Scriptures: Jeremiah 32:17, Acts 17:27, John 14:27

Is your fire alarm working?

Have you ever had a fire alarm go off because the battery was dead? It happened to me in the middle of the night and I really didn’t feel like getting up to take care of it. 

So I just unscrewed the fire alarm and put it on the table. It wasn’t until days later, when I was on vacation, that I remembered that fire alarm and thought with horror, “What if my home starts burning NOW?” 

First, no alarm will go off, and second, the insurance company won’t pay! You can imagine how nervous that made me feel! 

And it should make you just as nervous if you don’t keep checking the battery of your faith life. You know those moments when you think, “I should pray again…” or “I haven’t read the Bible in a while.” 

Yes, maybe your Bible is on the table, like my fire alarm is at the moment. Your Bible is there, but it’s just as useless as the fire alarm if it’s not connected to what it’s there for. 

What is the Bible actually for? 

To sound the alarm when: 

…you forget once again who is in control of the whole world: “Ah, Sovereign Lord , you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17 NIV) 

…you feel lonely: “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” (Acts 17:27 NIV) 

…you are desperate for peace:“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27 NIV) 

The Bible can give you everything you want to take away your despair. I could give you so many more examples because the Bible is full of hope, full of life for you! But you know what is even more valuable than hearing it from me? Experiencing it yourself! 

God wants to speak to you. Reconnect with Him and don’t leave the fire alarm—the Bible—just lying on the table any longer. You will want to hear the alarm in time when you are once again in despair or even in danger. 

This will be a life-changing day. 

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-10

The success accelerator

Wouldn’t you like to have success at what you do? 

The dictionary defines success as “an effort that leads to a good result and receives recognition.” I think that’s worth underlining. 

But what if the recognition doesn’t come? What if you’re still struggling and it’s still not enough. As soon as you reach one goal, you want more. 

You put so much effort into your job and are happy about the success there, but as soon as you get home, the family complains that you don’t have enough time and you ask yourself exhaustedly, “How am I supposed to get it all right?” 

Have you also prayed, as I once did, many years ago, “God, please use me”? 

God wants to use you, but you can’t get started without reading the instruction manual for your life. He has given you a full and wonderful spiritual basis from which He wants to direct your steps in peace, under His guidance. He does not want you breaking down under the weight of expectations. 

It sounds complicated and yet it is so easy. You have the wonderful opportunity of having a personal relationship with the Creator of the world! The offer is free. It never comes down to your performance, your strengths, your intelligence, or your overtime. 

Instead, it is—and this is often so difficult for us humans—solely about your relationship with God! You don’t have to stress about your goals or your success because God will lead you and bless you in His time.

That doesn’t mean you should get lazy, haha. But don’t let work or success take away from what’s important to God in your life: 

1. Time with Him 
2. Time with your family 
3. Time for yourself. 

Why is that important? Because YOU are important to God, much more important than what you call “success.” 

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV) 

Scripture: Psalms 39:6-7

Are you “with God”?

“Whoa, my calendar is so full, how am I even going to pack this month?”

Honestly, that’s how I felt looking at September. It was a month when I had a lot of gigs, which is something to be thankful for at the moment, but in addition, I had to finish my next book and move house…. 

And then there is this wonderful project, “A Miracle Every Day,” which encourages so many people daily. But these projects and gigs are only effective when I have time to “be with God” in peace and quiet, to experience what He wants to say through me. 

To be with God. Funny, “being with God” is a statement we use in the Christian setting, but do we really understand what it means? 

“Being with God” means that we have the opportunity(!) to be near Him, at His ear, at His heart! Wow. So why shouldn’t we take that time? 

Do you really need more time in order to spend time with God? What if God gives you time for everything else while you spend time with Him? 

I am convinced that He does, because if you ask Him, He will open your eyes to what is really important and what is not. What you should definitely do and what you shouldn’t. Some “to-dos” will clarify themselves (you know He accomplishes amazing things in the background) and for other things that have stressed you before, He will give you a lightness. 

Yes, THAT’S HOW GOD IS. That’s why it’s so important to stop and “be with God” before you get lost in the stress. I want to live just like that, because I know He can give me what I lack.

“Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be… ‘But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.’” (Psalm 39:6-7 NIV) 

God wants to bless you as you meet Him! Don’t run past this empowering opportunity. Spend time with Him today. 

Scripture: Psalms 16:5-8

Is the quiet voice right?

“When we talk to God, we talk more and more like Him and it shows with you….” 

These words were written to me by my friend when I had just returned from a long tour and was still thinking, “Oh man, my time with God kind of came up short.” 

Have you experienced this too? Everything in you longs for more time with God, but in the reality of hectic daily life you don’t always accomplish everything you had hoped. And then, do you hear a quiet voice whispering to you, “Yes, and God is disappointed in you now….” 

This is where it helps to shout “STOP” out loud! Because that voice is not telling the truth! I have to be careful at moments like that not to be swayed by the insidious lies that want to get louder. 

The truth is that I have centered my whole life on God and told Him so. “LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 16:5-8 NIV) 

And because I am constantly connected to Him, I know that my relationship with Him is intact, even when I go through a phase where I can’t spend as much time “in silence” with Him as I would like. 

It is more important to God that you are constantly connected to Him than that you go through a ritual that only brings you near Him once a day. He wants to walk through life with you as your best friend, not just be on your “to-do list” once a day!

What about your connection? Do you have any connection at all with Jesus? Does He know that He is everything to you? It’s worth looking into today. Don’t let the lying voice mislead you. 

You are worth everything to Jesus! In the same way, He wants to be worth everything to you! 

Scriptures: Psalms 66:20, Ephesians 3:20-21

Does God also hear prayers?

Paris. The city of love. The Eiffel Tower. But those weren’t my first thoughts when I got a last-minute invitation from a church there to sing and share my story.. 

Rather, I thought, “How will I get my song translated into French in those few days, and will I even be able to tell my story in French?”

I was in the car and on my way before I remembered what a great city I was going to. And then it shot out of my mouth, “Jesus, I know we have a lot of rehearsals and meetings before the service, but the Eiffel Tower, I would love to see that.”

Moments later I told those I was riding with that I hadn’t seen the Eiffel Tower in twenty years. “Don’t worry, Déborah. We’ll organize a trip there in between. You can’t leave without seeing it!”

I had to smile, because they had no idea Who I had just put in my request with. I did get to the Eiffel Tower, and standing at the top enjoying the beautiful view, I regretted not praying to see the other sights in Paris. Haha. 

“Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!”(Psalm 66:20 NIV) 

Do you actually realize how good your God is? How good He wants to be to you? 

God wants to bless you, but for that you also have to talk to Him.

I would be interested to know what your wish is. That which is on your heart, but which you think: “Oh, it’s not that important.” Or maybe you even think, “I don’t deserve that.”

Remember, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV) 

Scripture: Ephesians 1:7-8

Do you pay for it twice?

I was shopping with a good friend and had already paid when she changed her mind and also wanted to buy something. So I got in line again with her at the checkout. 

Out of sheer habit of paying for something at the register, I put my item on the conveyor again…until I realized, “I already paid for it!”

Can you imagine Who must feel the same way to see you walking around with that big burden on your shoulder for years? Maybe you’ve done something you just can’t forgive yourself for, and you haven’t even “rung it through” yet. 

Or maybe it’s something you’ve rung through so many times, but you just can’t accept that it’s already paid for. 

Yes, that’s right, I’m talking about Jesus standing at the cash register thinking to Himself, “But I already paid for that!” Jesus was at the checkout before you. First in line. Before you made that big mistake. Before you failed. 

In her song “No Greater Love,” Rachael Lampa sings, “Your great love, Lord. You gave your life. For someone like me. I’ll wonder all my life why you did that. There really can be no greater love.”

How many times I have sung these lines, crying, as a young girl. Back then, I was “cashing in” on very different things than I am today. Yet, then as now, I know that Jesus’ great love paid the price in my place. Yes, for love. For me. For you. 

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us…” (Ephesians 1:7-8 NIV) 

You no longer have to stand in line at the checkout. “It’s already paid for.” Freely accept this gift today! 

Scriptures: Exodus 4:10, Exodus 4:11

Go anyway!

The trembling woman stood in front of me and looked at me in disbelief. 

“I can’t believe it! I’ve been bulimic for ten years and free of it for a few! But this week I failed again…. and then I heard this quiet voice telling me to go to church today, of all times! And I went…. despite my failure…!”

I had just come off the stage in a church in France after telling my story of deliverance from bulimia. Eating disorders are not usually talked about in church services in that country. What a coincidence! 

Uh, stop! It certainly wasn’t a coincidence! It was something God had carefully planned out of sheer love for this woman. And I mean He had it planned perfectly. 

On the one hand, I didn’t actually have time to accept this invitation to France. I had already canceled once, until I heard this quiet voice inside me say, “Déborah, go!” And on the other hand, this woman had not actually felt like going to the service either, especially after her “failure,” but she went anyway. 

That’s just it! I am convinced that there are often many miracles behind the scenes that we’re not even aware of. 

Behind this: “I don’t feel like this today” or “I’m not as good as the others” or “I don’t feel like I’m making a difference”…is the call to GO ANYWAY! The one who goes in spite of everything experiences miracles!

You remember Moses’ story, right? He also had a reason for not going. “Oh, Lord… I’ve never been much of a talker…I don’t like to talk; the words come hard to my lips!” (Author paraphrased from Exodus 4:10 NIV) 

I love God’s answer, “The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” (Exodus 4:11 NIV) 

And so, finally, Moses went. So did this woman that Sunday. She went anyway, to the service that reminded her of the truth and delivered her from the lie. 

That’s why I encourage you today too: “Go anyway!”