Day 20 Breaking News
Breaking News
Being a mom is demanding and exhausting! Often, after a long stressful day of dealing with our spouses, children, etc., we simply want nothing more than to take a warm luxurious bath with bubbles and a candle to rejuvenate. While a nice bath gives us the opportunity to refresh, that feeling is only temporary. However, God’s word provides lasting comfort to our weary days.
Jeremiah 31:25 says,“For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.
The word satiate in the Hebrew means “to bathe, soak, water, or satisfy.”
God longs to not just replenish our tiredness, but to satisfy us so much that we are full. All we have to do is come to him! He is waiting!
Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV) Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Day 19 Nothing can separate us from His love
Nothing can separate us from His love
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39 NIV
Nothing can separate us from the love of God. We can read that, we can believe it for our children, but do you believe that applies to you? Because if you don’t, how can you stand in the authority of the rest of God’s word for your life? Those power of God’s promises, His actions and His victory hinge on His love for you. If you doubt His love for you, you doubt the validity of everything else. Accepting His unconditional and perfect love for you, and standing firm on that foundation of His love, allows you to build your life on the rest of His promises and heed the counsel of His word.
If you find that you doubt His love for you, or find it hard to accept it, confess it to Him and look to His word for endless declarations of His love. Ask God to help you in this aspect of unbelief (Mark 9:24).
Stand firm in His love, sweet sister!
Day 18 Fervent Prayer
Fervent Prayer
Have you ever prayed and wondered if God heard your prayer? Daniel, the one who was rescued out of the lion’s den, found himself waiting on an answered prayer. Daniel prayed intensely to God, but for weeks did not get a response. Finally, an angel appeared and confirmed to Daniel that God heard his prayers and that angels were fighting on Daniel’s behalf for his breakthrough.
Daniel’s prayer breakthrough confirms that we must stay confident that God hears and answers our prayers in his timing. We must have full confidence that God will deliver and know that his angels are fighting on our behalf, just like they fought on Daniel’s behalf. Do not let a delay cause you to doubt the deliverance that God has waiting on you!
Ephesians 6:12 & 18 (NIV) ~For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms; And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
-Moms with Swords
Day 17 In Him…Jesus felt what we feel.
In Him…Jesus felt what we feel.
As you come to him, the living Stone-rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ….But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9
In this age of bullying, marginalizing and comparison, it is easy to feel rejected. Our children especially, as they struggle to identify who they themselves are in this world, can easily feel unwanted, unworthy or insecure in their social environments. It is imperative that, as followers of Christ, we understand our identity in Christ so that we can show them their identity in Christ.
If you or your children feel rejected, remind them that Jesus, in whom their identity is found, was also rejected. When suffering, remember that Jesus suffered. When tempted, don’t forget that Jesus was tempted. When scorned,remind yourselves that Jesus was scorned. When mourning, recall that Jesus mourned. When in darkness, remember that Jesus sacrificed Himself for us in darkness, despite being the actual Light.
Yet He was chosen, as we are in Him. He was precious to the Father, as we are in Him. He was loved, as we are in Him. And, He was victorious, as we are in Him.
Day 16 Comparison
Comparison
The majority of us have heard about Mary and Martha. We know that Jesus loved them (John 11:5). We know also that the two sisters had very different personalities…Martha, the superficial caretaker, and Mary, the devoted one. Isn’t that how it’s portrayed? We’re supposed to be more like Mary, right?
Did Jesus say that? Did the Bible, God’s word, say that? No. What the word does tell us is that Martha welcomed Jesus into her home. While Mary sat listening to Jesus’ teaching, Martha was distracted in her serving. Jesus gently taught her, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her (Luke 10:41). He didn’t say Martha’s service or her welcoming hospitality was a flaw. What we can learn from Martha is that she had chosen to sweat the small stuff. In her attempts to honor Him as a visiting teacher, she had missed His teaching.
Isn’t it our tendency to compare the two sisters that Jesus loved deeply, and declare one the better? But without Martha’s inclination toward hospitality, Jesus may have gone to another house or straight through town, and Mary may not have heard His teaching at all. Her gift of hospitality and caretaking wasn’t’ wrong, but it had become her focus rather than Jesus.
Jesus doesn’t ask you to be someone other than who He created you to be.The world does. We are uniquely and wonderfully made with gifts and personalities to serve and worship Him, to bring Him glory in multifaceted ways. Choose the good portion, not comparison or striving to be someone you’re not. Be who He created you to be, just don’t put your gifts above the Giver.
Day 15
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect. Common examples of this are foolish wisdom, seriously funny, or awfully pretty. When David wrote the 34th division of Psalms, he was going through a pretty ugly situation. He was having to flee his homeland and hide out in foreign territory. Despite this difficult and challenging situation, he chose to have a positive outlook and not succumb to his circumstance. Instead, he adopted a spirit of praise. He became a walking oxymoron he was joyfully challenged. Psalms 34:1 says,I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Even through trying times, David praised the Lord because he knew the goodness of the Lord. We too have to have that same oxymoronic spirit in our approach to the difficulties we face in life. We must be foolishly optimistic that God will work everything out in our favor!
Psalms 34: 3 KJV ~ O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together
-Moms with Swords
Day 14 Abide
Abide
I had a long day, one of my 3 kiddos was sick, the other one was challenged with getting along with others and my 3rd was struggling with the authority in the house. My husband had a very important meeting in DC, so I found myself trying to care for my sick kiddo, sharing with the other how important sharing was and finally helping the 3rd understand that we are all ultimately accountable to God but in our home, the kiddos are accountable to mommy and daddy. I was tired, stressed and just wanted to relax
I found myself hurrying to get everyone settled and into bed to put this day to a close. I rushed a little through devotion, our prayers were shorter than usual and I kissed them all good night. I rushed downstairs to clean up the kitchen, fold the final load of clothes and could see that relaxation was in sight. I poured myself a glass of wine and began to take a deep sigh until, I felt the Lord prick my heart. It wasn’t an audible voice but I could hear my heart say, is this how you were created to find rest and relaxation? I began to spend time with the Lord to allow Him to show me how and where He wanted for me to rest.
John 15:4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.”
-Moms with Swords
Day 13 Power in the name of Jesus
Power in the name of Jesus
Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11
There is power in the name of Jesus (Philippians 2:9-11). There is salvation in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12, Romans 10:13). Healing occurs in His name (Acts3:6 and 16, 4:10), and the enemy powerless (Luke 10:17). We ourselves are made new by the name of Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:11). In His name, there is forgiveness and wholeness. Indeed, the name of Jesus is a powerful one.
Is your life showing that? Do your children see the power of Jesus in your life? Even when things are tough, and you’re struggling, do they see the strength of Jesus in your weakness? When we aren’t clinging to and living out of our identity in Christ, it is difficult to convince our impressionable children of the power of that identity.
The name of Jesus gives us access to the throne of God, under His authority. His name is the identity we take when we confess that He is ours and we are His.Through His name we have access to resources through the Holy Spirit that bring strength and power to do and endure things we couldn’t face or carry out on our own. Submitting our lives to that identity cannot help but be seen by others, including our children. The authentic surrender of our lives to the name of Jesus is an impactful way to capture their hearts for Him.
-Moms with Swords
Day 12
Working out in the gym is a love-hate relationship. We love the benefits of exercise, but do not like the commitment and discomfort of exercise. But each day we press forward, knowing that after we finish, we obtain a benefit.
Likewise, prayer requires commitment and is not always convenient. But, prayer yields many spiritual benefits. We find an example of this in Luke 18. There, a widow woman who had to commit to making her petition continually known despite experiencing hardship and denial. The widow, however, finally got the results she requested. In following, we must stay committed to prayer and know that positive benefits are imminent.
Philippians 4:6 & 7 (NIV) ~ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Day 11
Most of us know the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the tomb (John 11). A tomb where he was laying dead for four days, wrapped in the linen death clothing. A tomb that held the body of one that Jesus loved (v 3,5).
Our pastor often reminds us that we are the ones that Jesus loves. You are, I am, he is, she is, they are. While we may not always love someone, Jesus does. He is love, it is His very essence. Stop for a moment and think on that. You are the one Jesus loves.
What strikes me in this story is something most people just read through. When Jesus calls Lazarus from the tomb, because His words brought about creation (Gen 1) and the Word is all that’s necessary to give life, Lazarus exits the tomb bound. His hands and feet are tied and his face wrapped in linen. He walks out, but he’s he is still bound in death’s clothing. Jesus says, in verse 44 (NIV), “Unbind him, and let him go.”
This becomes personal now. What death clothes are you bound in? What has your feet tied, your hands tied, your eyes covered and binds you from living out your life freely in Christ? You are the one He loves!!! Your children are the ones He loves! What binds are we carrying in our lives, like dead women walking, and in turn, binding them with our words, our ideals, our judgement?
Jesus says, “Unbind [them], let [them] go.”