July 1st 2025

OUR PRAYER FOR FREEDOM & LIBERTY

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:1, 13, 14

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for the priceless gift of freedom. As we celebrate independence, we ask that You help us value liberty not just as a political right but as a spiritual blessing. Guide us to use our freedom responsibly, in ways that honor You and serve others. Protect our nation from forces that seek to oppress or control. Grant courage to those who defend our freedoms and wisdom to those who lead us. Help each citizen to cherish liberty and to exercise it with compassion, justice, and humility. Amen.

(From prayerlit.com)

June 24th 2025

POWER OF RESTORATION

And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you & make you strong, firm & steadfast. I Peter 5:10

Restoration in human hands returns something to a former, original, unimpaired condition. God’s restoration is a journey of transformation, renewal, & healing that exceeds & perfects the original. His continual restoration in us leads into His abundance, the fullness of life with purpose, love, joy, fruitfulness, & spiritual blessings. Our contentment, satisfaction, freedom, & security are readily found in Him. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, & have it to the full” (John 10:10). As we trust Him, He restores us, making us strong, faithful, & unshaken. Restoration’s power is illustrated in the people’s response at the dedication of the completed wall: On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy . . . The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away (Nehemiah 12:43).

June 17th 2025

PROMISES IN RESTORATION

The LORD Himself goes before you & will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8

As Nehemiah led the people of Israel in rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall, they encountered discouragement, delay, insults & threats from enemies, fears, & sacrifices of personal comforts. The obstacles intensified in the middle of the project as the wall reached half its height (Nehemiah 4:6). Nehemiah reminded the people: “Don’t be afraid . . . Remember the Lord, who is great & awesome, & fights for (you).” It’s in the middle of things that we are most vulnerable to frustration, fatigue, & the temptation to quit. Restoration’s opposites are neglect & abandonment. Our human nature cries for comfort & convenience; the enemy of our soul taunts us with ideas of retreat & giving up. It’s at these points in the process that we strengthen our faith by the presence & promises of God. Remembering the Lord & His promises is an activity of our intellect & our faith, not our emotions. As we remember the Lord, stand upon His promises, & remain faithful, He fights our battles for us; He always wins!

June 10th 2025

THE PROCESS IN RESTORATION

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, & its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, & we will no longer be in disgrace” . . .
They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.
Nehemiah 2:17-18
Most of the people of Israel had been taken into exile lasting 70 years. Jerusalem, the beautiful city of God, had been plundered, ravaged, reduced to rubble, and burned. From all aspects, restoration appeared hopeless. But God gave Nehemiah a desire to rebuild, followed by a plan & His promises. Restoration, whether physical, emotional, spiritual, material, or financial, is a process requiring time. This is challenging for us as we are accustomed to our culture’s instant gratification. Like Nehemiah, we must continue to focus on the reality of our vision & God’s promises to us. Living one day at a time, may we be strengthened & encouraged: Being confident of this,
that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
 Philippians 1:4

June 3rd 2025

RESTORATION
Though You have made me see troubles, many & bitter, You will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth You will again bring me up.
You will increase my honor & comfort me once again.

Psalm 71:20-21

We are hearing much about restoration as time has brought us through this year since the devastating tornadoes of May, 2024. Some restoration is almost complete; some remains almost unchanged since the event. Our hearts long for restoration from the bitter, traumatic, destructive chaos that haunts our vision, dreams, & memories. Our God is working, although we may honestly feel He’s being a little slow for our comfort! Yes, His ways don’t match our expected time tables, but He gives comfort, strength, & grace to endure & persevere.
As we trust Him & His love for us, we will find that His restoration doesn’t just return our circumstances to the original; God’s restores more than was lost.
His end results are greater than our original conditions!

May 27th 2025

FAITH IN THE DARKNESS

Who among you fears the LORD & obeys the word of His servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD & rely on his God. But now, all you who light fires & provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires & the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from My hand: You will lie down in sorrows. Isaiah 50:10,11

This may be one of the most frightfully sobering scriptures in the Bible. God makes it clear that providing our own illumination, following our understanding, & making our own way forward will result in sorrows. Very few people like total darkness & certainly, there are times when the circumstances of life or relationships make us feel we are alone, afraid, & sitting in darkness. But we must stay upon our God, trusting in His faithfulness, everlasting love, & abundant grace. Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12); He is the sun of righteousness who rises with healing in His wings (Malachi 4:2). Be still, trust, & wait for the Lord; avoid the certain sorrows of self-reliance & self-help. The dawn of His redemption is coming! He never fails!

May 20th 2025

FAITH TO LEAVE
The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people & your father’s household & go to the land I will show you.” So Abram left, as the LORD had told him. Genesis 12:1, 4

Imagine being 75 years old & being called by an unseen God to leave home & extended family, to travel unrevealed miles, to an unknown destination, without GPS assistance. Would we answer the call & leave our comfort zone & all that’s familiar to journey into the unknown? The answer depends on our faith in God & faith is “being sure of what we hope for & certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Our faith is planted in the perfect character & unconditional love of our Creator God which is revealed over & over within His Word, the Bible. Our faith doesn’t have to be sizeable; Jesus said faith the size of the tiniest mustard seed would move mountains (Matthew 17:20). Abram answered God’s call to leave, had his name changed to Abraham & became the father of many nations.
What has God planned for us if we trust, obey, & follow Him?

ARE WE HIDING IN THE TOMB?

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18

We all desire to put our best self forward & present as good an impression as possible. Beauty products, hair dye, cologne, self-improvement resources & higher education aid us in this pursuit. Some of us even tidy our environment before accepting housekeeping assistance! All too often, we make these attempts of self-cleaning before we seek time with God. When we try to hide our bad, ugly & very ugly, we actually find ourselves in the darkness, fear & loneliness of the tomb. God desires that we come to Him, just as we are, with no attempts of self-improvement. He calls us out of our self-made tombs of fear & hiding so that we may experience transformation by Christ’s resurrection power of love, grace & life to the full. Jesus did not rise from death for us to live in our tombs! How will we respond to God’s invitation to come & reason with Him?

A Special THANK YOU to Suzanne Dickey
for providing us with the weekly devotions and words of inspiration.