Pray While You’re Prey Weekly Devotions for Singles
Week Seventeen The Green-Eyed Monster Scripture: Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Quote from Pray While You’re Prey: “We shouldn’t even think about what God has given someone else other than to thank Him for blessing that person. And if the person is not of God, we really shouldn’t care about her earthly possessions because our reward is in Heaven.” This story is in the book, Pray While You’re Prey, but it bears repeating. So, there I was minding my own business in the lounge at my law school, when a classmate and so-called friend of mine burst in the room in a huff. “What’s the matter?” I asked. “I hate you,” she replied. I thought for sure that she was kidding, but she wasn’t. She began to berate me for having a husband, good grades and an active social life. She admitted, on more than one occasion, that she was jealous of me. If there was ever a clear depiction of exactly what the Bible tells us not to do in Exodus 20:17, this was it. Most of us aren’t as bold as this sister because we envy in secret. Now, before we go on getting all holier-than-thou about this sister’s attitude, we need to check ourselves. There have been MANY times when I have felt the same way, but just didn’t say it. What she didn’t know and later came to realize was that my marriage was failing and studying and having a social life were an escape for me. I learned a couple of things from this situation, though. First, jealousy often blinds us to the truth. Second, it’s called the green-eyed monster because a monster is exactly what envy turns us into. For me, the root of my jealousy is not that I am unhappy for the person who is being blessed. I find myself truly giddy when others are experiencing joyful circumstances. I am jealous because I do not know when or how my blessing will come to pass. I get jealous because it seems that everything is going so well for other people, and I am trying to live the right kind of life, yet not getting the desires of my heart. So, I really do not have a problem with the other person. I, dare I say it, have a problem with God. And, once we enter into the state where we think we know better than God, the devil has us right where he wants us. We start to see things that aren’t there like my friend saw with my “happy” marriage. (In her defense, I am one heck of an actress, so we did appear to be deliriously happy even when the complete opposite was true). In any case, the root of jealousy starts with the mentality that we deserve something or that God owes us something in our lives and we mistakenly feel that He has given it to someone else. And, if you have ever seen four-year-olds on a playground, you know how nasty things can get when a person feels that someone else has what should be hers. Here comes the monster! So, how do we fix this problem? First, stop looking around. Stop fixating on what others have. I mean, this was one of the original Ten for a reason. Second, stop looking down. We must stop looking down on others when they are blessed and stop looking down on ourselves when we do not get what we want when we want it. Finally, start looking up. Look to God for peace and patience, not possessions. He has already given us more than we deserve and He owes us nothing. Yet, He is still merciful and gracious and will provide our every need. We either believe that or we don’t. So, if we know that God will provide our every need, there is no reason to be jealous of anyone else. I have had people jealous of me (at least they were according to my mom) and I have been the jealous one. The only One with a right to be jealous is God because He is the only One who has invested enough in us to have our full, undivided attention. The green-eyed monster needs to go away for good; it is not a good look for anyone, but especially for a Christian. Prayer Thank You, God for providing all of my needs according to Your riches in glory. Please forgive me for being jealous of what others have. Lord, please help me to stay in my lane and focus on You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen *Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©1984, unless otherwise indicated.
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Pray While You’re Prey Weekly Devotions for Singles
Week Sixteen The Art of Giving Scripture: Proverbs 18:16 A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great. Quote from Pray While You’re Prey: “Be a gift in his life, not a burden.” What is the purpose of being in a relationship? God concluded very early on that it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2), so He made a helpmeet for Adam. Since then, we have been surrounded by relationships of all kinds: spouses, significant others, children, siblings, friends, and co-workers. Our lives are generally filled with all types of relationships. So, what is our purpose in being in a relationship? When I first looked at Proverbs 18:16, I was thinking about how I could prepare myself to be a great mate for someone. I needed to work on my control issues and my neediness. I wanted to be a gift to someone, and not a burden. This principle can apply to all of the relationships in our lives, including the most important one--the relationship with Christ. When we give the gifts of love and friendship freely, we not only add to the lives of those to whom we are giving, but we add to our own lives as well. There is no greater feeling that giving to meet the needs in someone else’s life. Not giving because of what you will receive in return or because of a sense of obligation, but freely giving your time, talents and treasures to be a blessing to someone else. When I am having a bad day, even if I do not always feel like it, I try to think of something that I can do for someone else. I am not trying to score brownie points with God. But, if I can be a blessing in someone else’s life, it takes my focus off of problems and points me towards praise. Oftentimes, that is how I end up writing. I might be struggling with a situation, but if I can write something to inspire someone else and draw that person nearer to God, I start to feel ushered into the presence of the great. One of our functions in any relationship is to be a gift. Even while we are single, we can be a gift to our families and friends. No one wants to continue a relationship with someone who is constantly bringing them down. I want someone to come into my life that will add to it. When people ask me about how I feel about being single and waiting for the right person, I let them know, “I have the cake; I am waiting for the icing!” As a matter of fact, God has used this season in my life to prune and mature me so much that sometimes I feel like I have the cake and the icing and I am just waiting for my ice cream. Sometimes, we approach relationships with a selfish agenda. It is all about what we can get rather than what we can give. I believe selfishness is at the center of every failed relationship. Right now is the time to ask God to use what He has already blessed you with to help others and to work on those parts of you that may cause someone else to feel burdened. If we focus more on being a gift, rather than receiving gifts, not only will we find our relationships are more fulfilling, we will find our lives to be more fulfilling. Prayer Thank You, God for every resource that You have given me, so that I can be a gift to others. Please forgive me for putting so much emphasis on what others can do for me and not using Your gifts properly. Lord, please help me to see the needs of others that I can fulfill and to live unselfishly in my relationships. In Jesus’ Name, Amen *Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©1984, unless otherwise indicated. Pray While You’re Prey Weekly Devotions for Singles
Week Fifteen God is NOT a Genie Scripture: Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Quote from Pray While You’re Prey: “I have no problem asking God for what I want because His word says that I can. If there is something he doesn’t want to give me, He will say ‘no.’” If you found a lamp, rubbed it, and a genie popped out saying, “I will grant you three wishes,” what would you wish for? Many people answer that question with, “more wishes!” Some people would wish for money, some would wish for fame, some, especially if they are reading this, might wish for a loving spouse. I would love to be all holier-than-thou and say that I would wish for world peace or something selfless, but I know me better than that. It is okay to fantasize about what you would wish for with your magical wishes; however, too many of us treat God like He is a genie. We treat him as if He is responsible for giving us our every desire. All we have to do it name it and claim it or blab it and grab it. God is NOT a genie. Yes, God wants us to come to Him with our every desire. But, God also wants us to be so in tune with Him that His desires for our lives become our desires. A genie lives in a bottle. He is summoned out when someone rubs the lamp, and then, he grants the wishes and goes back to the lamp. Can you imagine what this world would be like if God was limited to only acting upon our selfish whims? I do not even want to think about it. What if God was confined to a small lamp? The God I serve is way too big for that! Still, we read verses like Mark 11:24 and misinterpret it to mean that we can just make our three wishes, believe with all of our hearts, God will say the magic words and then our desire will appear. That is not how it works. If that were the case, yours truly would not be single and childless. We can absolutely ask God for whatever we desire, but we need to understand that if it is not in His Will, He will say “no.” When Jesus asked God to spare Him from the crucifixion, God said, “no.” Notice what Jesus prayed, though, He said, “Nevertheless, not My will, but Thy will be done.” That is the part we forget. We ask God for a myriad of people, places and things to come into our lives, but we give no thought to the fact that God wants us to live our best life; the life that will bring Him glory. Ask, seek, and knock; the Word of God says you can. Just be sure that you are asking for more of God, seeking His face and knocking on doors of opportunity to be more like Him. Then, you will have everything you desire and even more than you could ever imagine. Prayer Thank You, God for hearing my prayers of supplication. Please forgive me for being selfish when I make requests to You. Lord, please help me to know the desires You have for my life and to request that which will draw me closer to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen *Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©1984, unless otherwise indicated. Pray While You’re Prey Weekly Devotions for Singles
Week Fourteen Then I Saw A Rainbow Scripture: Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Quote from Pray While You’re Prey: “Don’t ever miss out on your blessings worrying about what someone else has. You have too much to be grateful for. If a blessing is meant for you, you will have it when God is ready to give it to you.” Some days are better than others. I thank God that I can go for weeks, sometimes months without feeling lonely. But, occasionally, it happens. Usually, when other circumstances in my life are not going the way I want them to go, I start lamenting that I would not even care about these other circumstances if I had a relationship. If I had a relationship, then I would have the support I need to pursue my dreams. Maybe, if I had a relationship, I would not even have the same dreams and none of it would matter. One morning on the way to church, which is usually when the devil tries to get all up in my ear, I was just feeling down. Though I know it is not true, I felt like no one really cared about me. I tried to listen to music and sing, which almost always makes me feel better, but it didn’t work. This was just going to be one of those funky days. I would get to church, plaster a fake smile on my face, worship, and then, go home and feel sorry for myself. In the midst of my pity party, I felt a prompting to look in the rearview mirror, and then, I saw a rainbow. Rainbows are a symbol of God’s covenant that He would never flood the Earth again; they are also a sign to me that God is sovereign and has everything under control, even when the flood waters of life start to rise. Immediately, I felt better. I knew that I did not have to worry about anything that was going on in my life. God has everything under control. Not only does He have everything under control, but He knows what He is doing. He knows what we need and when we need it. So, we can make ourselves miserable by looking around at what other people have or we can praise God for what we have. Anything, any blessing under the sun that is meant for me, will be mine in God’s appointed time. The same goes for you. Yet, we waste so much time and energy doubting that God has our best interests in mind. God is with us all the time. He will give us the strength we need to get through the tough times. And, when we can no longer carry the weight, He will hold us up. He will carry us and help us. There is no need to worry or fear or be dismayed, if God is your God. Will we feel down sometimes? Absolutely; just don’t stay down. Think of the rainbow, God’s promise that He is in control. Then, pick yourself up and enjoy living the life that He has given you. Prayer Thank You, God for being in complete control over my life and every circumstance. Please forgive me for worrying when things don’t go my way. Lord, please help me to see the rainbow, the promise of your power, in every situation in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen *Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©1984, unless otherwise indicated. |
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