The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34: 17-18) Yesterday, I wrote about saying yes to receiving a new revelation from God, and He did not hesitate in His response. The verse He gave me to study was today’s verse. I’ve heard it many times and used it in the Grief Share program. I fully understand and have experienced His closeness to the brokenhearted. But the part He wanted to open my understanding to was that He saves those who are crushed in spirit. Being brokenhearted and crushed in spirit are two…

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. (1 Samuel 3:9) A daily devotional I read asked, “Are you ready for a new revelation?” My initial thought was, “Yes, Lord, I want more of You.” In my naivety, I thought that I would discover a wonderful new detail about God’s character. What I received was the following message from Him. “Do you trust me? Do you know how much I love you! I have so much in store for you. Divine encounters. Faith-building opportunities. Miracles. My power displayed in and through your life. Don’t fear! I always have, and always will be with you. I will provide. I am faithful. I look…

But Daniel made up his mind (resolved) that he would not defile (taint, dishonor) himself. (Daniel 1:8 AMP) The phrase “draw a line in the sand” means to establish a firm, unyielding limit or boundary that you refuse to cross or allow others to cross. The idiom is tied to historical and physical imagery. One of its most famous associations is the legend of the Alamo, where Commander William Barrett Travis is said to have literally scratched a line in the dirt with his sword, giving his soldiers a choice to either cross it and commit to the fight or stay behind and attempt to escape. Over the last several…

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. – Matthew 5:4 The Lord has sent me to bestow on the brokenhearted a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. (Isaiah 61:3) God loves you and wants to reassure you and show you that He has plans for you beyond your disappointment, pain, and suffering.  It’s in our sorrow that God’s promises mean so much to us, and it is then that we experience His comfort, peace, and the hope of eternity with Him.  While the heartaches of this world are temporary,…

Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” (Lamentations 3: 22-24) As I continue on my learning adventure with God, He is making me aware that the enemy of my soul never rests. He is always prowling around looking for opportunities to do his worst. He doesn’t fight fair and always kicks you when you’re down. I can’t describe how much it has helped me to know the fight is inevitable, as mentioned in yesterday’s blog. That may sound strange, but God answered my…

Choose this day whom you will serve. Joshua 24:15 The definition of inevitable is something that is certain to happen and is impossible to avoid, prevent, or escape. The word crossed my mind when I read a paragraph in Experiencing God, Day by Day. “When you first became a Christian, your Master’s instructions were probably fundamental, such as being baptized or changing your lifestyle. But as you learn to trust Him more deeply, He will develop your character to match bigger tests, and with greater tests will come greater love for God and knowledge of His ways. Are you ready for God’s next revelation?” Many times, we hear the saying…

What do you want me to do for you? “Lord, I want to see.” Luke 18:41 Today’s passage was from a conversation Jesus had with a blind man. It may sound strange at first glance because if you were blind and the Savior of the world asked what He could do for you, the obvious request would be to restore your sight. The man responded that he wanted to see. When we pray, we want to see God answer our requests, but we often make those requests of God from a place of blindness. Our prayers are frequently based on our own limited perspective, by our own desires, our own…

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said.  Mark 10:35-38 Have you ever had those moments when your spouse or one of your children is looking in the fridge, and they call out, “Do we have any milk?” and you reply, “Yes, it’s in the fridge.” And they say, “Where is it? I don’t see it.” Or they…

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. – Matthew 5:3 To be poor in spirit means that we recognize our utter spiritual bankruptcy before God.  We understand that we have absolutely nothing of worth to offer Him and that no amount of good works or deeds will be able to save us.  Being poor in spirit is admitting that, because of our sin, we are completely destitute spiritually, and we desperately need a savior. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was teaching that, no matter your status in life, you must recognize your spiritual poverty, your need for redemption, before you can come…

 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.           Matthew 6:31-34 Worry means to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts.  It’s a fear of the unknown and is a tool of the enemy used to tempt us…