Pray While You’re Prey Weekly Devotions for Singles
Week Forty Two It’s Not You, It’s Me Scripture: 1 Samuel 8:7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me... Quote from Pray While You’re Prey: “I’m leaning and depending on God to send me someone who truly appreciates me and knows how to treat me.” I personally have not been the subject of many sorry excuses for a break up. In my whole, three, real, serious relationships, I have always been the one to call it quits officially. And, in my not-so-real relationships, I never really got a reason; generally, the guy just stopped calling or returning calls. I have heard, however, that a line that is often used in ending relationships is, “It’s not you, it’s me.” This like is usually given with the party doing the breaking up does not want to hurt the feelings of the party with whom he or she is breaking up. So, rather than explain why the relationship did not work, the person begins to list all of his or her faults, flaws, or emotional baggage. I suppose this is done to make the person that he or she is leaving feel like the relationship was a mistake in the first place and he or she is really doing this jilted party a favor. Well, it is my understanding that this particular method of ending a relationship, though popular, may not have the intended effects. For example, the jilted party may feel ignorant for not noticing how messed up his or her partner had been. Or, the party being left may feel that he or she should get the opportunity to “fix” the other person. In the end, someone’s feelings will be hurt anyway, so honesty is the best policy. While the “it’s not you, it’s me” break up may not be as useful as people think, the concept may help many single Christians understand why they are still in a state of singleness. Do you have people telling you that you are too picky? Has someone broken up with you or not even asked you out because you are too uptight or conservative? If you are living the life that God has asked you to live, the people who don’t want to date or marry you are not rejecting you; they are rejecting the God in you. Some people simply cannot handle the life that you live by faith. And, I am not saying to get all high and mighty and stick your good Christian nose in the air, but I am saying that some people cannot handle the masterpiece that God made you to be. So, let’s really examine this: Do you really want to spend the rest of your life or even one more minute with someone who is threatened by your relationship with Christ? I, for sure, do not. So, the next time someone rejects you or breaks up with you, hear God’s voice saying, “It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me.” If you desire to be in a relationship, it should be with someone who loves and appreciates you for all that you are through Christ. And, as such, that person should treat you like the precious commodity that you are to your Father. If he or she cannot accept the God in you, then it is best for that person to keep it moving, so the one that God has for you can enter into your life. Prayer hank You, God for Your grace and Your mercies that help me to live a life that is pleasing to You and only You. Please forgive me for getting caught up in the rejection of those who are in love with this word. Lord, please help me to hold out for someone who is willing to seek You to find me. 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 Forty One Who Can Quench My Thirst For Love? Scripture: Song of Solomon 8:7 Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away… Quote from Pray While You’re Prey: “Some of the most beautiful love poetry and stories can be found right in the Bible. If you’re looking for a good romance novel, thumb through Song of Solomon sometime….I mean, I wouldn’t mind having a man after me who thought that “many waters cannot quench love; neither can the floods drown it.” Have you ever read Song of Solomon? Some of it is a bit racy and, admittedly, could make you uncomfortable. Nevertheless, the book has some of the most beautiful representations of love and courtship that have ever been written in any literary work. In Chapter 8, verse 7, it says, “Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away.” That is some deep love! You know when you are thirsty, I mean dehydrated, it seems like nothing will satisfy your thirst. You may drink a soda, and it is sweet, but you are still thirsting for something else. You may drink milk, and it can usually take away a bad taste in your mouth or soothe a burning mouth, but you still are not satisfied. You can drink juice and you usually feel good about its nutrients, but it does not fill you. You can drink tea or coffee and they make you feel all warm and fuzzy and give you energy, but the thirst is not quenched. When you are really thirsty, the only thing that will satisfy that thirst is pure, unadulterated water. For a lot of my life, I was thirsty for love. For as long as I can remember, I just wanted to have a boyfriend to date or a husband to marry. My whole existence became my search for the perfect mate. I have dated sweet guys who have made me feel beautiful and smart. They told me everything I longed to hear, so that they could get what they wanted from me. And, after my experiences with them, I felt empty. I have dated some people on the rebound, who literally only came into my life to help me get over the person before them. Those relationships never lasted long and I always wanted something more. I have tried to date people who are “good for me.” The ones that look good on paper and it seems that the two of you should match, but there just is not that spark. I have dated the guys that reenergized me; those who knew how to make me feel all warm and fuzzy. I have had a couple of relationships in which I truly felt that I grew as a person. But, alas, I am still single, so clearly they did not last. None of these relationships could quench my thirst for love. I found out why. The innate desire that we have to love and be loved comes from being formed in the image of God and Christ. God is Love. Jesus Christ is Love. No man or woman can satisfy a Christian’s need for love. Only the Living Water will end the thirsting in your soul. You can drink a whole entire river or potential mates, have floods and floods of dates, but until you fall wholly and completely in love with the true and living God, no other love (or like or lust) will be satisfying. It is in Him alone that we find the sole satisfaction for our souls. Once, we know that love and fully experience that level of love, we will not feel thirsty whether in a relationship or single. Any relationship that comes our way will be an added bonus, but, even if we do not have a relationship with a significant other, we can still feel full and whole. Prayer Thank You, God for loving me with a love with which no other can compare. Please forgive me for longing for something or someone else to satisfy a thirst that is only quenched by You. Lord, please help me to know that I am whole with Your love and Your love alone. 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 Forty Still Blessed Scripture: 1 Peter 3:13-14 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Quote from Pray While You’re Prey: “I cannot stress enough that if you follow God’s will, He will bless you.” Have you gotten them? I have. The looks that scream, “I wonder what is wrong with her,” or, “She must have some major issue.” Or, have you gotten the whispers behind your back that are trying to figure out why you are still single, or, why you are single with no children? Worse yet, has someone come up to your face and told you why you are still single, or, that at the rate you are going, you will never have children of your own. It’s amazing to me what people think is their business. And, often, they truly believe they are doing you a favor. They feel like you are not painfully aware of your singleness, so they should help you figure out your situation. The proverbial “they” says things like, “Stop being so uptight and picky, girl,” or, “Don’t you think it’s time for you to settle down, man.” “They” say these things when, ultimately, the timing and length of your single season as a Christian is between you and the God who made you. No one else gets a say. What “they” fail to realize, other than it is none of their cotton-picking business, is that maybe, just maybe, you are being obedient. I cannot speak for everyone who is single; however, for those of us who are trying to live in God’s will for our lives, we should be eager to do this single thing God’s way. God promises us so many times and in so many ways that if we are obedient to Him, we are still blessed. Imagine that you compromise and settle for someone who does not match the one for whom you have prayed to God. Exactly how blessed, joyful, and peaceful do you feel that relationship will be? How long do you think it will last? Sure, it might temporarily ease the pain and suffering of loneliness, but at what cost? If a man settles down to soon, before he is ready to love his wife as Christ loved the church, how will that relationship fare? I can tell you from experience that it does not end well in many cases. So, no matter what anyone in this world says, if you are living in your single season in a way that is pleasing to God, no one can harm you. Do not let the pressures of this world make you feel like there is something wrong with you because you do not have a mate or children. God makes everything beautiful in His timing. One day, the times of suffering will be a distant memory. In the meantime, if someone has the nerve to point out that you are “still single,” kindly remind that person that you are also, “still blessed!” Prayer Thank You, God for the comfort in knowing that there is a blessing in obedience. Please forgive me for allowing others to infiltrate my beliefs about where You have me in this season of my life. Lord, please help me to appreciate all of the blessings and mercies that you give me daily as I follow Your will. 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 Thirty Nine Don’t Hold Back Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:10 …Nothing halfhearted here; you must return to God, your God, totally, heart and soul, holding nothing back. Quote from Pray While You’re Prey: “If we are among those chosen by God to have eternal life, our goal should be to please God and to be obedient. It is not easy, but it is also not impossible.” When I was in high school, I had three friends with whom I was very close. We were, in fact best friends, from the beginning of freshman year. At some point during my junior year, though, those friends decided that they no longer wanted to be friends with me. Looking back, I can see what lead to this decision, but, at the time, I just felt betrayed, hurt and abandoned. In the weeks after turning their backs on me, two of the three friends, asked for forgiveness and we reconciled. Though, we remain close throughout the rest of high school, our relationships were never the same, and shortly after high school, we lost touch. The reason our relationship was not the same on my end is because I never felt like I could totally be myself or totally trust that I would not lose my friends again. I would hold back certain opinions about their actions. I would dampen certain aspects of my personality because I did not want to feel the hurt I had felt again. The way I was treated by my friends pales in comparison to the many ways I have betrayed God. Though I have known the Lord for a very long time, there were several periods in my life when I turned my back on Him. In those times, I justified my actions because I felt angry with God that I had not gotten my way or I felt that my obedience was not rewarded, and therefore, was not worth it. I would throw bratty, hissy fits and just walk away from God. However, God never walked away from me. Each and every time I realized how foolish I was being, He welcomed me back into His arms. And, He didn’t hold anything back. Once I reconciled with God, He did not hold back His blessings and His favor. There were absolutely consequences for my disobedience because He did not hold back His chastisement and discipline either. You see, unlike us, God was not afraid to still be a good friend to me and to continue to give me all of Him. He was not afraid that I would leave again because He knew that my love for Him and His love for me would always bring me back. So, in return, it is my responsibility to show my love towards Him wholeheartedly, through obedience, holding nothing back. We are not stuck here on Earth feeling our way around in the dark. God has given us rules to abide by and boundaries to stay within because He loves us and wants the best for us. We owe God our all; our everything should belong to Him, including our love, which is shown through obedience. We must love God totally and hold nothing back. We cannot allow the influences of this world to cause us to be halfhearted towards God. No one in the world has given you or me a sacrifice like God has given us. It was a sacrifice that we did not even deserve. So, though, you may feel that you wish your life was in a different place right now, it is not an excuse to fail to give God your all. Don’t hold back. Prayer Thank You, God for giving me boundaries and for giving structure to my life, so that I know what I must do. Please forgive me for being disobedient, for turning away from You and for the times when I am not fully and totally committed to Your will. Lord, please help me to keep Your commandments and to walk on the path that you have set out for me. 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 Thirty Eight No One Else Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people Quote from Pray While You’re Prey: “I can only imagine how God feels when we act ashamed of Him or brush Him off, choosing things of this world over Him, because He definitely loves us and showed us the ultimate demonstration of love when he sacrificed His only Son.” I am not sure when you are reading this, but I wrote it the night before Palm Sunday. The prior week, I had writer’s block and could not think of anything encouraging to write; so, though I was frustrated about it, I decided that I should not write a devotion and try again later. I did not want to just throw something together. I wanted to be inspired by God to write what people need to hear. So, I tried again today. I scrolled down the page to my planned topic for this week of the devotions and I saw No One Else. I immediately knew that I needed to write this on the weekend of Palm Sunday, which is celebrated the week prior to Resurrection Day (or as most people refer to it, Easter). Palm Sunday celebrates the time when Jesus was praised, about a week before those same people praising Him would shout, “Crucify Him!” Jesus, the blameless, Almighty, all-powerful, Son of God would be heralded as a savior one week and pay the ultimate sacrifice the next week. And, He chose to be that sacrifice despite the fact that the very people He came to save treated Him like garbage. But, let’s not be so haughty as to condemn those people before we look in the mirror and ask ourselves how we treat Jesus. This devotion series is not just about being content while you are single; it is about allowing yourself to be devoted to Christ. It is about finding comfort and solace in Him. Have you ever praised Jesus one week only to ignore Him the next? Perhaps, it did not even take a week. Maybe it was a few days or a few hours or, dare I say, just a few minutes. We, and I am including me, are quick to offer praise when Jesus is being who we think He should be. Yet, we are quick to question Him when the circumstances of our lives are not how we wish them to be. When we do that we are no different that the people who laid down palm branches to honor Him one day and spit on Jesus just a few days later. Jesus could have said, “Daddy, I don’t want to do this.” Make no mistake about this, Jesus did not have to die for our sins. He showed a love that we cannot even fathom. He showed a love that NO ONE ELSE would dare show. Can you imagine dying for the people who treat you like dirt? I can’t, but Jesus did. He gave Himself as a ransom for you and me and for all people; for anyone who would accept Him as Lord and Savior. So, really examine your heart. Do you appreciate that no one else has done for you what Jesus did? No boyfriend, girlfriend, significant other or spouse could even come close to that kind of love. So, shouldn’t we be more desperate to get close to the One who died for us than we are for our human relationships. It is not that relationships are bad. I will be so grateful when God sends me my forever husband, but I cannot forget His sacrifice because no one else will ever love me that. Prayer Thank You, God for Your Son, Jesus Christ, the One and Only mediator. Please forgive me for taking Your Sacrifice for granted and complaining or thinking that You don’t love me because I don’t get my way. Lord, please help me to always remember Your loving gift at Calvary’s cross and to Honor You above all others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen *Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©1984, unless otherwise indicated. Find this song and more music on the Toni LaShaun Music website. Pray While You’re Prey Weekly Devotions for Singles
Week Thirty Seven When Fear Leads to Safety Scripture: Proverbs 14:26-27 Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death. Quote from Pray While You’re Prey: “I do not speak of fear in the sense of being scared, but in the sense of reverence and respect. Reverence and respect for God and God’s Word lead to strong confidence, refuge, contentment, and salvation from death.” My dad has a booming voice. Small children are often afraid when he speaks in his “Mufasa” voice. For a lot of my life, it was that voice that kept me out of trouble. Not wanting to hear the disappointment in my father’s voice or not wanting to hear the discipline in my father’s voice was the cause for many decisions that I made in my life. I did not and do not fear my father, but he commands such authority that I do have an incredible level of respect for his opinion and his guidance. Even though, when little children hear that big, booming voice, it scares the bejeezes out of them, they also know that the man behind that voice will protect them and care for them. There have been many occasions when I have seen my niece and nephews go from crying because my dad raised his voice to cuddling up in his lap of safety in a matter of seconds. It is because the voice may be scary, but the children innately know that behind that big voice is an even bigger heart that truly cares about their well-being. It is the same with our relationship with God. If you read the Bible, and see how God dealt with disobedience, especially in the Old Testament, you might be fearful of Him. But, the proper response is to be obedient because of reverence for God. We should listen to His commands for our lives because we respect that He knows what is best. When we come to that place of reverence and respect, then God can keep us safe. When we surrender to His Will, we can lay at His feet and just worship without having a concern for any calamity or uncertainty that may surround our lives. This is the kind of fear that leads to safety. If you ever watch scary movies, you will see that when people are being chased and are scared, they sometimes make irrational decisions that put them in more danger. For example, they run up stairs or into woods. This is not the type of fear that God desires for us to have of Him. He wants us to have a respectful fear of Him. He does not want us to be so scared that we jump into irrational decisions and unnatural situations. He wants us to allow Him to guide us into His safety. He wants us to experience our best lives the lives He has planned for us. Prayer Thank You, God for being a God whom I can love and respect. Please forgive me for allowing irrational fear to cloud my judgment. Lord, please help me to know that there is safety in Your arms and that You will always lead me on the best path. 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 Thirty Six Clean Inside Scripture: Matthew 23:26 First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. Quote from Pray While You’re Prey: “Jesus Christ was proof that we could be human and not be filthy. Jesus Christ was proof that we could be blameless and clean.” When I was younger, my mom gave me and my siblings different chores to do. First and foremost, our rooms had to be clean. We have to have our beds made, our clothes picked up, and all of our toys and what not put away before we could even think about asking to go outside and play or hang out with our friends. In addition, we had our weekend chores. My chores included cleaning one of the bathrooms and dusting. Plus, we took turns doing the dishes. I hated doing chores, but, since my parents paid me an allowance (and all of the other household bills), I had to do my part to take care of the house. But, I vowed that when I had my own home, I would not make my bed every day. When I was younger and I wanted to play, but didn’t feel like thoroughly cleaning my room, I would just make my bed, and then, shove things under the bed and in the closet to make it look like I had done my chores. Unfortunately for me, both of my parents were Navy veterans, so I rarely got away with it. Many of us try to dress up our outside while completely ignoring our inside and we call it cleaning up our lives. We make sure that we say the right things, hang out with the right people, and get caught doing the right activities. But, what is the use of looking clean on the outside when you are dirty on the inside? Surely, we will all make mistakes because none of us are perfect. Still, we need to make every effort to clean up the messes in our lives. A season of singleness is a fantastic time to do so. The single season is the perfect time to really focus on ourselves; not for the purpose of being selfish, but for the purpose of being more like Christ. We can go to our Father and ask Him to reveal to us the dirty places in our lives that we have hidden so well that we forgot they were there. I have to warn you, though, if you ask God for this, you must be prepared to be shocked. Every time I think I am all cleaned up, I ask God to show my where I am falling short. And, when I do so, it is usually because I am fully confident that I have little to no dirty areas. But, oh my! God will place some people and some situations in your life to reveal the dirt that is still lingering well beneath the surface. I don’t know about anyone else, but when God does bless me with a mate, I want to be the best person that I can be. Actually, if God never sends me a mate, I still want to be the best I can be for Him. Has this ever happened to you? You’re super thirsty, so you go to the cabinet and pull out a cup. You fill the cup with your favorite drink, take a couple of sips and then look in the cup and find some gunk the dishwasher left behind. The cup sure looked clean from the outside, but none of that matters if there is some nastiness on the inside. The same goes for us. We must all make sure that we are clean inside and God gave us a perfect example and a perfect sacrifice to be sure that we could be. Prayer Thank You, God for sending Your Son to be an example of how to truly live a clean life. Please forgive me for trying to cover up the dirt in my life, as if you are not omniscient. Lord, please help me to never be haughty enough to think that there is not something inside of me that can be cleaner. 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 Thirty Five When I Call You Scripture: Psalm 138:2 When I called, You answered me; You greatly emboldened me. Quote from Pray While You’re Prey: “There have been many nights when I woke up with a problem, or some sudden clarity, or just wanting to talk. It was a wonderful feeling to know that I had a friend who wouldn’t curse me out for calling so late, who would listen to every word I had to say, and who would lead me down the best path that I could choose.” Every day when I get off work, I call my mom for a daily debrief. It gives me a chance to find out about her day, give her a rundown of my day. I get a chance to vent if something out of the ordinary happens and my mom is a fantastic listener. It is a very rare occasion that she interrupts me or offers unsolicited advice. She talks and I listen. Then, I talk and she listens. It is fantastic. But, there are some times when I need someone to talk to and it is way too late to call my mom or even one of my friends. As fantastic as it is to talk to my mommy, it is awesome to know that I have a Heavenly Father that I can call on at anytime. I really am not much of a talker anymore. I am a very introverted person and my mom is the main person with whom I talk for an extended period of time. I much prefer to write, e-mail, message, or text. And, the beautiful thing about God is that I never have to open my mouth to communicate with Him. All I have to do is open my heart. We all need someone that we can reach out to at any time. While it is nice to have a family member or friend who we can always call, God desires to be the first Friend that we think of when we want to talk. He will always be available. If we have something great happen, He wants us to bring it to Him. When something hurts us, He wants us to bring it to Him. When we are excited, He wants us to share it with Him. When we are confused, He wants us to come to Him. It’s not that it is wrong to speak to someone else because God can use others to speak what He needs us to hear, but God wants us to seek His face first. In the Psalm, it says, “When I called, You answered me….” How many of your friends and family members can you say that about? Even though we may have the best intentions, it’s impossible for us as human beings to be there for each other all of the time. So, thank God for God. Thank God for His omniscience and omnipresence. Thank God that He can hear me call and you call and answer all of us at the same time. He’s just good like that. And, just like the psalmist, once we realize that when we call on the name of Jesus, something awesome is bound to happen, we can finally step boldly before the throne of grace and make our requests known to God. We can call on Him knowing that, whether it’s early in the morning, late in the evening or in the middle of the day, He will listen and He will answer. You are never alone. God hears you when you call Him. Prayer Thank You, God for answering me every single time I call on You. Please forgive me for seeking help from anyone other than You. Lord, please help me to remember that You will always be there for me and have my best in mind. 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 Thirty Four Purify Scripture: 2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. Quote from Pray While You’re Prey: “Each and every human who confesses the Lord Jesus Christ as his or her Savior has a never-ending obligation to seek holiness and righteousness in every deed.” During the Lent season, forty days before Easter, many people of all different religions think of something to give up for forty days. I did not grow up observing Lent, so I do not know the purpose and I am sure that each person must search his or her heart to know their true purpose of observing Lent. From what I have observed, most people go on this fast in order to grow closer to God, which is always a good thing as far as I am concerned. Some people choose to give up particular foods or drinks: fatty foods, fried foods, chocolate, carbonated drinks, or alcoholic drinks. Some people give up behaviors like watching television or hanging out with certain people. I can see how in choosing to sacrifice things that we love we can honor God and grow closer to Him as we deny our fleshly desires. But, why limit ourselves to just the Lent season. Each and everyday of our lives, we should be seeking to live a life that is a holy and acceptable sacrifice to God. We should constantly be seeking to purify ourselves. We should take inventory of our lives and notice any person or habit that has become an idol to us. We should be honest with ourselves and decide daily if we are putting God first in our lives or if we are living to please someone else, even if that someone else is the person we see in the mirror. God sent Jesus to this earth to walk in human form and to show us that our lives can be lived without the filth and grime of sin. Yes, Jesus was God Son, but he was also human and faced with every temptation with which any of us could ever possibly be faced. And yet, Jesus was able to pass every test this world threw at Him, even unto death just so that He could show us how to live and to help us know that He is there for us. Admittedly, there have been times when I thought about fasting from certain foods or behaviors and the thought of not getting my daily nap or not getting to eat a Snickers bar has been terrifying. However, there is nothing scarier than knowing that I am consciously making the choice to include filth in my life on a daily basis and I am justifying it by pointing out all of the “good things” that I do. No, napping, eating candy, or drinking soda is not the filth; allowing ungodly thoughts, words and actions into my life is the filth. So, rather than trying to fast once a year, we all need to purify daily. We need to grow in Christ and grow closer to Christ. We must seek holiness and righteousness in every deed, and the only way to accomplish that successfully is through Christ who gives us strength. Prayer Thank You, God for giving us all an example of One who could live life free from all impurities. Please forgive me for ignoring areas of sin in my life. Lord, please help me to purify and die to self daily, so that I can live in holiness and reverence for 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 Thirty Three Know Your Worth Scripture: Esther 1:12 But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger. (Read Esther Chapter 1) Quote from Pray While You’re Prey: “I have met many [people who do not feel] worthy to truly have the best that God has to give... ” She walked into the gym, and the guys gawked and the women squawked. I looked up and thought, “Oh my, what was that poor child thinking when she left the house.” She was dressed to the nines for a basketball game, and I guess there is nothing wrong with that; to each her own. What was wrong was that it was freezing cold, yet, her clothes were thin and her midriff was exposed, along with all of her other assets. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that this young woman was, in fact, young. It broke my heart to see her flitting about, scantily clad, and flirting with anyone who would give her attention. I was nearly brought to tears to see this young sister sending out all of the wrong messages and not seeming to care what anyone thought of her. There is nothing wrong with being an individual. In fact, being unique is wonderful. Still, each and every day, I see young women and young men who devalue themselves by how they speak, how they dress and how they act. With this particular young lady, once I saw how the adult who accompanied her was dressed, I realized that she either didn’t know any better or didn’t care to know any better. But, we as the human race, and especially those of us who claim to be Christians, need to do better. Do we not understand that, when people see how you dress, act, talk, and walk, they make a decision about the God you serve based on how much you value yourself? I love the story of Queen Vashti. Knowing that she had everything to lose for disobeying the king, she refused to make a spectacle of herself in front of him and his friends. Queen Vashti took a stand that too many of us, men and women, are unwilling to take. She knew that she was worthy of far more than being a showgirl for her husband. We, single Christians, and any Christian for that matter, must take and stand and know our worth. When you are invited into a situation that will devalue you, run--don’t walk--away! God will never bring someone into your life that is going to desire for you to act in a way that makes you look foolish. God does not give us mates that are willing to mortify us in front of their friends or family or co-workers. And, if you know your worth, you will not allow yourself to be put in such a predicament. Could it cost you your relationship? Yes! But, which relationship is more important, your relationship with someone who objectifies you, or, your relationship with the One who made you who you are. You must remember, as W.C. Fields said, “It ain’t what they call you; it’s what you answer to” that matters. The only way that we will ever receive the blessed mate that God wants to send us is if we know our worth. Too many single Christians think that they are unworthy of God’s best and that kind of negative thinking can do unfathomable levels of harm. So, look yourself in the mirror, and remind yourself that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. And, never ever let anyone convince you otherwise! Prayer Thank You, God for helping me realize that I am worth of love and respect. Please forgive me for allowing people in my life that do not respect me and for disrespecting myself. Lord, please help me to hold my head up high and always stand for what is right. In Jesus’ Name, Amen |
Pray While You're Prey Weekly DevotionsI pray that this 52-week devotional honors Him and blesses you. Enjoy! Archives
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© Toni L. Wortherly and PWYP Weekly Devotions, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Toni Wortherly and Ms. EV's Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Pray While You're Prey Weekly Devotions by Toni L. Wortherly is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. |