With Open Arms

By Bethany Lashbrook

This Week’s Verse: Isaiah 12:2 “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” (NIV)

Devotion: Recently, during our “business with God” time at our church, a song hit home with me. I had a light-bulb moment, as some would call it. My AHA moment was envisioning this: I was running through this gorgeous field of grass (yep, sounds a bit like a movie to me too) and my arms were open. I was running towards God.

It made me think how often that I run towards God in this manner? Do I run towards Him every day? Do I smile at Him? Open my arms to Him? Shouldn’t I always be running towards God with my arms open?

My arms being open states two things: One, I want God to take all that I have, all that I am and rescue me from this world. Two, I love Him and am opening my arms to Him.

Often times I am running, but I don’t know if it’s towards God or away from Him. I also find myself running in front of God, or behind Him. This week, I am going to try to run towards God.

If I don’t practice running towards God in the good times in my life, how will I ever make it during the rough times? Practicing this now means a brighter, more secure future later.

Dear Lord, thank you for helping me seek your will and your guidance in my life. Help these women to do the same. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Applications: Have you ever pictured yourself with God? What does your picture look like?

Power Verses:

2 John 1:9 “Anyone who wanders away from his teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and Son” (NLT)

John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.” (NIV)

Isaiah 40:11 “He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.” (NLT)

Exchanging Dreams

by Missy Milbourn

This Week’s Verse: Galations 6:14, “…Because of the cross, my interest in this world died long ago…”

Devotion:
I can relate to the above scripture. The closer I’ve gotten to Christ, the less interested I’ve become in the things of this world, primarily speaking of my former passions regarding this world. I used to have a direction that I felt I wanted to go, a visual picture of what I thought success would look like for me. However the struggle and striving to get there often left me exhausted, discouraged, and not knowing what to do.

I still remember the moment when I surrendered my dreams to Christ. The moment when I said, “this is not going well, Lord. Help.” In the next days and months after that, He began to show me His vision for my life, His direction—which, interesting enough, still lined up with the desires of my heart. There now is a direction for my life which has been established by Him, and revealed to me by Him, through prayer and the reading of His Word.

One of the benefits of obeying His direction is that we no longer have to strive and struggle trying to “get” there. Whenever we begin to strive and struggle, we have to recognize that and immediately surrender the “strive and struggle” to “trust and obey”, walking step by step with God, trusting that “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” (Philippians 1:6, NIV)

Father God, I will cry to out to You, for You are God Most High! You perform on my behalf and reward me. You bring to pass Your purposes for me and surely complete them! (Prayed from Psalm 57:2, Amp.)

Application:
Are you currently striving and struggling to obtain something, or to “arrive” somewhere? Surrender to the One who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than all you ask or imagine!

Power Verses:
Philippians 1:6, “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (NIV)
Psalm 37:4, “ Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. (NIV)
Psalm 37:23-24, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. (NLT)