Week Nine: Trusting Him to lead us

“Do not be afraid of them.” the Lord said to Joshua, “for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you.” Joshua 10:8

Hey y’all!! I hope everyone’s spring break was great : ) A sermon I got to hear over the break really changed my perspective on how I carry out the tasks Jesus has called me to do. I think a lot of us feel a tension in our hearts when we step out of our comfort zone while following God. We want so badly to obey Him, but it’s hard when we deal with anxiety, worry, or fear of what we’re getting ourselves in to. What I realized this past week though is that the main reason we get that tension is because we’re trying to do it all ourselves instead of letting Jesus take over. The pastor I listened to said it perfectly: when following Jesus, you do what you know how to do and trust that He will take care of the rest. A lot of times we have such anxiety because Jesus calls us to an unknown place and, for some reason, we think that we’re supposed to handle it on our own. But, thankfully, that’s not at all the case!

In the book of Joshua, God calls Joshua to “lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.” (1:6) Now, that’s a pretty big calling to answer to. Lucky for Joshua, the Lord also said, “This is my command- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (1:9) So let’s think about this.. Joshua has this huge task he has to accomplish, but he also has the Lord’s promise that He will be with him. So Joshua can either freak out and worry about all the details of how he’s going to conquer all the nations, or he can simply do what he knows how to do (fight, organize troops, listen to God) and trust that God will do the rest. The book is filled with stories of battles, all ending in victory for Joshua. It says, “Joshua conquered all these kings and their land in a single campaign, for the Lord, the God of Israel, was fighting for His people.” (10:42) God will really fight our battles for us if we let him! All we have to do is trust, obey, and sometimes just plain get out of the way and let God work.

Another story in the Bible that shows this kind of trust is in Matthew 14. It’s the well-known story of when Jesus feeds over 5,000 people with just some fish and a few loaves of bread. I’d read this story a hundred times, but I’d never really understood the importance of it until this week. Just for a second, I want you to put yourself in the disciples shoes on that day. Thousands of people had come a long way to hear Jesus speak. They had all been outside in the heat all day with no food, and now the sun was setting. The disciples’ idea was for Jesus to send the crowd away to nearby villages to buy food for themselves. Instead, Jesus told them to bring the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish that they had to him, He blessed the food, and then simply told the disciples to start feeding the crowd. I don’t know about you, but I would be pretty apprehensive about carrying out Jesus’ plan. 10,000 hot and hungry people would probably be a little annoyed and angry at me when they saw I was trying to feed them all with that little amount of food.

Despite any doubts they might have had, the disciples obeyed Jesus and did what they knew how to do: they walked and they handed out food, letting Jesus take care of the rest. If they had tried to figure out a way to feed those people on their own, they never would have succeeded but, because they did only what they could and let Jesus take over for the rest, everyone was fed!


When you’re in a new situation it’s so easy to be overwhelmed by the circumstances or surroundings and take your focus off of God. It’s so easy to focus on what you can’t do rather than what you can. This week, I encourage you to follow Jesus fearlessly, knowing that He will never give you more than you can handle, never ask you to do something that you can’t. If you are obeying Him already, but it’s just been so hard and tiring lately, maybe it’s time you take a step back and re-evaluate how much control your letting God have over your life. I really think you’ll find that the more you give to Him, the more peaceful and worry-free your walk will be.

Currently Listening to: Please Be My Strength by Gungor

Week Eight: Persecution

“Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 4: 12

Hey y’all! I hope everyone’s weekend at see-saw went well! So I guess I’ll just jump right in to what this devotional is about: persecution for sharing our faith. I know the word “persecution” sounds pretty intense, but it really just means the mistreatment of a people or group by another group. So to me this includes things like hearing people talk bad about you behind your back or having friends purposefully not include you in hanging out. Just keep that in mind when you read the rest of this that persecution is definitely not always something super extreme.

Honestly, what I wrote about last week is scripture that I have heard pretty frequently in sermons, church camps, etc. I’ve always had people pushing me to go and share God’s good news with others. I get why we‘re supposed to do that. I hear that message and am all pumped up to go tell everyone I know about God’s love. But then I walk out of the church doors, or leave the church camp, or even leave my apartment and that burning inside of me to go and tell people somehow fades away. I can’t seem to make the connection between wanting to tell people and actually telling them. And you know why? Because I’m scared. I’m scared that my close friends won’t like me anymore, I’m scared that people will think I’m too “extreme” of a Christian, I’m scared that people will think I’m weird because they don’t get why I do some of the things I do, I’m scared of being persecuted for my faith.

I’m sure a lot of y’all have the same or similar fears about being bold about your faith. Well what I’ve learned this week is that all of my fears are totally valid. In fact, many of them will not only come true but, when they do, I’m supposed to rejoice in them. 1 Peter 4: 12- 14 says, “ Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad - for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering… So be happy when you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you.” So when I read this verse I get two main things out of it. First, that I’m supposed to actually expect persecution and second, that enduring it makes me more like Christ. Are you starting to feel a little better about sharing your faith despite possible rejection? Because this definitely encourages me knowing that I’m not sacrificing for nothing, but I’m sacrificing to get closer to Jesus Christ. Now I think that’s something worth celebrating!

So why does suffering bring us closer to God? Because He suffered immensely while here on earth. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as it’s own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” John 15: 18-19. Y’all, Jesus has been through it all. He suffered rejection from his community and even his close friends, he went completely against the norms of his society, and in the end He paid the ultimate price of death. If my King and Savior had to go through all of that while on earth, how can I expect not to experience some hardships for sharing my faith? And the incredibly awesome thing about Jesus is that he really does know what we’re going through. One of my favorite verses is Psalm 69:20 “Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. If only one person would show some pity; if only one would turn and comfort me.” Ok, this might sound depressing when you first read it, but I think it highlights how personal our relationship with God is! We don’t have to hide our struggles or our true feelings from Him. When we are persecuted we have the freedom to tell Him exactly what we’re going through and really lean on Him for comfort.

This week I pray that we face our fears of persecution, discomfort, and rejection for sharing our faith, that we are so focused on Christ that all other opinions fade away, and that if we are going through a hard time because of our faith, we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus has been in the exact same situation so He can truly relate to what we’re going through. You will never be alone in your struggles. Jesus went through it before and will go through it again with you. What an awesome God!

Currently Listening To: Lowest Place by Laura Hackett

Week Seven: Living Boldly

Hello! If you couldn’t tell by my previous devotionals, last month I’ve really been learning a lot about God’s overwhelming love for us. It’s changed how I think, act, feel… really everything about who I am. So if this good news is so life-changing, I keep asking myself why it’s so hard for me to actually tell other people about it! When it comes to being bold in my home town, with my family, to people in my classes, my best friends, or people I see on a daily basis, I seem to get shy, uncomfortable, and worry about what they might think of me. This has never made since to me because the people I usually have the hardest time talking to are the people that mean the most to me. So as God has started to challenge me to live more boldly for him, I’ve come across some scripture that has given me motivation, instruction, and eased some of my worries. This isn’t going to be a very wordy devotional on my part because I didn’t want to get too in the way of what the scripture already says.

Why tell people?“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28: 19
We have been sent, simple as that. And not only to just tell others about Christ, but to make devoted followers of Him.

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” Romans 10:14-15
I think it’s so easy sometimes to look at other people’s lives, shake our heads, and think “How can they go on living that kind of life that’s so far away from God?” But sometimes, people have just never truly heard about the grace and love that Jesus has for them. And they might not ever know if we, as Christians, don’t step off our high horse, get to know them, and tell them about the gospel.

“For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News? And also, ‘If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners?’” 1 Peter 4:17-18

How do we tell people??
“What is important is faith expressing itself in love.” Galatians 5:6
It’s true, the best way to share your faith with someone is to love them! Let people see how you love them because Christ does, and you love Christ so you care about what He loves.

“So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives or trickery.” 1 Thessalonians 2:3
Be honest!! Don’t feel like you have to make up an elaborate testimony to prove that Jesus has ‘changed’ you. If someone you’re witnessing to asks a question that you don’t know the answer to, just tell them you’ll look it up and get back to them. The goal isn’t to ‘trick’ someone into becoming a Christian by putting on a perfect front.

“As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children among you… we loved you so much… night and day we worked to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you.” 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9
Be humble!! Don’t assume that people think it’s such a privilege to have you talk to them about Christ. Yes, you’re sharing with them awesome news, but don’t insist that they go out of their way to accommodate you. In fact, you should be setting a Christ-like example by serving them the whole time.

“I came to you in weakness-timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 2:3-4
These verses really hit home for me because I have never once been confident in what I’m going to say when I tell someone about Christ. I’m always nervous and never strong. This just reminds me that it’s fine if I don’t have an elaborate speech prepared, or if I’m not totally confident, as long as I’m letting the Holy Spirit do the work. Trust me, if you’re willing to go and speak, God will give you the right words to say at the right time (even if they do still come out a bit awkward).

“I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children.” 1 Corinthians 4:14
No one likes to be told all the reasons why what they’re doing is wrong. Lecturing someone or just trying to guilt them into becoming a Christian will never really work. But sometimes you really do have to show someone tough love (and this totally applies to you talking to other Christians, too). You can be serious and urgent when sharing the gospel, but even that still stems from love, not judgment.

I know this was lengthy so I saved the rest of it for next week. It’s about overcoming obstacles and persecution when sharing the gospel sooo get excited about THAT. Have a great week!

Currently Listening To: Boasting by Lecrae
(And no, it’s not by holding up judgmental signs in the free speech area…don’t even get me started on that)

Week Six: Trust

Hello! Sorry this is late, I just got home from out of town.  This devotional is taken straight from The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning.  I loved this section so much that I didn’t change one word of it!  If you haven’t read this whole book yet I HIGHLY recommend it.  It’s all about the unconditional grace and love we receive from Christ, and it will truly change your life.  So again, the rest of this is all from Brennan Manning starting around page 114. Enjoy!

Our response to the love of Jesus demands trust.  Do we rely on our resume or the gospel of grace?  How do we cope with failure?

“Grace tell us that we are accepted just as we are.  We may not be the kind of people we want to be, we may be a long way from our goals, we may have more failures than achievements, we may not be wealthy or powerful or spiritual, we may not even be happy, but we are nonetheless accepted by God, held in his hands.  Such is his promise to us in Jesus Christ, a promise we can trust.” McCullough, 122

For those who feel their lives are a grave disappointment to God, it requires enormous trust and reckless, raging confidence to accept that the love of Christ knows no shadow of alteration or change.  When Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened,” He assumed we would grow weary, discouraged, and disheartened along the way.  These words are a touching testimony to the genuine humanness of Jesus.  He had no romantic notion of the cost of discipleship.  He knew that following Him was as unsentimental as duty, as demanding as love.  He knew that physical pain, the loss of loved ones, failure, loneliness, rejection, abandonment, and betrayal would sap our spirits; that the day would come when faith would no longer offer any drive, reassurance, or comfort; that prayer would lack any sense of reality or progress.

“For the high priest we have is not incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us, but has been put to the test in exactly the same way as ourselves, apart from sin.  Let us, then, have no dear in approaching the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace when we are in need of help.” Hebrews 4:15-16

A poet has written, “The desire to feel loved is the last illusion: let it go and you will be free.”  Just as the sunrise of faith requires the sunset of our former unbelief, so the dawn of trust requires letting go of our craving spiritual consolations and tangible reassurances.  Trust at the mercy of the response it receives is bogus trust. All is uncertainty and anxiety.  In trembling insecurity the disciple pleads for proofs from the Lord that her affection is returned.  If she does not receive them, she is frustrated and starts to suspect that her relationship with Jesus is all over or that it never even existed.

If she does receive consolation, she is reassured, but only for a time.  She presses for further proofs-each one less convincing than the one that went before.  In the end, the need to trust dies of pure frustration.  What the disciple has not learned is that tangible reassurances, however valuable they may be, cannot create trust, sustain it, or guarantee any certainty of its presence.  Jesus calls us to hand over our autonomous self in unshaken confidence.  When the craving for reassurances is stifled, trust happens.

The mystery of Jesus’ ascension into heaven contains an important lesson.  He said to His disciples: “I am telling you the truth: it is for your own good that I am going.” (John 16:7).  Why? How could Jesus’ departure profit the apostles? Because while He was still visible on earth, there was the danger they would be too wedded to the sight of His flesh, that they would leave the certainty of faith and lean upon the tangible evidence of the senses.  To see Jesus in the flesh was good but “blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (John 20:29).

Only love empowers the leap in trust, the courage to risk everything on Jesus, the readiness to move into the darkness guided only by a pillar of fire.  Trust clings to the belief that whatever happens in our life is designed to teach us holiness.  The love of Christ inspires trust to thank God for the nagging headache, the arthritis that is so painful, the spiritual darkness that envelops us; to say with Job, “If we take happiness from God’s hand, must we not take sorrow too?” (Job 2:10)

A Bahamian priest related a story that captures the essence of biblical trust: “A two-story house had caught on fire.  The family- father, mother, and several children- were on their way out when the smallest boy became terrified, tore away from his mother, and ran back upstairs.  Suddenly he appeared at a smoke-filled windrow, crying like crazy.  His father, outside, shouted, “Jump, son, jump! I’ll catch you.”  The boy cried, “But daddy, I can’t see you.” “I know,” his father called, “I know, But I can see you.”  

Currently Listening to: Your Love Never Fails by Jesus Culture ft. Chris Quilala