“For you sympathized with the prisoners and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession.”

Hebrews 10:34 HCSB

The Hebrews to whom Paul was writing had taken some great risks for their faith in supporting Christian prisoners to their own financial detriment. They could have just written letters and prayed from a safe distance, but instead they took food and clothing, lest their brothers in chains starve. As a result, their homes were raided and valuables taken.

Being a Christ follower is not a “crutch” or an “easy way out.” On the contrary, we are promised hardship AND told to “count it all joy when you encounter various trials.” Are you willing to set aside the expectations of comfort you had for your life to chase after the Giver of Dreams?🚦

#ItAin’tEasy #Endurance #ForSeekingAllOthers #NotACrutch #NotAnEasyWayOut #Trials #ConsiderItAllJoy #DevotionalsForWomen #ChristianWomen #Devotionals #StopLightDevotionals

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17:17‬, 27:17 NIV

It had been a challenging day at work, and I was going home to dogs needing to be fed, gardens needing water, and a host of other chores. Realizing my docket was full with my husband out of town, I cancelled my previous engagement to lower my stress. When there was no response to my notifying my group leader that I would not make the meeting, my mind raced with one guilty feeling after another. That’s when I phoned a friend who would be honest and set me straight. My friend listened to my story and championed me for knowing my limits and for setting aside what is good for what is best. She prayed for me to have peace amidst some troubling circumstances, and she encouraged me to keep pressing ahead.

This friendship did not happen overnight. It was born from sharing our lives honestly and investing time in each other. If you don’t have a friend like this, look for the encouragers who will be straight with you, then be intentional to develop spiritual depth and trust. Sharing a common goal of glorifying God is the very best of all ties that bind.🚦

#Friend #Friendship #AFriendLovesAtAllTimes #IronSharpensIron #Faithful #Champion #Devotionals #DevotionalsForWomen #ChristianWomen #StopLightDevotionals

For the Lord will never walk away from his cherished ones, nor would he forsake his chosen ones who belong to him.

Psalm 94:14 TPT

Have you ever feared that if people discovered the real you they would realize you were a fake, someone pretending to be a different person? Many people struggle with imposter syndrome, feeling inadequate despite accomplishment. We are most vulnerable to these lies when we listen to the world’s definition of success then try to hold ourselves up to that imaginary measuring stick. You can, however, trust what God’s Word says about you:

You are cherished.

You are chosen.

Your are not forsaken.

You. Belong. To. Him.🚦

#ImposterSyndrome #IAmWhoYouSayIAm #YouAreCherished #YouAreChosen #YouAreNotForSakeIn #YouBelongToHim #Chosen #Devotionals #DevotionalsForWomen #ChristianWomen #StoplightDevotionals

So we can say with great confidence: “I know the Lord is for me and I will never be afraid of what people may do to me!”

Hebrews 13:6 TPT

When you find yourself facing a great challenge, whether in personal or professional circumstances, consider if the challenge is in opposition to you personally or if it is really a challenge against God’s Word. Underlying the attacks may be spiritual unrest having little or nothing to do you. May you be emboldened further to face your giants in positive confrontations knowing you hold power as the child of the king. Be bold!🚦

#BeBold #Confidence #Courage #Courageous #Circumstances #Challenge #Confrontation #DevotionalsForWomen #ChristianDevotionals #Devotionals #StoplightDevotionals

“For I do not trust in my bow, and my sword does not bring me victory. But You give us victory over our foes and let those who hate us be disgraced.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭44:6-7‬ HCSB

After a zip-lining course my family decided to complete a ropes challenge course with the final challenge a tight rope walk high a tight rope walk high in the trees. I’d watched the others do it, and they were cheering me on, but trusting my harness to hold me up even if I fell did not come easily or quickly. Faith can be that way. As we recognize God’s hand in our lives and how He has demonstrated His faithfulness to us it becomes easier to step out on the tightrope knowing He is there to hold us up. What, or who, are you trusting in today to deliver you through times of adversity?

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬ ‭HCSB‬‬🚦

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭32:8-9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How lovely it is to listen to the voice of God through the reading and study of His Word. As we seek the Holy Spirit earnestly He directs our paths. We are not like animals that must have external controls to tell us what to do next, what not to do next. God made created us for communion with and to be guided by Him. Spend time seeking Him today.🚦

“For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 HCSB

While I treat myself to a vitamin C facial mask in hopes of reducing wrinkles, then follow it with a different wrinkle-reducing serum, I start to question the underlying reason for my mid-life wrinkle-reduction, youth-seeking frenzy. Perhaps, even after years of Bible study, reading books and listening to sermons, I am still grasping for a superficial cure to fix much deeper, more difficult life issues.

When the craziness of the world feels like a vortex pulling us to an unknown destination, we may find ourselves desperately reaching for absurd controls to slow the swirl. When we do this we run the risk of missing out on the eternal lesson learned in the eye of the storm. How many storms will it take you and I to remember the hard seasons will pass, and the glory of eternity outshines even the darkest times?🚦

#Facial #Wrinkles #WrinkleReduction #Temporary #TempleRoll #Eternal #Eternity #Unseen #Vortex #Superficial #Devotionals #DevotionalsForWomen #ChristianDevotionals #StoplightDevotionals

“A joyful, cheerful heart brings healing to both body and soul. But the one whose heart is crushed struggles with sickness and depression.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17:22‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Is your heart feeling crushed by the weight of life’s troubles? When pressure is high and your spirit is low, we can easily fall into the self-pity trap. You and I need look no further for encouragement than the amazing gift we have in God’s Word. It is “sweeter than honey”(Ps 103) and is “health to the body.”(Ps 16) God’s “wisdom soothes the heart,”(Pr 14) and it “counsels me.” (Ps 73) Aren’t you thankful to have this Holy Book to feed you, to heal you, to soothe you, and to counsel you? Praise God for giving us exactly what we need for such a time as this.🚦

#CheerfulHeart #Cheerful #Joyful #Healing #Crushcraft #SweeterThanHoney #HealthToTheBody #CounselsMe #WisdomSootheTheHeart #Bible #DevotionalsForWomen #ChristianWomen #Devotionals #StoplightDevotionals

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We’ve all heard of the lottery winners who wind up broke because they didn’t know how to live within their new means, yet there are plenty of people who are content with very little. The latter do not let their emotions be ruled by circumstance. Yes, even in the most difficult of conditions, each of us can choose to be grateful by training our minds on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable.” (Phil‬ ‭4:8)‬ ‭As you make a habit of shifting your focus upward, you will find yourself letting go of bitterness, resentment, and anger that fuel dissatisfaction and holding onto joy and peace that passes all understanding. (Phil 4:7). 🚦

#Content #Circumstances #LotteryWinner #ICanDoAllThingsThroughChristWhoGivesMeStrength #HoldingOnToJoy #PeaceThatPassesAllUnderstanding #Devotionals #DevotionalsForWomen #ChristianWomen #StoplightDevotionals

“In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man cannot discover anything that will come after him.”

Ecclesiastes 7:14 HCSB

How many times have you wished you could see what was ahead? Would be another obstacle bigger than the one you’ve not yet recovered from, or would it be a big blessing?

There really is no way for you and me to know, and that is exactly the way God wants it. If we could know ahead of time, we would try to plan for how we were going to handle whatever issue by ourselves, apart from God. However, God wants us to lean into Him in both good and bad times. Most of us are too stubborn to seek Him first; we push back against calling on Him for help until we ourselves are up against a wall with nowhere else to go but up…to Him.

May you accept both the good and the bad with thanksgiving in your heart for the Creator who knows exactly what you need and when you need it.🚦

#Plants #Planner #Adversity #Blessing #BlessingAndCursing #Ecclesiastes #DevotionalsForWomen #ChristianWomen #Devotionals #StopLightDevotionals