Tabetha’s Devotions

Matthew 6:14

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

I must have read today’s verse in Matthew hundreds of times. I know I have also taught and been taught on it. Today, I read it a new way for the very first time.

I have always read it as I forgive so that God can forgive me for a later offense. Today, I read it as God will forgive me for not forgiving the person in the first place. Now, you may have always read it that way. I am not sure why I haven’t but I am so glad I did today. I am not sure why I ever was so arrogant to think that I didn’t need forgiveness for not forgiving someone.

Unforgiveness is a horrible thing. It eats away at your soul. It creates anger, hate, and in stirs up all the pain in a situation. I am not saying forgiving is saying what the person did was OK. I am saying it is not OK to let the person control you anymore. Believe me, that is exactly what is happening. You are giving that person the power to steal your peace when you don’t forgive. It also means you are harboring hate in your heart. When we forgive, God forgives us for our hatred.

I know it will not be easy. But today, you need to at least be willing to be willing to forgive. Let God handle the rest. he can help you. I promise. He doesn’t want to see anyone carry around all that pain.

Lord, I struggle at times with forgiveness. Please know I am always willing to be willing to forgive with Your help. ~amen

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1 Samuel 2:2

There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

Dwayne Johnson may call himself the rock. Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend. BUT, let’s be honest here, there is no Rock like our Rock. There is no Rock like our God!

I have had a couple of days that culminated into a temper tantrum today. I haven’t slept in a couple of days, and little things have been piling up. When yet another thing went wrong today, I peeled out of a parking lot heading straight for Dunkin Donuts only to get behind a truck with a sign painted across its tailgate, “Don’t worry, God is still in control.” Yes, I do believe God has a sense of humor.

I also know God was trying to remind me that when I was finished with my tantrum, He would still be there. He would still be my Rock and support me even right now, right where I stood. I was on solid ground and nothing was going to change that.

So go ahead, throw that tantrum and let it all out. You are on solid ground. God will hold you up!

Thank You, Lord, for being my rock. I know when all around is sinking sand, on Christ the solid Rock I stand. ~amen

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2 Corinthians 13:14

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Today’s verse, 2 Corinthians 13:14, is a powerful verse to pray over anyone and everyone. I would even recommend praying it over yourself. I want you to read it in the Message Bible though:

“The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.”

This just overwhelms my heart and gives me goosebumps all over. The strength in those words just empowers me to my inner core.

We have all we need in the Trinity. We find our grace when we screw up. We find a never ending supply of love when the world lets us down. Don’t forget a friendship that goes so much deeper than any friendship here on Earth. Seriously, we can face down anything life throws at us. It won’t be easy, but we are always and forever victorious because of the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you. So, time to tell Satan, “CHECKMATE!”

I am so thankful for the grace, love, and friendship I have with YOU. It is because of this I am prepared to tell Satan, “CHECKMATE!” ~amen

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John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Peace has been left and freely given. You don’t have to earn it. You don’t have to bargain for it. You don’t have to beg, borrow, or steal it. It is already yours for the taking. You just have to accept it.

So, I looked up acronyms for PEACE. There were a lot of them. I combined a couple and came up with my own.

              P- Problematic
              E- Emotional 
              A- Analysis
              C- Choosing 
              E- Equilibrium

Basically what I am saying is no matter what the problem is that I am facing, I am choosing peace. I mean why not? It is there for me just waiting for me to take it. I do not have to accept the fear, panic, or anxiety that Satan is handing out. I have a choice here. I choose Peace. As a matter of fact Satan, “I reject your reality and substitute my own” (Adam Savage of Mythbusters).

Lord, today I choose peace over Satan’s lies and fears! ~amen

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Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Are you ready to step up? Are you ready to step out? Do you understand exactly what you are going to face when you dd? I can promise you one thing, you will be asked.

God has a plan for each of us and we will be called. Our job is to be ready when we hear the call. Preparing is not an easy thing. It is not for the weak. The tests of today are tomorrow’s testimony. Yes, I said tests. Often tests by fire, as they say, will come your way.

I am sorry to tell you, but your life will never be filled with rainbows and unicorns, as a Christian. I am excited to tell you that you will have everything you need to face any challenge thrown at you. You just have to be ready and open when it comes. You also have to be ready to be fed, taught, trained, and tested for when the time comes.

What is God asking you to do today? Are you being asked to prepare or go out and fight? It doesn’t matter which it is today. What matters is you are ready to stand up and say, “Send me!”

Lord, I have only one prayer today. Send me! I don’t know where or what you have prepared for me, but I am ready by your strength. ~amen

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Romans 8:31
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

I want to point out that I realize my mind probably works a little differently than yours. I know I deal with mental illness and honestly have no idea how a “normal” brain functions. However, I am sure you all still have periods of fear, anxiety, and panic. Our first responses may all be different but I do know one response we can all use. Look Satan straight in the face of that fear and say, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

The emotion of fear around you is very real. The trigger is real. However, we do not have to live in the fear. We do not have to let the fear control the situation or us. We have a safety net we can grab On to, God. In the middle of the storm, we can yell, “Wait!” We can take a breath. We can even pull the old childish statement, “My Daddy is bigger than your daddy.”

Yes, we will still face down that object of our fear. We will not do it alone. We have God standing before us and surrounding us. We can honestly say, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

I know fear is a natural part of life. I also know that with You, God, I can stare that fear right in the face and know it has no chance against me. ~amen.

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2 Chronicles 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Humble

1. having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance.

2. of low social, administrative, or political rank.

3. (of a thing) of modest pretensions or dimensions.

How is it that such a small word, with a rather simple meaning, becomes such a huge stumbling block for so many people?

Running and asking for help when we are in need sounds like a very logical thing to do. We look at our situation and weigh out the possible positive outcome of us accomplishing a task alone compared to using the advantage of help from someone else. If we can see that with help is the obvious, and quite often the only outcome with a positive end, why wouldn’t we ask for help? Why? Because we are inherently arrogant people. We think we must tackle everything on our own. We become weak when we show any need in our life.

I would like to propose today that humbling does not make one weak. As a matter of fact, it shows strength! It takes a lot of strength to admit you cannot do something alone. You are admitting that there is someone out there who is more capable of handling something. You are admitting you are not GOD!

So take the time today and humble yourself before the real God. Call upon His name and pray. I promise He is ready to help you out and not make you feel like a weak failure for asking for His help!

I know I am not You, Lord. Today, I come to You, humbly asking for your help. ~amen

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Thank You, Lord, for reminding us that we are not going to do life alone. We are a part of the Tree of Life. We are all in this together. ~amen

No branch can bear fruit by itself. Ain’t that the truth? I know this verse is about remaining attached to the vine with the root system. We all know that it is about staying close to Jesus. I would also like to point out how it is important to stick with each other.

Yes, the real meaning of going through life is that you only need Jesus in your life. He is your salvation, the way, the truth, and the life. However, He never meant for you to bear fruit by yourself. He meant for us to be a part of the whole tree. The tree of life in the center of the Garden of Eden was the ultimate representation of well, LIFE! Jesus is the root system that holds all of us together. He is where we get all our nutrition. But that tree was not a trunk sticking straight up with no branches growing every which way, and leaves, and yes, fruit! We are those branches that support, protect, and encourage each other to grow.

By the way, I like to think of the Holy Spirit as the trunk that carries everything back and forth between the branches and the roots. We are all connected together here and the Holy Spirit will keep us tall and strong, while Jesus is the root system that keeps us fed and stable. See, we are never alone! Now I am going to be like a tree and leave! Sorry, it is the meds…LOL!

Thank You, Lord, for reminding us that we are not going to do life alone. We are a part of the Tree of Life. We are all in this together. ~amen

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Galatians 6:2
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

I will start with a very grateful heart today. I thank you for all the kind thoughts, comments, and prayers I received. For you to take the time to help carry my burden is humbling. Your love was felt.

An update on me. It was not an eye infection. I seem to have a rather nasty sinus infection. For me, that means high doses of antibiotics and taking away my immune suppressants. That equals a hot mess and just plain YUCKY for the next week or so. Satan tried laughing somewhere I am sure. He thinks he got me out of the game and sidelined for a while. However, as my meme above says, “The Devil saw me with my head down and thought he’d won until I said, ‘Amen.’”

I may not always get my blog done on time or even finished in the week to come. However, you can guarantee my prayers for all of you will not stop. I may not know your name or burden, but the Holy Spirit does and he will take my words and enter your information, straight to God. I will help you carry your burdens, and this way fulfill the law of Christ. Now please do this for each other and fulfill the law of Christ as well! 

Lord, I pray for my brothers and sisters today and every single day. You know each of their names and burdens. I stand with them all today and every day. In this way, we all fulfill the law of Christ. ~amen

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2 Corinthians 13:14

14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

I have to apologize today. I have swollen tear duct that is causing my whole eye to swell up. It is very itchy and the pressure is causing a headache. Needless to say, I could use some prayers.

So, speaking of prayers this verse in 2 Corinthians came across my path today. I immediately thought of all of you reading this right now. I want you to know that I am praying the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Again, I am sorry this blog is not like my usual, but I am sending you all hugs. I also pray that as others cross your path today, you can also pray the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with them.

Love,
Tabetha

Lord, I pray we all be filled with Your grace and love as well as enjoy our fellowship with the Holy Spirit and each other. ~amen

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