By Yodit Kifle Smith

​The days that we live in allow us to create a façade where we can easily deceive others about who we are and be easily deceived about who others are. How many of us have ever scrolled through social media and instantly created assumptions on how someone’s life is based on their posts? Or how many of us have believed the lie that if we post certain things, people can perceive us a certain way? It’s an easy trap to fall into if we aren’t guarding our hearts consistently.

When it comes to our walk with God, we may deceive others and even deceive ourselves, but we can never deceive our Father. He knows the deep intentions of our hearts even when we aren’t aware of them (Jeremiah 17:9-10). He has called us to love Him with all of our heart, mind and soul (Matthew 22:37). However, we are tempted to keep parts of our heart, mind and soul for what may seem like our gain, but it turns out to be our destruction.

I recently read a short fictional story that paints the condition of the human heart when it comes to how our words and actions about our love for God can sometimes be misaligned:


“An ancient story is told of a King of Spain who was to visit a poor country village. Upon hearing of his plan to visit them, the people seemed excited to offer a great celebration that would show their adoration and love for their king. But the villagers didn't have much to offer.

In the midst of their quandary someone proposed that, since so many villagers made their own wines, they might each choose his best wine, and combine them in a barrel to present to the king as a gift from the village. So they did, each wine-maker bringing a flagon with which to fill the barrel. Then, they anxiously awaited the arrival of their sovereign.

When the King arrived, he was ceremoniously presented with a silver cup and invited to draw wine from the barrel. As he filled his silver chalice, he was surprised when he tasted only water. Where was the wine? Each villager had reasoned, "I'll withhold my best wine and give water. There will be so many cups of excellent wine poured into the barrel that mine will never be missed."

Here was a town full of people whose private greed completely overcame their public enthusiasm. The indictment of Isaiah the prophet suited them perfectly: "these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me.(Isaiah 29:13)"
 
Sisters, the Lord will always want all of us. There will never be a time when someone else’s walk with God will be sufficient for our own relationship with Him. He calls us to Himself through Christ and keeps us through Christ, not others.

There will never be a time when the service we give to our local church will be sufficient for our own personal service to Him. We can find ourselves serving in ministry in a variety of capacities and completely miss God.

There will never be a time when the scripture verse or captivating caption we post on social media will be sufficient for indicating our maturity in God. While our words can impact others, if it doesn’t originate from a heart captured and secured in Christ, we can easily think that our gift to write or any other girl will sustain our walk.

There will never be a time when the praise and worship we give to Him will be sufficient to express our love for God. Praise and worship have become an important part of the “church experience.” And for many, it has become THE experience and rubric to how one “knows” God. Our walk with God isn’t determined by how loud our praise is or how emotional our worship gets.

Each thing I mentioned has its role in our walk and can be the fruit we bear on our walk but without the root of our walk being planted in the sufficient work of Christ, we will open the door for deception to take a foothold.

Sisters, He wants our words with our heart. He wants our mind with our hearts. He wants our worship with our heart. Because truth be told, He knows when our “wine” is really “water.”
He wants every part of us. And if we find ourselves going through the motions of a walk with God, the invitation to repent and re-surrender is always available through Christ (Psalm 119:10).
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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:
Isaiah 29:13
Jeremiah 17:9-10
Psalm 19:14
Psalm 119:10
Matthew 22:37


Questions to Reflect on:

1. How has this devotional encouraged you to examine your heart and walk with Christ?
2. What are some distractions that you’ve seen in your life that makes it easy to go through the motions with God?

​By Diana Rose (WITHIN Devotional Writer)
​
As God’s children how ought we live in this present age, a time filled with injustice, fear
and anger?

Do we react in kind, and we seek revenge? No, “vengeance is mine, says the LORD.” Do
we give up and plunge into thoughts of despair? No, “the LORD is our shelter, an ever
present help in time of trouble.” Do we ignore the suffering and bury our heads in the
sand? No, we are called to “seek peace and pursue it!”

Then how? How ought we to live?

AS LIGHTS, like lights in the house placed on an end table (Matthew 5:15)
I am daily on the struggle-bus with this command.

Being a light in my particular circumstances seems insignificant and unimportant.
Shelter in place orders, school and church closures, and minimal contact with my
girlfriends has greatly decreased my circle of influence. My role as a mom has
transformed radically and I am no longer hustling to keep up with the demands of
parenting small children. The past four months I have felt like a light left on and
forgotten in some remote part of the house. Maybe your life stage looks way different
than mine but at the end of the day you too feel like your light is insignificant and
unimportant.

This is where scripture is most excellent in correcting my thinking.
When I make my impact, my purpose, my life about me I will always be left feeling
empty. As a child of God my job, my husband, my children, my church, my day are never
about me. All of it was given to me by God for the glory of God!

I am to live as a light in this dark world SO THAT “they may ​see​ my good works...and
glorify​ my Father...” Whether I am alone in my house all day or am surrounded by an
audience I am commanded to be a light in all that I think, say and do in front of all men
so that they would look at my life and turn around and give my Father glory.

Is this easy? No, but if it was easy we wouldn’t need Jesus. Christ is the true light of the
world (John 1:9) and because He is we can follow His example. Jesus lived, and died to
do the work of the Father that God would be glorified (John 17:4) and because of His
 
death, burial and resurrection those who have placed their faith in Christ can live as
lights before men by the strength and grace that He supplies.

Prayer; Lord please forgive my pride in making today about me. Please help me to be a
light for others to see so that you would be glorified. In Jesus name amen
"​Let your light shine​ before men in such a way [so] that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)
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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:
Matthew 5:14-16
John 1:4-9
John 8:12
John 17:4


Questions to Reflect on:

1. Are there areas in your life that you are making about you?
2. How does living as a light before men so that they would glorify God challenge
the way you think about your daily life?
3. How does Jesus' example challenge and encourage you to obey the command to
be light in the world?

By Laura Hardin (WITHIN Devotional Writer)

A few weeks ago, I felt caught between a war of voices. I woke every morning to grab my phone and re-engage with the conversation on racial justice that was happening across the country and around the world. Burdened for the church, I often reminded my sisters to hope in Jesus, while doing the very opposite myself. I lived with my phone as my constant companion, centering on the perspectives of others rather than on the truth of God’s word. I lived like the problems of the world rested on my shoulders, not his. I functioned as though the word of Christ--his voice--wasn’t enough.
In short, I lived without real hope.

I was tempted to dismiss his voice as weak, too malleable, too easily misconstrued into comfortable excuses to not live out our faith. But this is a satanic lie, to be likened to the words of the serpent who tempted Eve to question the voice of her Creator. Psalm 29 lets us in on exactly what the voice of God can do:
Like a storm coming in, inducing warnings from every storm center around, the voice of the Lord

• hovers over the waters 
  
• is powerful and majestic 
  
• breaks cedars 
  
• makes people run away like oxen
  
• flashes forth flames of fire
  
• shakes the wilderness
  
• makes deer give birth
  
• strips forests bare
  
• makes his people cry, "Glory!"
  

The Lord's voice is so powerful, it brought our whole world into being. When God speaks, stuff happens. People are healed. Needs are met. The voice that breaks cedars breaks through the callous, deceptive, rebellious hearts of men and saves them. The author of Hebrews describes the word of God as "living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
The voice of God changes hearts. He gives his people eyes to see and address the needs of people around them. He gives them hearts to do justice. This is his work, not mine. We see the might of his voice at work  in Acts 9 when Jesus speaks and takes hold of Paul’s heart in a single instance. Is this not what has happened to all who have come to know and believe the love God has for us (1 John 4:16)?
Can any of the voices that fill my mind do what God's can? Can my own?
The voice of the Lord may be a low whisper at times but it's a powerful one. Apart from Christ, I imagine we cannot bear his shouts.  
Since God convicted me of an idolatrous obsession with everyone else's voice, I’ve come back to the simple aim of abiding in his voice--centering on what he has said in his word and allowing that to speak into every issue on my heart. In trusting that he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, I can heed his word to be patient while he works it out through the hearts of his people--including my own.
Because the voice of God is powerful, majestic, I join the assembly of the saints this morning and cry, “Glory!” Praise God! We have hope, for he gives strength to his people. He gives his people peace. 
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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:




Psalm 29
Genesis 1
Acts 9
Mark 4:35-41


Questions to Reflect on:

1. Who are you listening to the most these days?
2. What adjustments can you make to centralize the word of God in your day-to-day life?
3. Consider what’s weighing on you this week. How does the Bible address these issues?
4. When we feel hopeless, we must redirect our hearts to the gospel. Have you taken time to preach the gospel to yourself today?

By Yodit Kifle Smith
Have you ever known a person whom you felt like you had to walk on eggshells whenever you were around them? Perhaps it was someone who held a higher position that intimidated you, so you never felt like you could speak what was on your mind. Or someone whom you felt like you never knew what mood they were in so you were cautious with your words and actions for fear of offending them.

I have, and let me tell you, it’s not fun. It’s actually quite exhausting to be so aware of yourself around a person for fear of being perceived a certain way that you couldn’t enjoy their presence. You are constantly forced to play a guessing game. Do they like me? Are they mad at me? Did I say something that could have offended them? Can I say this? Can I laugh at that?
Whether this person is an acquaintance or an actual friend, it’s clear that this kind of relationship isn’t  based on authenticity. Rather, it’s one confined by misunderstanding and fear. And it’s safe to say that these kinds of relationships aren’t ones that flourish.

How many of us have approached God in the same way because of our own misunderstanding and fear? I struggled in my early years as a believer with trusting that God really loved me. I had this image in my head that every time I messed up, He was marking points on some chart. It was quite the roller coaster. Like me, some of you may currently be walking on eggshells around God because you think He’s constantly mad at you for your sin or because you haven’t been in His Word or prayer. Some of you feel like you are playing a guessing game with Him: Does He love me? Does He forgive me? Does He really have a purpose for me? Sure, you may not ask these questions out loud but you’ve allowed them to shape your relationship with Him. And then you ask why your relationship with Him isn’t flourishing.

If our relationship with God is going to flourish, it starts with what we think and believe about Him, not just shaped by experience, but foundationally shaped by the truth of His Word. The soil of our heart has to have the seed of His Word (1 Peter 1:23) rooted so that it grows in the knowledge and grace of God (2 Peter 3:18).

A flourishing relationship with God knows and grows in these truths:
God doesn't just love us. He likes us.

How many of us have heard the saying “I love you but I don’t have to like you?” If we are honest, it actually seems easier to believe that we are loved by God because He’s obligated to love us, but harder to believe that He likes us. Maybe we experienced that from people but God is not man that we should equate our experiences of people into our perception of Him. God created us in His image (Genesis 1:27). He took joy in breathing life into us so that we would enjoy Him forever. We know that sin caused the chasm between us, but because of Christ, we are given a way back to our intended place. He didn’t do that because He tolerated us. He did that because yes, He loved us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8), but because He, too, wanted to enjoy the presence of His image bearers. He likes your presence.

Our sins don’t disqualify us.

One of the most damaging misconceptions of Christianity is that once you are a Christian, you no longer sin. So, when you do sin, it’s as if you broke a contract and are no longer able to be restored. Shame and guilt become the loudest voices and they keep us away from God or they keep us from feeling free in God. This couldn’t be furthest from the truth.

Being a Christian isn’t about being sinless. It’s about being His. And being His means accepting the free gift of salvation He offers us by repentance and faith. We repent because He’s opened our eyes to see the ugliness of our sin against a Holy God. And in repentance, we receive forgiveness. And the truth is Jesus broke the power of sin over us, meaning sin no longer has the power to separate us from God because of the finished work on the cross (Heb 2:14). However, He didn’t take away the ability to not sin from us. Rather, He give us His grace to flee from sin (Titus 2:12). This grace abounds not so we can keep sinning but by His Spirit, we are enabled to love God more than our sin and we become quicker to flee from sin than we are to contemplate it or justify it. 

Our works don’t qualify us.

It wasn’t until I began to spend time in His Word and read the truth of the Gospel that thinking I could “earn” God, who is love and who is Holy, was actually insulting to Him. It completely minimized the work of the cross done on my behalf so that I could be in right standing with God—not because of anything I was remotely capable of doing or wanted to do but because of Jesus. Thinking that I can impress God with doing right was reducing His standards far below what they actually are. Rather than putting my complete trust in His infinite Holiness that I could never attain, I thought I could merit God’s love and approval. Being rooted in the Gospel frees us from the false security of our own ability to merit God’s anything. It will free us to live in the true joy that we are His and we are kept by Him (Jude 1:25).


We can come bold, but not be arrogant.
​We can never forget or neglect the Holiness of God. It’s His Holiness that allows us to marvel at the depth of love and grace that’s been extended to us so we can have fellowship with Him. So, while we don’t walk on eggshells around Him because we can now approach His throne of grace with boldness and confidence in our time of need, (Hebrews 4:16) because of Christ, it doesn’t mean we come arrogantly, assuming His grace or mercy. We come with reverence that a Holy God has shown us great mercy by not counting our sins against us (Romans 4:8). We come with thankfulness that our shame and guilt has been taken away. And we come with a desire to serve Him rather than wanting Him to serve us. But, nonetheless, we can come because we are His children and He is our Father.
 
Sisters, next time you are tempted to believe the lies of the enemy, remember these truths that free you. We don’t have to walk on eggshells with God. We don’t have to guess what He thinks about us. We don’t have to feel ashamed of our sin. We don’t have to feel like our works aren’t enough. No, we can be assured where we stand with God because of the love He displayed for us through the Gospel. And we don’t earn God’s love. In fact, you will never find security in a love that was earned. What a blessed assurance we have 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:
Hebrews 4:16
Hebrews 2:14
Jude 1:25
1 Peter 1:23
2 Peter 3:18
Titus 2:12
Romans 4:8
Romans 5:8

Questions to Reflect on:

1. Has your relationship with God been shaped by fear?
   
2. What truths were important for you to know so you can be in a flourishing relationship with God?
   
3. How has this devotional helped your better understand the Gospel?