This post is an eye-opening warning to be aware of what is really happening around us. Please go to the original post, like, comment and follow. This is well worth your time to read and heed.
Month: November 2025
Devoting Yourself
What does the word “devote” mean? According to the American Heritage Dictionary, devote is defined as “To give or apply (one’s time, attention, or self, for example) entirely to a particular activity, pursuit, cause, or person.” Now, read that again slowly and think as you read to what or whom you are devoted.
I am devoted to God, my marriage and my family. How do I know? Because I pursue them daily, making them priorities. I get up early each morning and start my day spending time with God in His Word, praying and asking for insight into what I should share on my blog and into what I need to do to follow Him more closely. You know that the Bible says that where your treasure is, that’s where your heart is. What you devote your time to says a lot about your priorities, doesn’t it?
Today’s scripture verse in the Daily Refresh on the YouVersion App says this:
So, we know that this means to apply your attention and time entirely to prayer. What does that look like? I think it means to focus on praying. What are you watching for? I am watching for God to move in my life as I listen for Him to speak to me. And I am always thankful for a new day that starts with prayer.
Prayer doesn’t have to be a long speech to God about all that He has done and all that you want Him to still do. My prayers are actually very simple. I start by naming a character trait of God that I am particularly thankful for that morning. Then, I confess my sins and ask for forgiveness. Then third part of my prayer is to again thank God for something special that He has done for me. And the next part of my prayer is to ask God for mercy and grace for various family members who have needs. I end my prayer with thanksgiving and praise. I know it sounds complicated, but it really only takes less than ten to fifteen minutes. I don’t look at the time, but I know it isn’t too long. But it is a vital part of my day, to just focus on the Lord and have a conversation with Him. It’s a “good morning” greeting to my Maker. Then, I pray to Him throughout the day as any need or thought that I need His guidance comes up. And I always end my day with prayer, too. The time I spend with God in prayer is all His time, no interruptions or conversations. The phone is on silent and away from me. The books I need to read for that day can wait. The chores can wait. That time is God’s and I try very hard not to be distracted or hurry through my time with Him.
God is always there, waiting for us to notice and to spend time with Him. How important would you feel in someone’s life if they never spent time talking to you and then listening to what you had to say? After a while, that kind of relationship would break down. We need to nourish and cherish our relationship with God as it is the foundation for all of our other relationships to which we are devoted. So, devote yourself to prayer? That is a definite “yes” and a resounding praise for time to spend with the Creator of the Universe who always has time for us.
Discipline
Raise your hand if you enjoy discipline. What? No hands! I used to be punished severely for things like getting a B or not doing what my mom said to do immediately. By severely, I mean large sticks and what mama called a “switchin’.” I bore marks on my legs and back for days because when I say severe, I mean, she took out her anger on me. That, however, is not an example of discipline, just in case you were wondering.
The American Heritage Dictionary online says that discipline is “Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.” Notice that discipline is training, not physical abuse. Consequences may be necessary, but the consequences fit the misbehavior, not always the same thing administered the same way.
God disciplines us because we are His children and I am thankful for His discipline. His correction often turns me around from the wrong way and heads me back in the wrong direction. I never feel scolded wrongfully after discipline from God. I always know I needed it, and I also know that He wouldn’t discipline me if He didn’t truly love me.
As our children grew up, we didn’t want them to think that “anything goes” as the current society tends to teach. We wanted them to know that there are family norms, societal norms and Biblical expectations. They knew that stepping into the road without looking both ways could end in great bodily harm, and we backed that rule up with physical consequences. But if they “forgot” to clean their room, then their punishment was no extracurricular activities until it was done. I must say, without desiring to sound as though I am bragging, that all three of our children are contributing members of society and turned out pretty well. (With the disclaimer that somehow two of them married liberals and are therefore leaning left.)
That being said, remember that God disciplines us for our good. He doesn’t want us getting hurt (like running into traffic) or to be disrepectful (like not following rules). He also wants to have a close relationship with us and that comes when He disciplines and we accept that discipline and make the necessary change to be more like Him. We want to always be more godlike and less like our human, sinful self. God forgives over and over and He has great patience with us, disciplining us sometimes over and over for the same infraction. He wants us to grow, not stay as we are in a stagnant pond. It’s all about being willing to partake of the living water instead of insisting on our own potion that we think we bring happiness..
So, discipline from God? Yes, please. (Although this may not be my attitude at the time). Discipline from other Christians who have our best interest at heart? That is a “yes” also. If you still have children at home or are helping to raise other children, remember it’s all about training, not forcing your will on them. Be a Godlike person who disciplines in love, for love and with the result of training for growth.
Believing Doesn’t Equal Understanding
I am someone who wants to see proof before I believe things or trust someone. Show me what you are saying is true and then I will believe you is like a mantra for me. Or at least it was until I became a Christian. Now, my whole life is wrapped up in believing without seeing everything. I can see some things, but not all. On the other hand, I believe everything God says because He is God and doesn’t lie. (Numbers 23:19)
Let’s take a walk down a path of believing vs. understanding. I am sure you are all familiar with the story of Jairus coming to Jesus because his young daughter was dying.
Jesus had a large crowd following Him, a Jairus, a synagogue leader, must have already believed in Jesus and His power because he sought out Jesus and asked Him to come and heal his daughter. That is certainly a demonstration of believing, also called faith.
Jesus’s trip to Jairus’s house was interrupted by a woman who touched Him and received healing from a blood issue that had been going on for years. Jesus was speaking about this event when people arrived from Jairus’s house and told Jairus not to bother Jesus anymore because his daughter had died. What a bummer, right? Jairus traveled to get Jesus’s help, found Jesus and Jesus was on the way when his daughter died.
Jesus overheard the news that they brought to Jairus and instead of saying, “Oh, that’s too bad. I’m so sorry that I’m too late,” Jesus told Jairus to just believe. He didn’t ask him to understand why this happened or how Jesus could change things. He said to just believe and not be afraid.
When unexpected things happen in our lives, we need to remember this scripture and hold on to it. We may never understand why bad things happen or what the end result might be, but we can hold on the promise that Jesus can make a difference and believe. Jairus believed and Jesus raised his daughter from the dead.
Can any of us understand how that happened? Of course, we cannot because our finite minds cannot comprehend miracles that occur in the presence of the Lord. We don’t have to understand for it to take place. Jesus didn’t say, “Understand.” He said to just believe. I think sometimes our quest for knowledge and understanding gets in the way of our faith, our belief in a God who can do anything because He is God.
Our belief in the God of all mankind and we cannot explain an infinite and omniscient and omnipresent God with our finite knowledge. We can, however, believe. Just believe. The understanding may or may not come later, but our belief doesn’t depend on our understanding. Our belief is based on who God is, not what we think about Him.
If we take things like our daily challenges at face value, many of us would just throw up our hands and quit before we even start our day. But because we believe, we dedicate the day to the Lord and ask Him to fulfill His plan in it and through us. I don’t understand why there is so much pain and suffering in the world, like the genocide of Christians. in Nigeria. But I do trust God and believe that He is still active and working even when I don’t understand.
How about you? Are you trying to get your understanding to line up with your faith? Faith comes first. Understanding may never come.
Daily
The Cambridge Dictionary says “daily” means “happening on or related to every day.” Of course, you already knew that! And I am sure that you can think of more than a few things that you do daily. For me, what comes to mind immediately is brushing my teeth, taking my meds and checking my blood pressure. But did you know that the Bible talks about doing things “daily” also?
One of the first scriptures I learned about and took to heart was the one in Matthew where Jesus says to give Him your burdens because what He gives in return is easier to bear. In the Old Testament, Psalm 68 encourages us to praise God for daily bearing our burdens. Well, guess what? The Lord cannot bear for us what we are holding onto and refuse to let go of. So, we have to daily lay down our burdens, whatever is worrying us, and trust that God is taking care of it. It’s a habit that I plan to work on because I am not there yet.
I am almost certain that this scripture verse is familiar to all of the Christians here in the blogosphere. Deny, take up your cross and follow…did you see that very important word daily? This is not a once-and-done action. Daily, we deny ourselves. Daily we take up our cross, the life that God has gifted us with along with the purpose that we are fulfilling in Him. And we follow Jesus, daily. We cannot say that, “Well, back in 1973, I became a Christian, so that is all done and I’m on the right road to heaven.” Again, this is a daily commitment to the Lord, not a “I did it, I got the tee shirt and now I am securely on my way to heaven.” Maybe. The assurance comes because we daily re-commit our lives, our everything, to Him. Sometimes, it’s easy to walk backwards and get tangled up in the world’s standards and attractions. That’s why it’s important to daily commit ourselves to our life with God, in God and through God. He is the one who sustains our lives, in every way, including physically, emotionally and most importantly, spiritually. We cannot stay alive spiritually without daily spiritual food. I didn’t eat a meal back in 1973 and tell myself that was all the food I needed for the rest of my life. I need to daily soak in His truth from His Word and allow the Holy Spirit to nourish my soul so that bearing my cross is not a burden but an honor because I am carrying out God’s plan for my life, daily.
We walk by the Spirit daily, with God’s Word hidden in our hearts and with a day that starts right with time with Him. I would no more think of running out the door without brushing my nasty overnight teeth than I would go out without getting dressed first. We cannot even consider being ready to walk by the Spirit daily without preparing ourselves by immersing ourselves in His Word. You may have five minutes, ten minutes, an hour or more to spend in His Word. I don’t think God is as concerned about how much time you give Him as how much quality time you spend daily with Him, getting to know Him better through His Word and devoting time to talking to Him in prayer.
Apollos is named in the scriptures several times by Paul who knew him personally. This verse says he was a “learned man.” Some could say of me that I am “learned.” After all, I have a degree in Spanish and history and a graduate degree in educational administration. But what I consider when I desire to be “learned” is to be versed in the scriptures, in the things that really matter in life, This verse doesn’t leave us to guess what Apollos was learned in because it explains that he had a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. That comes, I think, by daily spending time in His Word. In a world full of Katy Perrys and Taylor Swifts, I would rather be like Apollos. Thus, I need to give my time daily to what will benefit my most, to God’s Word, soaking it in and letting it bathe me in truth and light.
So, back to my first question? What do you do daily to spend time with your first priority, which should always be God? Think about it. Schedules may need to be adjusted and time managed differently in order to daily devote yourself to time with the Lord, but I consider it a habit well worth cultivating. Don’t you?
Dependence and the Wilderness
All of us undergo a wilderness experience at some time in our lives. You know what that is like; it’s dry and you feel all alone. Think about Moses leading the Israelites through the wilderness and Jesus going to the wilderness to be tempted. In both cases, how did they survive? I think it was by total dependence on the Father, and that is what our wilderness experience should teach us too, if we are willing listeners.
Moses led the people in the wilderness, with the Lord leading the way to show them exactly where they should go. Moses was well acquainted with the voice of God as He spoke to him from the burning bush and called him to lead. Moses had already spent forty years in the wilderness as a shepherd, and I am sure that he was learning from God during his sojourn there. Part of the wilderness experience is learning to lean on God and not be so self-sufficient. We can’t follow if we don’t listen for the voice to lead us. We don’t have a cloud or a fire to guide us, but we have the Holy Spirit inside us, guiding us in the way we should go and reminding us of the teachings of Jesus.
Jesus’s wilderness experience was specifically for Him to be tested and He passed with flying colors, as they say. How? He spoke back the Word to Satan and then Satan left Him.
I don’t know that the Spirit leads us into the wilderness, but He might if that’s where God wants us to be for a season so that He can get our attention and speak to us clearly. Many of us, including me, need to learn the lessons that we can only learn in difficult experiences, things we call a “wilderness experience.” It takes us out of our comfort zones and forces us to look honestly at ourselves and our relationship with God as well as what our next step should be.
Our strength comes from the Lord and it is in the challenging parts of life that we learn to depend on Him and not on our own knowledge and abilities, things that God has gifted us with, by the way. We learn that He is the one who sustains us in the dry periods of our lives, giving us just what we need, just when we need it, and also just when we are open to really listen to Him.
I think we can all agree that wilderness experiences are not fun and entertaining. But they are necessary for growth and we all want to become mature Christians, fulfilling God’s purpose for us. If God is calling you to a wilderness, be ready to depend on Him and to wait with Him there until He leads you to the oasis. The wilderness is not where He will leave you; you are just passing through it on your journey to a closer walk with the Lord.
Judgment Day Will Not Be Rigged
narrowpathministries.wordpress.com/2025/11/16/audio-the-old-account/
Please go to the original post, follow and comment.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan Explained
finds.life.church/parable-of-the-good-samaritan-explained-story/
Easy to understand and written so we all can understand it. From the YouVersion.
Focus vs. Sidetracked
Do you know how easy it is to get sidetracked, even when you think you are focused and moving ahead well? Look at this photo carefully. There’s a straight track and then, suddenly, a sidetrack. As I understand it, the engine cannot go on the sidetrack unless someone shifts the direction towards it and then off they go. Who shifts our direction? Well, the simple answer is that we do, but there are also all of those pesky little distractions in our lives that may or may not be sent by Satan.
I am more determined than ever to stay focused on my purpose in life. I think that I am a helper and that is what I want to focus on, not doing things for recognition (sidetrack), or for monetary benefit (sidetrack) or even for a prize of some kind from others (sidetrack). I just want to help and then go on to the next task that could use my help.
Let me give you a concrete example that happened recently. One of the authors for whom I help to launch books has her team members share graphics and/or create them. I have Canva so I create graphics frequently and I am better at it than when I first began since I have learned by trial and error what may or may not work. Anyway, this author gives points for these graphics and sharing them. Points can lead to rewards like gift cards. (Sidetrack) So, I decided to help others who cannot create graphics; I make graphics out of the quotations from the book that they provide. Then, they can share the graphic and get the points for it. One friend said she would mention me and give me credit for the graphic, but I told her not to do that because I am not turning in points this time. I am staying focused on my task of being a helper, not a winner of prizes.
Our granddaughter is totally focused right now on working towards her Master’s degree and getting ready for her August wedding. She left this morning about 4:30 to head to college for her every-other-weekend in-person classes. She studies and works on projects every afternoon when she gets home from her part-time job. She goes to bed early so she can get up and get busy the next day, or as in the case this morning, head out for her two and a half hour trip. She is a practicing Christian and takes time every morning for her devotional before she heads to work, so she is keeping her priorities straight. But her main focus right now is to get her degree in occupational therapy so that she can help others. I have no doubt that she will reach her goal because she is continuing forward with “her eyes on the prize.”
We need to pray and ask the Lord what He wants us to focus on. When I prayed, I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me that I am to be a helper, in as many ways as I can given my advanced age and limited capabilities. My heart is on Christ as whatever I do, I do for Him. I don’t desire or seek earthly rewards. After all, they all perish. I just want to be a helper. I don’t remember a single scripture in which Jesus asked for remuneration or any kind of payback for His work that He did for others. He simply wanted them to go and tell what had happened so that others would believe. Jesus accepted their gratitude, although their thanks was not a prerequisite to receiving His blessing. I am not trying to compare myself to the Lord; rather, I am trying to emulate Him and just help out where I see a need.
This is my prayer today for me and for you. I hope that you will recognize what is worthy of your attention and keep your focus on God’s Word. That is what I am trying to do, and I hope that this post today is helpful to you and your walk with the Lord. God bless you.
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 