Sacred Whispers Devotional 1

As you read today's devotional, play "ALPHA & OMEGA" from the Sacred Whispers Playlist.

Spiritual

THE WEIGHT OF THE WAIT

By Marlin and Monica Harris

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary;and they shall walk, and not faint”

Isaiah 40:31

We (Monica and Marlin) wanted to share a few thoughts with you as we come to the close of this fast. What a journey it has been sitting at the feet of Jesus each day and listening to the ‘sacred whispers’ of the Holy Spirit as He speaks His peace and hope to our hearts. We have all cried, laughed and learned together as we have been on this amazing journey of self-discovery. We are becoming our best selves. We are challenging the old habits of our past, and finding new paths to walk in. 

For so many of us, the butterfly is emerging, and the old patterns of limiting mindsets and beliefs are slowly wasting away.

Even though we are thrilled to see this growth and new determination, we are sober-minded enough to remind you that nothing happens overnight. On this journey of growth, we all will have to wait.

We know we speak for just about everyone when we say, ‘we do not like that word’: wait. It is so indefinite. It doesn’t inspire hope. It doesn’t ease fears. It’s like coming to a new chapter in your life only to discover that there was no closure to the last one, and now you simply have to sit in silence and wait. While we wait, our minds are racing from one worry to another, and soon anxiety begins to sit on the throne of our hearts. Today becomes tomorrow, and tomorrow becomes the next, and still, our circumstances have not yet changed. So many people started out on their journey well, but the weight of the ‘wait’ proved to be too much, and they stopped believing just seconds from their goal.

I (Marlin) know that the weight of waiting has threatened me to not finish my race many days. God will often give me large, bodacious dreams and as soon as my heart begins to swell with hope, He quietly tells me to wait. I enter a waiting season, and how lonely that season is! Those self-defeating demons of doubt and despair have often come to wrestle away my faith, and the weight of the ‘wait’ soon begins to make my heart heavy. All I have the strength to do in those moments is point my faith towards God and then lean totally upon Him.  

I (Monica) too have waited, while struggling to hold on to my faith in the process. Trusting God for every second or day of my wait. Often tears have been my companion, and prayer has been my constant pastime while I have waited. But I can truly say that I have learned more about trusting God while I am in the ‘wait’ than I ever could outside of it.

Our hope is that you realize that you are not by yourself. We both have had seasons of waiting. But oh, there is great news that we have to share! 

If you are willing to wait and not lose heart, God always shows up just before the darkest hour of the night. He will not come empty-handed to you in your season of waiting. He comes to fulfill His promise in Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint”. 

Here the promise is that God will renew your strength. This means that ‘waiting’ can often be ‘weakening’. When prayers go unanswered, the temptation to give up the faith becomes stronger with each passing moment.  

When I (Monica) am waiting, I realize that I am also growing. 

Waiting is not the absence of activity; it is actually the presence of growth. Things naturally grow while they wait. I love the plants that we have around our home. They give life and freshness to our living environment. I water them regularly and move them from shade to sunlight to keep them healthy. But there is something I never do. I never sit down beside them to watch them grow. If I were to do that, I would soon come to believe that they are not growing. No, I simply water them, love them, and let them grow on their own. I don’t need to check, because I know that healthy things grow if you just give it enough time. The same is true in your life and in mine. It won’t be overnight, but healthy things always grow while they wait. 

I (Marlin) find it strange that God would tell us that the way to renew your strength while you are waiting, is to continue to wait. 

Isn’t ‘waiting’ the thing that has been taking our strength away in the first place? Well, this passage doesn’t say we get our strength renewed by waiting. It says we get our strength renewed by ‘waiting on the Lord!’. You see, the expectation of our waiting has to shift from the earthly to the heavenly. 

We have to shift our focus, in order to find our strength.  The blessing in the waiting is not in the thing you ultimately hope will fill your hand, but it is in the One you ultimately trust to fill your heart. The text compares the man who waits on the Lord to an eagle who soars in the sky while the wind rages against him, he gets stronger as he climbs higher. This is what God says will be our experience, if we can shift our focus from waiting on things, to waiting on Him.

While you are in your season of waiting, I (Monica) would love to share with you a few things I have learned when I’ve gone through those seasons in my own life.

Worship While You Wait. 

Every morning, spend time listening to the worship songs in the ‘Sacred Whispers Playlist’ even after our fast has ended. Etch out a few quiet minutes of your day to simply listen to God as He speaks to you. You’ll be amazed at how God can use a song to break through to your heart like you never imagined.

Work While You Wait.

Do not become idle while you are waiting on God. Satan loves to fill our minds with hopelessness when we are not engaged in productive work. Serve on a ministry, volunteer through our Community Center, and serve others who are hurting, or maybe mentor a young person in need. Whatever you do, don’t become dormant. Working is the way you get past the waiting.

Wonder While You Wait.

If you can fill your thoughts with the goodness, and love of God, you will find the burden of waiting becoming lighter. Remember God’s work in your life from years ago, and before you realize it, your faith will grow, and the wait will become easier to bear.

Now that you know how to wait, we (Marlin and Monica) are praying that you will find the courage to pray bold prayers and be willing to trust God as you wait for Him to answer them. Great things never come easy, and they will always require waiting. Waiting is a temporary season, it will not last forever. Cast the weight of your waiting upon the Lord and allow Him to lighten your load. Let’s make this a sweet season of worship, work and wonder, and watch God cause our hearts to be overrun with joy. While we wait, we will learn to dance!

PRAYER

Father, I acknowledge that I am often impatiently waiting on You, please forgive me. I know that you are sovereign and know what’s best for me. Forgive me for only looking through my physical eyes and not my spiritual eyes. Thank You for being patient with me and lovingly guiding me to your truths. Help me daily to trust You more in all things. Thank You for being my constant Everything. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

DAILY SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

Worship. Work. And Wonder!

Practical

END OF A JOURNEY, BEGINNING OF A NEW ONE

By Matthew Pryor – Content taken from The Body Tithe Devotional

(Edited by Marlin D. Harris)

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Philippians 4:13

Here we are... the final day of our wellness journey. Day 31, to be exact. You’ve likely learned a lot about yourself over the course of these weeks. You’ve learned what kind of exercises you like, what kind you don’t, those you’re good at, and those you aren’t. You’ve probably tried some new foods, implemented new nutritional goals, increased your water intake, or decreased your junk food intake. If so, you’ve seen what a profound effect nutrition can have on your fitness level. I also hope you’ve discovered the valuable role sleep plays in your overall fitness. Not only does sleep help your body repair and prepare physiologically, but you’ll also be better equipped psychologically for your day. You’ll be better able to make the right decisions concerning your exercise and nutrition. 

Aside from the physical lessons you’ve learned, my prayer is that you’ve discovered even more about yourself spiritually. I hope you’ve developed a great appreciation for what our God has done for us. Then, out of that gratitude, I pray you feel compelled to bring Him glory and honor... mind, body, and spirit. We’ve looked at Old and New Testament heroes who’ve modeled extraordinary faith and who saw victory in the face of defeat. We’ve seen how to be equipped with the word and worship of God, which gives us great freedom to run a race that He’s already won. 

We focused on the unbreakable promises God has for us throughout Scripture. If we cling to, and rely on God and His promises, He will produce life-changing fruit in our lives. We’ve examined our relationship with food, and we have taken a long hard look at our daily habits. We are not on this journey alone, our loving Father has imparted the Holy Spirit to work in our lives as we live by His strength. We should be encouraged! 

Unfortunately, we don’t always live a Spirit-filled, Spirit-focused life. Oftentimes, the temptation is to look at Scripture through a lens of generality rather than specificity. It’s kind of like knowing you play for the best sports team in the country. Your team is rich in history and success. Your coach has all the credentials and has proven himself trustworthy time and time again. You’re surrounded by teammates with astounding skills and a proven track record. You know the plays by heart and watched hours of film on the opposing team, and your team has a winning record. No other team comes close. So you know that ultimately, you can’t lose. Yet, despite all these things, you still feel like an outsider. You still feel like all these advantages apply to everyone else on the team — and maybe on our fitness journey — except you. In your mind, it seems these things are generally right... for everyone else. Somehow, though, they don’t or can’t specifically apply to you. After all, you know yourself pretty well and you just don’t see yourself that way... as victorious. Doesn’t this sound like many of us, even after all the encouragement and assurances we’ve been given? If so, I want you to close this journey by remembering who you are because of Him. Remember what you are because of Him. Remember what you can do because of Him. 

Life changes when we see ourselves the way our loving Father sees us. Then we can better align our minds with His mind. We can better align our spirit with His Spirit. And only then we can experience true triumph in Christ. 

When our minds and spirits are experiencing victory, it makes it far easier for our bodies to follow suit. It’s a lot easier to see how magnificent our God is than it is seeing any good in us. That is, until we start looking at ourselves through His eyes. When we see us the way He sees us, when we start listening to what He says about us, we start feeling empowered to live the magnificent life He created us to live. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, we started out on this journey with You, and we know that we cannot finish it without You. 

Be our guide and keep our hearts in the right pathway. May our desire to be healthy extend beyond our body. May You cause our body, our soul, and our spirit to experience true health and wholeness. This is for Your glory, and Your praise. In Jesus Name, Amen.

DAILY SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

Go back through each devotion for every day of this month. Note the ones that spoke to you in some specific, intimate way, and relook at it again. 

Then write in your journal what changes you believe God wants of you from that devotional message. It may be changes in your thinking, or in your habits, or in the care you physically give to your body. Then ask Him to give you the courage and the strategy to make those changes. Read it every day, and pray that prayer every day until that change becomes your reality.

Pryor, Matthew. The Body Tithe Devotional: Spiritual Encouragement For Your Fitness Journey (pp. 301). Sophros.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Download Fasting Guide

Listen To Sacred Whispers Playlist

As you read today's devotional, play "THE BLESSING" from the Sacred Whispers Playlist.

Spiritual

Streams in the Desert 365 Devotions, Pages 452-453

By L.B. Cowman, Editor

“…there we saw the giants.”

Numbers 13:33

Yes, the Israeli spies saw giants, but Joshua and Caleb saw God! Those who doubt still say today, “We can’t attack…; they are stronger than we are” (v. 31). Yet those who believe say, “We should go up and take possession... for we can well able to do it” (v. 30). 

These giants represent, for us, great difficulties, and they stalk us everywhere. They are in our families, our churches, our social life, and even our own hearts. We must overcome them or they will devour us, just as the ancient Israelites, fearing those in Canaan, said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size” (v. 32). We should exhibit faith as did Joshua and Caleb, who said, “Do not be afraid..., because we will devour them” (Numbers 14:9). In effect, they told the others, “We will be stronger by overcoming them than if there had been no giants to defeat.” 

In fact, unless we have overcoming faith, we will be swallowed up—consumed by the giants who block our path. With “that same spirit of faith” (2 Corinthians 4:13) that Joshua and Caleb had, let us look to God, and He will take care of the difficulties. 

We encounter giants only when we are serving God and following Him. It was when Israel was going forward that the giants appeared, for when they turned back into the wilderness, they found none. Many people believe that the power of God in a person’s life should keep him from all trials and conflicts. However, the power of God actually brings conflict and struggles. You would think that Paul, during his great missionary journey to Rome, would have been kept by God’s sovereignty from the power of violent storms and of his enemies. Yet just the opposite was true. He endured one long, difficult struggle with the Jews who were persecuting him. He faced fierce winds, poisonous snakes, and all the powers of earth and of hell. And finally, he narrowly escaped drowning, by swimming to shore at Malta after a shipwreck nearly sent him to a watery grave. 

Does this sound like a God of infinite power? Yes, it is just like Him. And that is why Paul told us that once he took the Lord Jesus Christ as his life in his body, a severe conflict immediately arose. In fact, the conflict never ended. The pressure on Paul was persistent, but from the conflict he always emerged victorious through the strength of Jesus Christ. 

Paul described this in quite vivid language: “We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body” (2 Corinthians 4:8–10). What a ceaseless and strenuous struggle he related! It is nearly impossible to express in English the impact of the original language. 

Paul gives us five different images in succession. In the first, he has us picture enemies completely surrounding and pressuring but not crushing him, because the heavenly “police” have protected him and cleared a path just wide enough for him to escape. The literal meaning is, “We are crowded from all sides, but not defeated.” 

The second image is that of someone whose way is completely blocked or thwarted by the enemy. Yet he has persevered, for there is just enough light for him to see the next step. Paul said, “perplexed, but not in despair,” or as one literal translation put it, “without a road, but not without a ‘side road’ of escape.” 

The third picture, “persecuted, but not abandoned,” is one of the enemy in hot pursuit of him while the divine Defender stands nearby. He is pursued, but not left alone. 

The fourth is even more vivid and dramatic. The enemy has overtaken him, struck him, and knocked him down. But it is not a fatal blow—he is able to rise again. He has been “struck down, but not destroyed,” or literally, “overthrown, but not overcome.” 

In the fifth and final image, Paul advances the thought still further, giving us a picture that appears to be one of death itself: “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus.” Yet he does not die, for “the life of Jesus” comes to his aid, and he lives through Christ’s life until his lifework is complete. 

The reason so many people fail to experience this divine principle is that they expect to receive it all without a struggle. When conflict comes and the battle rages on, they become discouraged and surrender. God has nothing worth having that is easily gained, for there are no cheap goods on the heavenly market. The cost of our redemption was everything God had to give, and anything worth having is expensive. Difficult times and places are our schools of faith and character. If we are ever to rise above mere human strength, and experience the power of the life of Christ in our mortal bodies, it will be through the process of conflict that could very well be called the “labor pains” of the new life. It is like the story of Moses, who “saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up” (Exodus 3:2); although Satan’s demons tried to extinguish the flame in Moses’ life by continually pouring water on his plans, they could not, because God’s angels were ever vigilant, pouring oil on the flame to keep it burning brightly. 

Dear child of God, you may be suffering, but you cannot fail if you will only dare to believe, stand firm, and refuse to be overcome. 

L.B. COWMAN. Streams in the Desert: Morning and Evening Devotions (p. 452-453). Zondervan.

Physical

LITTLE BY LITTLE

By Cathy Morenzie (Healthy by Design: Weight Loss, God's Way)

“Little by little I will drive them out before you until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.”

Exodus 23:30

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just the first step.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

How many years did it take you to gain your excess weight? Even though it may have taken you many years to gain weight, we tend to want to lose weight quickly. 

Programs like “The Biggest Loser” have created the illusion that weight loss is quick. They show people losing 25 pounds in a week. However, the fast track is never the right path. Change comes through renewing your mind daily with the Word of God. It’s a process that happens day by day, little by little, step by step, from glory to glory. God’s goal is Christ’s fullness in our life. He wants to bring us to new levels and allow us to experience a life of freedom from all the things that keep us bound. 

As the Israelites marched out of Egypt through the Red Sea and into the wilderness, God promised he would be with them through the entire journey. He also promised that he would help them have victory over all of their enemies and was very specific about how He would help them. God says, “I will drive them out little by little until you have increased enough to take possession of the land” (Exodus 23:30). 

Why would an all-powerful God take his time to act? God understands that to be victorious, certain skills must be developed; such as persistence, patience, strategy, and submission. These qualities aren’t developed overnight. God wants us to get the lessons as well as the blessings.  

The question we have to ask ourselves is, ‘What are the lessons that God is trying to teach us?” It may not be about your weight loss journey. It may be about patience, or self-care, or discipline or what it means to make sacrifices. We are all learning these critical life lessons every day. Until we embrace the process and take it day-by-day, we will never get to our ‘promised land’. If the journey is too easy, then the reward won’t mean much at all.  

So, let’s take in a deep breath, and relax our faith in Christ, and enjoy the journey. It won’t be 40 years, I promise. But it will be just long enough for us to hear what God is trying to teach us, and be fully equipped to teach somebody else while they are on their journey. Remember, success comes step by step; day by day; little by little.

PRAYER

Thank You for Your promises. I am making progress. From victory to victory, success to success, I am getting stronger each day. I am more than an overcomer. I am advancing in everything I put my mind to. I am unstoppable!

PRACTICAL ACTION TODAY

Adjusting for setbacks and unforeseen circumstances, how much longer will it take you to reach your goal than you originally projected? Write out a confession statement that reminds you that you are ready to take all the time required to reach your goal. Remind yourself that you will not quit or give up while you are on this journey. Then, place that statement somewhere in your home where you will be able to see it on a regular basis.

ADDITIONAL STUDY 

Meditate on Exodus 23:20. “I will drive them out little by little until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.” 

Why did God drive them out little by little? What does God want to increase in your life little by little? Patience, discipline, submission, sacrifice? Journal your response. Reflect on your past attempts at quick weight loss. What was the result? 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Download Fasting Guide

Listen To Sacred Whispers Playlist

As you read today's devotional, play "WAY MAKER" from the Sacred Whispers Playlist.

Spiritual

YOUR BEAUTY IS NOT FOR SALE

By Marlin D. Harris

What do you see when you look in the mirror? What does the image that looks back at you say when you walk by a reflecting glass or even see yourself in a photograph? 

For far too many people they see someone who is fat, or ugly, or unattractive, or embarrassing. Even as I write these words, I believe the heart of God breaks over the large number of men, women, and young people who have attached these psycho-social labels to their sense of personhood. The fact that they bear the very image of God is no longer sufficient ground upon which to build their sense of self-esteem. Inner virtues of the heart have taken a backseat to outer vices of the body. ‘Purity’ doesn’t matter half as much as ‘pretty’, and our personal honor has been drowned out by public hubris. When did all of this happen? How did we fall so far away from what God calls beautiful? Who told our daughters, and our sons that they are ugly; or fat; or unattractive? Where did these concepts of describing human beings even come from? And by what standard are we using to reach such determinations in the first place?

All of these questions, and many others like them, crowd my thoughts when I hear someone describe their outward physical appearance in these negative ways. 

Somebody had to tell them they were ugly. At some point in time, someone convinced them that they were unattractive. These beliefs do not arise spontaneously. They do not germinate independently in a little girl's or a little boy’s mind. 

No, they have to be planted there. 

And every time our daughters pick up a magazine, or our sons browse through a website, or they turn on a television, they are being subtly – and surely – indoctrinated into what our culture defines as beautiful, and conversely what our culture defines as ugly. 

Sadly, this is the result of living in a shallow, image-conscious society where we are deluded into thinking that ‘image’ is reality. You must be careful to never let anyone turn you into an artificial copy of the original ‘you’ that was never given the freedom to exist.  

If we are not careful, we will soon become slaves to the opinions of others. Fight to maintain your God-given sense of dignity, and never allow your world to revolve around the cosmic sun of other people’s approval. For so many people, their entire perspective of their own personal self-worth and value hinges completely on what somebody else thinks about them. This need for approval and validation from outside of ourselves is a dangerous drug to give to a culture that is hypersexualized, image-driven, and masters of exploitation. These shallow notions about beauty existed long before our 21st Century culture immortalized them. They existed in the days when the scriptures were recorded and are particularly highlighted when the book of Esther was being penned.

The Book of Esther has much to say about its main character, Esther. This is only right since the book is named after her, and the story centers around her personal strength and enormously courageous faith, in saving her people from certain destruction.  

However, there is one other character in this book, that doesn’t get the press or the attention that I think she deserves. We all know Esther, but I think it would be helpful if we all got a little more acquainted with Queen Vashti. Vashti didn’t save a nation from extermination, nor did she accomplish any great diplomatic victories for her people, but there is something that she did that demands both our attention and our respect. Vashti defended her sense of honor and personal dignity, even amid the threat of her immediate demise and death. She wasn’t in a position to stand up for a nation, but she was in a position to stand up for herself.

In the days of the empirical rule of the Persian Kingdom, the luxuriantly powerful Persian King Ahasuerus threw a fabulous banquet for all the princes and noblemen from around his vast empire who had gathered in the Persian capital city. 

As the festivities ensue, Ahasuerus and his many guests had become overly self-indulgent in their wine and the opulent displays of their wealth. The king begins to parade his vast power and fortune around for all of his subjects to marvel at. This demonstration of wealth, power, and human glory went on day after day as the end of one party quickly gave way to the beginning of another. Then in a moment of drunken revelry, it occurs to the king that there is yet one object of beauty that he has not yet paraded around for the men at his party to marvel at; and that object was his queen, Queen Vashti. She was his prized possession, and her beauty was a ‘commodity’ that he could depersonalize and objectify at his own wishes and whims.  

It is this social dynamic that is at the heart of our culture today. The king determines what is beautiful. He defines what is successful, and he tells us who is valuable. The self-esteem and self-worth of people everywhere are at the mercy of the king. Well, Vashti would not play along with this overt abuse of her own personal dignity. 

She was not going to be a willing participant in her own exploitation. She would not attend a party where she would be paraded before the king as only an object of sexual desire, and not a human being with personal dignity. Had she gone in to be paraded before this party of men, she would have become an accomplice to her own imposed devaluation. So, in honor of her sense of personal dignity, Vashti refused.  

How powerful are those two words – Vashti refused. Even though the king was calling her, and great honor and accolades no doubt awaited her; but for Vashti, her beauty was not for sale. Is this not the very definition of human trafficking? Doesn’t this strike at the heart of pornography and feminine exploitation? 

There is a strange reality in our modern culture today; beauty, image, and our personal dignity seem to always be up for sale. This is what is at the root of low self-esteem and image shaming. Too many Vashti’s have answered the king’s call. 

Too many women and men have defined their human dignity by what others think of their outward appearance. The reference point for our personal self-esteem has been moved so many times that we no longer know how to arrive at our true value, or how to determine our true worth.  

Many of you are reading these words while inwardly being consumed with an insatiable desire to measure up. You have to measure up to standards that at best are artificial. You are emotionally stressed trying to be beautiful, or smart, or skinny, or liked, or valued – and for many people, you are just simply trying to be seen. Because you feel like you live in a world where no matter how much you do, and how hard you try, no one ever notices… you. The truth is that many of us are not dieting and exercising to be healthy; we are dieting and exercising to be seen. We are not trying to become our best version of ourselves, we are really working hard to become somebody else’s best version of ourselves. And if we were to be honest, it is completely exhausting. 

Well, please hear me. This devotion today is your permission to stop. Literally, fully, totally – Stop. Stop being a willing participant in your own exploitation. Stop selling out your true beauty for somebody else’s approval. Stop wearing the labels that other people have given you while rejecting the labels that God embedded in your heart when He created you. Stop esteeming yourself only as high as other people’s approval of you. Because whether you know it, or even believe it; you are beautiful. You are wonderful. You are more than enough. The only reason why you don’t believe those words is because somebody kept telling you differently, and you have chosen to believe them. Well, I want to share with you what God says about you. This is all that ever really mattered.  

Practical Step

Don’t simply read these next several lines of truth, but embrace them. Sit with each statement and let them speak to your heart, and believe that God was speaking each one directly to you. 

You Were Purposefully And Wonderfully Created – Psalm 139:14

You Are Beautiful – Ecclesiastes 3:11

You Are His Treasured Possession – Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 7:6

You Are The Apple Of His Eye – Deuteronomy 32:10; Zechariah 2:8

You Are The Object Of His Love – Jeremiah 31:3

God Knows You By Your Name – Isaiah 43:1

You Are God’s Masterpiece – Ephesians 2:10

Every Hair On Your Head Is Numbered – Matthew 10:30

You Are Loved With An Everlasting Love – Jeremiah 31:3

You Are Made Perfect In Weakness – 2 Corinthians 12:9

You Are The Bride Of Christ – Ephesians 5:25-27

You Are The Righteousness Of God – 2 Corinthians 5:21

God Sees You In Your Weakness – Genesis 16:13

You Are Never Alone – Hebrews 13:5

Beloved, never doubt your inestimable worth. You are worth more to God than a million sunsets and an innumerable host of angels. Nothing shall ever separate you from His love. You do not exist at the pleasure of people, you exist at the pleasure of God. 

If only you knew how much God loved you, you would never run to another one of the king’s parties. You are more valuable than that. So never let yourself be judged again by someone else’s version of beauty. Refuse to allow your conscious to wear the labels that the world has imprisoned you with. 

You are none of those things they said! You are God’s masterpiece. And your beauty is not for sale.

PRAYER

Loving Father, I pray that You will wrap me in Your love and remind me that I am beautiful, wonderful and special in Your eyes. Give me the calm assurance that I don’t have to give in to what the culture says about me. I am more than my outside appearance. I am everything You have made me to be. Thank you for Your grace. In Jesus Name, I pray. Amen.

Practical

GOD OF REST 

By Matthew Pryor

(Content taken from the Body Tithe Devotional)

When I tell people that fitness is composed of three things, they generally know the first two: exercise and nutrition. However, when I tell them that the third factor determining their overall level of fitness is sleep, they seemed surprised. Sleep is for lazy people, right? Who has time to rest anyway? It’s so unproductive . . . or is it? 

The benefits of sleep fall into two categories, the first being the physiological functions. Your body does countless, incredible things when you’re asleep. For instance, hormones are being regulated. Big deal, you say? Hormones are essential for muscle growth and development. Hormones help determine appetite satiation. Hormones are used to manage stress and control energy production sources and increase alertness. 

Your tissue growth and repair occur in your sleep. Energy is restored. Your immune system is bolstered. Muscles relax, repair, and grow. The cardiovascular system gets a break with a lower heart rate and a drop in blood pressure. Toxic metabolic byproducts are removed from the brain. Memories are preserved. The list goes on and on, all happening without you even having to try. Equally important are the emotional benefits of sleep. When well-rested, you increase your ability to focus, lower your stress, and have a more positive demeanor. Getting good sleep will improve your decision-making process, including options regarding food and exercise. It’s a whole lot easier to make bad nutrition choices when you have no energy. When we’re low on energy, if we exercise at all, it often results in half-hearted efforts and a decreased benefit. Being tired usually results in poor decisions, rationalization, quick fixes, or unrealistic assumptions about how we’ll do the next day. 

When it’s spelled out like this, it’s easy to see why sleep is so important for your fitness. In a nutshell, it helps you repair and prepare, without you even having to try. The Bible says that God formed us (Psalm 119:73). He made the delicate, inner parts of our body and knitted us together in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). So, it should come as no surprise that the God of our bodies is also the God of rest. He did invent rest, after all: “On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.” (Genesis 2:2–3) 

Now in fairness, rest and sleep are not always synonymous. God, of course, never sleeps (Psalm 121:4), but He has wired our bodies to require it. Furthermore, He has blessed us with permission to relax, recoup, and refresh for our days ahead. He has made it appropriate for us to repair and prepare. God is also the God of a different kind of rest, as His Son tells us in Matthew: “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)  

This kind of rest frees us from the compulsion to use our own strength to fix something we can’t fix. We no longer need to keep trying, doing, and working for something that’s already been offered through grace by faith. This kind of rest relinquishes us from the feeling that we must earn our deliverance. This kind of rest restores our souls for all of eternity. This is salvation rest. 

The good news doesn’t end there. The same assurance of being united with God in the someday allows us to go to Him in the now. The exhaustion we have in our earthly life, the loads we are carrying, the busyness, the problems and hardships—we can lay all this at His feet. The confidence and security that are born out of a relationship with Him serve only to lighten our load. He can replace Martha’s work with Mary’s wonder (Luke 10:38–42). God lets us rest in green meadows (Psalm 23:2). He invites us to experience the rest that He prepared for us and promised to us (Hebrews 4:1–3). Having 20 days of the fitness journey under your belt, you’re hopefully realizing the benefits of your nightly sleep. It plays out in your workouts, the day’s events, your decisions, and in your progress. Making it a priority will make the journey not only more rewarding, but more enjoyable. 

The greatest need, however, is to fully rest in Him every step along the way. We need not worry or have anxiety about our fitness. We can relax. Exhale. Trust. For when we go to Him (as He teaches), we find rest for our souls (as He promises) because He does the work. Just as with our sleep at night, we are the ones who benefit and we don’t even have to try. 

PRAYER

Thank You God for the gift of sleep and, even more so, for the gift of spiritual rest. Will You forgive me when I rest my efforts in anyone or anything other than You? Please help me to slow down, try less, and rest more. In Your Name, Amen.

Pryor, Matthew. The Body Tithe Devotional: Spiritual Encouragement For Your Fitness Journey (pp. 79-82). Sophros. 

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Spiritual

COMMON DISEASE: COMMON CURE

By Matthew Pryor – The Body Tithe Devotional

(Edited and revised by Marlin D. Harris)

“Because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death”.

Romans 8:2

All this week you have been reading about choices and bad habits in either our spiritual or physical devotions and I’m sure that by now you are pretty exhausted with the topic. 

But unfortunately, bad habits and choices are not something that any of us can get away from. Whether we are talking about physical habits, mental thinking habits, our habits of vices and sins, or even the people we habitually choose to be in relationship with, our habits and choices are all around us. 

Sometimes they stalk us with a haunting persistence; waiting for us to be presented with a good or a bad choice. 

Our habits and choices are constantly reminding us of our weaknesses, our forbidden impulses, and our unhealthy cravings.  

As much as we desperately want to be free of them, we simply can’t seem to get away from negative habits and bad choices. Where did this come from and how did all of us in the human race become so compromised in our ability to make good choices? The responsibility lies conspicuously at the feet of our fore-parents, Adam and Eve. When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit, they set all of humanity on a course of free, willful disobedience to the perfect and natural design that God had in creation. As a result, sin entered the world, and death along with it. What is more disturbing is that sin entered you and it entered me. All of us are equally impacted by sin and all of its painful aftereffects. We all naturally desire what is ungodly, and we all innately gravitate towards ourselves before we do others. This is not the picture of a bad person; this is simply the picture of the human condition. 

Satan uses this moral defect against us, to make us feel that we are worse than others. However, that is simply not true. Beware of this kind of thinking. It will damage your mind, stain your psyche, and ultimately only perpetuate more bad choices. The truth is, we are all struggling, we are all weakened, and we are all human. Since our disease is universal, then so is our cure. There is one cure for the common diagnosis of sin. That cure is the unconditional love of God, expressed through the sacrificial death of His Son. This is our only hope and confidence that sin can be erased, our weaknesses can be reversed, and our lives can be redeemed.  

Like any other cure, the patient can choose to accept or reject it. Jesus will not violate our free will. Even though ‘free will’ is what caused this disease of sinfulness in the first place, it is also what is at the core of our being made in the image and likeness of God. Therefore acceptance of the cure is completely up to us. All that is needed is to receive the love that God has for you, accept Jesus as your Savior, and put the full weight of your eternal trust in him. Until we do this, our habits and choices can never truly be cured.

Every day, I talk to patients who have a history of making bad choices—whether it’s smoking, excessive drinking, overeating, lack of exercise, unwise relationships, and even illegal drug use. In many cases, these choices have shortened their natural lifespan by months, if not years. When we turn away from our bad habits and make good choices, sometimes the downward trend of health problems can be slowed and occasionally even reversed. If you’re in such a situation, it’s worth the pain to change. But even if we don’t change our bad habits, we can still change what happens when we sin. When we turn to the Lord, he will release us from the permanent death that is the resultant price for our sin. And that’s a change worth making! 

Though our physical bodies will one day fail us and return to dust, God has promised us eternal, heavenly bodies. These new bodies will be complete and healthy, free of sickness, disease, and weakness. Jesus came to find me even when I wasn’t looking for him. When he did, my life turned around 180 degrees from the way I was living before. Prior to meeting Jesus, I was on a pathway filled with sin, destruction, and death. Turning toward Christ gave me a new life and lifted my spirit out of those destructive behaviors. 

No matter which path you’re currently on, I know that Jesus can rescue and redeem you. You were created to live perfectly in paradise, but we have been relegated to stumbling sinfully through the world. But your life can be placed back on the right track. No, it won’t be perfect, but it will be forgiven and redeemed if you would make Jesus your choice today.

PRAYER

Father, I am choosing Jesus today. I admit that I am a sinner, and I am in need of a Savior. I believe that Jesus died in my place, and gave His life that I might have real, true life. I ask Him to come into my life and be my Lord and Savior. 

I repent of my sins and dedicate my life and my choices to Him, and pray that He would fill me with His Holy Spirit. Lord Jesus, come into my heart and never leave. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

YOUR NEXT STEP

If you prayed the prayer above and for the first time truly meant it, then I would like to say “welcome to the Family of Christ”. You are now a Christian and on your way to becoming a fully committed follower of Jesus Christ. But you must take the next step and share your experience with someone whom the Holy Spirit will use to help guide you along this new journey. One way to do that is to simply go to https://www.newlife-atl.org/contact and fill out a contact form to let a New Life Church leader know that you just gave your heart to Jesus, and you are ready to begin a new life with Him! We are so happy that you did!

DAILY SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE

Pick one bad habit or one ungodly choice, and by intentionally seeking the Lord’s help, start making good choices that will erase that one bad habit today. Just as the Lord Jesus redeemed your life by making you a new creation in Him, He will also give you the strength to overcome any destructive habit that seeks to make your life less than what He created you to be.

Practical

THE WIDOWMAKER

By Dr. Reggie Anderson

(Content taken from “The One Year Book of Healing: Daily Appointments with God”)

“No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts his praises! My body rests in hope. For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.”

Acts 2:26-27

 As a primary care physician practicing rural medicine in a small town outside of Nashville, Tennessee, I have witnessed a lot of healing. Some of it has been through the work of medical professionals, whom God uses to carry out his good work, and some have happened supernaturally—the result of God’s direct intervention. Either way, I’ve never seen anyone healed or helped with any disease or illness that did not involve their cooperation and commitment to the healing. In many ways, healing is a two-sided experience. God must do His part in the healing process, and man must do his. The following short conversation is between me and a young man named Brett, who has just come to the difficult realization that he must take personal responsibility for his health.

“It’s kind of late for a farmer to be sleeping in, isn’t it?” Brett opened his eyes, yawned, and smiled. He was usually up and out before the rooster crowed, but he’d had heart surgery the day before and was still recuperating. Brett had grown up on a meat and potatoes diet—usually with dessert to polish it off. And like many of my patients whose diets had placed them at an increased risk for premature heart disease, his unhealthy eating habits had caught up with him. 

At forty-two, he was much too young to have undergone heart surgery. “Brett, your heart surgeon gave me a call yesterday. That surgery saved your life. He said you needed a four-vessel bypass and that you had a 99 percent blockage in the left coronary artery—that’s what we call a widowmaker. You’re a lucky man to have this much heart disease and not much muscle damage.” 

“I am thankful,” Brett said. “That widowmaker almost caused me to meet my maker! But I know that God has a different plan for my life.” 

“You’re right. He does, but you’re going to have to make some different choices about your health—specifically, your diet.” 

“I know. You’ve been preaching to me about diet, exercise, and especially watching my portions. Being in the ICU gives a man a lot of time to think. I realize that instead of my friends and family gathering at my bedside right now, they could be gathering at my graveside. Not only am I going to make changes, but I am going to make sure everyone I know realizes they need to make changes too.”

Brett was faithful to his word. He made a major overhaul to his life and became an evangelist to his friends and family, not only for God’s goodness but also for good health. Each day, when he gets up before the rooster crows, he thanks God for his second chance. 

This short conversation reveals how significant it is to have a clear sense of ownership of your health. Many of us are gambling with our lives, by not making some critical choices today. Changing our diet, exercising, resting more, and worrying less, may seem like difficult things to do, but it just might make the difference between living for a few more years, or living long enough to see the next generation. The choice, in many ways, is yours.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, may I be granted the courage and determination to make the necessary changes in my life that may be required. You are a God of second chances, allowing people to be reborn into new life through Your Son Jesus. Thank you for not giving up on me and instead, showing me the way. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

DAILY SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

When faced with a major blockage in your heart or in your soul, look to God for a way to bypass the damage and start a new life. Make a decision today to eliminate one bad choice from being a part of your life.

Anderson, Reggie. The One Year Book of Healing: Daily Appointments with God for Physical, Spiritual, and Emotional Wholeness (p. 172). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition. 

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Spiritual

Mental Wellness- Accessing God’s Peace

By Sabrina Botts

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

John 14:6

Many of the emotional and relational issues that plague us as adults are the results of seeds planted in our childhoods. I don’t mean to suggest that there is a dysfunctional family in everyone’s bloodline, but all of us were shaped by the things from our past and our parents' past and their parent’s past, etc. When you see the inner turmoil that continues, besetting sins or overall dysfunctions in your own life, maybe it is time to take a deeper look. 

One of the blessings of the COVID-19 Pandemic has been the focus on mental health or what I prefer to call “mental wellness”. I think we can all agree that previously in America, mental and emotional issues carried a stigma, making the topics of anxiety, depression, or even addictions taboo. The sad reality is that for many minority communities, it is downright forbidden to speak of emotional or mental issues for fear of being labeled weak, flawed, and crazy, attaching a sense of shame to those who are experiencing these struggles. 

This stigma has always confused me because mental illness and many common emotional distresses, actually result from a malfunction of a biological organ in our body – our brain. Yet, when other organs fail us, like the pancreas in diabetes, or our cardiovascular system with heart disease, there is no shame at all. In our cultural stigmatization of mental illness, we have enlarged the already deep chasm between the people who are ill and the help and support they need to get better.

Amazingly, through health discoveries dating back to Hippocrates (5th Century BCE), we have learned that our emotions, thoughts, addictions, desires, and fears all have their seat in our brains. In fact, neuroscientists and psychologists have realized that common mental health issues like anxiety and depression can actually result from a breakdown in the brain’s chemistry. This breakdown can result from both internal things like thyroid disease and external things like prolonged stress. Yet other mental health conditions, unhealthy behavioral patterns, and a countless number of addictions can result from our brain learning to respond a certain way to things that we have experienced.  

Some in the psychological community like Dr. Fulvio D'Acquisto, Ph.D., of the London School of Medicine[1], and Dr. Bret Stetka, Editorial Director of Medscape (WebMD)[2], actually see a link between the brain and the common immune system. Many believe that mental illness is much like other immune-driven illnesses. When the body is under the stress of foreign pathogens, the immune system activates to eliminate the threat. Sometimes the immune system over activates and we are stricken with allergic reactions, glandular disorders, and other non-stigmatizing diseases. The brain does the same thing when it is trying to protect its host from stress, trauma, or even some internal imbalances. Sometimes it over activates and the resultant symptom is what we often call a mental illness.

Additionally, mental, and emotional distress is common to mankind. In America, 1 in 4 adults - suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year, with anxiety disorders being the most common. [3] We even see examples on display all throughout the Bible. David expresses sorrow, grief, anger, despair, and even depression all throughout the Psalms. 1 Sam 16 mentions a harmful spirit that plagued King Saul and caused bouts of depression, paranoia, and fits of rage. The Apostle Paul notes in 2 Corinthians 1:8 that even he despaired of life due to the hardships he was facing. We see the demoniac in the gospels (Mark 5:1-20) who acted in bizarre ways, living in a graveyard, cutting himself, and was strong enough to break chains. 

These truths make Jesus’ promise to give us peace in John 16:6, even more appealing. It’s as if he knew all the ways peace would be essential to our lives. So, if you are plagued with emotional and mental pain or behavioral dysfunction in your life, the time to seek a solution is now. I believe that since God made us body, soul, and spirit he desires for us to possess wholeness in every area of our being.  

It’s important to note, that for the Christian, there can be no healing and wholeness found outside of God. He has promised his peace, but like possessing the Promised Land, we need to take steps to access it. It must include steady doses of Biblical truth through scripture memorization, taking thoughts captive, prayer, and putting on the whole armor of God. And, in more cases than not, it should also include seeing a skilled, compassionate, Christian therapist. Therapy helps us identify sources of distress, provides a safe place to process deep-rooted issues, and can also assist in formulating solutions, including behavior change.

So, if you are struggling with mental, relational, and or emotional distress, I invite you to take the step to talk to someone. Today thankfully, mental health counselors are widely available by phone, text, or video and most insurance companies provide coverage. If you are uninsured you can also seek your local county health department or community health center for these services. Making this one critical decision can make a difference in your situation, helping you to be free to enjoy the abundant life of peace that God promised.  

PRAYER

God, sometimes life overwhelms me, or I find myself being caught in cycles of dysfunction or behaviors that I cannot change. I want, instead, to access and live in your peace. Help me be open to doing all the things that lead to your peace, including having the courage to talk to a therapist. Remind me that my brain is a part of the body that You gave me. Help me to care for it, just as I would any other part of my being. May You be my Mind-Regulating God. In Jesus Name, Amen.

DAILY SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

If you are experiencing depression, bereavement, trauma from your past, or just confused thoughts, would you pray about speaking to a trained, licensed Christian counselor? They may just be the “angel in disguise” that God is seeking to use for your healing.

(Brief Editorial and Academic References in this devotional are provided by Marlin D. Harris)

Practical

TWO-SIDED FREEDOM

By Matthew Pryor

(Content Taken From The Body Tithe Devotional, Spiritual Encouragement for Your Journey)

Ever heard about the behavioral study where data was gathered on a playground? Surrounded by a fence, the playground was a flurry of activity for students in their free time. Swinging. Sliding. Laughing. Life was good. Then, researchers removed the fence. When the kids went out for recess the next day, they stayed mostly huddled in the middle of the playground. Now unsure about exploring, they were apprehensive and uneasy. The researchers put the fence back and the next day, all the running, playing and carrying on returned. It was back to business as usual for the children. 

In essence, the children had become accustomed to the fence, and playing with it in the background had become somewhat of a ‘habit’. When the fence was gone, it left a void because the fence had a meaning that was not known until it was no longer there. The fence, for them, meant a sense of security. 

That security translated into greater confidence, and the fun followed. 

At first glance, it would be hard to see how the fence boundaries gave the children freedom, but they did, and not just freedom “from” negative things, such as the temptation to wander off or the threat of dangerous people entering the playground. The boundaries also gave them freedom “for” things, such as exploring the playground, climbing on the equipment, and playing tag. Now, I’m not sure if the children would explain it that way, but most of our habits are more than just behavior patterns, most of them carry meaning and symbolism in our lives that fuel the particular behavior pattern that we are engaged in. What this means for us is that being free ‘from’ a habit may actually mean being free ‘for’ something better.  

That’s the ‘flipside’ of freedom, and more specifically, freedom in Christ. Jesus doesn’t only release us from the negative: bondage to sin, guilt, performance-based acceptance, the law of sin, etc. He liberates us for the enjoyment of the positive: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, for starters. Remember, “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). Let us not miss what this verse teaches. It gives us the reason why Christ set us free. It says, “it is for freedom that Christ set us free…”. He literally set us free, so that we could experience…freedom.

This means that, as Christians, we can celebrate being released from the yoke of slavery. We can also take great delight in the blessings God has orchestrated for our pleasure. Many experts say that you should not merely try to eliminate a bad habit. If you do, you leave an empty spot for that habit to return. You’ll be more likely to change your behavior if you replace the old habit with a new one. Our mental outlook regarding our fitness should be no different. We are far too focused on what we are giving up: junk food, time, TV or Internet or books, and magazines, money, energy, resources, etc. Instead of focusing only on the sacrifice (i.e., junk food, time, TV, etc.), we should focus on the reward. 

We should replace the thoughts of what we’re freeing ourselves from with thoughts of what we’re freeing ourselves for. We are freeing ourselves for things such as playing with our kids or grandkids without losing our breath. Savoring the countless all-natural foods God created for our taste buds to enjoy. Having sustained energy throughout the day. Minimizing potential injuries. Being less self-conscious in the clothes we wear, and in the way our body looks. We are breaking bad habits so that we can lessen the likelihood of being struck with certain diseases. We will be able to serve our neighbors, church, and community at a higher capacity. This freedom will allow us to be outdoors more, possibly run a 5K, or mini or full marathon. This kind of freedom—the freedom “for”—is part of His perfect plan for our lives, wherever we are. 

2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Imagine that! That same Spirit of freedom resides in us; in our hearts. Wherever we are, we have freedom! Not a reckless freedom, or a frivolous freedom, but a responsible, fulfilling freedom. This is the kind of freedom that Christ set us free for. This is the very freedom that lives in us — a complete freedom, with two sides! The “from” and the “for”; and both are designed for our benefit. Both are designed for His glory. 

PRAYER

Father, thank You for not just freeing me from sin. Thank You also for freeing me to enjoy You, that You might be glorified. Will You forgive me when I fail to remember all that You’ve freed me to enjoy? Please help me to live a life characterized by the freedom You have given me. Amen. 

DAILY SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

Psalm 34:4 (LBT) says, “I cried to him and he answered me! He freed me from all my fears.” What great comfort it is to know that He answers in favor of freedom. 

Psalm 34 might be a good starting place for you to spend 3 to 5 minutes of Gratitude Prayer today. It certainly is a great reminder of what the Lord is doing for us. As you pray, remember that freedom in Christ is the freedom to enjoy the life He has designed for us—a life lived with that design is the freest of all, and consequently where we will bring Him the most glory.

Pryor, Matthew. The Body Tithe Devotional: Spiritual Encouragement For Your Fitness Journey (pp. 157-159). Sophros.

  [1] See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5442367/. Academic article entitled: Affective Immunology: Where Emotions and the Immune Response Converge. Published by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health. March 2019 Affective immunology: where emotions and the immune response 

 Affective Immunology: where emotions and the immune response converge

[2] See https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/important-link-between-the-brain-and-immune-system-found/. Article entitled Important Link Between the Brain and Immune System Found. July 2015

[3] https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/facts-statistics

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