Refocus...

Hi Everyone,

The Lord has opened up a door for me to share His Word on a new iPhone app: Refocus. You can install for free from your app store.

You will find some great daily, short (2-5 minutes), video Bible Study Plans given by a variety of teachers/pastors. I share one called "Healing Life's Hurts."  Here is Day One of this 14-Day Plan. I pray you will be blessed and encouraged and help spread the word about Refocus to your friends. New plans and teachers will be added continually and Refocus will be coming in a few months to Android users like myself!

https://refocusapp.org/share/video/57a2889712ac33a12bba4c61

Believing God...

Believing in God is not the same as believing God...

"The Scripture says, No man who believes in Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed." Romans 10:11 AMP

As simple as this sounds, it took me years to figure it out. I also had to go through some very costly lessons along the way.

Don’t get me wrong — I identified myself as a Christian and I believe I was saved. However, when it came to my life, I was still running the show. I wouldn’t say it was solely out of arrogance or pride, though they definitely played supporting roles. No, I just didn’t really know there was more to the story.

I knew God was there, but I didn’t know Him well enough to trust in and rely on Him. I had no real heart-knowledge of how truly loved and treasured I was and so I didn’t know that I could place even the smallest details of my life in His hands.

In fact, it wasn’t until I made a royal mess of things, with no chance of fixing it on my own, that I began to place my hope in God. And I finally saw who He really wanted to be to me.

It’s funny to think this now, but I am actually grateful for winding up in such a desperate place, because I stopped just believing in God and I came to know Him well enough to simply believe Him.

Feel free to share...

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By: Jaime Betters

For the longer version of this devo and for more of Jaime's writing, please check out: www.remadecommunity.org

At the Start of This Week...

At the start of this week…

If we get our feelings hurt or we hurt someone else’s heart, let’s be quick to make amends, right wrongs, and talk to the person. In other words, do what Jesus told us to do: get things out in the open with mercy and grace to ensure our enemy doesn’t get the opportunity to ensnare us in any way.

If money seems tight, and our need and want lists seem, oh, so long, let’s remember life’s true priorities: Him, Him, and only Him. Honest. If we put Jesus first for all financial decisions, He will guide and provide for us what is most needed.

This is a week of new beginnings, hopes to be realized, and miracles to watch for. Keep your eyes open, your heart tender, and your mind from distraction. This week will be awesome in Jesus because He Who is in you is greater than anything!     1 John 4:4

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Dayspring's Thoughts on Simple...

Sometimes simple is best.

I am always too “flowery” and too long in my writings. My mom constantly has to shorten the posts I write for this blog. And even then I’m usually 100 words over what she wants! But today I was thinking about simple. To the point.

Big changes are brewing in my life. But isn’t that how life goes? Life-changing changes constantly a part of our days. Some good and some bad. A roller coaster with ups and downs, thrills and scares, twists and turns, and sometimes just coasting along at a leisurely pace.

If we knew what was in store for us we would probably not ever get out of bed!

And yet even in all of this change there is one simple truth that keeps coming to mind:

“Jesus Christ is [eternally changeless, always] the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 AMP

So maybe today is not so great. Or maybe it is great, but God knows what tomorrow will bring. Perhaps you have a new job, new spouse, new house, or you’re losing a job, losing a spouse, losing a house. Maybe you are making a big move, experiencing loss, having your heart broken, welcoming a new baby, or just unsure of what to do and wrecked with anxiety. Guess what? Jesus Christ is unchangeable, unflappable, unmovable, and always the same. Sit with that today. All day in all the changes remind yourself of this simple truth.

(And I have 8 words to spare!! Yes!!)

Feel free to share...

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by Dayspring Boldt Broxton

Yvonne Shares Her Heart...

Sometimes I doubt myself.

“I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, “You are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.” Isaiah 41:9

To be honest, I doubt myself on a pretty regular basis – about big and small things. And sometimes, even though I don’t need it, I get help doubting myself.

Sue emailed and asked if I would be willing to write a short devotional. I read her note and immediately felt in my spirit God’s invitation to me. Tears of joy filled my eyes as I felt His call.

But very quickly I heard in my mind, “Who am I? Who am I to speak to others?” Doubt. Memories came of past conversations in which I had doubted what I had shared. All this passed quickly through my mind after reading Sue’s note. So many reasons to say, “no.” Certainly I could come up with an excuse? Doubting my identity. Doubting God’s identity. But despite all the words in my head, only one word rang in my spirit – Yes!

I remembered God’s faithfulness in pursuing me through nearly 30 years of atheism; God forgave me even that. And I remembered it was not about me at all, but it was all about Him. Sharing God isn’t about who I am, but about who He is. There will always be reasons/excuses to say “no.” And just one reason to say “Yes!” Just as in the lead verse – He has chosen me and not rejected me.

Feel free to share...

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Written by: Yvonne Quirk   (Thanks, Yvonne!!)

At the Start of this Week...

At the start of this week...

Should your bank account go down, your blood pressure go up, or a loved goes sideways on you, place your heart in His amazing Word. He has the final report. Enough said!
Psalm 119:114

Should you become over-scheduled, overwhelmed, or over-the-top nuts with stuff to do and no time to do it. Take a breath, breathe a prayer, and be grateful for the One who came to give His all that we might live. For He alone is worthy.
Matthew 6:25-26

This is a week of new beginnings, hopes to be realized, and miracles to watch for. Keep your eyes open, your heart tender, and your mind from distraction. This week will be awesome in Jesus because He Who is in you is greater than anything!
1 John 4:4

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Wrecked and Ruined...

I am wrecked for Jesus...

So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.” Isaiah 6:5

I was doing my usual work stuff today: payroll for a hundred-plus folks, setting up a luncheon, scheduling my chief’s calendar, and any and everything for a busy medical center, when the verse above came to mind. I sensed the Holy Spirit profoundly within and I again came to the realization that I am wrecked for Jesus. Just as the old prophet states: I am undone.

Really. Who or what else is there to live for? I spent the first many decades of my life with Jesus on the sidelines, never mind that I was involved in full-time pastoral ministry. You can do that, you know: serve Jesus, but still not lose your life for Him. That was me; but no more.

Life begins when I am wrecked for Him, living for what He says, what He does, not listening to this fallen world, and not hesitating when He calls.

My Bible....Thoughts from Dayspring...

I lost my Bible.

I once heard a well known speaker talk about when she decided she didn’t want her Bible, with all of its well worn pages, to become a source of pride for her. So, she gave it away.

A co-worker told me how she felt like God prompted her to give her Bible away to a stranger she was talking to at Starbucks and she did!

I, on the other hand, will not be giving mine away. I love all the notes I have written covering the pages, the passages I ‘ve highlighted, the names and dates written alongside verses on its tear stained pages, and even the pages that have fallen out and are stuffed back in. I’m telling you, God Himself would have to come and rip it from my hands and He’d get a fight!

So here I was with my Bible missing, in a near panic, when it hit me:

“For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword.” Hebrews 4:12 (Amp)

Alive and active and full of power no matter the source of His Word. I can get the same amazing life-changing experience even if it comes from the cheap, stiff Bible I stole from my church. Or the huge, million page, hardback Bible with four versions side-by-side in my cabinet. Or the family heirloom Bible from the 1800’s that is nine inches tall at my in-laws house. Or on a billboard sign. Or even on my smart phone. Or from a blog my mom writes each day ;)

It’s still His alive, active, and powerful word. No matter the source.

So tell me. Where have you seen His Word at work outside of the comfort of your own personal Bible? Comment below.

(And by the time I finished this simple realization I had found my Bible. Thank God!)

Feel free to share...

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by Dayspring Boldt Broxton

A Sack of Wheat...and More...

The Word of God is like a sack of wheat…

"But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands [it], who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."
Mat 13:23

You have probably heard this type of story before:

A relief agency heads into a famine-entrenched area with sacks of seed to grow life-giving crops for generations to come. Nevertheless, the impoverished people are so starved they tear into the bags of grain and devour them. Nothing is planted, nothing is sown, and nothing is cultivated. Life-sustaining harvests that might have fed them for years are no more.

This is the same for us if the only spiritual nourishment we receive is when Sunday rolls around. Our pastor’s teaching from God’s Word feeds us for a moment. However, because we don’t sow the seed of His Word for ourselves - cultivating and nurturing it with daily attention – we are spiritually famished. We wonder why God seems far away, guidance is hard to come by, and His voice seems to be quiet.

Instead, let’s stop having our only spiritual meal once a week and sow a rich harvest of His Word in our lives that will be lush and bountiful for years to come. Jesus promises: we will never be hungry.

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Into the Deep...

Often Jesus is calling us to go deeper than we want to go…

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."

Luke 5:4

Recently, my son-in-law stated: I wish everything didn’t always require faith! We laughed out loud. How many times have we felt the same way?

Nevertheless, when we signed up with Jesus – you know – invited Him to be Lord of our lives, we stepped from the realm of our controlling our destiny, to fully trusting Him. And that requires our faith. And often, He calls us into the deep waters of trust rather than safely standing on the shore, missing the adventure – missing Him.

What area of your life is Jesus calling you to deeper trust about? Don’t delay in responding to Him. Just read the rest of Luke 5 and see the splendor of what He can do in your situation.

Thoughts from Dayspring...

For the last 6 months I have been using a new “wand” to curl my hair with and I have burnt myself about five times since I have started using it. Pretty ridiculous since I’ve been a hairstylist by trade for 23 years! So, being as handy as I am, I made myself a silicone neck cover using a pot holder I cut up and elastic bands to tie it around my neck. It’s funny looking but does the trick.

However, the first time I used my new neck cover I was so confident I wouldn’t get burned on that larger section I ended up burning a smaller section; my right cheek! I was so focused on one area, I forgot to be mindful of other areas.

Which made me think about God. Sometimes we are so busy looking for the big things that we miss all the little things. Has is been a while since you’ve seen a miracle in your life? Are you wondering where God is in your day to day?

Start looking around.

I’ve made it a point to find Him in the small things AND to acknowledge Him for those small things.

Did anything good happen for you today? Thank Him! Did you see a sunset that you appreciated? Thank Him! Did you hit all green lights on your way to work? Thank Him!

I promise if you start looking you will see His hand!

“The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.” 1 Kings 19:11-13

It was in the gentle wind he finally heard God.

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by Dayspring Boldt Broxton

He Knows You...

He knows you...

"But whoever loves God is known by God." 1 Corinthians 8:3 (NIV)

I didn’t know it at the time, but looking back, I can see many poor choices that stemmed from wanting to be known—to be loved. I mean, trainwreck-level decisions that carried weighty emotional costs. Things I am still healing from decades later.

It really is amazing how strong this drive is. It will overpower our common sense and cause us to accept behavior we normally would run away from. We will settle for far less than we should— yet somehow it’s better than being alone. At least that’s how I felt. I spent so much time looking for someone to really know me, protect me and love me, which resulted in many wrong turns and dead ends.

If I didn’t have people around me, even super dysfunctional and unhealthy people, I felt a sense of panic. A deeply rooted fear of abandonment will do that to you. It wasn’t until I lost several people, that I was determined to find a love that would never leave me.

I finally opened up to the possibility of God, and He began to fill the holes in my heart with His love—holes I had been trying to fill with broken people. The more I felt known by God, the more I loved Him. And the more I loved Him, the more known I felt.

It’s a beautiful dance that never ends.

He knows things about us we don’t even know about ourselves, and yet He will never walk away. His love for us is boundless and inexhaustible. We can never be more known or loved by anyone else in this life, and to try and live otherwise is to set ourselves up for heartache.

Feel free to share...

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By: Jaime Betters - for more of Jaime's Devotions, check out the Remade Community: http://www.remadecommunity.org/

Ouch!

Ouch!

"No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening--it's painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way."
Hebrews 12:11

Yes, He is saying some difficult things to me in his gentle, but firm, voice. He is speaking these words because He loves me. If you read further, the writer of the Book of Hebrews explains this further.

Still, it is hard to hear these words from His lips, yet my joy in Jesus is returning. You know, the kind of happiness not based on sweet circumstances, but the joy of freedom from some junk that was starting to overtake my life. I had wondered where my joy in the river of the Holy Spirit had gone. So…

Don’t be afraid to hear and face some stuff in your soul. He is at work releasing you from: selfishness, self-centeredness, self-will, self-righteousness – all the self stuff. I am right there with you in this. And the best part of all? He promises to replace these broken, rebellious areas in us with the best self of all – Himself.

Feel free to share...
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photo: Rick Gomez

At the Start of This Week...

At the start of this week...

Should your yard be overgrown, your jeans too tight, or your wallet a little too empty, look up! King Jesus is the All-Sufficient One. Get your eyes on Him alone and let Him do the heavy lifting for your cares.
Philippians 4:19

Should a loved one go sideways, a neighbor go ballistic, or a co-worker become annoying, well, remember you have issues, too! Jesus has all the patience in the world to bring you into freedom, now grab hold of His patience in you for others, by the power of the Holy Spirit!
Galatians 5:22-23

This is a week of new beginnings, hopes to be realized, and miracles to watch for. Keep your eyes open, your heart tender, and your mind from distraction. This week will be awesome in Jesus because He Who is in you is greater than anything!
1 John 4:4

Feel free to share...

Thoughts from Dayspring...

There are people in my life, and there are those who have passed through, that are just not nice. They are mean, they lie, they steal, they use others, they cheat and they don’t follow God in any way. And yet…their lives go on just fine.

It makes me so mad!

They are awful people and yet they have good jobs, they drive fancy cars, live in fancy homes, have fancy friends, are seemingly happy, and loving life. And I hate it! I want them to get what they deserve! I want them to suffer for their choices! I want payback!

That may seem a bit extreme for you and maybe only a few of us have ever thought this way, but just in case you’ve secretly wished the worst for someone I’m going to lead you to a passage that I love and keep marked in my Bible for easy access. Plus it proves I’m not the only one who has felt this way.

Psalm 73. Take time and read it.

The first half is basically the way I often feel. A complaint about all the good things that happen to bad people. And the unfairness of it all. Then we hit the key word: Until. If you write in your Bible make sure to underline that one word because that is when the story takes quite a turn.

“When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me— Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.” Psalm 73:16-17

The second half of that chapter goes on to talk about their end without God in their lives and the author’s whole tone changes.

Anytime I find myself feeling that same way, I read this chapter and I end up feeling sorry for the one I want to suffer. I end up wishing that they would know God rather than have a miserable existence on this planet. I end up changing MY whole tone.

Feel free to share...

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by: Dayspring Boldt Broxton

Appearance...

It just takes some sunbathing in Honolulu to realize appearance doesn’t matter. Really…

"…For the LORD does not see as man sees;
for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
1Samuel 16:7

We love Hawaii. My husband loves to walk, but simply give me a beach chair, a ton of sunscreen, an iced tea and I am a happy camper. Yet, as I watch several thousand folks out on that white sand with Diamond Head in my frame, there is maybe one Perfect 10 out there. That man or woman, well they are a rare group and I ain’t in that group. Maybe you aren’t either. Still, I am more than okay with that.

Just sayin’ – Jesus looks at our hearts and if we let Him really heal our hearts; our negative thoughts about ourselves won’t run our lives. Only He can do this. As someone set free years ago from a deeply entrenched eating disorder, I have found the joy of this truth. Plus our bodies tend to follow His game plan of health when our hearts are healed. Go figure.

So whether, you are male or female, let Him have at your heart. You are a Perfect 10 in His eyes, let Him set you free to realize it, too.