Morning is breaking the day open full and rich with possibilities. Lord, I pray that I may think more about You today and less about myself. May the concern of my heart be to please You and not people. Fill my heart with a desire for righteousness not being right. Thank you for loving me when I am unlovely. I fail you every day, but You still call me your choice pearl. Thank you for your mercy and grace. Amen.
Be A Brave, Beautiful Story
The most impactful stories are not the ones People tell, but the ones they live. We are all storytellers every day. Today I pray our stories tell of unity, humility, peace, trust, faith, hope, light, and love. Someone needs you to be an agent of calm, not chaos, kindness, not criticism and tolerance not taunting. Turn your lights on today and narrate a brave, beautiful story! You are loved!
One Nation Under God, Not a Woman or Man
Let there be peace in our great land and let it begin with me. Let love ignite every heart and shine for all to see. Let there be one race, with no divisive mutiny. May we all respect the multitude of opinions with quiet dignity. Let us pray for our country in committed unity. No eye has seen; no ear has heard the breadth of His love for you and me. We are all called to one thing, love one another as our God loves you, me and our neighbor, Republican, and Democrat, all three. Let the violence end, hatred cease, and peace and harmony reign free. I pledge allegiance to one nation under God, not a woman or man, and it is in He where my security will stand. Please, Father calm restless, weary souls and whisper in our ears until it flows from our heart’s, let there be peace and love on earth and let it begin with me. Amen.
The Gospel Either Is or Is Not
The gospel is either ALL true or none of it is. We cannot cherry pick the parts we like from the parts that interfere with our lifestyle, make us uncomfortable or inconvenience us. We must aim to be reverent not relevant. Please be very careful who you are getting your theology from. You are loved!
Where Are You
We each are a micro part of a macro world; but even in our smallness, God calls to us like he did to Adam in the garden in Genesis 3:9~Then the Lord God called to the man, “where are you?” He is not asking about our coordinates but our condition. He loves us so much that even as we are one person in a sea of millions standing small against backdrops of majestic mountains, lush lakes, towering trees that seem to reach the Heavens and all His glorious creations, He still cares about the condition of our one broken heart. No matter how small you feel today, and how overwhelming that crushing circumstance you are facing appears, can you listen to your Father calling you today? Where are you, D’Anna (insert your name); and with a confident heart reply with raw honesty because He already knows, and He wants to be the soother of your searching, sleepy soul. Will you answer Him today? Will you let God be your rescuer instead of the things of this world? We do not have to be victims because we belong to the ultimate victor who calls us his beloved, his child, his chosen one. He has ransomed me and you from yesterday, today and tomorrow shall she come to be. Unlock the bars and walk out, friend. You are a His, and He delights in you! You are loved!
New Mercies
Each new morn rises from the darkness in vibrant colors and announces the renewal of another day. The Lord’s mercies are new again. As darkness hands the baton back to the light, so should we hand off yesterday’s worries for the today’s provision. You have everything you need for today, friend. May you find peace in the present because she does not live in the past or the future.
The Good News
You may have a prodigal child, be in the middle of a messy divorce, enduring anxiety or suffering from a deep depression because life is just not going as planned. The good news is, it is still possible to hear your Father say; job well done daughter/son. He loves you that much!
Give Me Grace
Jesus when loved ones are struggling, relationships are shaky, people are ailing, help me resist the desire to fix what is. May I remember that scrambling for solutions can become a form of control and unbelief. Keep me cognizant that it takes more courage and faith to release my most precious treasures to You, free of my clinging hands. Allow me to care without control, hold without hovering and support without suffocating all people and situations I encounter today and each day forward. Jesus grant me the grace that enables me to rest not carefree, but confidently in your sovereignty amidst the backdrop of a broken world. Amen.
Diamonds Not Dirt
When we are secure in who we are and where our true identity resides, in Christ, hate, blame and complaining subside. We are then free to build-up, motivate, encourage, compliment and accept the beliefs of others that are contrary to our own without anger, resentment or protest. We are visual people. Of all the looking around we do, be one who looks for “diamonds,” not dirt. I am always a work in progress. You are loved.
I Am A Sinner
It is not until I fully grasp the depth of my sin that I can be forgiving of the sins of others, and I tend to forget and need reminding of that. Forgiveness in some cases does not look like best friends or even a relationship, but it is the freeing of our hearts from the bondage of resentment, ill-will, revenge and all their destructive relatives. Do I do this perfectly? No, but I am seeking progress, not perfection.
I prayed A LOT leading up to last night’s debate. To be honest, there were moments I wanted to throw something at the television. However, those moments were less than the first debate, and this is why. My sins though they look different, at the root, they are the same. I have lied. I have been a hypocrite. I have said things I would not want other people to hear. I make mistakes every day. You might say, but you are not running for President, (and praise God for that!). Even if we had two different candidates to choose from, not one of them would be justified in picking up, much less cast a stone; and neither am I!
It is so easy for me to become a Pharisee by traveling this road, “well, at least I haven’t done what he/she has done.” That is the slogan for self-righteousness at its best, and I have been there. Jesus said, “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” Luke 5:32.
My prayer is that we can all lay down our stones and turn our prosecution into prayers. Unless The Lord acts in a mighty way, and He may, one of these two candidates will become the next president. We need to be accepting of that and fight in those difficult moments to remember that God will still be on the throne on election night.
Yes, both DJT and HC are very imperfect, but so am I. They are both sinners, but so am I. Here is the good news for me, and I hope for them and you, there is no sin too big that the grace of God does not cover in a heart in which He dwells.
Also, we can take ourselves off duty right now because we are not the judge of the state of one’s heart today, tomorrow or ever.
As our pastor told us if you cannot vote for a candidate, vote for a platform; the one that most aligns with your views. I am praying for our country, and you are all loved by me!