Fitful Dreams

As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Genesis 15:12 (NIV)

Listen to Fitful Dreams – He Said

There is a sickness that settles in the pit of my stomach when I sense the absence of God’s presence. My ears ring, skin becomes cool and moist. Nausea overwhelms me. The symptoms are similar to motion sickness and perhaps that’s what it is—an unholy motion of me moving into a thick and dreadful darkness without Him.

I can recall with vivid clarity the terror I felt sitting in the Atlanta airport with no ticket, no cash, and no way home. My only comfort came through the promises of God, so I opened my Bible and highlighted words, claiming His pledge of provision. I remember the dread I felt stepping into darkness in Granada, Nicaragua. Alone and unable to speak the language, I repeated His assurance of protection.

The Psalmist writes: “The Lord God is a sun and a safe-covering. He holds nothing good from those who walk in the way that is right…They who look for the Lord will not be without any good thing…The angel of the Lord stays close around those who fear him, and he takes them out of trouble… Because you have made the Lord your safe place, and the Most High the place where you live, nothing will hurt you. No trouble will come near your tent.”

Powerful promises. And yet Abram fell into a nightmare full of darkness and dread. He’d walked with God into a strange land and found a famine. He’d believed God’s promise of a son but his wife remained barren. He’d pitched his tent in the shadow of God’s mountain but evil, death, and war raged around him. Promises from God—problems from man.

In desperation Abram asked, “O Sovereign Lord how can I know…?” Isn’t that the question we ask? How can I know? How can I be certain there is a God? And if there is, how can I be certain he loves me?

In the depths of Abram’s nightmare, God appeared to him as a blazing torch and a smoking firepot. Hardly comforting images. But in response to our questions of His love and sovereignty, God exchanged His son for us and the swap was executed in a brutal manner. The writer of Hebrews reminds us: “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Terrifying indeed.

That night in the Atlanta airport, God provided me with a faster and cheaper flight home. That night in Granada, He provided me with safe and affordable shelter.

Do you sense a dreadful darkness sweeping over you? Perhaps the gloom you feel is the shadow of the Most High leaning over you as He prepares to scoop you up in His arms.

Cold, Hard and Dark

As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Genesis 15:12 (NIV)

Listen to Cold, Hard and Dark – She Said

The swinging door creaked open and the ultrasound technician poked her head through. “You need to come. Now!” My heart sank. Something was seriously wrong.

The doctor dropped his pen into his coat and sighed. “It’s a blood clot stemming from his calf into his abdomen. His blood pressure is extremely high because the heart can’t pump the blood efficiently around the clot and…” he pointed to a spot on the ultrasound. “This is a clot ready to break free. If that happens, he’ll have a stroke.”

My soft, gentle husband sat on the cusp of death and he didn’t know the severity. I knew and I was horrified. Outside his hospital room the doctor spoon-fed me the words you hear on television, “If he pulls through the next 24 hours…”

My stomach twisted as the reality of my husband’s immortality rushed forward. Tim could die and the one thing I feared the most…life without him, stared me in the face. God please don’t let him die. I watched every rise of his chest as he slept. Darkness fell over me and I was completely consumed.

God knew Abram’s fear and it wasn’t the battles around him or the famine and hardship he faced. His problems lay in the darkness when Abram dreamed. Fear and doubt fell over him in the blackness of night. But God promised Abram, I am your reward and so he hung on.

I’ve fought fear, sadness, insecurity and loneliness—felt the heaviness as the darkness of night fell over me. Nights dragged into days and my eyes never closed nor did the rest come. I dreaded nightfall.
Still, through it all, when I squinted hard, I could see a pinhole of light. Hope. Enough to grasp hold of and pull toward. A pinhole that grew larger the closer I came; warmer, comforting. And when I stretched out my hand the fingers of God tightened around my wrist. The harder I held the stronger the grip of God grew. And then, daybreak came.

Darkness constantly ensues us. Satan shoves the black coldness at us, hoping to block the glimmer of the Father’s light—working to force us away from the promises of a God who is faithful. He pushes at us relentlessly, but this is how Satan attacks…in a dreadful and continual darkness.

God answered my prayers for my husband. We held to His promise to protect us, provide for us. He gave us peace. With Him as our shepherd, we did not want.
When darkness beats you down, when you feel as though things are cold, hard and dark; don’t be afraid. Reach for the promises of the reward that God brings to us when we are fully in Him.

Eddie Jones and Cindy Sproles are friends and cofounders of ChristianDevotions.us. They cowrite the popular He Said, She Said devotions and host Blog Talk Radio’s Christian Devotions Speak UP! along with Scott McCausey.

And now you can catch them each Friday evening at 7 p.m. on He Said, She Said Radio . (Call in number, 646-929-0706 ). They travel with Christian Devotions Ministries teaching the art of writing devotions at writers conferences across the country. Eddie and Cindy are featured in Faith & FINANCES: In God We Trust – A Journey to Financial Dependence. Read Cindy’s devotions

Fitful Dreams

As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Genesis 15:12 (NIV)

Listen to Fitful Dreams – He Said

There is a sickness that settles in the pit of my stomach when I sense the absence of God’s presence. My ears ring, skin becomes cool and moist. Nausea overwhelms me. The symptoms are similar to motion sickness and perhaps that’s what it is—an unholy motion of me moving into a thick and dreadful darkness without Him.

I can recall with vivid clarity the terror I felt sitting in the Atlanta airport with no ticket, no cash, and no way home. My only comfort came through the promises of God, so I opened my Bible and highlighted words, claiming His pledge of provision. I remember the dread I felt stepping into darkness in Granada, Nicaragua. Alone and unable to speak the language, I repeated His assurance of protection.

The Psalmist writes: “The Lord God is a sun and a safe-covering. He holds nothing good from those who walk in the way that is right…They who look for the Lord will not be without any good thing…The angel of the Lord stays close around those who fear him, and he takes them out of trouble… Because you have made the Lord your safe place, and the Most High the place where you live, nothing will hurt you. No trouble will come near your tent.”

Powerful promises. And yet Abram fell into a nightmare full of darkness and dread. He’d walked with God into a strange land and found a famine. He’d believed God’s promise of a son but his wife remained barren. He’d pitched his tent in the shadow of God’s mountain but evil, death, and war raged around him. Promises from God—problems from man.

In desperation Abram asked, “O Sovereign Lord how can I know…?” Isn’t that the question we ask? How can I know? How can I be certain there is a God? And if there is, how can I be certain he loves me?

In the depths of Abram’s nightmare, God appeared to him as a blazing torch and a smoking firepot. Hardly comforting images. But in response to our questions of His love and sovereignty, God exchanged His son for us and the swap was executed in a brutal manner. The writer of Hebrews reminds us: “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Terrifying indeed.

That night in the Atlanta airport, God provided me with a faster and cheaper flight home. That night in Granada, He provided me with safe and affordable shelter.

Do you sense a dreadful darkness sweeping over you? Perhaps the gloom you feel is the shadow of the Most High leaning over you as He prepares to scoop you up in His arms.

Cold, Hard and Dark – She Said

Cold, Hard and Dark

As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Genesis 15:12 (NIV)

Listen to Cold, Hard and Dark – She Said

The swinging door creaked open and the ultrasound technician poked her head through. “You need to come. Now!” My heart sank. Something was seriously wrong.

The doctor dropped his pen into his coat and sighed. “It’s a blood clot stemming from his calf into his abdomen. His blood pressure is extremely high because the heart can’t pump the blood efficiently around the clot and…” he pointed to a spot on the ultrasound. “This is a clot ready to break free. If that happens, he’ll have a stroke.”

My soft, gentle husband sat on the cusp of death and he didn’t know the severity. I knew and I was horrified. Outside his hospital room the doctor spoon-fed me the words you hear on television, “If he pulls through the next 24 hours…”

My stomach twisted as the reality of my husband’s immortality rushed forward. Tim could die and the one thing I feared the most…life without him, stared me in the face. God please don’t let him die. I watched every rise of his chest as he slept. Darkness fell over me and I was completely consumed.

God knew Abram’s fear and it wasn’t the battles around him or the famine and hardship he faced. His problems lay in the darkness when Abram dreamed. Fear and doubt fell over him in the blackness of night. But God promised Abram, I am your reward and so he hung on.

I’ve fought fear, sadness, insecurity and loneliness—felt the heaviness as the darkness of night fell over me. Nights dragged into days and my eyes never closed nor did the rest come. I dreaded nightfall.
Still, through it all, when I squinted hard, I could see a pinhole of light. Hope. Enough to grasp hold of and pull toward. A pinhole that grew larger the closer I came; warmer, comforting. And when I stretched out my hand the fingers of God tightened around my wrist. The harder I held the stronger the grip of God grew. And then, daybreak came.

Darkness constantly ensues us. Satan shoves the black coldness at us, hoping to block the glimmer of the Father’s light—working to force us away from the promises of a God who is faithful. He pushes at us relentlessly, but this is how Satan attacks…in a dreadful and continual darkness.

God answered my prayers for my husband. We held to His promise to protect us, provide for us. He gave us peace. With Him as our shepherd, we did not want.
When darkness beats you down, when you feel as though things are cold, hard and dark; don’t be afraid. Reach for the promises of the reward that God brings to us when we are fully in Him.

Eddie Jones and Cindy Sproles are friends and cofounders of ChristianDevotions.us. They cowrite the popular He Said, She Said devotions and host Blog Talk Radio’s Christian Devotions Speak UP! along with Scott McCausey.

And now you can catch them each Friday evening at 7 p.m. on He Said, She Said Radio . (Call in number, 646-929-0706 ). They travel with Christian Devotions Ministries teaching the art of writing devotions at writers conferences across the country. Eddie and Cindy are featured in Faith & FINANCES: In God We Trust – A Journey to Financial Dependence.

…your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

“Mamaw,” Kara asked me, “is Jesus really in my heart?” Tapping on her little chest, she asked again, “I mean, in my heart?”

Kara, our granddaughter, was about nine-years-old and visiting our Tennessee home from North Carolina. At bedtime, she said she had some questions for me. She said, “You can get your Bible if you need to.” She had never before asked deep questions.

I wondered how I could explain to a child that Jesus being in her heart meant that she had accepted Jesus into her life as her Savior (which she had). Yet, I felt I needed to go a little further and tell her that everyone has a body (you know– skin, arms, legs, head). We also have a soul (the same as our heart) which includes our mind, will, and emotions. Then, everyone has a spirit (their awareness of God).

I explained how we decide in our heart to ask forgiveness for our sins and serve Jesus, and our spirit comes close to God’s Spirit to help us learn about God. We say that Jesus is in our heart because our mind and will (our heart) made the choice to serve Him. She comprehended the best she could for such a young age.

God led the children of Israel on a long journey in the wilderness for several reasons. One of those reasons was to know what was in their heart. He already knew their hearts, but He wanted them to understand that their hearts were selfish and full of rebellion.

When Jesus is in your heart, your spirit is alive and aware of God daily. He inspires us to pray to the Father, hear His voice within us, and obey His commands. Do you know what is in your own heart? Look deep.

Phyllis Qualls Freeman has over two-hundred-fifty published devotionals, human interest, and other articles. She is working on her first book. Phyllis loves reaching out to touch those who have long-term, life-altering situations to share God’s love. Married to her college sweetheart for fifty years, they have three children and five grandchildren. Visit Phyllis’ web site: http://sanctuaryofhope.us  Read Phyllis’s devotions.

We often hear the excuses about “just sowing a few wild oats,” but we forget–God forgives us our sins but he does not remove the consequences of those sins.  Like a noxious weed seeding itself in our garden, our wild oats have a way of hanging about and causing trouble long after the deed is done.

When we sow one wild oat seed — the consequences are 60 to 2,000 weeds infesting our gardens.  Our wild oats, our sins, will bury themselves in our lives and in other people’s gardens too.  The consequences of our sins are reaped by ourselves and by those around us.

We are forgiven our sins, but we still endure the earthly consequences.  We sow and we reap wild oats.

The good news is that when we sow the seeds of the Spirit, we reap the rewards of the Spirit.  I know which I’d rather have in my garden.  What are you planting today?

Lochlanina Tobey uses her degree in English composition from Messiah College as an excuse for writing and teaching poetry. Her most recent prize winning poem, The Finality of Rain appears on UtmostChristianWriters.com. In 2008 she trained with CLASServices, Inc. as a professional Christian speaker and feels blessed to minister as a leader and speaker at women’s retreats. Read Lochlania’s devotions.

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Coming to Christian Devotions SPEAK UP!

September 14 – Linda Canup, Editor at In Touch Ministries
Septemeber 21 – Andrew Peterson, Musician
September 28 – Kathi Macias, Author
October 5 – Yancy, Song Writer and Singer

I am a tither—have been for years. Not bragging, not complaining, but simply stating a fact. But I’m not ashamed to state it. I believe that tithing is a great secret to financial success. It has been for me and I pray it will be for you.

I was challenged to start tithing as a young father with a very low income, a wife, one baby and one on the way, and lots and lots of bills. Writing down my income and expenses, it was obvious I couldn’t afford it. However, I decided to put God first and let all other obligations come later.

The things that happened when I started tithing amazed me. Money came to me from unknown and unexpected places. One of my major creditors refused to let me pay what I owed. My income began to increase regularly. It wasn’t long before I achieved financial stability and it has continued over many years.

God’s word calls us to give tithes and offerings to him through the church. He dares us to try it and he promises great blessings if we will. In reality, tithing is a faith move. Do you believe what God says? Do you believe he will do what he says?

Today, I’m a rich man. I don’t mean that I have millions in the bank. I mean that I have the Lord, people I love, and people who love me. Financially, I have all I need and want. A modern translation of Psalm 23:1 is: The Lord is my shepherd—I don’t need a thing.

Have you discovered this great financial secret? Have you put it to the test in your life and finances? If not, don’t wait until you can afford it. Do it now, and watch how God blesses!

Dr. Bob Wilkerson, is a native of Alabama. He has had sermons and articles published in several Christian publications: The Southern Baptist Convention’s Award Winning Sermons, Vol.4; Proclaim Magazine; The Alabama Baptist; The Rocky Mountain Baptist; and The Alabama Christian Life Commission Report. In addition, he writes a devotional column for a local newspaper. Read Bob’s devotions

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah

My heart cracked–a literal physical ache from the amount of internal pain! Tears cascaded down my cheeks as I sobbed with my head in my hands. I needed to have it out with God! I dropped to my knees on a bed of fresh pine needles I’d found along my favorite wooded trail. My inward groaning erupted in a scream–”God where are you?”

Psalms says to “Pour out your heart before Him,” meaning to pour out like milk from a glass pitcher; spill it out, pour forth. It was not only an exercise of casting all my fears (and anguish) before God, but an exercise of faith. How would God answer the many questions I had? I needed to tip out of my heart all the anger, doubt, sadness, tears, and questions.

It had been less than three years since I’d lost my father unexpectedly to a heart attack, but to lose my 40-year-old younger brother the same way was too much for me to process. Both men appeared in good health–neither experienced any warning signs. Both were loved by the family and enjoyed the same love of working outside. They took their last breath in their homes a mile from each other. Both carried the same name to their graves. What kind of a mean joke was God playing on my family? I realized it was foolish to try and hide anything from an all-knowing maker and creator, so I “poured out” my thoughts into words. There is freedom and great release in being brutally honest with God.

Trust in Him at all times, O people… for God is our refuge. How can I believe one line of a verse and scrub the rest? I knew after I poured my heart out, I needed to let go and trust Him in faith. This time, as the verse says, “at all times” included death.

How about you? Have you poured your heart out lately? Will you trust Him in times of trouble, doubt, or grief? Will you let Him be your refuge? Pour your heart into the hands that never let anything slip through.

Darlene Lund is a Life Purpose Coach® for women and holds all five levels of certification under Life Purpose Coaching Centers International® (LPCCI®). She was trained to be a LPCCI® Life-time Instructor of Coaches and is a Grief Facilitator. She facilitates two-day intense life plans, and also one-day grief facilitations. Darlene targets the heart of women in her speaking, coaching, writing, and creation of curriculum. Darlene is married to Phil and has three teenagers. She is a lifelong learner and enjoys reading and walking! Contact Darlene@Heartswithapurpose.com or visit her website www.Heartswithapurpose.com

Read Darlene’s devotions.

Read Darlene’s devotions.