Valley Promises From God Himself

What if we knew God had valley promises just waiting for us to claim and cling to?

Because sometimes we travel on a journey we never chose. A valley experience.

And we never made reservations, packed our bags, or headed off in that direction. 

Besides, my heart’s GPS is wired to stay on the mountain top. Isn’t that what we secretly or openly wish the Christian life promised? 

Still, we often forget God’s glory and presence dwells wherever we are, and in whatever we go through. Further, the Bible says we will have trouble in this world, valleys to walk through. It’s not “if” but “when.”

Perhaps, you relate to valleys of emotional suffering, physical pain, heartbreak, tragedy, grief, spiritual warfare, or other.

During one of my valley experiences, the Lord revealed a comforting message of truth for any and all valleys. 

And it comes from two phrases and two passages in the Bible. These are valley promises.

(1.) Even though. Psalm 23.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4 (ESV)

David, a shepherd, led, rescued, and cared for sheep. In Psalm 23, he relates the job description to God’s care of us.

The provision of green pastures and still waters showcases the Lord’s goodness (verse 2). Restoring souls and leading in righteousness spotlight the Shepherd’s mercy (verse 3). So, we won’t lack anything on the spiritual journey, including in the valleys (verse 1).

But David mentions less-than-pleasant moments and hard days. The valley of the shadow of death, evil, and the presence of enemies. Since we live in a fallen world, there’s no guarantee of valley-free living.

Yet, the Lord guarantees He is with me “even though” I find myself in the valley (verse 4). And He’s with you.

22 Truths About God to Embrace in 2022

Embarking on a new year always brings mixed emotions for me. I look forward to new experiences, possibilities, adventures, and all the things in life worth celebrating. On the flip side, the world is still in a troubled and hurting state. And I wonder what the path holds on up ahead. Maybe you relate. But what if we simply and intentionally embraced truths about God?

Embracing what we know is true about God strengthens our heart, gives understanding and peace to our minds, and keeps us focused on spiritual things.

So let’s look 22 of these truths for our new year.

Truths About God That Make Him God

(1.) The One true God. Oh, there are other gods. But there’s no other god like our God. “For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.” (Isaiah 46:9b)

(2.) Living. Jeremiah compares man-made idols to the living God. “But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God.” (Jeremiah 10:10) How sad and foolish when we bow to idols without breath. Or, believe in gods who are dead.

(3.) Creator. Genesis 1:1 tells us in the beginning God created…. God existed first. Then He created everything else, all of creation, and humans in His image. 

(4.) Holy. The Blue Letter Bible shares, “God is holy means there is no trace of evil in his character. Only God is holy.” Further, “There is no one holy like the LORD.” (1 Samuel 2:2a)

(5.) Sovereign. God rules as the supreme authority, doing what pleases Him (Psalm 115:3), His kingdom rules over all (Psalm 103:19). 

(6.) In control. “For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?” (Isaiah 14:27)

(7.) Majestic. “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:9)

(8.) Almighty. “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” (Revelation 1:8)

Giving Our Heart Completely to God in the New Year

Is giving our heart completely to God possible? And, is it easy?

I believe the answers are Yes and No respectively.

Ever since I gave my heart to the Lord at sixteen, I’ve heard God’s people speak about whole-hearted devotion to the Lord.

Also, how committed believers protect their heart from becoming divided.

Because the Lord never meant for the human heart to belong completely to anything or anyone other than Him.

In college, I chose 2 Chronicles 16:9a as my life verse:

“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” (NASB 1995, emphasis added)

According to Dictionary.com, the phrase to and fro means “a continuous or regular movement backward and forward.”

The Lord is looking for people with this kind of undivided devotion and heart for Him.

So if it’s really possible, but not easy, where do we even start and how do we go about it?

The Bible is the best place to discover the key to giving our heart completely to God.

Giving Our Heart: Love, Serve, Seek

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6:5 (ESV, emphasis added)

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 10:12 (NIV, emphasis added)

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV, emphasis added)

The Story of Christmas from Jesus’ Mother

Do you love to hear a good story? I enjoy stories passed down through generations and in literature. And I’m especially fond of stories told as first-hand accounts of actual events. But what about the story of Christmas?

Have you read the Christmas story in the Bible? How have others told the story?

I wonder how Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus, felt and experienced the birth of the Christ child. Or, what it was like to see Jesus grow into a man and fulfill His mission.

Perhaps Mary’s thoughts went something like this.

The Story of Christmas: First Breath of Grace

He took His first breath. The first breath of grace. Wrapped in a swaddling cloth, though adorned with royal titles. Wonderful. Counselor. Prince of Peace. Holy King. Immanuel. The Ancient of Days.

The Lamb of God created the star placed in the heavens to announce His arrival. The light of the world.

I held Him in my arms, so overjoyed. Barely minutes old and seemingly fragile. But this baby embodied the fullness of the Godhead. Such power later demonstrated when He cast out evil spirits and even raised the dead to life again.

I  studied every feature as mothers do when handed a newborn. Gazing intently at Him, I saw the goodness and greatness of God.

3 Divine Christmas Presents not Under Our Tree

When we think of Christmas presents, our thoughts ponder what to buy that family member who has everything.

Or there’s the person who is particular.

Perhaps we wonder what treasures lay under the tree for us.

But as we head toward Christmas, let’s discuss presents not found under our tree.

Because these are not typical Christmas gifts.

Instead, they are gifts money cannot buy.

They are intangible, yet wonderful.

And these presents gift us with some of the most glorious things in life.

(1.) Divine Christmas Present: Forgiveness

According to Merriam-Webster, forgiveness is “To cease to feel resentment against (an offender): PARDON: forgive one’s enemies.”

Several forms of the word in the Greek are used in the Bible: aphiemi means “to send forth, send away”; “to remit or forgive” as in completely canceling debts (Blue Letter Bible/Vine’s Expository Dictionary).

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Matthew 6:12 (ESV)

To give and receive forgiveness, we thank God for forgiving us of our sins. And we continue to confess and repent when we fail to obey Him.

Next, we ask others to forgive us for any missteps against them. Then, we generously forgive others of hurts and offenses.

Finally, we strive to keep a short account with God and people. We ask the Lord to give us the ability to extend forgiveness, ask for forgiveness, and truly see it as a gift.

(2.) Divine Christmas Present: Encouragement

Don’t Miss This: Where True Hope Lives

Pointing out the window to a community in the country, I exclaimed: “Teresa, my friend from high school lives there.”

Another friend and I were traveling during the early morning hours to attend a conference near the town where I grew up.

It’s interesting to know where friends or people we meet live and work and worship.

Wouldn’t you agree?

But what if we knew where true hope lives?

Because life’s hurts, heartaches and injustices often leave us feeling overwhelmed and hopeless.

Or, our dreams hunger for fulfillment.

Still, true hope lives closer than you think. Let’s find out hope’s address.

True Hope Lives Closer Than You Think

Google defines hope, “A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.”

All humans hope:

I hope to lose weight.

My friend carries many hopes in her heart.

The pastor said not to give up hope.

We hope our brother pulls through this illness.

Yet, sometimes things happen differently than we wanted. Hope exists in many forms. But when we cling to false hopes, they soon fizzle and leave us empty-handed.

Women often come to me looking for authentic hope. Did I pray enough? Where is God? Will He come through for me?

These are women in tough places. Hearts broken by tragedy. Languishing dreams with no pillow to lay their heads. In the same way, I relate to times of hard circumstances. Perhaps you can relate as well.

There’s something I want you to know. You are never far from hope.

Finding Where True Hope Lives

Friend, I want true hope. I’m guessing so do you.

What if ThanksGiving is about ThanksLiving?

Every year I look forward to November’s main holiday, Thanksgiving. But I really desire to live a life of ThanksGiving to God by ThanksLiving for Him year round.

Although Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, I enjoy celebrating the time set aside for giving thanks. 

Maybe you’re one of those people who already has your home Christmas-ready. That’s awesome for you. I say, To each her own. 

Yet, it’s not my cup of tea. Not even holiday spiced tea. For me, I like both feet firmly planted in our thankful holiday before moving on. But the weekend after giving thanks? Then, I’m all about hanging ornaments, positioning blinking lights, and spreading Christmas cheer.

ThanksGiving Around the Table

I enjoy everything about ThanksGiving: gathering with loved ones, and decorating with pumpkins, leaves, and small pilgrims. And I love doing a portion of the cooking.

Because the overall menu lands in the top spot as my all-time-favorite meal. My husband often poses this question: If you could choose one last meal, what would it be? 

Ask anyone who knows me well, and they will tell you how I always choose our ThanksGiving meal. A menu of turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, mac & cheese, green beans, sweet potato casserole, homemade rolls, and pies—pumpkin and lemon (my grandmother Clarkston’s recipe). 

Yum! I can hardly wait! 

ThanksGiving is About ThanksLiving

Still, we know the celebration isn’t just about taking our seat at the table to gobble down savory and sweet delicacies. Instead, it’s about ThanksGiving and ThanksLiving.

To encourage our ThanksLiving along, let’s remind ourselves to give thanks for and to our great God. Because He’s a good, good Father who’s given us many gifts.  

God Almighty is reason enough to give thanks and live thankful.

Then we remind ourselves to give thanks to God through living a life of sincere ThanksGiving by ThanksLiving. 

ThanksLiving is ThanksGiving supercharged and supersized. It’s living out giving thanks in our lives all year long by living thankful to God. It’s having thankfulness displayed in our hearts and lives November through November.

Thankful to God From Whom all Blessings Flow

Welcome to the second week of a thanksgiving series as we look at being thankful to God.

“Blessings!”

Lately, I’ve formed a word-habit in my online replies. I throw out the word over and over again.

Blessings! Thanks and blessings! I pray blessings over your ministry. Blessings to you and your family! God bless!

See what I mean? I quite overuse the word.

But do I realize what’s behind the well wishes? And do I give thanksgiving for my blessings?

Thankful to God: Vast Blessings

We’ve heard it said to count our blessings.

But if we look at the shocking amount of blessings God extends to us, they are hard to number.

Of course, we all count ourselves blessed with family and friends. Also, blessed in how God provides for our daily needs of food, shelter, the jobs we hold, and so on.

And who’s not giving thanks these days for health? I pray to never take a healthy body for granted. Or, the physical well-being of my spouse, children, and grandchildren.

But there are times we forget, even as Christ-followers. So we need reminding of the vast blessings from a gracious God, too numerous to even count.

Blessed is Our Generous God

For example, take the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Church at Ephesus. After he greets the saints who were faithful in Christ, he says this.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us IN Christ with EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3, emphasis mine).

Growing Grateful and Generous Hearts

It’s that time of year. We know how the season is supposed to go down. Besides pumpkin pie and turkey, we are encouraged to cultivate attitudes of gratitude. Something accomplished by growing grateful and generous hearts.

Such as these 4 attitudes:

Count our blessings.

Be thankful.

Express our gratefulness.

Show our generosity.

And maybe we do and are these things during Thanksgiving.

Perhaps some of us manage to pull it off most of November or even the entire year. 

But when we look at this list, do we think of our lives, our family, and more importantly, our God? 

Because sometimes I epitomize these attitudes and other times not so much.

When we express gratitude for what the Lord has given us and for the great things He has done, we realize we are blessed beyond measure.

Yet, how do we cultivate attitudes of gratitude in all the areas of our lives, for the people in our lives, and for the God who gives us life?

Even further, are gratitude, generosity, and thanksgiving possible January through December—not just during November or on Thanksgiving Day?

And where do we start? Let’s use the list in the introduction and unpack each one.

(1.) Count Our Blessings: Growing Grateful Hearts

Everyone brace yourselves. This is going to blow our minds! The Lord provides:

Obeying God by Letting Him be God

Last week we discussed how God wants our obedience, not our help. So let’s dive deeper into obedience with a look at obeying God through letting Him be God; letting God do His job as God.

What if we let God be God in the world and in our lives?

Because I’ve discovered something significant about the Christian life. Following Jesus with full surrender and abandon, fulfilling my calling, ministry, and faithfully living as a believer, is not even about me.

It’s about the One who said, “Follow Me.”

And it’s about loving and obeying my heavenly Father with all my heart, soul, and mind.

So, a thought would not let go of me:

What if I let God be God? 

How would my life change if I simply let God do His job as God? And what if I let the Almighty reign over my decisions, circumstances, dreams, and life? 

Most importantly, isn’t He the only One who perfectly fills the role as God? No other person or god meets the requirements like the Lord. He’s the most qualified and the most trustworthy. 

Therefore, I’m noting 3 ways we let God be G.O.D.

G – Give God the Reins and Complete Reign: Obeying God

“God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.” Psalm 47:8*

Often, we take the reins in particular areas of our lives. And it leads to less-than-best outcomes—even turmoil. Instead, obeying God means we allow the Lord to take the reins, hold the reins, and keep the reins in everything.