My child, don't lose sight of common sense and discernment. (Pro. 3:21 NLT)

Today, I was reminded of why I rarely browse social media these days. No, it wasn’t anything horrifying that I saw. But it was a bit unsettling. It was a post by a Christian, supposedly warning others about Christian music and using discernment, and included a link to a website. And like a sucker, I clicked.

What followed was a blog post; a diatribe disguised as Christian caring; vicious gossip in the guise of “discernment” and many “should” and “should not’s” juxtaposed with the blogger’s reluctant “duty” to inform us that these particular songs, bands, churches, and Bible teachers are heretical. She doggedly insisted that we, as well as our churches, should have nothing to do with them. She then provided a list of “approved” music, teachers, and pastors.

How thoughtful.

That said, I don’t have a problem with Bible-literate believers legitimately warning others about heresies, false doctrines, and the like. The apostle Paul did this often, and with no qualms about naming the guilty parties, such as Alexander the coppersmith and fellow believers Phygelus, Hermogenes, and Demas. (2 Tim. Ch. 1 & 4) Even Peter and Barnabas didn’t escape Paul’s righteous indignation, as he names them and calls out their hypocrisy in Galatians 2:11-13. And John? Well, in 3 John 1:9-11, good old Pastor Diotrephes was lambasted by John for his evil ways.

Even John the Baptist, and Jesus himself called the scribes and Pharisees “broods of vipers.”

By these and many other such verses, we see that warning others about legitimate threats is fine, and often necessary. And of course, anyone who has been victimized by someone at church should be able to report the abuse and receive help, without being further victimized by verbal bludgeoning and other such vindictive behavior.

In Matthew 10:16, Jesus instructed the apostles he sent out to, “… be wise as serpents, and innocent as doves.”

Good advice, don’t you think?

Read the full devotion at https://devotableapp.com/daily-devotion-proverbs-3-21-using-discernment/

The gift of teaching (instruction) is as necessary to the Christian life as nutrition is to the body. You can survive (for a time) without it, but you will be very unhealthy.

This gift of teaching is the supernatural ability to break down the Word of God for the church to understand. This gift goes hand in hand with two other gifts: prophecy and exhortation. Often, in one teaching, all three gifts will be working together. Whereas teaching is explaining God’s Word, prophecy is speaking forth and boldly saying God’s Word no matter the consequences, and exhortation is allowing the aid of God’s Word to come alongside of one’s life. Oftentimes, they can be easily confused for one another but they are actually unique gifts in their own rights.

Encouragement for the Gift of Teaching

There is too much to say about the gift of teaching in one devotional, so let me simply encourage those who have this gift with a few thoughts. First, the best way to instruct the church through God’s Word is by demonstration. For example, if you teach the congregation to be grace-filled, but you yourself are not grace-filled, the words you say can be considered empty and will not matter much to most. Living what you teach sharpens the blade of your words and gives them the ability to cut deep. A teacher whose life is contrary to their words is a cloud without water. Teachers, it is imperative that we live what we teach in order to be effective.

Teaching the Word of God

My second encouragement is to observe that the spiritual gift of teaching means that one is gifted in teaching the Word of God. Stage presence and eloquence, while appealing, are not spiritual gifts. It is tempting for the teacher to over concern themselves with what isn’t spiritual or beneficial to the congregation. Obviously, a teacher should always be themselves when they teach, but they shouldn’t be intentionally boring either. In fact, their teachings should be engaging and captivating! The important distinction I am making here, though, is that the teacher should have it as their express aim to keep the Word engaging and captivating and not themselves. Simply put: elevate Christ and His Word, not yourselves.

Be Faithful

My third encouragement is to be faithful. It’s easy to grow weary from teaching because the congregation doesn’t listen or because what you are called to teach flies in the face of the culture. But keep at it, get your head down and faithfully plow that ground! Don’t look up and focus on the lack of harvest (that’s God’s job) or compare your field with your neighbor’s, simply do the work that God has called you to do! If you have been given the essential spiritual gift of teaching, you are needed! Don’t give up!

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Romans 12:6-8 ESV

Read the full devotion at https://devotableapp.com/daily-devotion-romans-12-6-8-the-spiritual-gift-of-teaching/

You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:12-13 HCSB

Some time ago, I was reading through the comments section of a blog I follow. The person commenting noted that whenever someone told her of an issue they were facing or an issue in general, she would tell them she would pray for them. But then, something changed, and she started either offering to pray for them right then if she thought they were receptive, or she would quietly do it, still in the moment, if she wasn't sure. It didn't need to be a long, elaborate prayer.

Praying in the Moment

I'm learning that God doesn't need long, elaborate, or flowery prayers. He just needs a sincere heart. I've recently adopted that praying in the moment philosophy. For a very long time, if someone suggested/requested I pray for something, and I tried to wait until bedtime, when I usually said my prayers, my tendency was to forget. I am human, and I have a gazillion other things on my mind. So now when someone asks me to pray, I make sure to do it right away. Or, if I hear of a need in conversation, and there is an opportunity to pray with the person, I do. It not only offers comfort to the person I'm praying with, but it humbles me.

I once had an Instagram follow request from someone I didn't know. The young lady had Jeremiah 29:11 in her intro. I looked it up, and kept reading through verse 14. Wow! God himself tells me that when I pray He listens to me. He has certain requirements though; He wants us to seek Him with all our hearts. I don't know about you, but I've struggled with giving God all my heart. Sometimes I think if I can just fix it up a little, or I can stop doing some of the things I'm doing, then I can give Him all of me. But I don't think He wants me to wait for that. He wants all of me, just the way I am, at this very moment. And He promises to hear my prayers when I seek Him.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, we come seeking You. Remind us that we do not need to be perfect to come to You, we just need to come, and You will make us perfect through You and Your love. Help us remember to come to You first and boldly, because You promised to hear us.

How can you adopt an attitude of praying right away so you don’t forget?

Read the full devotion at https://devotableapp.com/daily-devotion-jeremiah-29-12-13-call-upon-me/

Imagine a world of no hope. All you have to look forward to is the end.
Imagine a world of no forgiveness. Every mistake is held against you, so just sit and wait for the gavel to drop.

Imagine a world without Jesus

As I read the book of Job, I realized that many people live in a world without Jesus. Such is the world Job lived in.

Job had it all - possessions, family, and reputation - but he lost everything in the matter of one minute. Shortly after that, he also lost his health.

Three friends came to console Job: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. They arrived confident of the perfect solution. Certain that Job’s circumstances were a just punishment for the sins of him and his household, they urged Job to repent before God.

My belly burns to hear to such harsh accusations during unspeakable suffering. Job needs a heroine to come to his defense! I long to insert my services into the story and share the hope and comfort I know…

... until Job 9:32-35.

Job and his would-be comforters lived in a world without Jesus.

Without Jesus, there was no lifeline to God. Without Jesus’ righteousness, Job could not claim himself worthy to be in God’s presence, to ask questions, or to seek comfort. Without Jesus, the only thing Job looked forward to was death.

Maybe I’m too harsh on Job’s would-be comforters. What hope and comfort could I offer without Jesus? Hope and comfort devoid of Jesus' name is just that - a void. Maybe Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar did the best they could with what they knew.

All because of Jesus.

As a mortal man, we can’t handle the fullness of Jesus’ sacrifice and love, but we can thank Him. We can also honor Him by obeying the last command He gave as a Man on earth: Go and teach to make disciples of others. For in sharing Jesus with others, we rescue them from a world without Jesus.

How will you give thanks and share His message today?

Read the full devotion at https://devotableapp.com/daily-devotion-a-world-without-jesus/

My mother died almost 10 years ago after a 3 year battle with cancer. She was my family, my world. After her passing,I worried so much about holidays. I wondered where I would go since the majority of my family resides on the East Coast and traveling out that way during any holiday can be a costly endeavor. The holidays were a time I expected to dread. I expected it to be a time of loneliness, a time to remember how much I’d lost, and who was missing.

Never have I been so wrong.

In the 10 years she’s been gone, I’ve never spent a holiday alone. Since her passing, a countless number of people have opened their homes to me, treating me as if I were a part of their family. I went from not knowing what I would do, to having to try to fit in everyone in one day.

Where I expected lack; I was given abundance.

To be a guest is quite a humbling experience and a beautiful gift, a true display of Jesus’s love for us. Each time I’m asked to be a part of someone’s holiday, nothing but my presence is expected of me. I am loved, cared for, fed amazing food and included. Their hospitality is truly a gift that I can not repay. However, I can remember to pass it on and so can you.

The concept of hospitality is simple: to be welcoming, kind and hospitable to others. No one displays this better than Jesus. Jesus takes us just as we are, tired, broken, sinful and invites us to be with him.

Jesus knew who Zaccheus was and how he was viewed by the religious leaders of that time. Tax collectors were seen as conspirators against the Jews because of their ties to Rome. They were associated with greed and sin. Jesus knew all of this, yet He welcomed Zaccheus anyway. Because of Jesus’s love, acceptance and hospitality, Zaccheus repented and was saved.

“8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:8-10

How can you show the gift of hospitality? How can you open your home, work, or heart to someone and show them the love of Jesus today?

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Matthew 25:35-36 ESV

Read the full devotion at https://devotableapp.com/daily-devotion-matthew-25-35-36-the-gift-of-hospitality/

Praying was always a mystery to me. I never quite figured it out, and it was hard to get into a habit. I especially didn’t like public prayer—I felt silly praying out loud, and I didn’t like all the pressure. In my faith tradition, prayers were never scripted, unlike sermons, so it was a burden to get up to the front and lead the group in an unscripted prayer.

Prayer was hard until I took a class in college called “Counseling for Ministers.” It was a semester of tips on how to counsel churchgoers in their times of need. What I learned about prayer in that class stuck out to me the most—I never considered prayer as part of a counseling session!

Since spoken prayer is so important in counseling, the teacher urged us to pray before we prayed. The advice was to “pray in the Spirit.” As we bowed our heads, we were told to take a few moments of silence to ask the Spirit to guide our words. Then, we’d launch into speaking the prayer aloud. Something remarkable happened when I did this. The Spirit clearly worked in the prayer!

This isn’t just a trick for pastors though. Everyone can access the power of the Spirit in prayer. When we don’t have the words to say, the Spirit intercedes on our behalf. What does the Spirit interceding look like? It might be that you are pointed to a particular passage of Scripture or might feel the sudden urge to stop and pray for someone or something. Maybe the Spirit gives you the strength to talk to God when you don’t feel like praying at all.

In the context of Romans 8, Paul is writing of the troubling times in the world. He says we can’t see the future, but we can have faith and hope. Later in the chapter, Paul passionately preaches that as Spirit-filled believers, we will triumph. We don’t always know what to pray for because we are imperfect and don’t know what our earthly future holds. But that’s why we have the Spirit interceding for us! Consider starting your prayers by praying in the Spirit, invite the Holy Spirit to take over and guide you when communicating with God.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of the Spirit in our lives. Spirit, come and intercede for me. Guide my heart as I lift it toward God. Help me to rely on You as I try to live a life that glorifies God with every breath. Amen.

Read the full devotion at https://devotableapp.com/daily-devotion-romans-8-26-27-praying-in-the-spirit/

The spiritual gift of ministry is a gift people want around, but they themselves don't want to have. They want to see it in action, but don't want to be the person taking that action. The gift of ministry is a highly prided spiritual gift very few actually want. Why is that?

The Baby of the Family

Some gifts, especially when they are strong or desirable, can cause others to look with envy at the possessor of that gift. While this isn’t ideal, unfortunately, it is true. Thankfully not all of the gifts are like that. Take, for instance, the gift of ministry. This particular gift is the baby of the family that everyone loves to have around. You will seldom meet anyone who covets it. No one ever accuses someone of striving for position while operating in this gift. In fact, everyone wants this gift in their lives. What is so special about the gift of ministry (service)? The most succinct way I know how to answer that question is by saying it is because it is humble. When someone is administering in the gift of service, they are putting other people’s needs above their own, as this is the beautiful point of this self-effacing gift.

An honest observation I’ve seen is that everyone wants the gift of service in their vicinity, but no one seems to actually want the gift of service bestowed upon them. It flies in the face of our cultural standards. We are all about protecting our rights, however the gift of service isn’t interested in that. While we are told on the daily to do what’s best for ourselves, the gift of service wants to do what’s best for others. Culturally, it makes sense why no one would strive to serve, but spiritually it is to our shame that we don’t long for this gift more.

Jesus' Display of the Gift of Ministry

In John 13, we read of the most incredible display of the gift of service. Jesus, who was the possessor of all the spiritual gifts, tied on an apron and unabashedly washed His disciples’ feet. I know you’ve heard the story, but let the realities of this narrative sink in. Jesus, the mighty Creator of the universe, took on the role of the servant of the house and washed the dirt (which He created) off of His disciples’ feet (which He also created). He had every right to insist they wash His feet, but He didn’t demand that. He could have, quite correctly, pointed out that it was a great injustice that no one had washed their own feet, but He didn’t. He simply saw a need and met that need without a single word of complaint. That is exactly what the gift of service is! May we all not only long for this gift to be around, but may we all long to possess this gift as well.

Read the full devotion at https://devotableapp.com/daily-devotion-romans-12-6-8-the-spiritual-gift-of-ministry/

"Love the Lord, all His faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to Him, but the proud He pays back in full" Psalm 31:23, NIV

It seems as though we love everything and everybody but the Lord. Furthermore, we've watered down the word "love" so much. We no longer understand the true meaning behind the concept. The Hebrew word translated "love" in this verse is 'ahab' which means "to have affection for" (see Strong's H157).

Yet, we are called to more than merely "like" God. We are called to have affection for God, to truly love the Lord. As a matter of fact, we are called to love God with "all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength" (Mark 12:33). Our love should compel us to put God first in everything, in all our decisions. Our hearts, understanding, and strength should be tied up in our love for Him.

When you love someone, you don't want to hurt them nor disappoint them. True love is proactive. True love seeks out ways in which to demonstrate the affection we say we have. Thus, God's "faithful people" should proactively love Him.

Jesus touched on this when He told His followers, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35). Yes, loving God includes loving people.

Loving the Lord has its privileges. He "preserves" those who love Him and are true to Him. Just like preservatives in food, God keeps us fresh and fruitful. God takes care of us. He guards us and keeps His eyes on us. He fights battles for us and works all things together for our good (see Romans 8:28).

A Warning about Pride

There's a warning in this verse, though. The writer warns us about being proud. The proud love themselves instead of loving God. They think about and seek glory for themselves instead of seeking to glorify the Lord. The writer says God will "payback" the proud doer in full. The reward, the payment here, isn't a good thing.

We are encouraged today to love the Lord and to be faithful to Him. We don't have to worry about the consequences of loving God. Indeed, we can rest in confidence that He will preserve those who love Him.

Read the full devotion at https://devotableapp.com/daily-devotion-love-the-lord-and-be-faithful-to-him/

I reference this passage in 2 Kings when life is at its lowest. It's the story of King Hezekiah and the report given to him from the prophet Isaiah.

How do you pray when you’ve been given a bad report? When you look at your life and the only consistencies are terrible events beyond your control, there is a prayer you can utilize, and it starts with two words; “Remember me.” If we’re honest, tough times often cause us to feel like we’re forgotten by God. Thankfully, God is very clear on how He feels about us. He loves us!

Tough times and extenuating circumstances can make us feel like God is distant. The truth is He is with us and is aware of what’s going on. Before reading this passage, I didn’t know we could do such a thing! Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? Even if you can’t state like Hezekiah that you’ve “walked faithfully”, you still have the opportunity to pray and ask God to remember you.

This year I’ve cried often. I couldn’t understand why my husband and I were going through so much! I can relate to Hezekiah, because I cried bitterly as well. I know now that circumstances test our faith and build character. God is looking for our response to the tough times. Is she going to complain and curse? Is he going to abandon his faith? Because of what King Hezekiah prayed, God’s report changed. “Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 'Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, "This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you."' (2 King’s 20:4-5)

God heard King Hezekiah’s prayer, and He'll hear yours.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I acknowledge You as my Lord and Savior. I know what the report says, but am asking You to remember me, just as You heard and remembered the prayer of King Hezekiah. Help me not to allow difficult times to taint my vision of You and what You’re doing in my life. I know You don’t make mistakes. Please help me trust You. Thank You, in Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Read the full devotion at https://devotableapp.com/daily-devotion-2-kings-20-2-3-remember-me/

Why pray? Why seek God and pour out our souls to him? Because of the power of prayer. Because God will surely hear; he will surely respond. God will certainly appear and give us an answer. Maybe not the answer we expect, but the one we need most.

The Power of Prayer and the Example of Job

Job is a great example of the power of prayer. Job was a righteous man and his faith was severely put to test. I love his speeches and monologues, heart-felt and authentic, coming unfiltered from the deep recesses of his heart. Powerful prayers. In the pain of his suffering, he was lifting his whole being to God knowing that no answer would satisfy him besides an answer from the Source. No theology, no explanation, but the experience of the living presence of God.

The Power of Prayer and the Relationship with God

The power of prayer originates only in the context of a relationship. Prayer is the language of our relationship with God, our means to connect, to express ourselves, and to receive. Just one verse before, God is compared to gold and choicest silver for the ones who want to live a righteous life and consider God their greatest treasure. Placing God in the center of our life and making Him our everything helps us experience deep delight, pleasure, and joy.

God's Answer to Job

Nobody expected God to answer Job. Job, his friends, and Elihu did not believe that God will personally answer Job's cries. Job just hoped for that. And then, when at least expected, God appeared speaking through the storm. And what a speech it was! It didn't answer specifically Job's questions, but it gave him a vision of the splendor, the immense power, and wisdom of God who has full control over his creation. God's words and His presence had a profound, transforming and humbling effect on Job. He didn’t get all the answers, but he was satisfied. This is the power of prayer.

Friend, God will show up for you too. He hears you, and he will answer you, giving you what you need most. So, choose to seek him today. Pray.

Dear God, thank you for the gift and the power of prayer. Thank you that you always hear and answer me. Open my eyes to see and my ears to hear your answers. Give me the perseverance to wait for you. Thank you that you always show up. Please, fill me with joy and peace today as I choose to delight in you. Amen.

Read the full devotion at https://devotableapp.com/daily-devotion-job-22-26-27-the-power-of-prayer/