Category: Devotional

Commitments Shape Your Life

Commitments Shape Your Life

My wonderful father shared the devotional below with my family via email. The following quote really moved me, “Tell me what you’re committed to and I’ll tell you what you’ll be in twenty years. We become whatever we’re committed to.” Life is a funny thing to say the least, and as I look back over the last year I see how the commitments I’ve made are shaping my future. Sometimes the biggest lessons stem from a loss and manifest into wonderful blessings once you decide what really matters and choose the life you will live.

God blessed me with a vision to get clothing to underprivileged children and that epiphany blossomed into Mia’s Closet.  Mia’s Closet has experienced exponential growth, and we have provided over a thousand children with clothing, mentors and sports activities over the last  year. I have finally realized my goal of working as an image and personal branding consultant, and I have been an all around better family member and friend. None of these things happened over night. It was a conscious decision to take control over the things I have control of and run with it!



God is real, and you’ve just got to have faith that his favor is working through you! Putting all personal ambitions aside, the most important commitment I made this year was devoted to my spiritual walk. About a year and a half ago, my dad told me, “I don’t care what church you go to, but you have to go somewhere. The Lord deserves your devotion and you need to fellowship with other believers.”  All I could do is say, “Ok” because I knew he was right. So I started praying about it -really hard- and the Lord answered my prayers in a bigger and better way than I could have ever imagined! I found The429! The ironic thing is that I have a friend from my parent’s church who had been inviting me for about a year, and I never got around to going…little did I know! I’ve finally found a church home that operates on a level like I’ve never seen before. Pastor Jeremy Foster delivers a message backed by scripture (and he’s so, so funny!), praise and worship is awesome and the members are sold out on serving the community!  

Chose to commit to the people, relationships and goals that add value to your life.  God is all about ordering our steps. He will even send us someone to help us get there. You just have to be ready and willing. Step out on faith and meet Him halfway! Your blessing is on the horizon!

Enjoy!

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You don’t have to understand all the implications of your decision when you choose to follow Jesus. You simply need to respond to his invitation, to make a commitment to follow Christ. Your commitments shape you life more than anything else. Your commitments can develop you or they can destroy you, but either way, they will define you. Tell me what you’re committed to and I’ll tell you what you’ll be in twenty years. We become whatever we’re committed to. It is at this very point of commitment that most people miss God’s purpose for their lives. Many are afraid to commit to anything and just drift through life. Others make half-hearted commitments to competing values, which lead to frustration and mediocrity. Others make a full commitment to worldly goals, such as becoming wealthy or famous, and end up disappointed and bitter. Every choice has eternal consequences so you need to choose wisely: “Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living!” (2 Peter 3:11 LB) Christlikeness comes from making Christlike commitments.

You Knew My Path

Hey guys!

My mom shared this devotional with me this morning. She was telling me about how she was praying to the Lord about the difficult path she has been on since losing her mother and the various trials since then. When she finished her time with the Lord, she read her devotional for the day.

Check out the first line! God literally sent her a Word that completely aligned with the same words she had been using to pour her heart out to Him.

When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path. —Psalm 142:3

Sometimes the path of life seems impossibly steep and lengthy. I have no strength and no will for the journey. Then I remember God knew this path long before I was called to walk it. He has always known the difficulties I would experience, the pain that I could never explain to another. He knows and offers His presence.

Perhaps you’re overwhelmed with sadness today. It may be the weight of a difficult ministry; the worry of a hard marriage; the sorrow of a struggling child; the care of an aging parent; other troubles that come with life. “Surely,” you say, “God would not have me walk this way. There must be another, easier path for me to travel.”

But are any of us wise enough to know that some other way would make us into better and wiser children? No, our Father in heaven knows the best path, out of all possible paths, to bring us to completion (Ps. 142:3).

His ways are higher than our ways; His thoughts higher than our thoughts (Isa. 55:9). We can humbly take the path He has marked out for us today, and do so in absolute trust in His infinite wisdom and love. He is wiser and more loving than we can ever know. He who sees has foreseen and will not lead us astray. —David Roper

Be still and know that He is God
For pathways steep and rough;
Not what He brings, but what He is
Will always be enough. —Anon.

God will never lead you down a wrong path.

Via Our Daily Bread: http://odb.org/2012/04/29/a-long-and-winding-path/

Have a great week! God is a good God, and He’s listening. Believe that He can use your surroundings to speak to you!

-Chelsea

Never give up, never give in

My mom has always been the most wonderful example of how to walk with God. In light of the tough year that we’ve been through, she shared a devotional that she recently sent to the boys with me. I know how much I needed to hear this, and I am so grateful that she is willing to share it with our readers. Enjoy. -Chelsea
    The past few months, for lack of a better word, have been “challenging”.  We have been tried and tested. We have suffered personal loss and roadblock after roadblock has been thrown in our paths.  We have been disappointed, heartbroken and frustrated.  We may have even questioned where was God during all of this?
Our ways are not God’s ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.  The plans and pathways that we select for our lives may not be the ones that He chooses, but does that make Him any less God?  Isn’t the God we serve today the same God that parted the Red Sea and the River Jordan?  Isn’t He the same God that can turn water into wine, cause the blind to see, cause the deaf to hear and raise the dead?  So what makes us think that He can’t or won’t turn our situation, circumstances, conditions around?
Remember the story of Joseph?  Joseph was his father’s favorite.  So much so that his father had a special coat made just for him.  He was probably spoiled rotten and a little full of himself; I mean why else would he brag to everyone about those dreams that he dreamed?  If God would have given Him  “the promise” while he was still immature and self-absorbed, who knows how his story would have turned out?  Sometimes God has to take us through some things to work some things out of us.  He had to “break” Joseph and teach him patience and humility.  Someone who was sold into slavery, thrown into prison, lied on and forgotten, ended up being the most powerful person in the land.  What his brothers did to him was horrible and unforgivable, but what they meant for evil, God turned it around for good. (Genesis 50: 19-20)  Joseph had been so broken and humbled by his experiences that instead of having his brothers killed or thrown into prison when they came to him for help (of course they didn’t recognize him) he cried so loudly and deeply that he could be heard throughout the grounds.
Remember our circumstances don’t determine our outcomes.  We walk by faith, not by sight.  God has a plan and an outcome for all of our lives.  No one and nothing can change or stop what He has planned for us.  No matter how bleak things appear,  No matter how many hurdles we have to jump over, crosses we have to bear, hoops we have to jump through, walls we have to tear down, God is still on the throne and still in control.  He is fully aware of every tear, every obstacle, every pain and He will never leave us or forsake us.  He is actually closest to us when we’re heartbroken; just like a loving parent would be closest to a child during a crisis.  We have to grow, change, mature, learn patience and humility in order to be “soldiers” for Him.  How I live for the day when we are all “fearless”.  The day when we are not anxious about ANYTHING!  The day when we are so confident and comfortable in the peace and joy of the Lord that nothing can shake us.  One of the most encouraging scriptures to lean on when going through one of life’s many storms is:  “AND WE KNOW THAT ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD, TO THOSE WHO ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE”.  All things means good stuff and painful stuff. The things that break our hearts and the things that bring us to our knees are working together with all our other stuff for good.
We must press on to the prize.  Never give up, never give in.  Speak (out loud) blessings into the atmosphere over our lives.  Praise through tears.  Ask God to cover any specific needs you have.  Remember you have not because you ask not.  Do not allow the enemy to do anything to cause you to miss your blessing. He wil try ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to throw you off track.  He will get into your head and try to convince you that you are wasting your time working so hard–nothing good will come out it.  He will surround you with negative people who will try to destroy your hopes and dreams and kill your visions.  He will make you sick or injure you and have you question your future.  Stand on, lean on, hold on to the promises of God.  Re-read some of the previous devotionals that I sent you.  The more time you spend with the Lord (praying) and the more time you spend in His Word (reading), the more intimate your relationship  will become and the more you will trust and depend on Him.  Remember, God is pursuing a plan for our lives that is far beyond our limited ability to comprehend.
Trust Him and rest in Him today and everyday.   I love you so very, very much.    Mom

How to Recognize your King: Is HE the ONE; THE RIGHT ONE?

Be prepared. It’s long, but it’s totally worth the read. I haven’t been the same since I first read this. Thank you to whoever took the time to write this. I always find myself saying, “He is not the ONE.” –side-eye– to a friend in a messed up relationship. It’s not too late to get it right, and I am totally committed to waiting for the ONE God has for me. Are you?

 First we must allow our Heavenly Father to do the picking. And second, the decision for a mate must be made on a spiritual and intellectual basis before it’s made on an emotional one.

“What about love? Shouldn’t that be the third? You ask. No, and I’ll tell you why. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9).

The heart is willful and is driven by its own agenda. It does not consider things rationally and intelligently it just loves to love! Therefore you have to point it in the right direction: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

Whenever you meet a man, you need to get clearance from God, check out his attributes, and then allow your heart to engage.

Dating exists not for mating; it exists for collecting data. I believe that the biblical design would be friendship, courtship and then marriage.

Friendship is two people walking together in agreement and accountability, learning and growing together.

Courtship follows the mutual agreement to commit to one another exclusively – it is the decisive turning toward the agreed-upon goal of the marriage altar. It is a period of laying a foundation and preparing your life together after marriage.

But dating? Well, if you do date, use the time wisely to gather these facts:

1. Check out the fabric. Is the person mate material? Does this man have an intimate relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ? Does he care what God thinks about his behavior? Is he accountable to God as well as another co-laborer in the faith? Accountability is an important factor. It is imperative to maintaining a committed relationship. Is your potential spouse a member of the same family – the family of God?

You need to have common interests and values and agree on the essentials of living day to day. You have a similar spiritual walk. You eat the same spiritual diet. You enjoy a lot of similar things. You have like interests, like goals in life, like opinions on basic life issues.

You have had like experiences in your background. Though there is some truth to the idiom that opposites attract, like-minded folks fare better together.

Furthermore, does he want to get married? If you want to be married and your dreamboat isn’t interested, don’t waste your time.

Remember, women fall in love and get married. Men decide to get married and then look for a wife. Note the difference in order. So if a guy says he’s not looking for anything serious, take his words seriously. If he’s not going in your direction, get off the bus and wait for the right one.

2. Does this man want you? Is he pursuing you? The man who is right for you will pursue you, and God’s hand in the relationship will be clear. No guessing, no fleeces, no dead ends.

Scripture says: “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord” (Proverbs 18:22).

Note – who finds whom? THE MAN FINDS THE WIFE. From the beginning of time, God has transported men and women across the world in order to put them together.

At the RIGHT TIME, He will bring that man on the scene and he will find you. In God’s perfect design, the man is the one who recognizes his mate. Adam has no problem recognizing that Eve was his missing rib. You do not need to strategically place yourself anywhere. You don’t have to help a guy out because he’s shy!

Men will do whatever they have to do to get what they truly want. The man in your life should recognize you as the pearl of great price in his life and be willing to do whatever he must in order to gain your hand. If he is passive about gaining your affections, take it as a sign that he is not interested.

Many a woman’s mother has suggested that it is a good idea to marry a man who loves you more than you love him. As cold as that sounds, it actually might be scriptural if you stop to think about it: “We love him because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Until then, take the ultimate chill pill. You don’t need a bunch of men in your life to make you feel all right about yourself.

You need only one man – your man, the one God has selected to select you. And trust me; the right man at the wrong time can be just as awful as the wrong man at any time. So trust God’s timing in this. He is the ultimate matchmaker. Relax, sit pretty and allow yourself to be found. Again – WAIT until the man voices his intentions. He should take the lead in establishing the relationship. You may have an inkling that he is the one, but God will use the man to set the tone of the relationship. Allow him the opportunity to woo you – this is your first act of submission. Jesus set the standard for all men to follow. They should love us first. And they should lead the relationship.

3. The man in your life should not desire to move into your house, only into your heart. A man who prepares for your future has made his intentions clear. A man who is husband material has the means to take care of a wife. He is a responsible human being who understands he needs to have something to offer. In short, a man should have the means to be a suitable lover for you.

4. Check out his buddies. Everyone knows birds of the same feather flock together, yet most women fail to see the connection between a man and his friends. A man’s pals tell you a lot about the person that you haven’t seen yet. They reveal things about the guy’s character that might be hidden when he is on good behavior. Everyone knows how to put his best foot forward. Don’t stay focused on the foot; check out the rest of the body!

5. Check out his relationship with his mother. How does he treat her? This is your preview of how he will treat you. There are lots of men who, because of a negative relationship with their mothers, really don’t like women, yet say they do. Unresolved issues between mother and son continue between husband and wife.

6. Remember that a man’s family reveals the cloth from which he’s cut. Take note and decide whether you want your future with the man in your life to look like his present family situation.

7. Check out the patterns of his life. Do you see repeated cycles of drama in his personal kingdom? Are there broken relationships? Does he have problems in making commitments – including the job market? Mood swings? Is a problem always someone else’s fault? Does he embrace responsibility or shirk it? Does he keep his promises? Is he a man of good reputation? Remember all garments look wonderful hanging in the store, but with wear, some begin to unravel. Give yourself time and space to check out the man in your life. Time will always reveal whether or not he is made of the right stuff.

8. Does this man have a vision for his life? Is he running with that vision? Remember, God decided Adam needed help once Adam got busy DOING his assignment. As we saw Adam, a man doesn’t need help until he is busy doing what he was created and called to do. Is the man in your life guided by sense of destiny and purpose, or does he just allow life to happen around him? A man who is not certain of his mission can be a most miserable person – and you’ll be miserable too if you know where YOU want to go in life.

A man who has vision is not intimidated by a woman whose mission statement is clear. He will be your best ally, cheerleader and assistant because he wants you both to make it! A man who cannot be supportive of your achievements because he is floundering in a sea of uncertainty over his own life is not a healthy partner to have and to hold forever.

Creating dependencies or feelings of obligation is not the way to get the best out of your man. Somewhere along the way, he will resent you and flee from the smothering burden of obligation he associates you with. You want a man who is firmly anchored in his identity in Christ. Remember, we are looking for a man who will be priest and leader of his home. His first instinct should be to want to cover you, redeem you, and provide for you. Your job is to decide if this is the man God has ordained for you to complement.

9. Complimentary. Do your talents and gifts complement his? Do his gifts, compliment yours? What about your temperaments? Do you see the two of you as an effective team capable of bringing blessing to the lives of those around you? Do your futures mesh? Can you co-ordinate your gifts in an attractive and effective way?

This is why knowing your purpose is so important. Make sure your hearts beat for mutual causes. When I go shopping I always consider the fabric, the fit and what I already have in my closet. Will my next purchase be a complimentary addition to what I already have? If I find that I am going to have to buy shoes and matching accessories to go with a new outfit, I leave it right on the rack. It is too expensive a proposition. If the man you meet makes you feel that you need to completely reinvent yourself, something is wrong.

This is where I ask you to consider the relationship in terms of cost. Is this relationship expensive spiritually, emotional or physically? Does your longing for a mate make you willing to forfeit who you are in the process? Or does he see you as the gift that you are? The man in your life should consider you a rare find, a priceless jewel – because of you he is getting ready to get blessed big-time! Any relationship that causes you to feel unworthy, unlovely, unacceptable, undesirable or that you have to work for love, is too expensive!

God has called the man to cover, protect and provide not only materially for a woman, but emotionally and spiritually as well. You should be richer in mind, body and spirit for your union with the man of your dreams. The man in your life should make rich deposits into your heart and spirit, not withdrawals.

10. Does he have a healthy love and acceptance of himself? Make sure the man in your life has taken time to heal from past relationships and has made peace with himself. How he cares for himself is how he will care for you. A man’s relationship with God is crucial here. His love for himself will only be as strong as his love for God. This is not something that you can impart. You cannot be his savior or teacher. That is out of spiritual order. In his rightful place as your personal priest, he should be leading you to a richer relationship with Christ.

If he is causing you to compromise your faith and destabilize your walk, if he is leading you into sexual sin or causing you to be distracted from your commitment to God, the relationship is too expensive. Offending the Lover of your soul, who promises you eternal love, is too high a fare to pay for a ride that has a limited run. If you and your man can’t soar in the Spirit, when the force of your love for one another is tested by the pull or gravity of the world, your union will not be able to survive.

So you decide. How much is your life worth? How much is your love worth? You will be able to accept only what you believe you deserve. God himself calculated the worth of your love and decided it was worth His life. He now pledges you His love for eternity. Yes, Jesus sets the example for all others to follow when He paid a ransom for His bride. Should you expect less from a mortal man? Throughout the Biblical age, men were willing to pay the cost for what they truly desired. The truth of the matter is everyone knows that anything worth having, costs and no one gets a ride in this life for free.

Our prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, God:

I confess that I have not always been as careful as I should’ve been with my heart. From time to time, my desire for love has caused me to leave my heart in the wrong hands. I now commit my heart into Your hands for safekeeping. Please help me to stop being so impulsive with what you deem so precious. As I learn to celebrate Your love for me, let me learn from Your example what a bridegroom should really be like. Help me to never settle for less than what you desire for me. As I embrace You as the Lover of my soul, keep my affections in the haven of Your own heart. As I rest in Your love, make me more discriminating of those who approach me.

I ask that You take over this area of my life. Keep me from those You know would hurt my heart. I invite You to set a hedge around me and keep me from all who would draw me into unfruitful relationships until the day you present me to the mate that You have selected for me.Grant me the discernment to recognize him as he recognizes me. Cleanse me from the temptation to typecast the men I meet according to what I see. Help me to trust in Your knowledge and lean not on my own understanding. I know that You know what is best for me; therefore I yield to Your choice. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Ladies this is something you should definitely share with a friend, whether you are single or married… It is something to think about, when you ask, is “He” the one?