Pray While You’re Prey Weekly Devotions for Singles
I know a lot of people who say that the Bible is outdated. They think that the Bible was written so long ago that it should be changed to apply to the way we live today. For me, I have come to realize that the Bible is God’s perfect, living Word. I know this because I can read the Bible, the words of which have not changed, and at different points in my life, God gives me something completely new in that passage of Scripture. It is not that the Bible that is some antiquated instrument of oppression that needs to be rewritten, it is that our hearts need to be transformed. We need to cling to God and not to this world. I will admit that it is easier said than done. Following God’s Word is not simple, but it is right. Does accepting God’s salvation and following His Word mean that life becomes sunshine and rainbows everyday? No, but it tells us this in God’s Word. Following God’s way leads to the loss of those things in our lives that are detrimental and unnecessary, but that does not make it hurt less when we lose relationships or go through suffering. However, when I start to think about whining about squeezing through the narrow gate, I think about how much more suffering Christ went through just to save my life; a worthless life that He did not need to save. Yet, His compassion was so great that He lived in a perfect way, suffered torture and died, so that I could live forever. So, what do we need to do? We need to trust God. We need to believe His Word and His promises. We need to hold on! There is a hymn that says, “Time is filled with swift transition, Naught of earth unmoved can stand, Build your hopes on things eternal, Hold to God's unchanging hand .” Yes, if you look around at the world and the people in it, it will seem like God is holding out on you. The devil has been using that lie since Adam and Eve. It seems like it is more beneficial to live the world’s way. It seems that you will have more success in life, career, and relationships if you just follow the world. It seems this way, but that is deceptive. God’s way is perfect. If we just move close to Him, and take refuge in Him, He will shield us. There will be rough times. We are human beings and we have emotions. There will be times when you feel lonely or like a failure. There will be times when it doesn’t seem like living God’s Way is worth it, but those are the times when you have to press in to Him. Continue to follow His perfect Way, continue to read His flawless Word, and continue to seek His will for your life. If you are saved, this is just the beginning of your life. There is a whole, new world after this one. You have eternity to think about and not just what this temporal life has to offer. I believe that holding on will be worth it. Prayer Thank You, God for being perfect in ALL of Your Ways. Please forgive me for trying to accomplish things in my own way. Lord, please help me to take refuge in Your loving arms, so You can shield 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
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
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
I try to get out of the house every once in a while just to be sure that I don’t become a complete hermit. Sometimes, it is easier than other times to be in public by myself. Most times, I am perfectly comfortable getting a meal or even watching a movie alone. Being alone is a part of my life and I have grown to value this time of singleness. Then, there are the times when being out in public by myself is terrifying and painful. Fortunately, those times are not nearly as often as the enjoyable times, but when they come around, I have found that I need to take a deep breath and get back to the basics. What are the basics? I have to remember that the key to fulfilling my purpose here on earth is obedience to God. In fact, that is how I show God I love Him. I mean, let’s face it, there is NOTHING I can give to God. He owns the Universe. All He ever asked us for was love. He commanded that we love Him above anyone or anything. And that love is shown when we obey Him and love His children. Many people make living this life so much more complicated than it has to be when all we have to do is love. This is not about romantic love. This is about something much deeper. This is the kind of love that causes you to take a leap of faith even though you are scared out of your mind. This is the kind of love that makes you show compassion and mercy towards people who are malicious and hateful towards you. This is the kind of love that makes you look in the mirror each day and shout praises for being fearfully and wonderfully made. All we need is love. We do not need some magic formula. We do not need a conference or convention. We do not need a strategic, hook-up plan. We need love. We need to love God first. We need to love ourselves. We need to love others. It’s just that simple. Once you start pouring out love from your life, more love is poured back into your life. That is not to say that you should go around doing good deeds because you want to benefit in some way because then, you have the wrong motives. But, just live in obedience to God each and every day. If you stumble, don’t stay there; ask God for forgiveness and keep moving forward in love. The bottom line is God is love. And, God is all we need. Everything else in life falls into place when He is at the center of it all. Choose to love and you choose live the good life, even in the rough times. It is a love that will never fail. Prayer Thank You, God for Your example of the right way to love. Please forgive me for not showing my love for You through obeying Your commands. Lord, please help me to show love to the children of God and to love myself even when I feel unlovable.. 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
I am surrounded by children constantly. At work, I have my students. On the weekends, I am around the children at church and my niece and nephews. One thing I have learned about children is that it is very difficult to stop them when they are determined to do something, even if the something that they are determined to do is dangerous. Some of us might resort to reverse psychology to try to get the children in our lives to do what we actually want them to do. Let’s face it, children, especially those of the teenage variety, would rather do anything other than what you want them to do. So, when you say, “You know what, it’s fine. Go ahead and do it,” it usually gives them more pause to think about what they are about to do. When the act was all rebellious and sexy, it was more attractive, but now that they have permission, it doesn’t seem as intriguing. Don’t get me wrong, the whole reverse psychology thing can backfire, so you have to be careful. Nevertheless, if it works to protect those you love, then it is worth it. I am actually not sure who is harder to stop from harming themselves, teenagers or toddlers. Have you ever tried to hold a three-year-old down that was determined to get away? The squiggle and squirm and scream. They know how to make their little bodies into dead weight, which makes them super difficult to hold on to, and the minute you let them go, they will do whatever it is that you told them not to do. As much as children can be difficult to corral, we older human beings are not exactly a walk in the park. I am so glad that I am not God. He clearly and plainly tells us what to do and what not to do, and like rambunctious toddlers or rebellious teenagers, we choose to do life our way. It is as if we are saying, “Lord, I don’t think You know what You’re talking about. I have a better plan.” Seriously! In the words of Dr. Phil, “How’s that working for ya?” We say we want God to be in control of our lives, but as soon as things aren’t going the way we want them to go, we try to take over and do things our way. Rather than accepting where God has us in our lives and praising Him for all that He has given us, we start squirming and squiggling and screaming, trying to get out of His grip. What we fail to realize is that the tight grip He has on us is there to protect Him. We ask God to protect us, but then try to tell Him how to do it. I cannot speak for anyone else, but this I know, God can and will do EVERYTHING He says He will do. God’s way is the best way. If I want His protection, He will be my shield. But, I, like many others seem to forget this when I am having a fit of rebelliousness or just plain having a fit. I try to fight everything that God is doing in my life instead of just pressing in to Him and resting in Him knowing that He has everything under control. How many things have you tried to do on your own that came out perfectly? I can think of none. We have a loving Father who promises life more abundantly if we will just live His way. He is so loving that He still takes us back after we try to live without Him. The truth of the matter is that we either trust Him or we don’t. I pray that each day we choose to trust in His promises because the Father knows best. Prayer Thank You, God for protecting me, even when it means protecting me from me. Please forgive me for not trusting that you know best. Lord, please help me to accept where you have me and when I get squirmy, squeeze me tight and don’t let go. 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
Olympian Lori “Lolo” Jones, 29, made headlines a little while ago, and not because she made it to the London Olympics, where she could redeem herself in the 100-meter hurdles, after having fallen while in the lead at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Lolo was in the headlines on the news, on the radio, on the Internet because she said that staying a virgin is harder than training for the Olympics. Now, I am not what anyone would consider an athlete; I played three years of sub-par volleyball in eighth through tenth grade and I did win the Presidential Physical Fitness Award in sixth grade, but that is the extent of my athletic ability. When I watch track stars, or any other athlete for that matter, I cannot imagine the level of training that they go through to win races on the national and international levels. So, when she says that it is difficult, but staying pure is even more difficult, you know that staying a virgin is not easy. Many people wanted to chalk Lolo’s virginity up to some training ritual, but she very clearly stated that she does not intend to have sex before marriage because of her relationship with Christ. Now, people want her and Tim Tebow, the world’s most famous virgin, to date. I am not really interested in Lolo’s potential love life with Timmy, but her love life with Jesus is inspiring. Lolo Jones is right. Staying pure is complicated. It is complicated if you have never had sex. It is complicated when you are in a relationship. It is especially complicated if you have had sex and are trying to live obediently. God is not a cruel god. He is not trying to keep something wonderful and magical from us, but He wants us to enjoy it as married people. God knows the complexities of having a sexual relationship with someone. Those complexities are best handled by people who have committed themselves to each other through marriage. Lolo and Tim get that. It took me a long time, and several slip-ups, but I get it, too. To know that you are being obedient to God and showing Him that you love Him more than any person on this earth makes purity more precious than an Olympic gold medal or a Superbowl ring. You might not feel like you are capable of living according to God’s Will as it applies to sexual intimacy, but God is able to help you through it. It is one of many narrow doors of Christianity, but the benefits of obedience far outweigh the momentary pleasure of disobedience. No one said it is easy, but it is totally worth it! NOTE: I wrote this several weeks ago and it just so happens that it is getting posted as the Olympics are wrapping up. Tell me that's not God's timing. Lolo didn't take the medal stand, but I am confident that God has a bigger prize for her than silver, gold or bronze! Prayer Thank You, God for giving me the opportunity to show You how much I love you by keeping my body pure. Please forgive me for the times when I have not lived according to Your Will. Lord, please help me to be strong enough to refrain from sex until marriage. In Jesus’ Name, Amen *Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©1984, unless otherwise indicated.
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