By Diana Rose  (WITHIN Devotional Contributor)
“Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,” -John 4:13 

I wake up thirsty, 
For attention, 
For control, 
For comfort, 
For affirmation and acceptance. 
I look in the mirror 
Hoping to drink in something satisfying, 
But 
She has blemishes and scars 
Fading youth and evidence of age. 
I am still thirsty. 
I go to the closet 
Fantasizing of fashionable flair. 
But 
The colors muted, 
The fabric worn, 
The styles outdated, 
Nothing to wear. 
The thirst is unquenched. 
In the kitchen for a cup of happy, 
The dark silky pour, 
The bold familiar aroma, 
The smooth sip of wake-up, 
The warm moment of satisfaction is fleeting and 
The thirst continues. 
Arm up holding the camera aloft, 
Tilt the head, 
Cuddle the mug, 
Pucker the lips and raise the eyebrow. 
Snap, post, caption. 
Yet 
The thirst remains. 
She was thirsty, 
Alone at midday
Shunned and shamed 
She brings her water jar to Jacobs well To labor and lug in isolation. 

A Samaritan and woman 
Double demerit inherent, 
“You ask me for a drink?” 
The shock 
of being seen 
The fear 
of being known 
The invitation unexpected and drawing. 
Five men and again, 
She tried 
to slake her lonely thirst 
With consecutive consequence, “I have no husband” 
A multiplied misery. 
Her thirst was bitter. 
“but whoever 
drinks of the water 
that I shall give him 
will never thirst. 
But the water that I shall give him will become in him 
a fountain of water 
springing up 
into everlasting life.” 
The stranger continues 
His speech like no other 
Our daily thirst 
He relieves 
A message of hope 
A true proclamation 
“I who speak to you am He.” 
Our thirst 
Yours and mine 
All to broken cisterns run 
All seek 
All sorrow
All sin 
Run to Jesus oh my soul 
Run to Jesus for He himself 
Gives living water 
Eternal life alone 
In Him. 


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The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 
Passages to read/memorize/meditate:

Read John 4 



Questions to Reflect on:
1. What daily life cistern do you go to to satisfy the thirst of your soul? 


2. How does Jesus relieve the thirst of your soul?

By Meron Asnake (WITHIN Devotional Contributor)
 “Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me”

Beloved, I have finally received an email I have been waiting for the last three years.

I am an international student from Ethiopia, who has lived in the U.S. for the last 10+ years. In short, I have spent enough time – the latter half of my adolescence into my adulthood – to call the States, home. However, the matter of my immigration status is at hand, and my work permit is inching to expire this July. My lawyers and I have been applying for the last two years and have been unsuccessful to get my work visa. In addition, this is our final year to apply for it; hence, we sent the application with heavy hearts and high hopes. For we knew, I will be forced to leave the country indefinitely if it was not selected.  

With that knowledge, I began to subconsciously prepare for the next season, in order to feel a sense of control over my situation. The truth is, going home to Ethiopia is not the problem – for I have missed my family dearly. It was the uncertainty attached to my finances that caused my doubt. I would be forced to quit my job and start all over again. In other words, I doubted God’s provision for a situation that has yet to reveal itself. As a result, I began experiencing anxiety. 
At the same time, I had an internal war with my fears for I have seen the faithfulness of God. So, I did what I knew to do – to grab on the stones of remembrance of my life like the people of Israel in Joshua 4.  I looked for areas where God cut off the waters of Jordan for me to walk through. I recalled the countless times the Lord provided and protected me from things seen and unseen. I held on to His promises, and meditated on His character, for God is not a man that He should lie; the Holy God is not going to sin against me; I held on to His word for whatever He said He will make good of – Numbers 23:19. 

Instead of budgeting for a future I did not control, I betted my focus on the God I knew to be faithful. That meant to trust and rely on His goodness and His direction regardless of the favorable outcome of my circumstances.  What should always matter is His sovereignty over my life, and the overwhelming peace that I will find in Christ. And that Beloved, is not measured by my physical address, but the presence of His Holy Spirit, which is my Home. With that reassurance, I decided to be still, to relinquish control, and pause my subconscious planning indefinitely. 

Once my heart recalibrated to His Sovereignty and His meticulous purpose for my life – to honor, to glorify, to delight, and to serve Him with the rest of my life – I saw: 
“All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.”
​
Beloved, I have finally received an email I have been waiting for the last three years. I have been selected to process my new work visa. I look forward to visiting Ethiopia and seeing my dearest family. Great is thy Faithfulness, O God my FATHER.
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The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 
Passages to read/memorize/meditate:

Joshua 4:1-8
Numbers 23:19
Joshua 1:9

Questions to Reflect on:

1. What are YOUR stones of remembrance?
2. How can you hold on to the truth about God’s character to encourage you in hard times?
3. Will the outcome of your challenging experience change your view of God, and his faithfulness?
4. Are you willing to relinquish control in areas where you are tight fisted?

By Jon Bloom (Devotional from DesiringGod.org)
​
When it comes to making important decisions or working through difficult, complex, and painful issues, experience has taught me two lessons about myself. First, if I wisely seek counsel — meaning I really attempt to inform myself with the necessary information and perspectives — the outcome is always better than if I don’t. Second, I frequently don’t want to do this.
Now, in light of the first, why do I struggle with the second? It seems foolish, and it is. For Scripture says,

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
     but a wise man listens to advice. (Proverbs 12:15)
The truth is, thanks to my remaining sin nature, I have an inner foolish part of me that believes I don’t need advice, or that seeking it will expose me in ways I don’t want others to see. Which means pride, fear, and shame can play roles in why I’m tempted to avoid seeking counsel.
My experience has also taught me that this is more or less true of everyone. We all need help in recognizing when our inner fool is influencing us to take a destructive course of action. Given my limited space here, I’ll save the issues of fear and shame for the future and focus on how pride can distort how we listen to advice. Let’s consider how the kind of foolishness we’re all prone to led one man to disaster.
Learning from a Bad ExampleIn 2 Chronicles 10, King Solomon has just died, and his son, Rehoboam, is preparing to assume Israel’s throne. All the people of Israel had gathered for his coronation. But before pledging their allegiance to him, the people present him with this request: that Rehoboam relieve the burdensome load of forced labor they had endured under Solomon. If he would grant this, they pledged, “We will serve you” (2 Chronicles 10:4). Before Rehoboam gives his answer to the people, he seeks out counsel first. By all appearances, this seems wise.
This is a defining moment for the heir to the throne. Rehoboam is about to illustrate the truth of Proverbs 12:15, but not in a flattering way.
First, he gathers the older men who had advised his father, men whose knowledge is surely seasoned with years of hard-earned experience, and he asks their advice. They offer this recommendation: “If you will be good to this people and please them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever” (2 Chronicles 10:7).
What we’re told next, however, should set off our “wisdom level low” warning lights: Rehoboam “abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him” (2 Chronicles 10:8). Abandoned? Already?
The younger advisors give Rehoboam different advice: what he really needs to do is flex his regal muscle and subdue the people with brutal force (2 Chronicles 10:11). This is precisely what he does, and it results in a royal disaster. When he announces to the people his intention to be harder on them than his father was, most of Israel’s tribes renounce all allegiance to Rehoboam and choose their own king, splitting the nation in two.

Now, we should want to learn from Rehoboam’s disastrous example, since we have the same sinful pride dwelling inside us. We’ve all at times played the fool, believing we were right in our own eyes. I believe this story shows us three all-too-common ways our sinful pride can tempt us to foolishly turn away from listening to sound advice (Proverbs 12:15) and destroy the joyful deliverance and benefits God promises to those who walk in wisdom (Proverbs 28:26).


1. We underestimate our ignorance.First, pride can tempt us to underestimate our ignorance. It’s amazing how much unfounded confidence we can place in the very little we know. We see this in Rehoboam. Regardless of how many decades the older men had in actual governing experience and their urgent sense of the people’s deteriorating trust in his father’s administration, the new king and his peers believed they knew better.
Their foolishness is clear when we read this story, but have we not also made poor decisions and errant plans, having ignored or neglected to even seek counsel, all because our uninformed perspective appeared right in our own eyes at the time? That’s what makes this manifestation of pride so dangerous: we often don’t perceive our error till it’s too late. Therefore, the wise man listens to advice even (and especially) when he thinks he knows what’s best.
2. We avoid appearing weak.Second, pride can tempt us to avoid appearing weak. In the ancient Near East, the most respected, successful kings were typically strong and ruthless (and projected that image loud and clear). Rulers didn’t allow subjects to set the terms. What message would Rehoboam send domestically and internationally if he capitulated to his people’s demands?
Fear was likely at play too, since weak kings were targets for coups. And then there was that long shadow cast by his strong, famous father to escape. Therefore, Rehoboam’s decision was made not with faith in God’s power, nor with his people’s good in mind, but with his desired reputation primarily in view.
We, like Rehoboam, tend to be inordinately influenced by how our peers and cultures define strength and weakness. Our prideful reluctance to be viewed as weak can easily distort our decisions and plans. Therefore, the wise man seeks out and listens to advice that helps him to fear the Lord more than he fears appearing weak (Proverbs 1:7), and to love people more than he loves his reputation.
3. We predetermine the counsel we’ll accept.Third, pride can tempt us to predetermine the counsel we’ll accept. We can see indicators in Rehoboam’s story that he already had determined what he wanted to do before seeking any counsel. It’s hard to imagine him carefully listening to both advisor groups, taking into consideration their relative experience, judiciously weighing each piece of advice in the context of his people’s condition, and reaching the conclusion he did.
His foolishness can’t even be chocked up to youthful naivete, since Rehoboam was 41 years old by that time (1 Kings 14:21). He already knew his young counselors’ perspective because they “stood before him” (2 Chronicles 10:8) — they were his team of advisors. And since we all know how power dynamics work, it’s likely these advisors were feeding Rehoboam what they already knew he wanted to hear. He wasn’t really looking for advice; he was looking for official validation of his predetermined plan.

This symptom of pride is subtly deceptive, both for us and for our counselors. We are prone not only to seek advisors who already agree with our perspective, but we can also frame an issue to more objective advisors in ways that invite the advice we desire. In other words, we can appear wise, while foolishly pursuing what’s right in our own eyes. Therefore, the wise man does not pack the jury or skew the evidence, but listens to advice offered by honest advisors from multiple perspectives who have heard all the relevant information.



Joyful Promise of WisdomAnother proverb that puts a slightly different twist on the lessons from Rehoboam’s failures is this:

Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool,
     but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered. (Proverbs 28:26)
This proverb contains a precious promise for us if we’ll choose not to underestimate our ignorance, avoid appearing weak, or predetermine what counsel we’ll accept: deliverance from disastrous decisions. Rehoboam’s example illustrates the kind of devastating consequences that result from walking in foolish pride — pride we all recognize in ourselves and are tempted by.
The challenge of walking in wisdom, of seeking out wise counselors and listening carefully to their advice, is that on the front end it usually feels challenging and humbling. We’re told things we don’t want to hear. And yet, if we’ll walk this path of wisdom, it will, like “all the [faithful and loving] paths of the Lord” (Psalm 25:10), lead to joy and deliver us from self-inflicted disaster. Jesus says, “The way is hard that leads to life” (Matthew 7:14), and “Whoever would save his life will lose it” (Matthew 16:25). The path to joy is often through self-denial, while the path to misery is often through self-indulgence.
That’s why, when it comes to important decisions and plans, only a fool will trust his own mind, but the wise man will listen to good counsel.
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The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 
Passages to read/memorize/meditate:

Proverbs 12:15
2 Chronicles 10:4
Proverbs 28:26
Psalm 25:10
Matthew 7:14
Matthew 16:25


Questions to Reflect on:
1.Why is it easier for us to make decisions alone?
2. How has this devotional encouraged you to seek counsel before making a decision?
3. How have you seen God's faithfulness & fruit in your life when you've sought counsel?

By Diana Rose  (WITHIN Devotional Writer) 

​“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29 )

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths.” This is a pretty straightforward command. When you open your mouth to talk, do not allow corruption to come out. The nuance of the command is in the word corrupt. My go-to definition for corrupt talk is name calling, foul language, or lewd comments. But that is not all that this verse is addressing. We need the whole verse to get the full meaning of corrupt speech. 

“But only such [talk] as is good for building up.” This sharpens the definition of corrupt speech. Not only are we to use words that are clean and righteous, but we are to use words that encourage and build up. When I correct my husband's grammar or critique the way he executed a task I am not building him up. I am building myself up and making him feel inadequate. When I use sarcasm with my children I am not using speech for their good. I am being passive-aggressive, jabbing them instead of supporting them. Criticism, sarcasm, and unnecessary correction are also a form of corrupt communication. 

“[And] as fits the occasion.” Here is where the rubber meets the road for me. I am the queen of making it awkward. I stick my foot in my mouth on the regular. There’s a slight pivot here in the verse. Now we go from intentions and motives behind our speech in general to actively paying attention to the specific conversation we are engaged in and the unique circumstances 

surrounding it. In order to do this we must engage our minds, we cannot make haphazard comments or speak freely, we must think about what we are about to say. For me this requires that I slow down. That I employ what my grandmother used to teach me, to think before I speak. Think about what though? Here are simple questions to ask yourself before you speak. 
Is what I’m about to say true? 
Is what I want to say necessary? 
Is now a good time for me to say this? 
Is this going to be helpful for the person I’m speaking to? 
Will what I say show love for the other person? 
Will what I am about to say give grace to those who hear? 

“That it may give grace to those who hear.” This final clarification of how we are to talk with one another is the heart of the verse. It is the part of the verse that gives me greatest conviction. I am to give grace when I speak? Give grace? Give grace! Give. When I talk it is not about me, it is about giving a gift to the one who I am speaking to. Grace. When I speak, grace ought to be the focus, both the grace I have received and the grace I intend to give. Take the grace you have been given and give it to others.I must confess I like to talk so I can take credit. I speak so I can receive glory. I talk to others so I can take charge.
​
Oh Father forgive my great and many sins, for abusing and misusing the gift of communication. Praise be to God for the forgiveness of the true grace giver! Jesus is the only one who faithfully and mercifully gives good grace. I need him to help me give the good grace that he has given me to others.
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The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 
Passages to read/memorize/meditate:

Read & ponder Ephesians 4


Questions to Reflect on:
1.What is your motive when you speak? 
2. What struggles do you have with your speech? 
3. Confess and receive God’s good grace!

By Anna Prempeh  (WITHIN Devotional Writer) 

“So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, Abba , Father!” Romans 8: 12 - 15 (CSB)
​
Recently my psychiatrist dropped a bomb or rather revealed one during our therapy session. We were discussing how to break the biological effects of stress on the body even when we have mentally overcome the stressor. Her questions uncovered a great deal of emotional (and spiritual) work ahead of me to uncover some things that I am sowing to that are unhealthy and not God honoring attitudes. 
Quite frankly the word bondage comes to mind when I think of my tendency to respond to fears and anxieties in my own strength and will power. I left our session quite familiarly encumbered by this reality, but more importantly convicted and encouraged that the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead gives me power to respond differently because of who I am in Christ - chosen, and adopted (a “coheir with Christ” Romans 8:17).  
My pastor often says, “your identity informs your obedience.” This means that as people who believe in and live for Christ our confidence to live for Him must be rooted in awareness of our union with Him. Romans 8 boasts of life in the Spirit. Christ’s saving work on the cross has purchased a new life and an eternal inheritance for us ! The part of this passage that shakes me to the core is verse 12 which echoes verse 1 in Chapter 8. It says “we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh.” This word “obligated” is translated “debtors” in the English Standard Version. As believers the Spirit has set us free! We do not owe anything to who we were in the past. We do not have to respond to temptation with justification which leads to sin because the Spirit gives us the power to overcome! Sisters, we do not owe a single thing to who we were before we came to know Christ. 
For me, this means I do not have to respond anxiously to fears in my heart although I have been prone to do so. I do not have to hold back affection and love out of fear of being hurt. Just because I may be prone to these things or have been in the past does not mean I am obligated to do them. In fact thinking these responses are inevitable is giving power to my flesh & living obligated to it.This is a big killer of confidence in Christ! 
So where do we find the anchor of our identity that propels us forward, our real weapon to sustain us in the fight ? Verses 13 - 15 lay it out beautifully : “But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, Abba , Father!”  We did not receive a spirit of slavery, of obligation or debtedness to our sinful flesh, but we have received sonship ! This means our heavenly Father has adopted us by sending His Son and is leading us by His Holy Spirit (Romans 8:3). As His children God is our confidant and helper. The Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses and intercedes for us (Romans 8:26-27).
Let us fight to “put to death the deeds of the body,” by the power of the Spirit (Romans 8:13). We are called not just to put off the deeds of our flesh, but to put on that which we are called to as God’s holy and dearly beloved children (Ephesians 4:24-32; Colossians 3:12-15). One Scripture that has been immensely life giving is Colossians 3:14 which says “He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.” 
Sisters, let us set our minds on the power of the resurrection and God’s grace that we might not miss the freedom from obligation to our flesh, which has been nailed to the cross and carried away! 
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The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 
Passages to read/memorize/meditate:

Romans 8
Galatians 5
Ephesians 4
Ephesians 1:3-14
Colossians 3
1 Thessalonians 5 : 8-9

Questions to Reflect on:

1. Are there any lies that you believe about your identity ? What are they ? Take them to the Lord in prayer that He may uproot them and replace them with His truth. 
2. It is easy to fight with will power out of convenience, neglecting the real power that God has given us in the Spirit. What ways can you more intentionally center your fight on His power?