When we moved into the first home we built in 1985, it was so exciting. Having three boys, we wanted a place where they could romp and enjoy life, so we built a house in the country just around the corner from my husband’s parents.

After months of waiting, it was time to move into our new home. Oh, happy day! That excitement did not last very long. I walked into the closet of our master bedroom. There were boxes and paper all over the floor. I wanted to get everything neatly arranged. I began hanging our clothes, and every few minutes, I would hear rustling and scratching. The sound would come, and then it would stop. Finally, I began to move the boxes and items on the floor. About that time, three little mice ran for their lives. I was right behind them running for mine!

I do not like mice or rats. Having them as pets would never set well with me!

In the 1950s, Dr. Curt Richter, a Harvard graduate, and Johns Hopkins scientist, did a series of experiments using rats. (I am aware that today PETA would say no!) In the experiment, Dr. Richter tested how long rats could swim in high-sided buckets of circulating water before drowning. He found that a rat would swim about fifteen minutes before giving up, sinking, and drowning.

Dr. Richter continued his experiment. He would rescue the rats just as they gave up and sank to the bottom. He would take them out of the water, dry them off, and let them rest for a few minutes. Dr. Richter would then put them back into the same buckets of circulating water, but they would swim for an average of sixty hours.

Conclusion: If a rat were saved – even temporarily, it would survive 240 times longer than if it were not saved at all. Dr. Richter wrote that “the rats quickly learn that the situation is not actually hopeless” and that “after elimination of hopelessness the rats do not die.”

The rats kept swimming because they had hope that they would not succumb to the circumstances. Being saved gave them hope.

I will not pontificate greatly in this blog. I will simply say if Jesus Christ has saved you, you always have hope in any circumstance in which you find yourself. God’s Word has much to say about hope.

• May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. – Romans 15:13 ESV
• For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. – Jeremiah 29:11 ESV
• Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. – Romans 12:12 ESV
• For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. – Romans 15:4 ESV
• Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:3 ESV

Do you feel like you are about to go under? If you have been saved by the Lord Jesus Christ, keep swimming with hope!

When we read chapter two of the book of Luke, we learn details of the birth of Jesus. Most of us are familiar with the story of Joseph and Mary heading to Bethlehem because of the census. While there, Mary delivered Jesus in a less than sterile environment that one desires when giving birth.

That trip to Bethlehem was about an eighty-mile journey. We think nothing of that today, because by car, we could make it in an hour and a half or a couple of hours. For pregnant Mary it was a long, dusty, uncomfortable journey. But God gave them safety and strength for the journey that would set them up for the will of God to be birthed. (SELAH)

As we progress in the reading of Luke two, we read about the angels appearing to shepherds. The shepherds were terrified, but the angel told them not to be afraid for he brought wonderful news. The Messiah, Savior of the world, had been born in Bethlehem, the city of David.  The shepherds quickly traveled to find Jesus and were amazed.

Most of us know the story up to this point, but really paying attention to the last part of the chapter shows us so much truth. Take time to read about Jesus being taken to the temple, Simeon and Anna seeing the promised Messiah and their reactions. Take time to slowly read and comprehend the many promises of God that were fulfilled. God will fulfill in His time what He has spoken.

I want us to pay particular attention to the last two verses in chapter two. “Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” – Luke 2: 51-52 NKJV.

At this point Jesus is twelve years old. He went back to Nazareth to live with His earthly family and learn how to live with others and walk an obedient life. Read that again!

Jesus did not only do extraordinary things. He did ordinary things. He did not suddenly have a great leadership position. He did not walk around telling people who He was and that they had better respect Him. The Bible says that Jesus went home and was subject to His earthly parents. He did chores like the others. He obeyed when they told Him to do things he might not want to do. Jesus was not so spiritual that it exempted Him from learning to live correctly in His home.

That surely was not always easy. He loved the things of God and could have insisted that His only job was to read the scripture and pray. He did those things, but He also learned to live before others a life that showed his spiritual maturity. (SELAH)

Growth happens where we are. Growth happens when we live and walk among others. What occurred between us and God in the secret place should become a part of who we are when we walk among others.

“Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.” – Luke 2:52

Jesus grew right where He was planted. It was not always perfect circumstances. Everybody did not like Him. The first few verses of John chapter seven clearly show us that His brothers did not believe in Him. They even taunted Him to go and do some miracles so people can see how great You are.

Yet, Jesus increased in wisdom. Jesus increased in stature, not just becoming bigger physically but a bigger person.  Jesus grew in favor with God and man. Jesus grew in favor with God and He learned how to grow in favor with people. He learned how to treat people. Jesus was not born a superman. He grew in the life in which he was placed on earth.

This verse spoke to me so much recently that it has become a part of my prayer life. “God, I want to grow right where I am. Yes, it would be nice if things were easier in some areas. But I want to grow in wisdom. I want to become a bigger person inside. I want to grow in Your favor, God. I want to grow in wisdom, stature, and favor with God, then I shall find myself growing in favor with those around me.”

Jesus walked in the natural which helped to develop Him for the supernatural. Home, work, and small group gatherings are a great place to grow. Yep! Those places, though difficult at times, are great places to develop wisdom, stature, favor with God and people.

Much of the details about the life of Jesus as he grew up are silent, but this we know, that was not wasted time. It was developmental time for him intellectually, spiritually, and relationally. He did not pop out of the womb being all knowing. He grew as He walked the earth. He grew as He walked around people, even people who might feel like sandpaper!

Where you are right now is a great place to grow!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You grew in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and people. It was not automatic, but day by day and year by year. Lord, teach me to grow in mind, body, spirit, and relationships. Help me to grow right where I am. Let my days with You lead to a balanced maturity in my life. I submit myself to the growth process You have for me. Let my life honor You and bless others. Amen.

Sending “thank you” notes is pretty much a thing of the past. Today, it is simple to thank people via text message, email, or a quick telephone call. Yet, I have been shocked a few times at how people do not say thank you at all.

Amid all the chaos, outside noise, and busyness of life, it is easy to forget the faithfulness of God. Today, I am going to start something, and I invite you to join me. I am going to keep a thanksgiving log from now until the end of the year. For me, I will keep my journal on a page on my desktop. At the end of each day, I will write an entry thanking God for something specific that day. Periodically, I want to go back to the beginning and read all the Lord has done. Those will be “fresh” thank yous.

Today, via this blog, I wish to write a brief thank you letter to God.

Dear God,

There are just too many days that I generally say thank you, but I want to thank you for specific things.

1. Thank you for the gift of life itself, for breath in my lungs. Today is a gift from you.
2. Thank you for finding me in my grandmother’s front yard and setting up a divine appointment to call me to yourself. Looking back, I can see your fingerprints all over that divine setup. It was the beginning of a healing journey from the wounds I carried as a child.
3. Thank you for First Assembly in Sumter, South Carolina. Many of those people took an interest in this snotty-nosed little girl and helped me on the journey. Margareta Poulas, the Richardsons, and others changed my life. I especially remember a woman who slipped me money to buy shoes. Mine were ragged. I do not know her, but Heaven knows her.
4. Thank you for getting me to Southeastern University. I had no hopes or aspirations that I would go off to a Christian university five hundred miles away. You got me there, and you miraculously paid the bill.
5. Thank you for the divine appointment to see from a distance the man who would become my husband. Here we are fifty-five years, three sons, and nine grandchildren later. It has been your grace that carried us through the hard seasons.
6. Thank you for divine supply so many times when we had more month than money. You have been so faithful to meet our needs. There was food on the table and a roof over our heads. There have been lean times and times of plenty. You were faithful no matter the season.
7. Thank you that when I faced what doctors were sure was ovarian cancer, you were there to say, “I don’t think so.” That was thirty years ago, and I am still blessed with life.
8. You gave us amazing strength as we faced the death of a son. The pain was great, but your presence was greater. Some days were dark, but you were always the light. Thank you!
9. Thank you for the amazing opportunity you gave this ordinary girl to speak your word all over this nation and in other nations. What a ride! I stand amazed.
10. Thank you for so many people along the way who have made the journey sweeter. I am sitting here now remembering them by name.
11. Thank you that when things did not go as planned, you protected me, redirected me, and never let go of me.
12. Dear God, thank You for Your constant presence, unconditional love, and the countless seen and unseen blessings in my life. I am deeply grateful.

As I write this, I feel like John who wrote, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” – John 21:25

Today, I encourage you to count your blessings. Start writing them down.

I will soon be seventy-five years old. May the melody in my heart burst forth every day, as it did by the writer Johnson Oatman. I wanted to select only one stanza of his song “Count Your Blessings.” I could not! These words describe life, its ups and downs, and the faithfulness of God.

“When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings, money cannot buy,
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.”

A young man stepped to the podium to sing a solo in the morning service. I sat there in the front row, and along with the congregation, awaited a song that would cause us to look heavenward. Oh boy! The music was in one key and he was in another. He left the music way behind, and nothing fit together. Instead of causing us to be lifted heavenward, we all wished he would hurry and finish, which he did, way before the background music!

In a conversation I learned that the man loved to sing but was tone death. He wanted us to be receptive, but the wrong tone killed the whole thing. The problem was not the message but the tone. Tone has to do with using different elements: volume, speed, pitch of voice, body language, and gestures, etc., to name a few.

In my own life, tone is something of which I must be aware. Even though what I am saying might be right, the tone might cause it to come across wrong.

We are in a time when we must boldly stand for truth. BOLDLY! I refuse to accept what the Bible does not accept. I understand everyone is not going to like my stand or agree with me. What I do not want to do is add fuel to the fire by my tone.

We live in a time of too much anger and hostility. Couples scream and yell at each other. Politicians berate one another. Christians “tell each other off.”   Facebook posts are often rudely stated. People are quick to give the middle finger of fellowship. Parents declare that the only way their children will listen is if they yell. (By the way, that is only true if you conditioned them that way.)  

When it comes to dealing with others, God is saying to sing in one key, yet we often we sing in whatever key we want. That is a tone problem.

I do not want to be an angry, ugly, red-faced, condescending, name-calling, arrogant child of God. I want to stand boldly for God. I want to have the best relationships I can. I want to be a good communicator of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I might be rejected, but I do not want it to be because of my tone. I want to set the right tone. How about you?

Proverbs 15:1: A soft answer calms anger, but a harsh word stirs up more fury. Proverbs 16:24: Kind words are like a sweet honeycomb; they are good for the body and heal the spirit.

“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.” Psalm 5:3

Are you a morning person or a night owl? We hear that question a lot. It would be a massive understatement for me to say I am not a morning person. I come into total agreement with  Proverbs 27:14, “A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse!” Can I get an amen!

Of course, I am married to Mr. Cheerful, Mr. Sunshine, Mr. Smiley, Mr. Talker. He is all of those things!

Over the years, I am much better at morning. I have learned to move on from hazy and lazy much more quickly. I am still mostly quiet for the first hour. I move a little slowly that first hour. But when I must do morning, I can!

One thing I have embraced is that the quicker I get my thoughts on God, the better I face my day. When my feet hit the floor, I make a beeline to the kitchen to start the coffee, stop by the bathroom, and then make my bed. Next, I sit with God a few minutes while I sip my coffee. I fill my ears, heart, and mind with songs of worship. I begin to talk to the Lord about my day, my love for Him, my family, and other things in my heart. After reading a couple of short devotions, I stop and think of the Lord.

How do you begin your mornings? Getting up at the very last minute, then rushing to get to the day’s responsibilities? Dreading the day? Perusing social media?

The psalmist said that early in the morning, he set his thoughts on God. This is not a “guilt-trip” devotion for those who spend time with God later in the day. It is encouragement to set your eyes upon the Lord, if only for five minutes, in the morning. Starting my day with Him reminds me that I walk with God through the day. It offers me such sweet fellowship with the King of kings.

David said, “I will look up.”

Giving those few minutes to God will prepare us for the day ahead. On any given day, we encounter places that test us, try us, or upset up. That is simply a fact of living on this earth. There is something special about looking up shortly after getting up! It helps with the stresses of the day. If you are not looking up to Him each morning, commit to doing that. Start today. What a difference it makes.

In a world that seems to be filled with anger and discontent, it is easy to concentrate on the negatives in life. I came across a story that is a breath of fresh air. If God lets me live to be the age of this woman, I hope I can leave deposits of joy around me. The following story is so heartwarming.

“Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time,” she said. This story about a ninety-two-year-old woman has been shared over two hundred thousand times. When you read it, I think you will understand why. It all has to do with her attitude.

Here is what Alex Steblowsky wrote about Peggy Jones:

This petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coiffed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home yesterday. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet curtains that had been hung on her window.

“I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room …. just wait.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.” Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged, it is how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It is a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.”

“Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I have stored away, just for this time in my life. She went on to explain, “Old age is like a bank account, you withdraw from what you have put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories.”

And with a smile, she said, “Remember the five simple rules to be happy.”

Free your heart from hatred.
Free your mind from worries.
Live simply.
Give more.
Expect less and enjoy every moment.

Today is a good day to arrange our minds to acknowledge and testify of the goodness of God in our lives. The Apostle Paul wrote powerful words in Philippians 4:11-13. As you read them, do so with an awareness of Paul’s circumstances when he wrote them. Paul was in a dreary, cold, dark prison simply for being a follower of Christ and preaching the Good News.

“Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Recently, I was opening a tub of ice cream. My grandson requested Blue Bell Pecan Pralines ice cream. (Trust me. Unless you have nut allergies, it is a must try.) Blue Bell comes in round containers, and the lid can be hard to remove. As I moved around the circular top, pulling all along the way, my fingers slipped. The pain was immediate and harsh. I did not realize until later just how bruised I was.

The injury to my pinky was immediate and unexpected. I never saw it coming. I was simply doing life and a hard hit came.

Life has a way of leaving marks on us. Though my bruise was a physical one, bruises in life can come in many ways. The hits can bruise our spirits, our emotions, and our relationships. Open wounds bleed and cause us to seek immediate relief. Bruises are a bit different. We might feel the initial impact, but the wound is below the surface and shows up later.

Bruises are the hidden impact of hard hits. The loss of job is immediate, but the impact can be felt for weeks even months. The loss of a loved one has an initial hit, but the bruising grief can last much after the initial impact. Hurts from fellow believers and Christian leaders can be felt immediately and for an exceedingly long time afterward. There is the disappointment that comes from people we love. There are so many more examples of life’s bruising.

The bruises of life are not always seen by others. We can look perfectly fine on the outside, but underneath, we are tender to the touch.

Apostle Paul shared with us that he had experienced bruises.

^“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed but not driven to despair. We are hunted down but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.” – 2 Corinthians 4:8-9.

Brother Paul said, “I have been bruised, but it did not destroy me. God brought me through it.”

My finger is slowly healing, and the bruise is beginning to fade. It has not been an overnight thing, but it is slowly healing. I have never once spoken to my finger and said, “Get over the bruise. Straighten up. Get over the pain.” Neither does God speak to our bruises that way.

God is not indifferent to our bruises. Perhaps you are feeling very tender where you have been bruised. God cares very much about those tender places. He was well acquainted with bruising. How do I know this? Here are a few reasons why I know this.

• “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” – Psalm 147:3
• “A bruised reed He will not break.” – Isaiah 42:3
• “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. – Psalm 34:18
• “For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord.” – Jeremiah 30:17
• “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you.” – Isaiah 41:10
• “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” – Psalm 23:4

If you are hurting today, run to God’s presence. You do not need to pretend to be strong for God. Your bruise is not a liability to Him; it is an invitation for His tenderness. You can stop trying to hold yourself together. Let the One who created you hold you instead. God cares about every bruise life has brought you.

Gaylon and I met a couple a while back. We have had the pleasure of sharing dinner with them. Joshua is the pastor Cowboy Church not far from us. They are a nice couple, doing the work of the Lord. Lauren is the wife and she recently wrote this, and I asked permission to use it. Lauren is not a “stage” person. God needs a whole lot of Christians who are not “stage” people, but people simply willing to be used by God. Thank you, Lauren, for this great reminder.

Let me preface this by saying, this is not to make anyone think highly of Joshua or myself. We do not want praise for any of it, we do not deserve it, all praise belongs to God and God alone. But I want to share a story in hopes that, if you feel a little like me, this might help shift your perspective and encourage you.

If you know my husband, you know he is a talker. Anyone, anywhere, anytime, about anything, he can talk. He has the gift of gab, which is good considering he is a pastor and his ‘day job’ is sales. You have to be able to talk to do those jobs. If you know me, you know I am the opposite. I am an anxiety riddled introvert that struggles to hold conversation with people I do know, much less people I do not.

Today Joshua met a man while at his day job that, to make a long story short, is having a hard time. He was living in his truck until it got impounded and has been sleeping in the woods in Irondale for several days. Joshua felt convicted to talk to him, so he did. Learned a little bit about him and how he ended up where he was. He told Joshua he was doing some odd jobs to try to get enough money to buy a tent until a family member was able to come pick him up from Mississippi. He texted me to tell me about it and I said, ‘Didn’t we buy a tent a few years ago that we’ve never used?’ Again, to make a long story shorter, yes, we did and we had a sleeping bag too. So, I packed the bag. Tent, sleeping bag, a blanket, and some nonperishable snacks. Joshua comes back home to pick it up and takes it back to him. He is grateful, we are thankful we were able to help even in a small way, all is well. And all I had to do was pack a bag.

See, I am not great at talking to people, and as a Christian, and especially as a pastor’s wife, I have always felt a little guilty about that. And sometimes the Lord gets my attention when He needs to and sometimes it puts me in a situation that is uncomfortable for me, and that is fine. But so much more often, He only asks me to pack the bag. Your calling may not put you on a stage with a mic in your hand, and that is ok. Your calling may be behind the scenes, in the background, and sometimes you may feel like you are not doing enough because what you are doing does not look like what someone else is doing. But somebody has to pack the bag. So, if you feel like me today or any other time, I hope this encourages you. Doing what God has called you to do matters and is for a purpose. And if all He has asked you to do is pack the bag, then do it and rest in the assurance that you are exactly where you are supposed to be.

Why do people come into church late and then proceed to climb over people to get to a seat? This and other thoughts were going through my mind recently on a Sunday morning.

Gaylon and I were seated about halfway back in our church auditorium. I like sitting there because there is plenty of leg room, and no one must climb over you to get to a seat. There is a natural divide between the two sections in the auditorium. I love those seats.

One Sunday, a family came in late and proceeded to look for seats. I saw quite a few seats that were easily accessible for four people. In my mind, I am thinking the logical thing is to take seats that do not require climbing over people. This family did not do what my mind was telling them to do!

I noticed they selected seats that required about six people to either step out for them to get on the row or sit down so they could get into those seats. Come on, people! Where is your common sense?

When they finally reached the seats they had chosen, the couple beside them hugged them so tightly. They knew each other. The family already sitting there had invited them to the church service.

As the invitation was given, one of the visitors raised their hand for prayer. I had jumped to a very bad decision about these people looking for a seat!

How many times do we find ourselves jumping to conclusions about others without knowing all the details? We often make judgments based on how things appear, yet there is a very good chance that there are details we do not know.

There is no way that we can know the motives of another, nor can we know all the circumstances surrounding things we see. Often, what we think we know, we really do not. As we walk through life with others, before we “go-off” on someone by deep sighs, eye rolling, blowing our horns angrily, or spewing our opinions, let’s remember that only God is all-knowing. Contrary to what we might think, jumping to conclusions is not a beneficial form of exercise.

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” James 1:18

Recently, I was enjoying coffee at my favorite coffee shop in Alabaster, Alabama. I live in Helena, but Alabaster is a short drive. I love to sip coffee and read or study the Bible.

As I finished my time at the coffee shop, I got into my car and headed home. Traffic was very heavy, so I caught a lot of red lights. At one light, I found myself sitting on a bridge over Interstate 65. I had to sit on the bridge for about three minutes. There was traffic beside me, in front of me, and behind me. I would have to spend bridge time because I was surrounded on every side.

There was also super-fast traffic below me. People were flying down Interstate 65 which caused the bridge to shake slightly.

As I sat on the shaky bridge, I began to think how terrible it would be if the shaking caused the bridge to crumble and collapse. Then, I brought my mind into a better place by remembering I was not trusting the shaky bridge, I was trusting the ones who constructed the bridge. The bridge that was holding me up was only as good as the one behind it.

Recently, we have seen a whole lot of shaking going on in the Church, the USA, and the world. I can testify that my husband and I find ourselves in some shaky, unsettling situations right now. Last night was a bit rough. I found myself wide awake with a racing mind about the situations we are facing personally and in the world. The “what ifs” bombarded my mind. (Yes, I am a strong believer and woman of prayer. Even Paul spoke of sleepless night. “We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food.” – 2 Corinthains 6:5)

As I sat on that shaky bridge, I remembered that the one who created the bridge made it in such a way that it would hold up during shaky times. These days, I often have to bring this to my remembrance.

I must pause and remember, “I can do (can face, can endure) all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13. I must pause and remember, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” – Isaiah 40:29. I must pause and remember, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” – Ephesians 6:10. I must pause and remember, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

Today, my bridge is feeling a bit shaky, and I would like to get off the bridge to a place where I feel steadier. Friend, today I had to remind myself that when my confidence gets shaky, when my heart grows faint, and I feel like I cannot make it through the shaky place, I have to stop and remember whose strength is holding the bridge. I will be steadfast in Him when times are shaky.

Today, I am prophesying this over myself and challenge you to do the same. “The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” – Isaiah 58:11

Prayer: Lord, help us hold tight to Your truth. You are our steadfastness in shaky times. Amen!