The Secret

“…I have learned the SECRET of being content in any and every situation,

whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

~Philippians 4:12 (NIV)

Most Christians can quote Philippians 4:13 with no problem, but few can quote what comes before it.  In fact, I bet few know the circumstances in which Paul wrote it.  Yes, Paul wrote the words… “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).”  But what does everything include?

Many times we go around saying this verse on a whim without truly appreciating all that it means.  Even non-christians say it.  They too want to believe there is strength in something greater than themselves.  They’ve heard us use it, so now they use it too.  That’s how popular this verse has become.  But there is no power in words or in how many times you say them.  The power comes in the Truth behind the words.  The power comes through Jesus Christ our Lord.

If you take a few steps back with me, you will find the meaning of this verse to be significant in all that you face every single day.  Philippians starts with Paul letting us know that he is in prison.  He is writing to encourage the Philippi church from his cell in Rome.  He never for a moment waivers in his faith.  He did not sit and wallow in misery.  Instead, he saw everything as an opportunity to advance God’s glory.

“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really  served to advance the gospel.”

~Philippians 1:12 (NIV)

He did not let his circumstances silence him, he used them as a megaphone to share the Gospel message.  Have your circumstances silenced you?  Is it time to pick up your megaphone and share the goodness of God in your life?

Paul had learned the Secret of being content.  The Secret was not in the place he worshiped.  He was living in a dirty, grimy cell.  It wasn’t in the people who surrounded him.  There was no one in the cell.  It was only him and God.  The Secret was not found in anything Paul could accumulate in this life.  At the time, he merely had the clothes on his back and the letters he was writing.

He knew the SECRET was found in the Word of God which was hidden in his heart.  The SECRET to being content is found in total, complete, and utter reliance on God.  Surrender to the King of Kings.  Paul knew he wasn’t in control and that was okay.  He was not relying on his own strength, he was relying on the strength of the One who died for him and set him free from the sin he once carried.

The SECRET to contentment is found in the everlasting arms of the Father.  The One who embraces us with loving kindness.  The One who sent His Son to die for us.  We can be content in every situation because we know the Father is there.  He will never leave you or forsake you (Joshua 1:5)!

Dear Father God, Thank You for continuing to reveal Your secrets to me.  I pray that I will be content in every situation.  May I proudly raise my megaphone and share the gospel wherever I go!

Living for Your Glory,

Sarah

Practice makes Perfect

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.”

~Philippians 4:9 (NIV)

This is such a humbling passage of Scripture to me.  I’ve read it many times and every time my heart is convicted.  I would love to say, “Sure whatever I say, or do, or teach, or think, and every attitude I have… All of it you can follow and practice in your own life!”  But the sad truth is I can find fault with many areas in my life.  There are times when my attitude needs an adjustment.  Times when words flow too freely out of my mouth.  Times when I should be learning and not teaching.  Times when my thought process doesn’t quite reflect the beauty of God’s Word.  Yes, and there are even times I do things I’m not too proud of.

Sure I could go and rationalize all these things away and say they’re not so bad.  Can’t we all?  I’m sure you’ve thought to yourself…”As long as I only think these things, I’m okay!”  Well, that’s not true!  Others may not hear it, but God does.  Not only that, your thoughts do tend to affect your attitude and your words.

I know my heart keeps thinking about our responsibility to be a light no matter what, no matter where, and no matter when.  In the verse above, Paul was so confident about the way he was living for God that he could truly say these words.  What will it take for us to get there?  How will we become totally sold out for God?  At the end of the day, will you be able to say…”Put all the things you’ve learned from me into practice!”  What will you teach someone today about the One you live for?

Dear Father God, The greatest gift we have is to live for You.  May we daily become more like You!  Please help me to reach someone for You today!

In Jesus Name,

Sarah

A Real Shot of Espresso

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,

that we should be called children of God!

And that is what we are!”

~1 John 3:1

Who needs espresso when you have the love of God pouring into your life every day?  Every day I have my 2 cups of coffee in the morning.  I know some people can’t bare to go anywhere until they have had their coffee.  Some people need their energy drink. Last night I was reminded that True energy doesn’t come in a can, it can’t be bottled, or brewed in a pot.  True energy comes from God.  He is the One who wakes us up every morning with fresh air to breathe, a reason to live, and hope to survive on.

This whole devotional started over a simple cup of coffee at a restaurant last night.  I was out with my husband and a couple friends.  We were having dessert, so I thought coffee would be a perfect compliment to the morsels of delight.  I asked the waiter the difference between a couple things on the menu and he told me he doesn’t drink coffee.  He has found he doesn’t need it to have energy.  He wakes up every morning with plenty of energy for the day.  His name was Jason and the conversation continued from there.  (Thank you Jason for inspiring this devotional.  I hope you enjoy it!)  Well, Jason got me thinking about how right he was about where the True source of energy comes from.  Through the course of the evening I asked him if it would be okay to use his story about never having a cup of coffee, for my devotional.  I let him know that it’s so true, only God can give us energy for the day!

Now I am here writing and thinking, what would happen if we woke up every morning and ordered a Full Cup of Jesus?  If we truly understood the love that is lavished upon us by the Father, wouldn’t we jump out of bed with JOY!  Wouldn’t we desire to truly proclaim what God is doing in our lives on a daily basis?  Why do we live our lives half empty?  Why do we go day to day walking aimlessly?  We have a purpose, we are living for Jesus!  We have been called by name and God loves us as His very own.

Simple Coffee Menu

1 cup of Decaf Coffee = Living a mediocre life for Christ, a holiday and Sunday Christian.

1 cup of Caffeine Coffee = Living a life with a few highs in the Lord, but crashing in between.  Like a firefly, the light comes on with the burst of caffeine, but when the caffeine wears off, so does the light.

1 shot of Espresso = Living the moments you choose to live for Christ when it’s convenient for you.  Taking a shot of espresso when you want to live fully for God.

1 Cup of Jesus = Living all the time, full throttle, no middle ground, all the way, not lukewarm, giving everything, every day to the One who has lavished His love on us.  Poured it out for us like gold stored up in the richest man’s castle.  We are loved by the King of Kings!

Here is what a Cup of Jesus would look like:

Excerpt from “Venti Jesus Please” by Greg Stier

Barista: Welcome to Spiritual Starbucks, sir.  May I take your order?

Customer: Yes.  I’d like a Venti Full Strength Jesus, please.

Barista: Sorry, sir, but we don’t serve Full Strength Jesus here.  You can have a Quasi Jesus, with a shot of something else to spice it up.

Customer: No.  I just want straight Jesus please…extra hot.

Barista 2: Sir.  (Whispering) Do you know why we don’t serve Venti Full Strength Jesus here?

Customer: No.

Barista: Because quite honestly, it’s a mess.  Once we served Full Strength Jesus, those who ordered it never wanted anything else.  Ever.  As a matter of fact, once they ordered it, they never were thirsty for anything again.  Which means they didn’t order again.  Which means it hurt business.  As a matter of fact, they started pestering the other customers and trying to get them to go with the Venti Full Strength Jesus. Those who like Full Strength Jesus Lattes think it is the way, the truth, the life and the drink that will quench their thirst for all time.

Customer: Well, that’s how I want him.  Straight and full strength.

(You can order the book “Venti Jesus Please” at http://www.d2sshoppingcart.org/productdetails.php?CategoryID=37&ProductID=230 )

So the question is,

Do you want a Full Strength Jesus today?  Will you let Jesus be the Source of your energy today and every day?  Will you focus on the love that God has so graciously lavished upon you?  Will you spend time BEING a child of God?

Dear Father God, Thank you so much for the love You have poured out on my life!  I’m so blessed to be Your daughter.  I pray that I will wake up with new and boundless energy every morning.  May I put my energy to use loving those who have yet to know of Your great grace and may I never forget to take my “Full Strength Jesus” for granted!  May You continue to bless Jason in his journey and put his energy to great use!  I praise You in all that You are!

Living on Real Espresso,

Sarah

DISCLAIMER: I still drink coffee!  I just know a Cup of Jesus every day goes a lot farther with my cups of coffee!

CAUTION: Those who drink a “Cup of Jesus” may become hotter than normal.  Sip with ease and enjoy every last drop!

Thoughts of the Day

Thoughts of the Day

By:  Paul Malanowski

God is in control of everything.

Nothing happens without Him filtering through it first.

He created us in His image.

We have a spirit, mind, and body.

A mini trinity.

He gave you and me free will.

Why?

He doesn’t want robots.

He wants us to choose to love and serve Him.

Can we do this on our own?

Well….No,

Only God’s Holy Spirit draws men and women unto Him.

We are chosen.

Why?

I don’t know, but He knows who will ultimately choose Him.

God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours.

We do have a choice.

We must make a decision.

Will we choose to live life in rebellion to God?

Will we choose to live life in God’s will and plan?

Will it be a little of both?

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

We don’t fight against flesh and blood.

We fight against spiritual wickedness in high places.

We have redemption through His blood even for the forgiveness of sins.

God is sovereign,

He is in control.

We have free will inside His sovereignty.

Will we choose to follow and obey?

We have a choice,

The decision is ours.

Will we find rest and peace in our decision?

“In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.”

~Psalm 10:4 (NIV)

Who am I?

I am weak,

but He is strong.

I fail at times,

but He never fails me.

I stumble all the time,

but He is there to lift me up.

My moods, desires, and passions change;

but He never changes.

I have a lot of questions,

He has all the answers.

I continue to be broken,

He continues to heal me.

I am but a child

to the Father.

I am an heiress

to the King.

I am bought by the

blood of the Lamb.

Who am I?

I am Sarah.

Who is He?

He is “I Am”

“The King of Kings”

“The Holy of Holies”

“El Shaddai” ~ God is Almighty

(Genesis 17:1)

“El Elyon” ~ God is Strong

(Psalm 9:2)

“El Olam” ~ God is Unchanging

(Genisis 16:13)

“Yahweh Jireh” ~ The Lord is my Provider

(Genesis 22:14)

“Yahweh Nissi” ~ The Lord is my Banner

(Exodus 17:15)

“Yahweh Ro’i” ~ The Lord is my Shepherd

(Psalm 23:1)

“I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last,

the Beginning and the End.”

~Revelation 22:13 (NIV)

Fine Tuning

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

~Psalm 139:14 (NIV)

God has been doing some fine tuning in my life.  Sometimes I desire so much to be used by Him, that I become lost in that desire.  I have found that to be true as I write these devotionals in the last month or so.  My intentions have been in the right place, as I have intended to bring the light of Jesus to those who have yet to know God’s Truth.  But somewhere along the line, I forgot to study God’s Truth for myself.  This will be the last devotional in this format.

Writing these devotionals has become somewhat mechanical for me and has not flown out of my joy to serve the Lord.  So I have taken a few steps back.  I am re-evaluating what it means to be a writer and what my true desires are in writing.

To be honest I’m not really a format kind of gal.  I don’t really enjoy structure when it comes to things like this.  I enjoy letting God move me moment by moment.  He is in charge, not me.  This is His time, His words, and my life is His to lead.  I will be here as His instrument to write through when He so chooses to and I will write the words He chooses to write through me.  I may write one day a week or five, depending on what God lays on my heart.

Dear Father God, I pray that You will continue to guide me for Your glory.  Please pour into me, so I can pour into others.  May I always listen to You and glean wisdom from Your Word.
Thank You for the Fine Tuning Lord,
Sarah

God Size Love

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because GOD IS LOVE.  This is how God showed His love among us:  He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.  This is love:  not that we loved God, but that HE LOVED US and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.”

~1 John 4:7-12, 19

God’s LOVE…

It’s amazing and awe inspiring.  We have yet to understand it.  Yet, we so often leave it in the dust to search after our own dreams and our desires.  I want to learn to juggle the things that are important and lose the things that have no importance.

In one show I heard it said, “A man had to cross a bridge that would only hold 200 hundred pounds.  He himself was 190 pounds and was carrying three boxes that weighed 5 pounds each.  How did he make it across and what did each of the things represent?  Well, he juggled the three boxes.  The bridge represented his life and the boxes were his feelings of love, joy, peace, pain, etc.”  He learned how to juggle these things through his life so he could get across instead of getting crushed by the weight of it all.

Well, I want to go one step better than this.  We have a God who can teach us how to juggle the right things  at the right  moments in time.  First of all, we need to remember that we are not living on our own time…  we ARE living on GOD’s TIME…  So why do we wake up each morning with an agenda that leaves no room for mystery and no room for God to intervene.  Why do we leave Him out?  HE created time!  HE created you and I.  He knows the hairs on our heads, yet, we leave Him out in the cold.

I want to live on God’s time.  What does He desire from me from each moment of each day and how can I attain to live in such a way that He gets the most out of each moment that I live?  I have a long ways to go before I learn this.  But this is what I desire.

I desire to know about the only love that matters in this world.  The love that makes it possible for me to love others.  God’s love is more than I can comprehend at times and much more than I deserve, but He has made it available through His Son.  I pray you will come to know God’s love in greater ways and experience His grace.  Remember, we love because He FIRST LOVED us.

Dear Father God, I pray Your love will be evident in my life.  May I be loving in my words and my actions towards others.

Experiencing God Size Love,
Sarah

Walk by Faith

“By faith he (Moses) left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger;

he persevered because he saw him who was invisible.”

~Hebrews 11:27 (NIV)

FAITH!
The Israelites are not strangers to walking by faith.  Sure they had days where their lack of it was more evident, than their dependence on God.  But don’t we all.

Exodus 12:31, Pharaoh finally gives his approval for the Israelites to be released from their slavery.  Moses leads them from Egypt, a land of bondage, towards the unknown with miracle after miracle to be performed before their very eyes.

Exodus 13:17 – 14:31, God leads the Israelites to the edge of the Red Sea.  Their enemy is coming behind them, their future is beyond the Red Sea, but right now/today ~ they must cross the Red Sea.  They must live by faith, not by sight.  Are you at the edge yet?  Are you ready to see God perform something amazing in your own life?

Here it is, don’t miss it!  The parting of the sea, the Israelites walking on dry land.

Hebrews 11:27 says, “By faith he (Moses) left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who was invisible.”

May you take steps of faith towards God knowing that He has been faithful to you and has not lost track of what your life will become in Him.  Continue to walk forward.  Let us be people of faith, living out the days God has ordained for us.

People of FAITH.

F = Forward
A = Again
I = Into
T = Treasures
H = of Him

Lead me Forward Again Into Treasures of Him (You Lord)!  My heart desires to follow You and every treasure You have stored up for me along the path that leads to eternity!  Even when my steps are taken blindly, may I take them by faith in You!

Taking Steps of FAITH,
Sarah

Member Status

“See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…”

~Isaiah 49:16 (NIV)

A few months ago, I pulled into a gas station to get some gas. My tank was showing me that I was in desperate need of it. Normally, I don’t allow it to get that low, but this time I had been running around for different appointments and it just slipped my mind.

Well, there I am at the pump. I swipe my card as usual, but I’m denied. No, I wasn’t denied because of my card. I was denied because I was at a Sam’s Club Gas station. I was not a member and I did not have a member’s card. I felt pretty silly. I needed to get back in my vehicle and drive away.

Wow, not a member! There are so many things on this earth that I’m not a member of. It was pretty thought provoking. I will be excluded from many things here on earth because of that good ole member status. That’s not a bad thing sometimes because some things I don’t want to be a member of.

I just started thinking about how membership here on earth can be taken away from you, but my membership in Heaven has been bought and sealed with Christ blood. I signed up for eternity and no one can tell me I need a card to get in. No one can tell me I don’t belong for any amount of reasons. I am my Father’s and He is mine.

In fact, God has written me on the palm of His hand. How beautiful is that?

“See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…” ~Isaiah 49:16 (NIV)

Wow, it’s even better than a pen signature. We have been engraved on the palm of God’s hand. Nothing can remove the place God has made for me. I’m a member of eternity. The club that will not reject me, not throw me out, not ask for dues, not take my name off the list, and certainly not ask for identification to get in. God knows me by name, He knows every hair on my head, and His Son will be there to welcome me in with open arms.

Dear Father God, Thank You for paying my member dues to get into Heaven.  My debt was paid through the blood of Your Son and through Your grace I will live in eternity with You.  I look forward to eternity with You my King!

Member of the Only Club that Matters,
Sarah

Who Asks the Questions?

“Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?

Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?  Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens…”

~Job 38:36-37 (NIV)

Someone told me that they saw this book called “Dancing in the Eye of the Storm on their parent’s shelf when they were a little kid and I thought how fitting this is for the Christian life.  “Dancing in the Eye of the Storm”  what an amazing thought!  How different the storm looks, when we decide to dance in the eye of it.

I cannot begin to count the ways that God has used different storms in my life.  There are times I wanted to kick and scream my way out of these storms.  Then there were times I have found myself in the Master’s hand, dancing in joy because I knew He would make everything okay.  I have enjoyed the below passage of Scripture because reminds me that God will never leave the throne during the storms in my life.

The LORD Speaks
1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said:

2 “Who is this that darkens my counsel
with words without knowledge?

3 Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.

4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.

5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?

6 On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone-

7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels [a] shouted for joy?

8 “Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,

9 when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,

10 when I fixed limits for it
and set its doors and bars in place,

11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt’?

12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning,
or shown the dawn its place,

13 that it might take the earth by the edges
and shake the wicked out of it?

14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;
its features stand out like those of a garment.

15 The wicked are denied their light,
and their upraised arm is broken.

16 “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?

17 Have the gates of death been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death [b] ?

18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all this.

19 “What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?

20 Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths to their dwellings?

21 Surely you know, for you were already born!
You have lived so many years!

22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
or seen the storehouses of the hail,

23 which I reserve for times of trouble,
for days of war and battle?

24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,
or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?

25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,

26 to water a land where no man lives,
a desert with no one in it,

27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?

28 Does the rain have a father?
Who fathers the drops of dew?

29 From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens

30 when the waters become hard as stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen?

31 “Can you bind the beautiful [c] Pleiades?
Can you loose the cords of Orion?

32 Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons [d]
or lead out the Bear [e] with its cubs?

33 Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you set up God’s [f] dominion over the earth?

34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
and cover yourself with a flood of water?

35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?
Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?

36 Who endowed the heart [g] with wisdom
or gave understanding to the mind [h] ?

37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens

38 when the dust becomes hard
and the clods of earth stick together?

39 “Do you hunt the prey for the lioness
and satisfy the hunger of the lions

40 when they crouch in their dens
or lie in wait in a thicket?

41 Who provides food for the raven
when its young cry out to God
and wander about for lack of food?

~Job 38 (NIV)

God doesn’t miss anything.  When you read this passage you can see that every part of every storm He has designed.  He doesn’t stop working in our lives when it happens, He doesn’t step off the throne of our lives.  He is still active.  In Job 42:2, Job replies with simple words…”I know you can do all things; no plans of yours can be thwarted.”  No plans of His can be thwarted.  Amazing, don’t you think!  His plans for you are already in the making, there is no storm that can shake the foundation of His plans for your life.

May you learn to question God less and trust Him more with the design of your life!

Dear Father God, There are times that I don’t understand the frequency of the storms that hit in my life, but I still need to trust You.  Please help me question You less on the plans You have for me and rest in the peace of knowing that everything You do is perfect.  I love You and I surrender my life to You!

Questioning You less God,
Sarah