April 2018 - Tabetha’s Devotions

April 30, 2018

I. Can’t. Do. It!

Jeremiah 17:7
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.

I. Can’t. Do. It! I stomped my feet and told the Lord! I am not capable. I don’t have the will power. I am too old. I can’t try again. I can’t go through this again. I won’t do it because I. Can’t. Do. It!

What was God’s reply? I know you can’t! But I can!

I have no confidence in me and my abilities. I don’t have the strength to do many things in my life. That is OK. I don’t have to have confidence in me. I have to have confidence in God. I must learn to rely on his strength.

Need some more proof? Here are a few more verses in the bible to convince you.

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29

My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. Psalm 119:28

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Ephesians 6:10

Buy those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

But you, LORD, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me. Psalm 22:19

So, no I can’t do it! But God can! i just have to have confidence in him and rely on his strength to get me through.

April 27, 2018

Filled With Hate, But I Must Wait

Lamentations 3:26
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.

Ever find yourself in a conversation and you are ready! You are poised! You have a million things you want to spew out of your mouth like Mount St. Helen!

You feel every word of it is true and valid. Sure, they are laced with meanness, spite, hate and maybe a little vengeance. But it is justified right?! You have been hurt, wronged and you deserve to retaliate.

Then that small, still voice whispers in your ear.

“Don’t do it. I know you are hurt. I know they wronged you. By the world’s view, you have every right to retaliate. But this is my fight, not yours. I want you to be still before me and wait patiently; do not fret that they succeed in their ways, when they carried out their wicked schemes” (Psalms 37:7).

I find myself in that situation today. Believe me, it has taken some extra strength Holy Spirit duct tape to close this mouth. I can also tell you the only way I am getting through this is repeating over and over and over again Lamentations 3:26, “it is good to wait quietly. For the salvation of the Lord.”

When that burn inside starts to churn and I feel all those words wanting to blow, I close my eyes and through gritted teeth, I repeat the verse. I pray. I tell God, I am stepping back and trying to wait quietly for you to save me.

I would love to be able to end this post with a beautiful rainbow and unicorn scene. Tell you it became easier and easier and now I am not even thinking of the person or the hurt they brought to my life.

But, I can’t.

The truth is, I am still in the middle of this battle. I am fighting! I am not going to give up! But, I am still in the middle.

If you are in the middle of a battle right now, I would love to link arms and pray with you. We can wait together quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

April 25, 2018

Yes, I Can!

Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Today is going to be short and sweet! I am combining two verses in the bible that pretty much sum up my life right now.

Psalms 37:7
Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

We all know being still is NOT an easy job. Some people even try to say it is being a “woosie!” Those people have no idea how much strength it takes to just sit back and wait.

So, when God puts me in those holding patterns I have devised a little plan. I simply repeat the second verse I want to bring up today.

Romans 8:37
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Yep! I can even be a conqueror at waiting!

This is normally where I would pump my fist in the air and say, “Bring it on!” However, I would much rather just take it on as it happens.

I may be a conqueror over impatience through Christ, but I would still prefer to not have to test that theory anymore than I have to.

April 23, 2018

Four Little Words

1 Peter 5:6-7
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.

I love these two verses. Well, I love most of these two verses. There are four little words that trip me up all the time!

At. The. Proper. Time!

Some versions say in the due time. I don’t care how you say it. It still means I have to be patient and that is NOT easy!

But I am getting better at it because I have learned the value of verse 7. Casting all my cares on him. One of my cares is I can’t wait. Sometimes it is because I am so excited and other times it is because I am frightened. Either way, I am like a kid waiting for Santa to place those gifts under my tree so I can open them up right now!

Do you know something awesome? God already knows this about me and he loves me just where I am. He knows I get anxious and he gently guides me through waiting spots in my life. I know I can always cast any cares on him and leave them there with him and he will take care of them because he cares about me.

April 20, 2018

Oh The Places You Will Go!

Ecclesiastes 3:1
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens.

This time of year means graduations. A popular gift is a simple book written by Dr. Seuss.

I found a great website that recommends some great bible verses to add to your gift:

Oh The Places You’ll Go with bible verses.

I don’t think this book is only for graduates. There are so many times in life where we take an unexpected turn. We find ourselves on a road we never imagined. It is in these times we can throw a fit and fight change or we can relax in God and enjoy the ride.

I am not suggesting there won’t be hills and bumps. I am saying change has a reason. The sooner we stop fighting it, the sooner we start learning from it.

April 18, 2018

The LORD’s Great Love

Leviticus 3:22-23
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Days turn into weeks, weeks into months and months into years. Some seasons we go through are down right tough. But we must always rememer that the LORD’s great love for us is what sees us through any stormy sea.

Tonight I would like to just pray for you just as Paul did over the Ephisians.

¹⁴For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephisians 3:14-21).

April 16, 2018

The Never Ending Story

Luke 13: 6-8

Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it.

This parable talks about a man who owns a vineyard. In it, there is a fig tree the man has been watching for three years and it has never produced any fruit. He calls to his gardener and wants the tree destroyed. However, the gardener asks for one more chance to nurture it. This is where the parable ends.

We don’t know if permission was granted.

We don’t know if the tree ever gave fruit.

It almost drove me crazy. I mean, really, there is no ending.

Then I realized that is the point. The story doesn’t end. It is a good thing that it doesn’t end. You see God owns the vineyard. Jesus is the gardener. We are the fig tree. We don’t always produce fruit. We often sin. God hates sin. He wants nothing to do with it. Jesus steps in and says he can cover our bins. He can keep working with us and molding us. He keeps giving us a chance to bloom.

This story, like ours, never ends. Jesus doesn’t give up on any of us. There is nothing you can do and nowhere you can go that he Isn’t there with you and trying to nurture you.

I am not giving up either. Not on myself. Not on my family. Not on my friends. Not even on my enemies.

April 13, 2018

Always Hope

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

HOPE is simply

Having

Obscure

Peace

Everlasting

No matter how dark life gets, I have a hope that tomorrow is a new day. It is this hope that gets me up everyday. It is this hope that carries me through everyday! It is this hope that allows me to sleep.

I can’t explain the peace that comes over me while the storms continue to rage all around. I can’t explain the joy I still find when I see only darkness around me.

I can only say thank you Lord for never leaving me. Thank you for your peace and joy. My hope is in You Lord.

And I pray may the God of hope fill you my friends with all joy and peace as you all trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

April 11, 2018

Troubles Will Come and So Will God

Psalms 91:1
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

When my life hits a rough patch, I love to read Psalm 91. It reminds me, God still rules. God is still in control. I have a place to go to breathe!

There is no such thing as a life without troubles. When those troubles hit there will be pain. There will be sadness and anger. There will be hatred and worry. There will be lots of tears.

However, the psalmist has also promised there will be God!

God will provide a refuge, shelter, protection, a place to breathe.

Yes, troubles will come, but God will be with me every step of the way.

Psalm 91
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

April 9, 2018

I am Not OK, But I will be!

Psalm 56:3-4
When I am afraid I put my trust in you. In God whose word I praise in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

There are some pains in your life
That seem to have no end.

Evertime you start to smile
the tears well up again.

This season of my life
is the worst it’s ever been

Devastaion all around
and yet I cling to Him

It is well
with my soul!
Its Well
It is Well
With my soul!

Month: April 2018

I. Can’t. Do. It!

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Filled With Hate, But I Must Wait

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Yes, I Can!

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Four Little Words

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Oh The Places You Will Go!

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The LORD’s Great Love

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The Never Ending Story

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Always Hope

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Troubles Will Come and So Will God

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I am Not OK, But I will be!

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