Sacred Whispers Devotional 1

As you read today's devotional, play "GREAT IS YOUR MERCY" from the Sacred Whispers Playlist.

Spiritual

HEAVEN’S HEALING

By Marlin D. Harris

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 21:4

One of the saddest and most difficult moments that I have ever had in ministry happened many years ago when I was just a young pastor in my early 20’s.  I had gone to one of the local hospitals to visit one of our members who was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).  I walked down the long corridor to the wing of the hospital that housed the ICU.  I have never gotten comfortable seeing the cold, sterile, lonely environment that most hospital ICUs are characterized by.  The nurses were busy going from room to room checking patients’ vital signs and other machine readings and you could hear the distant beeps of heart monitors and the vacuum pumping sounds of breathing machines.  I looked at the sides of each of the glass-enclosed units trying to find the cubicle number of the patient that I had gone to see.  As I passed by cubicle after cubicle I saw people laying in their beds who looked so helpless and weakened.  Some were with their families and some were alone by themselves.  Finally, I came to the room of the church member I had gone to pray for.  She was lying in the hospital bed with breathing tubes in her mouth and depending on a ventilator to keep her alive.  She was alone. There was no one in her room with her.  No family members, no friends, no flowers, no cards, no joy.  The only sound I could hear was the slow beeping of her heart machine monitoring her signs of life.  I held back my emotions and called out her name and laid my hands on her forehead.  She was unconscious, so she couldn’t hear me, but I made every attempt to speak to her calmly in the event that somehow this conversation was getting through; even if only to her heart.  I told her how much God loved her, and that He was a healer and restorer of broken bodies.  Then I laid hands on the sides of her head and prayed for her to be healed as earnestly and sincerely as I knew how.  Then I took a sheet of notepaper and left her family a note letting them know that her pastor had come by to pray for her healing today.

As I said goodbye to this dear lady, I turned and walked out of her room.  I could still hear the beeping of her heart machine in the background amid the quiet and near motionless ICU wing.  It only took me 10 steps and that’s when I heard it.  That’s when I heard that long, continuous beep of a heart monitor that had just flatlined.  The sound caused my heart to skip a beat and I felt this feeling of dread come over me.  I saw nurses running past me heading to the room that I had just left.  I turned around and looked, and there they were, trying to revive this precious lady who I knew had just passed away.  This was my first close experience with death as a pastor. 

I sat down in the waiting room, called their family members, and waited for them to arrive.  While waiting, I literally found it extremely hard to pray.  I was confused; I was hurt, and I felt lost.  Why didn’t God hear my prayer for her healing?  I spent all of that time talking with her and reassuring her that God was with her and that He was a healer.  I prayed out of a pure heart and kept the faith that God would hear me.  No one should have to transition from this life alone like that.  While I sat there and prayed, I sensed in my heart that God answered me back – even though my prayer was filled with bewilderment and even a little anger.  When I said to Him, “Why didn’t you heal her, Lord”, He quietly said back to me, “I did”.  I felt Him saying to my heart, “I was with her before you got there, and I am still with her now.”  I learned a valuable lesson that day.  God’s healing doesn’t always come in the way that we imagine, or even desire.  Sometimes, He saves the body; and then sometimes He allows the body to die and saves the soul. Because death is – in and of itself – a Healing.

If you are grieving at this moment in your life, or have ever grieved the loss of a loved one, I pray that you will find comfort in today’s devotional.  We often think of death as an ending, without fully realizing that death is actually a beginning.  Yes, it is an ending to this life, but it is a beginning to another life.  A life that is forever lived in the presence of God; forever experiencing His love and His glory in ways that you and I on this earth could not even begin to experience.  That family member, or dear friend whom you loved so dearly, and prayed for so earnestly, is now standing in the presence of an indescribable God.  They have been raptured in the wonders of heaven and are surrounded by the rush of a thousand angels’ wings.  Their eyes are beholding a glory that their hearts can hardly contain.  This is the beauty that they have longed for and worked for all those many years.  This is the wonder that they have prayed for those countless number of nights upon their beds.  This is what the scriptures mean by the word ‘reward’.  There are no doctor visits, medicine regimens, or dialysis machines.  There are no more breathing ventilators or chemo appointments.  The burden of illness no longer weighs heavy on their hearts, and the discomforts of pain no longer afflicts. They are no longer reminded of sins or taunted by guilt.  Their minds no longer worry about the burdens they have borne and their hearts no longer bleed over the injuries it has endured, because now they are finally free. What an amazing healing!  They are beholding the One whose hands and feet are still pierced, and whose brow still bears the marks of His thorns.  They are bowing at the throne that is occupied by a Majesty that words would fail to describe.  The joy they taste will never be emptied, and the love they are surrounded by will never end. This, dearly beloved, is Heaven.

We who believe in Christ, experience a foretaste of heaven here on the earth, though our life here is so deeply limited.  We are limited by a flesh that is contrary to the Spirit.  We are limited by a body that gets ill and often diseased.  We are limited by a heart that can so easily be broken and by a soul that is often downcast.  We are living, but not at all like we were created to live.  But there we look for the day when our “God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither…any more pain: because the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4).  So yes, there is a healing that your loved one experienced on the day they drew their last breath.  It is one that we all have yet to experience.  It is a perfect healing.  This healing is too great for the body, it goes much, much deeper than that.  This healing is for the soul.

I have a Grandmother who has experienced that healing, a Mother-in-Love who has experienced it, and an Uncle who has just recently experienced it also.  Since that fateful day in the ICU all those many years ago, I have presided over hundreds of funerals of men, women, and even young children who have all experienced that healing. The healing of the earth is at best temporary, but the healing of heaven is eternal.  I have come to learn that for the living there is something so very sad about death, but for the dying believer, there is something so very sweet.  How sweet it must be to finally get your healing.  Your real, true healing.

The best death that man has ever known did not come in the heat of a battle, or in the halls of a hospital, or in a bedroom surrounded by friends and family.  The best death that we have ever known came on a hill called Calvary; on an old rugged cross.  What made this death so beautiful, was not our Lord’s actual death itself, but it was the beauty of His life.  It was the way He cared for the hurting and the mercy He showed to sinners.  His death was beautiful because His life was beautiful.  When our loved ones die, let’s not just focus on the tragedy of the death, let’s spend our time focusing on the beauty of their life, and all of the wonders of their life hereafter.  And then let each of us lock away this truth in the treasure chests of our own hearts –  that the day is still yet to come, when we too will experience ‘Heaven’s healing’.

--------------------

I can only imagine what it will be like,

When I walk by Your side.
I can only imagine what my eyes would see,

When Your face is before me.
I Can Only Imagine,
I Can Only Imagine.

Surrounded by Your glory what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You Jesus, or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees, will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all?
I Can Only Imagine,

I Can Only Imagine.

Bart Millard of MercyMe

Physical

CLAIMING TRUTH: BREAKING HABITS

By Sabrina Botts

^“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.^”

Romans 12:2

Research shows that habits are both mental and physical. In fact, they are formed by the biology of our brains as well as the psychology of our mindsets. We can’t change our brains, but we can definitely change our mindset, which in turn is essential to help us change our behavior.  What is important to remember is that habits don’t form overnight, but instead we form them slowly over time. Therefore, changing bad habits can only be successful when we work towards new habits consistently over time, beginning with simple small steps.

James Cleary notes, “Each time you repeat an action, you are activating a particular neural circuit associated with that habit. This means that simply ‘putting in your reps’ is one of the most critical steps you can take to encoding a new habit.”[1]

Here is a guide to follow: 

1. Tell the truth about the situation- Name the habit you want to break and why.

2. Claim the truth that God offers for the situation.

3. Confess it to God and ask for his help to change it.

4. Get accountability. Share with someone the issue that you want to change.

5. Make a simple small change towards the behavior you desire to see.

Here is an example:

MY TRUTH:

In my past, I have misused food, especially sweets to meet my emotional needs. I have used food to soothe me when I am stressed, cheer me up when I’m sad, and occupy me when I am bored. The problem is that God gave us food as a good gift to enjoy and to nourish us.  When I use food this way, I am misusing the good gift that he has provided.  Furthermore, I am using food in the place of him in my life.  I know that sounds extreme, but only God is the one who can really comfort and give me peace, not food.  When I use food this way, it’s an idol.  Also, my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  When I eat the wrong things or too much of anything, it can affect my health.  It compromises my ability to live out a full life meant to glorify God and serve him and others.

GOD’S TRUTH FOR ME TO CLAIM:

- Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body - 1 Cor 6:19-20

- So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God - 1 Corinthians 10:31

- Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live - Romans 8:12-13

- …I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. – Isaiah 41:10b

- “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare”. - Isaiah 55:1-2

ACTIONS TO TAKE:

1. Confess to God the negative habit and ask for his help to change.

2. Confess to a friend the issue that I have had with misusing food and ask her to hold me accountable and to pray for me.

3. Take a baby step on the road to change- The cue to eating junk food is stress at work. When I feel that cue I will admit that I want the chips but ask God to help me with my stress instead. I will then do deep breathing for 5 mins.

This simple change interrupts the neural pathway of the previous habit, making it a little easier to do something different.  With consistency over time, a new habit will be formed where the old one used to be.

Resources:

Full: Food, Jesus, and the Battle for Satisfaction- Asheritah Ciuciu

Atomic Habits- James Clear

The Healthy Free Life Podcast [https://healthyfreelife.com/podcast] - Katrina Sequenzia

[1] James Clear, Atomic Habits, (New York: Avery Publishing), 144.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Download Fasting Guide

Listen To Sacred Whispers Playlist

As you read today's devotional, play "SPEAK THE NAME" from the Sacred Whispers Playlist.

Spiritual

OUR EYES ARE ON YOU

By Sabrina Botts

“O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

2 Chronicles 20:13

I think you would agree that the last two years have been nothing short of tumultuous.  We have the COVID 19 pandemic, an economic depression, rising crime, emotional frustrations, continued political division, even the weather has been chaotic. After some time, the constant turmoil and negative reports can start to take a toll on our faith, causing us to wonder just what is going on? Where is God?  Is he indeed still in control? Can we trust him to take care of us?  In short, sometimes, our hearts and minds can get so overwhelmed that we simply don’t know who to look at.  We don’t know who to fix our eyes on for answers to the insurmountable challenges that we face.

For me, it’s like we went to bed and woke up, and our lives will never be the same. What’s worse is that no solution that the world has tried is working to fix our problems.  Not the vaccines, not the economic stimulus, not the recommendations from the government or health agencies.  So much feels so out of control.  We are surrounded by these things, and every day it’s like waiting for the next proverbial ‘shoe to drop’. 

In the passage that we are looking at today, King Jehoshaphat and the southern tribe of Israel found themselves in a situation where they were surrounded by a problem that they were powerless to fix. Overnight, without any warning, a coalition of enemies quickly advanced towards them, and they were not prepared to defend themselves. But, instead of them looking to themselves or their allies to assist, they turned to God, acknowledging that his solution was the only one that could truly save them.

See, they understood that the covenant promises of God went beyond just what he did for them, but rather, these promises really demonstrated who He was as their God. He had established them as his people and provided a land for their heritage, solidifying his commitment and love for them.  So, no matter what they faced, they were convinced that their God would be who He had always been. He was committed to them and everything that he had promised them. I believe this is the strength and confidence that drove their response in the face of such odds.  Instead of being paralyzed by fear, they chose to worship.

If you read further in chapter 20, you will see that they worshipped all the way to the battlefield, and when they arrived, their enemies had been destroyed.  They never had to lift a sword or a spear.  Praise was their weapon against this formidable foe, and God fought for them.

We can learn from this pattern as we face the multifaceted foes that stand against us today.  Our 'praise' fights the foes of discouragement, hopelessness, fear, and despair.  I am not promising that when we praise God, we will miraculously heal our land of COVID, cause inflation to decrease, or make the streets safer, but He is absolutely able to.  And even better, He is able to keep us in peace while He works all things for His good pleasure.  He is able to keep us, encourage us, and provide for us in ways that we can’t even imagine because His grace and power absolutely know no limitations.  The scriptures are trustworthy when it says that “He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think”. (Ephesians 3:20)

Let’s take the example set for us in this scripture and choose to set our faces to seek the Lord and praise our way through. Indeed He is our God, and He will fight for us.

PRAYER

Dear God, we need You.  This battle in my life, and in our world today, is just too much for me to face alone.  I don’t have the resources of strength, faith, or hope to fight it. I need you to provide     [fill in the blank here]      for me and my household.  Just like You fought for the children of Israel I am choosing to trust You to do the same for me. Today, I choose to focus on Your character and Your eternal promises found in Your Word.  Instead of being afraid, I will set my face to seek You and worship with expectation.

DAILY SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

Choose at least 3 of the toughest battles that you are facing right now.  It may a physical ailment, a financial dilemma, or even an unsolvable family crisis.  Whatever your biggest challenges are right now, write them down in a notepad or journal.  Then one by one, each day actively pray and give each one to God.  Declare that God is fighting the battle for you, and refuse to allow worry about that particular challenge to enter your heart.

Practical

STARTING NEW HABITS AND BREAKING OLD ONES

By Traci Brockman

“To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Ephesians 4: 22 – 24:

Habits are routine behaviors that we tend to repeat daily and often occur subconsciously or without even thinking about it. If you have ever found yourself acting on “auto-pilot”, then you are engaging in habitual behaviors.  Habits are actually the brain’s way of standardizing behavior to reduce the need for it to give new instructions to the body to repeat a particular action.  This is meant to reduce stress and place that particular action in a stored bank of reflexes and trigger the reflex whenever it is needed.  The brain doesn’t consider the good or bad impact that any particular habit will have on us; it simply does the work of simplifying the action to make its job more manageable.

Habits are important because of the positive or negative effects they have on our lives, depending on the behavior. Sometimes habits enable us to increase our health, strengthen our families and grow our faith.  However, other habits destroy our health, harm our families, and weaken our faith.  The challenge is to identify some of the biggest problems in our lives and establish healthy habits that help to resolve them. 

Establishing new healthy habits can be a little overwhelming because it’s not easy and requires quite a bit of determination and discipline.  New healthy habits are so difficult to begin because you can’t start a new habit without breaking an associated old habit in the process.  You are actually doing two things at once.  You can’t make it a habit to get up earlier in the mornings without first breaking the habit of sleeping in late.  You can’t make it a habit of eating healthier foods without first breaking the habit of enjoying the taste of the unhealthy ones – and the list goes on. 

What compounds the problem is that every bad, unhealthy habit stimulates the pleasure centers in our brains to reinforce that habit, which makes it even harder to break it.  The good news is that just as the brain can learn the bad habit, it can also learn the good habit.  To be sure, eating more vegetables may not trigger the same pleasure centers in the brain that eating candy does, but eventually, the brain will learn to expect the veggies and actually cause the body to crave them.

As in all life changes, you will need a lot of help.  Here are a few tips that can help ease the transition.

1. Decide what to change. Make a list of a few current behaviors you would like to change. Evaluate the list and choose just one behavior to focus on. Starting with one thing to change will make the process feel less daunting.

2. Start small. Whether your goal is to establish a new habit or break an old one start small. You don’t have to completely change overnight. For instance, if the new habit you would like to create is to walk 30 minutes a day, just start with 5 minutes a day and gradually increase that amount over time. The key is to begin being consistent with the behavior of walking.

3. Keep going even when you slip up. While you are striving for consistency with your new habits and behaviors, the reality is that you are bound to be inconsistent sometimes. But don’t focus on one missed day, instead focus on the next opportunity to continue putting your new habits into practice.

4. Be Patient. It takes time for new habits to stick, and to break old ones. But if you stay consistent with new behaviors, you will achieve progress over time and each day it will get a little easier until it is automatic.

While habitual behavior is often automatic, it does take focus, decision-making, and commitment to turn away from the behaviors of old and replace them every day with new ones. The benefits of establishing new behaviors and breaking old ones are the ways in which we can improve our health, be positive examples to others, increase self-discipline, and fundamentally alter our life’s direction.

PRAYER

Lord, thank you for giving us the mental ability to make changes in our lives. I pray that you will sharpen that ability in me, and enable me to say no to the bad habits that I have learned over time, and to begin the process of embracing the new habits that will make my life more pleasing to You.  You are the great One who gives me the strength to change.  I rely on You to change, not just my behaviors, but also my heart.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Download Fasting Guide

Listen To Sacred Whispers Playlist

As you read today's devotional, play "YOU ARE MY STRENGTH" from the Sacred Whispers Playlist.

Spiritual

PAUSE IN HIS PRESENCE

By Monica Harris

….Selah

Psalm 3:2, 4, 8

When the Women’s Ministry team and I were deciding upon a name for our conference, I remembered that my devotional one morning was from Psalm 3, which finds David fleeing from his son Absalom. Verse 4 says, “I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and He heard me out of His holy hill.  Selah”.   That word, ‘Selah’, seemed to just leap off of the page as it resonated in my heart.  Some commentators believe the word Selah comes from an archaic Semitic root that means “to pause” or “to reflect”.   Other commentators have identified the word as a musical instruction reflecting the need to pause in the chorus of singing during Levitical worship.  ‘Selah’ appears 71 times in the book of Psalms and 74 times in the Bible.  With Selah appearing that many times in one book, it made perfect sense that “Pause in His Presence” would be the perfect name for our conference.

During this year’s fast, I sense that God is calling on each of us to pause and reflect on His goodness. Pastor previously mentioned in an earlier devotional post that I enjoy sitting outside and just watching the different birds that grace the trees in our backyard.  I am in awe of the beautiful colors of the birds and how their small feet or claws perch upon the thin branches and remain there for long periods of time.  As I sit and watch them, I imagine that they are pausing and reflecting.  I know this may sound strange, but have you ever wondered what birds think about as they inquisitively look from side to side?  I have often wondered if they are simply marveling at all the beauty their eyes are beholding. During this time of reflection, they engage in a unique way of communicating through their harmonious chirps, a language only they can understand and appreciate.

Those small birds are uniquely and perfectly made by a flawlessly artistic Designer - our God. But we, as human beings, even though we too are uniquely made, are far from perfect. And often, when we are afforded those quiet moments to ‘pause’ and ‘reflect’, we so often spend those times focusing on the countless imperfections that we all share.  We spend so much precious time dwelling on the imperfections of our lives that we tragically miss what the birds see every day – the extraordinary beauty that is all around us.  Because whether we realize it or not, our lives hold so much beauty, even in our imperfections.  He made you beautiful – imperfections and all!

I came across this short story a little while ago, and I have always kept its message close to my heart.  It’s a wonderful little tale of how God uses even our many imperfections to marvelously create beautiful things.

A water-bearer in India had two large pots; both hung on the ends of a pole, which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to his house, the cracked pot always arrived half full.

The poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection and was miserable that it could only accomplish just half of what it had been designed to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, the cracked pot spoke to the water-bearer one day by the stream, “I am ashamed of myself,” he said, “and I want to apologize to you. I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my flaws, you must do all this work, and at the end of the day, you don’t get full value from your efforts”.  But then the water-bearer said to the pot, “What? Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path but not on the other pot’s side?” “Do you know why that is?” he asked.   “That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path. And every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve been watering them the whole way.  For two years, I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table for my family at dinner time. Without you being just the way you are, there would never have been this beauty to grace the house.”

God reminds me of this short story whenever I start to look at my flaws and imperfections and wonder how He could ever get glory out of me.  God also reminds me that He made me for His glory, just the way I am.  Dear friend, God also made you just the way you are – all for His glory.

So the next time you get an opportunity to ‘pause’ and ‘reflect’, don’t waste such a precious moment dwelling on the imperfections of your life.  Instead, take that time to thank God for those imperfections, and ask Him to make something beautiful out of them.  For every crack that He doesn’t mend, and for every scar that He chooses not to erase, ask Him to use it as a testimony that waters the gardens of others.  Selah – Pause in His Presence and think about that.

PRAYER:

Father, thank You for creating me just the way I am. Help me not allow my flaws to distract me from what You have called me to do and who You have called me to be. As I inhale your grace, and exhale your mercy, help me to be the best me I can be. I can do all things through You, Lord, who gives me strength. In Jesus Name. Amen.

DAILY SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

Find a quiet room, a quiet seat, or a quiet space where you and God can be alone.  Pause and sit with Him and thank Him for all of the beautiful things He has graced Your life with.  Then thank Him for the little cracks and scars as well.  Ask Him that as He heals them, that He would use them for His glory.

Practical

A Wonderful Change

By Melanie Reed

“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old”

Isaiah 43: 18 –

All this upcoming week, our Practical devotional focus will be about “Habits”.  We will be talking in our devotions each day about ‘starting new habits and breaking old ones’.  Many times, we may start a habit without recognizing it as a habit because it is something we do automatically without thinking twice about it.  Our brain switches to autopilot and we are actively engaged in some routine activity without ever remembering when it started or how it began.  I think of the many times we all have driven home from a long day at work, and after a monotonous, uneventful drive, we pull into my driveway, not remembering many of the details of the trip.  This is the way many habits are formed.  We do the same thing enough times, and now it’s been reduced to an automatic reflex. Some of those habits may be considered as good, and others may be not-so-good.

However, that’s not the case with all of our habits.  There are a few of them that we have to put forth an effort to establish.  It has been said that it takes 21 days to form a habit. This may be true for some people, but it’s probably not a rule for all.  For some people, some of their habits may only take a few days to form, and for others, it may take a lifetime.

Habits are formed for several reasons, and along the way we may have tweaked it by adding or taking something away from them.  Nevertheless, regardless of what our habits are, or when they started, there are some that are unhealthy for us and need to be broken.  There are also new habits that we need to begin in order to get us to a place where God wants us to be, or for us to accomplish certain good goals that we have set in our lives.  Every person should have a ‘good habits’ list that we keep – either mentally or actually on paper.  This is a list of things that we know we must do in order for our lives to fully honor God, and for us to accomplish the purposes that we believe He has called us to. 

These habits are not simply about our health, or our nutrition, or even diet and exercise.  They may include those things, but they could also be our personal thought-life and inner disciplines.  For some of us, it might involve reading a book once a month, or reading through the Bible in a year.  For others, it may be a financial savings habit, or some personal study habits for a particular course we are needing to pass. There are many types of habits that we all need to form, or at least reinforce in our lives.  There are other habits that we all need to break and erase from our lives.  Either way, neither of these will be done without great effort on our part.  So I would love to offer some help. Here is a step-by-step recommendation on how to break an old habit, and start a new one:

Activity: Out With The Old and In With The New

Step 1:  Identify an old habit that needs to be broken (i.e., it’s not making you your best self, it’s hindering your progress, it serves no purpose, etc.).

Step 2:  Recognize a good new habit that you can start, that will help you reach your goal or one that will have a positive impact on your life.

Step 3:  Set realistic goals in terms of timeframe and ability to practice that habit.

Step 4:  Make a commitment to yourself to stick to your new habit.

Step 5:  Keep a journal or some type of log to monitor how you are doing during this new habit-forming process.

Step 6: Make adjustments to your new habit only when necessary.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, grant me the wisdom to recognize the habits in my life that I need to change, and the strength to make those changes.  Point in the right direction for help and resources, mentorship and guidance to tackle the habits that have held me hostage, and stolen from me the ability to be all that you have destined for me to be.  Lord, let the new me begin to emerge.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

PRACTICAL ACTION TODAY

Practice asking, and thanking God daily for the wisdom to know when old habits need to be broken and new habits need to be started.  We should also be mindful that when God delivers us from something or gives us an opportunity to do and be better, then we must have every personal determination to never revisit the old, or look back and dwell on the past.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Download Fasting Guide

Listen To Sacred Whispers Playlist

As you read today's devotional, play "AMAZING" from the Sacred Whispers Playlist.

Spiritual

BREATH OF LIFE

By Matthew Pryor

(Content Taken From The Body Tithe Devotional, Spiritual Encouragement for Your Journey)

Most of us are familiar with John 14:6, where Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In other words, no one can have eternal life with the Father, except through His son, Jesus. However, have you ever stopped to consider that God is life itself? Not so much that He created life, though He did. Not that because of Him we have lives to live, though we do. It’s much more than that. God himself is life by His very nature. Then, out of that same nature, He gives us life.

Can you think of anyone who both gives life and is life? An animator brings motions to a static drawing but is not life itself. A mechanic builds an engine that powers cars, boats, and planes, but is not life itself. A gardener tends to barren land from which plants grow, but is not life itself. A more fitting analogy might be the elements. The ocean gives us water and is water itself. The sky gives us air and is air itself. The sun gives light and is light itself. The source of the attribute and the attribute itself are one and the same.

However, on their own, even the elements would be lifeless were it not for God. Without His touch, the ocean would be motionless, the sky an empty void, the sun merely a ball of gas. This is all established in the beginning: “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being”(Genesis 2:7).  The first part of the verse says, “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground.” At this point, God has created man. Also at this point, man has no life. He... just... is. Like a balloon without the helium, the man has no purpose or function.

Later in verse 7, God says “and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Man went from a thing to a being with merely a breath from God. God is not just the giver of life. God is life.

Exercise is a privilege, not a sacrifice. If you’re sore from yesterday’s workout, it’s probably hard to see it that way. After all, it’s easy to take for granted the amazing intricacies of our bodies. At any given time, without a moment’s thought, your body is doing thousands of things simultaneously. Cells are reproducing, axons and dendrites are working in sync, and the heart is pumping. Food is digesting, pupils are dilating and constricting, and the pituitary gland is regulating hormones. Kidneys are filtering blood, muscles contracting and expanding, ears processing sound waves, and on and on and on. None of this requires any thought from you. It all originates from the Breath of Life. By His breath, your cells are held together. By His breath, your synapses are firing. By His breath, your lungs are filling. By His breath, your heart is beating.

As the steward of the body God has entrusted to you, look for ways to bring Him glory. Don’t just praise Him with your body, but praise Him for it. Worship Him for the life He gave you and for the life He breathed into you. Then take joy in the honor to be included in His plan.

PRAYER

God, thank You. Your design is perfect. Will You forgive me for being a poor steward of the life You have given me? Please allow the Holy Spirit in me to bring glory to You with the body You have entrusted to me. Amen.

DAILY SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

Take moments every morning to stop and think about your body, your health, and your overall life.  Begin to thank God for the breath of life that you have been given.  Choose one specific thing that you will do differently for that day to increase your health and to bring glory to God.

Practical

THE PRINCIPLES

By Cathy Morenzie

(Content Taken From Healthy by Design: Weight Loss, God’s Way: The Proven 21-Day Weight Loss Devotional Bible Study)

God has given us immutable laws and principles to govern our lives. These principles apply to every person, every situation, and every circumstance. Even if you do not practice them per se, you will still experience the consequences if you go against them. Use these principles in your weight-releasing journey and other areas of your life to experience the victory, freedom, and peace that God has already given you. God wants to transform our lives little by little. Weight releasing is a process!

There’s nothing inspiring or motivating about the thought of slow and steady — especially when it comes to weight loss. Though it may have taken us years to gain weight, we want to lose it fast. However, to be successful, we must understand that losing weight is a process. It will not happen overnight, and we must gird ourselves to understand that the process will take time. 2 Corinthians 3:18 teaches us that God’s glory comes in levels or stages when we partner with the Lord’s Spirit.

Though there are many instantaneous miracles that happen in the Bible, you should understand that the qualities that God needs to develop in you to make your weight loss permanent will not happen miraculously. They need to be rehearsed and become ingrained in your subconscious mind. As frustrating as it may seem, it will take some time. But know that God has given you the capacity to be patient in the process once you submit the process to Him.

Understand that, though the process may seem slow, the Word tells us that God is not slow in fulfilling His promises (2 Peter 3:9). God will work in tandem with your obedience, so get ready to receive what He has for you right away! God wants us to partner with the Holy Spirit to live a victorious life. (John 14:15-25) In this scripture, Jesus tells his disciples that God will send the Holy Spirit who will live with us and be with us always. He will guide us and be our advocate and helper. If you’ve tried to release weight on your own then you know that it can be a frustrating process, often with more failures than successes.

Now imagine letting go of all the anxiety and frustration, no longer living by letting the number on the scale determine the type of mood you will be in. Imagine the confidence and peace you will feel at a social function. God’s rich promises can all be yours when you allow the Holy Spirit to partner with you in this and every other stronghold in your life. God has provided us with choices, and He wants us to choose the best way. (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Action/Consequences: From Adam and Eve to Revelation, God gives us the choice between right and wrong, blessings and curses. God created us with free will and would never impose His will on us. He lets us decide the choices we will make in life. Through our choices, we learn wisdom and understanding. Though it’s not always obvious, many of the choices we make will bring blessings or curses. Choosing to sleep in, have an extra slice of cake, or skip another workout are not curses in and of themselves, but they will weaken your discipline muscle which will eventually lead to poor health.

Conversely, and fortunately, taking the time to eat a proper breakfast, minimizing your intake of coffee, processed foods, and sugar, and exercising regularly will not miraculously bring blessings to your life, but will help you feel better. All these things will increase your energy and your mood, and help you manage your weight, and build your self-esteem, which will have many long-term blessings. It may seem daunting right now, but rest assured that God will teach you how to make good choices that will richly bless your life. God wants to use our good health to glorify Him and to be an example to others. (See 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

God dwells in our physical bodies and calls it His temple. A temple is a sacred place of beauty and majesty. God took great pride and joy in creating us, and He also wants us to treat our bodies as the sacred temples He designed them to be. We’ve all looked at other people and wondered how they could be Christians when they sin, or openly disobey his Will.  Although God Himself is not judging or condemning you, you probably know within yourself that you’re not being as effective as you want to be because your weight is getting in the way. You know that you would have more confidence, energy, stamina, and effective witnessing when you are living at the level of health that God created you to live in.

PRAYER

Lord, I am praying that you will grant me the ability to honor the principles that you have set up for our bodies and our spirits to work.  You have built our body wonderfully, and I will seek to honor you with the choices that I make, and the life that I live.  Teach me to glorify you with my health.

PRACTICAL ACTION TODAY 

Pray about an accountability partner who wants the best for you and is willing to hold you accountable for lifestyle changes that you are desiring to make.  Then, actively share with them your goals and heart’s desire to honor God with your body.  Finally, make a commitment together to change specific lifestyle habits so that you will become a healthier person.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Download Fasting Guide

Listen To Sacred Whispers Playlist

As you read today's devotional, play "GRAVES INTO GARDENS from the Sacred Whispers Playlist.

Spiritual

KEEP ON KEEPING ON

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Galatians 6:9 (ESV)

One of the benefits of our January fast is the powerful external motivation that we get to benefit from. Many Christians all over the world choose to begin their new year with a month of fasting. It seems that everywhere you look, people are focusing on committing to spend time with God every day, taking care of their physical bodies through nutrition and or exercise, making goals, and overall setting their lives in order. This year’s “New Life Fast” has been so powerful because the teaching, devotions, and overall focus have combined all of these things together for us. I come to work each day here at New Life, and not once this month has someone brought a cake to work. So, this fast is definitely working!

It’s funny to me how we all know that these things are good for our physical and spiritual health, and we really want to do them consistently throughout our year, but inevitably, at least for me, every year, once the fast is over, I find myself slipping back into my old way of living. For me, it’s the busyness of life. I struggle with the competing priorities of work, life, ministry, and family. Self-care rarely even makes the list! Do I get up early and spend an hour with the Lord reading the word or do I take that same hour for worship and intercession? Then, what about exercise? How do I put in at least 45 mins, but still read, study, worship, pray and get to work on time? Should I get up even earlier? If I do, then what about sleeping well? Maybe I should go to bed earlier, but what about time to check in with my family and others who need ministry?

It can seem like a never-ending cycle of juggling priorities that leads to frustration, especially when we know we have been called to ALL of it, even after the fast is over. In order to be different in 2022, let’s start with asking God to take our goals for spiritual growth, honoring our bodies, loving our families and others, and ask Him for a sustainable plan.  

Asheritah Ciuciu, of One Thing Alone Ministries, offers advice that can fit almost any goal that we want to remain in our lives after this fast. Planning is the key because a goal without a plan is just wishful thinking.

The 3 P’s

1. Pick Your Goal

For example, if it is consistent Bible reading, consider what your Bible habit goal is and why that's important to you. Many of us begin Bible reading plans out of guilt or obligation, but those feelings aren’t enough to keep us going when we face obstacles. What is your spiritual growth goal for the next six weeks, and why is it important to you? What is your nutrition or fitness goal, why is that important to you?

2. Pick Your Time

For many of us, morning time is best, but be realistic about your season of life and your schedule, and then pick a time you can actually commit to keeping. Perhaps lunchtime or evening works best for you, or maybe early mornings fit the rhythm of your day better. 

Whatever is the best time for you to spend time with God, pick that time and make it a reoccurring priority.

3. Pick Your Place

For Bible reading, find a space that’s well-lit and quiet for your daily devotions. Eliminate distractions by letting others know it’s your devotion time, turn off notifications on your phone, and go ahead and take the dog out now to get that out of the way! 

Keep your Bible, notebook, and anything else you need in a basket, so you’ll have everything handy.

For Exercise: Decide ahead of time what you will do and get it prepared in advance. For instance, if you will go to the gym eliminate distractions by packing a gym bag ahead of time and put your keys and shoes by the door. Some people even sleep in workout clothes!

For Healthy Eating: Consider new recipes or foods that seem appealing and create a menu and shopping list for the week before going to the store. Be sure to plan for healthy options, including take-out or frozen foods, for when unexpected things come up that prevent you from cooking or so you can enjoy time out with others and still keep your priorities.

Once you’ve decided on ‘The Three P’s’ above, you’re ready to begin your new God-prioritized habits that can be sustained throughout the year. Jesus doesn’t promise to take away our busyness or to magically make our burdens disappear, but He promises to give wisdom and divine enablement to accomplish all that he has called us to.

PRAYER:

God, meet each of us where we are and lead us into success for sustaining the things we are prioritizing for this fast. God, for many of us this is challenging. Please help us to cultivate a mindset of health and wellness in our spirit, soul, and body. Help us rely on You and Your divine enablement when it gets difficult so that we can truly live the abundant life that You promised. 

PRACTICAL ACTION TODAY 

Choose your 3 P’s and put them into practice today. 

Resist the temptation to offer excuses for why you can’t begin doing these today. You and the time you spend with God are vitally important. 

Therefore, make every effort to not put this off. Do it now, and watch how quickly and abundantly you will reap the fruit of your decision.

Practical

MAKING YOU A PRIORITY

“You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little … Because of my house, which remains in ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.”

Haggai 1:9 (NIV)

“Well-ordered self-love is right and natural.”

Thomas Aquinas

What do you think is the No. 1 reason people give for not exercising? If you said ‘time’, you’re 100 percent correct. And it may also be your No. 1 reason for not exercising and taking care of yourself as you should. 

Upon closer inspection, you’ll see that the problem isn’t really an issue of time (or lack of it), but rather an issue of values—what’s truly important to you? You see, we give our time and attention to what we deem important to us. We say we want to lose weight, but more often than not this goal gets bumped to the bottom of our ‘to-do’ list. So, the real question becomes, “How important is losing weight to you?” Even though most of us would say it’s very important, we’re so stuck in our current routine that it’s impossible to see how we could possibly fit anything else into the day. 

In his book, The Purpose Driven Life, best-selling author Rick Warren teaches us that we have just enough time to do what God’s called us to do, and if we can’t get it all done it means we’re trying to do more than God intended. Are there things in your life that take up too much of your time and don’t leave you time to do the things you really want? Then it’s time to take stock of what you really want and begin to reshape your schedule to make it a priority. When God is first in your life, He will help you to order your priorities and help you see that you need to be healthy in body, soul, and spirit in order to fulfill His calling on your life. 

In the book of Haggai, we learn an important lesson about prioritizing our time. God had given the Jews an assignment to finish the temple when they returned from captivity. Like most of us, they got busy, forgot their priorities, and grew apathetic to things that were once important to them. Through Haggai, God challenged them to action: “‘You expected much, but it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?’” declares the Lord Almighty. “‘Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.’” (Haggai 1:9) Has God been calling you to rebuild His temple, which is your body? 

PRAYER

Father, I thank You that when I put You first, You teach me how to prioritize. My steps are ordered by You. I do first things first. I seek Your kingdom above all else, and in doing so You teach me how to make the most of my day. In all I do, I worship You. My time is in Your hands and You have blessed it and given me good success. 

May my body truly become Your temple. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Additional Study 

1. Like the people of Judah, our problem is also with misguided priorities. Take some time and reflect on where God fits into your priorities. Is He first? 

2. There are consequences to not giving God first place in your lives. In the book of Haggai, we learn that the Jews’ work was not productive and they were unfulfilled with their material possessions. What are some of the consequences you’re experiencing with not putting God first? 

“You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”(Haggai 1:6) 

3. How will making God a priority help you to make yourself more of a priority? 

PRACTICAL ACTION TODAY 

Make yourself a priority this week by saying ‘no’ to many other things that are vying for your time. Your challenge today is to say ‘no’ to any competing priority that conflicts with caring for your body and making your personal health your main priority. Practice the art of saying ‘no’ this week to anything outside of work and family that comes before your health, and share your experience with an accountability partner. 

Above Content taken from:

Morenzie, Cathy. Healthy by Design: Weight Loss, God's Way: The Proven 21-Day Weight Loss Devotional Bible Study - Lose Weight for Life, Deepen Your Faith, End Overwhelm & Doubt [Christian Weight Loss Workbook) (pp. 99-102). Guiding Light Publishing. 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Download Fasting Guide

Listen To Sacred Whispers Playlist