for the position, it did not line up with where God was leading me. And due to the fact that my past proved I disliked teaching in an academic setting, it did not seem to be the position I should take.
But I took the job anyway only to resign a month later.
That is just one story of many I could tell you about me refusing God’s warnings. I am beginning to listen to His voice quicker, but I am also still a work in progress.
How often do you ignore God’s warnings?
In Matthew 26, Matthew tells us the story of Jesus sitting with His disciples and eating a last supper with them. After they eat, Jesus takes a walk with them to the Mount of Olives. Here Jesus gives His disciples a warning. He tells them that every one of them will fall away from Him that night.
Peter, as brash and passionate as he is, tells Jesus that the other guys may fall away, he will never fall away. Jesus then warns Peter again and tells him that he will, in fact, deny Him three times before the rooster crows.
Later Jesus gave Peter and two other disciples the honored privilege to step aside with Him and keep watch and pray. But even though Peter was warned that temptation was on the way, he arrogantly did not believe Jesus’ warning, and he fell asleep. When Jesus came back and saw Peter asleep He even questioned him. Jesus asked Peter why he couldn’t just stay awake and pray so that he wouldn’t fall into temptation.
It’s fascinating to me that Peter, having Jesus in the flesh right beside him, still did not listen to Jesus’ warning. I hope that if Jesus gave me a warning I would spend time fasting and praying to prepare for what was to come. But if I’m truthful, my past actions tell me I would be no more diligent in preparing than Peter.
What warnings is God giving you today? We do not have Jesus in the flesh beside us, but as Christians we do have the Holy Spirit. God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. He warns us all the time of what is coming. Do you listen to Him? Do you spend your time preparing for the temptations and trials to come by praying and reading His Word and even fasting?
How are you going to begin now preparing for the warnings God is giving you?
The Summer Online Bible Study is staring soon, and I want you to join us! You don’t even need to buy a book!
Find out all the details here!
The older I get the more burdened I become to pray for other people. It seems everywhere I turn there’s another need. Some seem small on the spectrum of world problems like praying for a good grade on a test or the motivation to exercise or something like that, but to the person who has the need it’s important. After all, God tells us to bring everything to Him in prayer (Philippians 4:6). I think everything literally means everything. Not to mention that God only hears the prayers of believers (1 Peter 3:12; John 9:31). That makes praying for others not just a duty but more of an honor. Without you, a Christian friend in the life of an unbeliever, there is no hope of God hearing their prayers. They need your prayers for them!
Okay, so how long have you gone without power in your home? This past weekend we were without power from Friday till Sunday because of a snow/ice storm! Now, I don’t even like snow. My motto is “the hotter, the better”. So when ice takes my heater, I’m not happy.
I tried to keep reminding myself that no electricity is a first-world problem. I remember when I went on a mission trip to Africa a few years ago they shared that power and water outages for days are common during the wet season. The full-time missionaries living there would have to get up in the middle of the night to wash their clothes and do other housework. Clearly one weekend without power is nothing to complain about. Right?
I didn’t have this post planned for today, and so I’m writing it in the middle of the afternoon planning to hit “publish” as soon as I’m finished. I typically try to be a little more prepared with my writing, but this one just came to me this morning as I sat down and realized: Today starts Lent.
I grew up in a Baptist church and have attended nondenominational churches ever since, so “Lent” was not really ever recognized in my world – nor was Advent. It’s only been in the past several years that I have come to appreciate these special times of the year as we prepare for Jesus’s coming and for His death and resurrection. Which is why I write this post.
It’s Friday, and I feel led to pray for you, my sweet readers, as we head into the weekend. I know how hard weekends can be sometimes when you’re single, so today I lift you up in prayer. I pray specifically Romans 15:13 over you – that the God of hope will fill you with joy and peace in believing that He is good, He is righteous, He loves you, cares about you, and hears you, and He knows every pain in your heart. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit will you abound in hope. So may the Holy Spirit hold you close and continue to intercede for you.
Please leave a comment if you would like for me to pray for you by name. You can either list your request or simple write “an unspoken prayer”. I don’t need to know what it is because God already knows, but I would love to call out your name specifically to Him. You can also leave your name and request on the Facebook page.
Love to you and have a good weekend!!
