In the fast pace of life, when God gets put on the back burner, we often find ourselves running on empty. These 5 practical devotions touch on things that all women face: fear, control, and even that ugly word, gossip, that trips us up from time to time. Refresh your spirit and see yourself as God sees you in this 5-day reading plan.
Kim Chaffin and Broadstreet
Day 1
Scriptures: Ephesians 2:4-5, Ephesians 2:10, Ephesians 1:4
You Are More Than the Choices That You Make
Often people allow the choices they make to define how they see themselves. They see a big scarlet letter, a label that can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Those unhealthy labels are lies the enemy wants us to never let go of.
Because of God’s love, we are remade and are no longer labeled by our past mistakes. With God, we can find our true identity. I have seen women move from lives of sorrow to lives of joy when they opened their hearts to receive his love and forgiveness. In him, they were truly remade. They tossed away any labels the enemy had them believing and raised their eyes to the Lord for a true picture of who they are!
Scripture has a lot to say about who we are in Christ, and when we dig in to find the truth we can expose the lies we have believed about who we are. By looking to God and to scripture you will find that God’s love is enormous and that you can find your identity in him and not in your mistakes.
God created you and has a plan for you. You need to understand that, no matter what lies you have believed, God sees you as his beloved daughter. And, when you allow God to erase the lies you carry from your past, you will begin to see yourself as he sees you: without blame.
Lord, please help the woman who is reading this to see how beautiful she is in your eyes. May she know that the lies the enemy has fed her and the labels he has tried to place on her are not true. The truth lies in how you see her. In your eyes, God, she is your masterpiece. Amen.
Now, take a few moments to read the three scriptures linked to this devotion and let the truth of them take root in your heart. Next, say your own prayer asking God help you see yourself as he sees you. It doesn’t need to be long or fancy. God is concerned about the heart behind the words, not how fancy they are.
Day 2
Scriptures: Proverbs 11:13, Proverbs 16:28, Proverbs 18:8
Gossip is Like a Drain
Gossip can be so easy to fall into, and we all do it. Just one little tidbit won’t hurt anyone, we think. The problem is one tidbit can lead to one more and before we know it, we are discussing the personal lives of others, which need not be talked about.
We have all been there. Why is it that someone else’s pain can give us such joy when we talk about it? I am not perfect in any way, so let me be honest: gossip is one area of my life where God is really working on me. I have had to ask God to convict me when this ugly side of me tries to pull me down the drain and I want to encourage you to do the same. Remove yourself from conversations, if that is what it takes.
Gossip is frowned upon by God. Scripture warns us about it. Ephesians 4:29 really hits home with me: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Our speech needs to build others up and benefit those who listen. Gossip does the opposite.
The tongue is a sharp knife that can deeply cut the person on the other end of your words. We all have the option to choose what is good and stop ourselves from being sucked down the gossip drain. Each of us needs to make a conscious choice to turn away from gossip. Today put the plug in the drain by praying and asking God to convict you to turn away from gossip.
Lord, please convict my heart when I am being sucked down the gossip drain. Help me to put a plug in it and to choose words that build up and not tear down. Help me to be an example to others who are listening and watching me. Guide my words to help me change the subject in situations where gossip is occurring and give me the strength to be able to say that, “I don’t think this is our business”. Father, thank you for helping me do better when it comes to gossip. Amen.
Day 3
Scriptures: Psalms 94:19, Psalms 62:11, Isaiah 41:10
You Can’t Control Everything
Control is a big thing for most women. We can easily slip into the trap of trying to control everything. Because of past hurts, we can go through life trying to control everything as a way of protecting ourselves. We attempt to micromanage, direct, and sway those in our lives. The need to control can cause a sense of panic when we are faced with something that we can’t control. This is an unhealthy place to be. If the need to be in control is controlling you, it is time to make a change. God can help you, but he needs you to be willing to let go. My hair is a funny reminder that I am not the one in charge.
I have short hair, and sometimes I wake up with it going everywhere. It is my “Flock of Seagulls” hair (if you are a product of the ‘80s, you will know what I mean). On those days, my hair is a simple reminder that I can’t control everything. It has a mind of its own and there is nothing I can do about it.
We need to remember that nothing happens in the universe that is not in God’s control. He has no limitations. We, on the other hand, are not God and we need to stop trying to control what we can’t control. It is just a big waste of our time and causes us extra stress. If you can’t control your hair on a bad hair day, what makes you think you can control life better than God himself? Let go and let God have control.
Today, think about what it is that you are trying to control, that you really have no control over. Next, write a prayer and ask God to help you let go of the things you can’t control. Keep this prayer where you can get to it easily so that when you find yourself having a hard time letting go of something you can’t control you can look back to your prayer.
Day 4
Scriptures: Deuteronomy 31:6, Isaiah 41:13, Psalms 56:3
Fear is Not From God
Fear can have a tight hold on us, and it can keep us from really experiencing all that God has for us.
Fear is not from God, but you should have a reverent fear of the Lord in the sense that you are in awe of him. There is also the fear that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. That kind of fear is a warning, telling you to avoid danger.
The kind of fear I am talking about is fear the enemy sends our way. Once we let that kind of fear take root, it can become the default mode in which we operate. My fear caused by a childhood trauma caused me to parent from a place of fear more than once. With God, I have been able to overcome it—and you can overcome your fears too.
Fear is one of the most powerful weapons the enemy tries to use against us, but with faith we can overcome fear.
When you raise your shield of faith, you can extinguish the flaming arrows the enemy sends your way. There may be times when you feel you need help holding up your shield of faith. If you find yourself in a place where you feel too worn out to fight, you can ask others to pray with you and for you. Don’t ever think you are weak because you ask for prayer. Calling in reinforcements that can raise their shields of faith around you is a strategic move. A good soldier never goes into battle alone, and you don’t have to either. When the arrows come flying at you, raise your shield and call in reinforcements. Stand strong with your feet planted on the Word of God, and you will extinguish the flaming arrows of the enemy.
Today my prayer for you is taken from Deuteronomy 31:6.
Lord, your Word tells us to be strong and of good courage. I need you to give me that strength and courage. I no longer want to be afraid, and Lord, I believe you are the one who goes with me. I believe you will not leave me or forsake me. I give you my fear, Lord, because with you, I do not need to fear. Thank you, God, for being here for me always. Amen.
Day 5
Scriptures: Matthew 11:28-29, Isaiah 40:29-31, Psalms 107:9
What Are You Plugged Into?
In this age of technology, I find myself having to make room in my carry-on bag or my purse for all my chargers. I have two phone chargers: one for the car and one for the wall outlet. My computer and charger take up space, but how could I even think of traveling without them? The number of chargers I carried on this trip got me to thinking about how much importance we put on being plugged in and fully charged when it comes to our electronics.
Heaven forbid we should let our batteries die. Thankfully, all the devices have a warning on them to tell us we are running on empty. I plug it in each night before I go to bed so it is fully charged and ready to go in the morning.
Wouldn’t it be great if people made it as much of a priority to recharge their souls—by plugging into God’s Word, prayer, and church—as they do to recharge their electronics?
Often, we go through our days looking like we have it together on the outside, yet on the inside we are running on empty. It is as if our souls are flashing the red warning light, trying to tell us that we are running on empty. I wish I could understand why we are so quick to keep all our devices charged while we move through life on empty. Just opening a Bible, plugging into God, is a surefire way to recharge us.
Just as we have to rely on our chargers to keep our favorite electronic gadgets running, we need to be relying on God, his Word, and prayer to keep our souls fully charged. What are you plugging into? Is it really working for you, or are you just going through the motions, the bare minimum, so you don’t completely shut down? Are you running on empty while your phone is fully charged?
Today make some time to plug into God with prayer and spend some time in your Bible. As with the other days, I am giving you some scriptures to look at but I want you to pray your own words today, not mine. Let your time with God recharge you. Like you make it a point to charge your phone, make it a point to recharge yourself daily by plugging into God.