Holding Hands

Psalms 73:23-24 (New Life Version)

Yet I am always with You. You hold me by my right hand. You will lead me by telling me what I should do. And after that, You will bring me into shining-greatness.

I remember being a little kid, always getting into things and wanting to go places. I know that for my parents, taking me anywhere as a child must have been quite the challenge with the energy and curiosity I had. I remember going places with my parents as a child, and because of my impulsive, child-like nature, they would always hold my hand to guide me where to go. At that time, I never understood why my hand had to be held, but I trusted them all the same because they were my parents, and I did understand that they were far wiser than I. They would just patiently hold my hand despite my annoying anticipation until we reached our destination. Without them holding my hand, I'm sure I would've gotten lost on several occasions or hurt myself in the midst of my mischief. It's very much like that with us and God too. We go throughout this life with an impulsive, child-like mind. We want what we want when we want it and don't think twice about trying to get it. Often we don't consider the path ahead, but rather live to satisfy the temporary pleasure we desire. However, God knows what we need and He divinely designed the path ahead. He's always there to guide us to the place we need to be, and He will never leave our side. His hand is outstretched for us to take it and to be guided by Him. But we have to take that first step of reaching out to hold the open hands of our heavenly father and embrace His loving guidance.

Open up to God in prayer about where you feel you are going in your life and the desires of your heart. If you feel God leading you, reach out and take His hand so that you may submit to His guidance over you life. Rest for a moment in awe that your heavenly Father is guiding you all the way to bring you to the greatness He has planned for you.

I pray that this will guide you throughout today to be the incredible person that God divinely designed you to be. I hope everyone has an amazing day!

Madelynn

A Guarded Heart

Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.

Think for a moment about the things that you guard your heart from and why you do it. As humans, there's something within us that causes us to constantly defend ourselves. So often we shut out things in our lives to protect ourselves from harm, disappointment, or failure. Because we fear being broken down by certain things in life, many of shut out even the good things that were intended to build us up. Here in God's word, it's made clear that guarding our hearts is essential in our lives. But just what are we supposed to guard our hearts from, and how? God's word also tells us that everything we do flows from our heart, so we want to let our guard down for something that will flow into our lives in a positive way. If we let our guard down for the destructive things of this world, we find that negative influences flow strongly into our lives. However, if we let our guard down for the greatness of God to flood in, positive, sustaining and uplifting influences overflow into our lives. And as the goodness of God overwhelms us, that same uncontainable goodness overflows out into our day-to-day actions, filling our lives with an incredible sense of satisfaction. When we let our guard down for God, our defenses are raised against the world so that no darkness can enter our newly light filled lives. As we are vulnerable to God but guarded against the world, that's when we find ourselves our most secure.

Open up to God about what you guard yourself from and why you do it. If you find that it's God your shutting out in your life, be honest with Him about why you do that and how it's affecting you. If you feel God leading you, let down your guard and allow Him to flow into your heart. Ask Him to guide you to always guard your heart from the darkness, but to always be open to Him. Once you do so, you'll find yourself incredibly satisfied and secure.

I pray that your security in Christ empowers you to live today with a boldness only found in Christ. I hope everyone has a wonderful Day!

Madelynn

Rock of Refuge

Psalms 62:5-8

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.

Read over these verses one or two more times. Allow this message to really soak into your heart. So often we go through this life weary and burdened by the day to day pressures we face in this world, and the storms of this life can shake us near to the point of breaking. All of these stresses become too heavy of a load to carry on our own, and many times we find ourselves burned out from what we've endured in our lives. But here in God's word we find hope beyond what weighs us down and beyond what breaks us. Through His word, God reveals to us that we can find rest for our souls in Him, as well as security in His unshakable power. Our souls that have carried such heavy burdens can finally rest in the strong arms of the Lord. And our shifting lives and circumstances will no longer shake us because our God is our unshakable rock and refuge. When we trust God and pour out our hearts to Him, we find ourselves empowered with an incredible strength that can move mountains because we are strengthened by the God who created them.

Open up to God about what's weighing you down and shaking you up in your life. Talk to Him about how those things are affecting you, and how your handling it. If you feel God leading you, pour out your heart to Him and put your trust in Him. Once you do, you'll find yourself secure, empowered and revived by your new life in God.

I pray that this empowers you greatly throughout your day with strength and security in Christ. I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Madelynn

Cornerstone

Acts 4:11-12
Jesus is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone."

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.


A cornerstone falls under the following definitions:

 

cor·ner·stone
/ˈkɔrnərˌstoʊn/ [kawr-ner-stohn]

1. a stone  uniting two masonry walls at an intersection.
2. a stone  representing the nominal starting place in the construction of a monumental building, usually carved with the date and laid with appropriate ceremonies.
3. something that is essential, indispensable, or basic.
4. the chief foundation on which something is constructed or developed.

Here in God's word we find that Christ is meant to be the cornerstone of our lives. Jesus is meant to be the foundation laid in our hearts, the base off of which we construct our lives. Our new lives begin in Him, and the change that manifests within us on the day that we begin our new lives is forever engraved within us. Christ is also absolutely essential to truly living our lives, and He is the only one who can unite us with our heavenly Father.

While we were designed to have Christ as the foundation in our lives, so often we throw Him out of our lives as if He were useless debris rather than the essential cornerstone that He truly is. We go throughout our lives being fed the lie that we have to build ourselves up on the world in order to be built up at all. The problem with that is, though, is that everything from this world fades. There is not one thing in this world that will last forever, and if we build ourselves up with the world, we will find ourselves falling from an unstable foundation. However, if we base our lives off of the cornerstone of Christ, we will find ourselves being built up on a stable, unchangeable, unshakable foundation that will never fall on us. We all crave stability, that sense of being rooted in something that will support us. All we have to do is surrender our lives to Him so that Christ will flood in and become the solid base in our lives.

 Open up to God in prayer. Talk to Him about what you have based your life on in the past, and what you are basing your life on in this moment. If it's something other than God, bring it to God. Talk to Him about why your basing your life off of that thing, and how it's affecting you. If you feel God leading you, invite Him into your heart so that He may become the cornerstone of you life. Once you do, you'll find yourself rooted in Christ's unshakable love, and thriving on the stability that comes with Christ as your foundation.

I pray that Christ as the cornerstone of your life empowers you with purpose, strength and boldness throughout today. I hope everyone has a fantastic day!

Madelynn

Messes of the Heart

Jeremiah 17:9-10 (Message)

The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful,
a puzzle that no one can figure out.
But I, God, search the heart
and examine the mind.
I get to the heart of the human.
I get to the root of things.
I treat them as they really are,
not as they pretend to be.

Think for a moment about all the things that go on in your heart everyday, and what they were caused by. Now things about how often you've been able to actually figure out the matters of your heart and untangle the mess within you. All of us have had some sort of mess in our hearts at one point in our lives, and many of us are still trying to figure out that mess within us. The truth of the matter is that we were never designed to untangle the mess ourselves nor will we ever be able to. God is the only one who knows our hearts well enough to untangle the mess inside us that the world has captured us in. Only God can travel to the deepest parts of our hearts where our true identities lay hidden behind the mask that we so often put on to hide the mess of our lives. But God loves us enough to see us as He designed us to be, not the mess the world has made us to be or the well crafted mask we all put on. He simply sees us, His beloved children, lost and helpless in a broken world. And God desires for us to accept His love that heals, to be found by our father and to not only be helped, but guided down the right path. We just have to embrace Him in our hearts, and His unfailing love will flood in to create in us a new heart that is lavished in the love of the father.

Open up to God in prayer, and come to Him with unveiled honesty on what is going on in your heart. Talk to Him about what has caused any messes in your heart, and how those messes are affecting you. If you feel God stirring in your heart, come to Him whatever is entangling your heart, and invite Him into your heart to clean out the mess within you. Once you confess the mess, give it to Him and embrace His unfailing, unconditional love, you will find a new heart beating within you, renewed and flooded with the love of your Father.

I pray that your new heart in Christ will empower you greatly throughout today. I hope everyone has a marvelous day!

Madelynn

Solid Foundation

2 Timothy 2:19

Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

Think about all the things that have built you up in your life, the things that have been the foundation of your life. Now think about how sturdy the all those things are, and how well they have supported you throughout your life. If you've built your life up on things of this world, such money, jobs, family, friends, relationships, and self-image, most likely your foundation in life hasn't been as stable as it should be, and may have even caused you to fall a few times. But God's word tells us clearly that when we base our lives on God, our foundation is immovable and unshakable, standing firm with the perfect power of God. And inscribed into this solid foundation are the words that define our lives: "The Lord knows those who are His" and "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness". Once we base our lives on God, we belong to Christ, and are not only just known by Him, but we begin to build an intimate relationship with Him that remarkably fills our lives. Also with this new foundation in Christ, we find that we have freedom from sin and we are able to confidently deny the wickedness of our old lives because of the power of Christ's life in us.

Open up to God about what you base you life on and why. Talk to Him about the stability of that base, and how it is affecting you. If you feel God leading you, come to God and make Him the foundation of your life. Commit to defining your life by your identification in Christ, and ask God to guide you to stay true to your identity in Him.

I pray that this empowers you with the solid foundation of Christ throughout today. I hope everyone has an awesome day!

Madelynn

Course of the Heart

Colossians 3:1

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Think about the things that you have your heart set on- the goals in your life, your desires and all the things your heart imagines on a daily basis. Think about the course for your life that your heart has set itself on, and why your heart is set on that. So often we will fill our hearts and set our hearts on things that are temporary and offer only fleeting pleasure. We aim for what we think will satisfy us, instead of searching deeper to find what we need to satisfy us completely. When we die to our old ways of live and rise to live in the new life Christ offers us through life in Him, we find ourselves setting our hearts on heavenly things that never fade instead of the unstable earthly things that we so often get attached to. With this new life in Christ and a new course set for our hearts, we find that we are no longer filled with temporary pleasure that leaves us so empty, but we are satisfied and sustained because we have set our hearts on the unshakable, unchangeable and everlasting things of heaven that God designed us to be live by.

Open up to God about what you have your heart set on in this moment, and why. Talk to Him about how those things that your heart is set on have impacted you, and how He wants you handle it. If you feel God leading you, ask Him to create in you a new life so that you may rise to live the new life Christ offers us through life in Him. Once you do, you'll find yourself incredibly satisfied and sustained through all your days.

I pray that your new life and purpose in Christ will empower you throughout today. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Madelynn

Thankful

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (KJV)

Rejoice evermore.
Pray without ceasing.
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Think about some moments when you rejoiced over something, and some moments when you were thankful for something. Think about what caused to to rejoice and give thanks, and if you still give thanks for some of those same things today. Now think about some of the moments when you faced hardships, anger and grief. Chances are you probably weren't very thankful for most of those moments. But here in God's word we are called to do something crazy- give thanks in everything, in every situation and trial that we face in our lives. It's not an easy thing to do, but it is so much better for us than we can ever imagine. When we live our lives rejoicing everyday simply for the day and the breath in our lungs, we find ourselves overflowing with a joy that pours into all areas of our lives. When we constantly remain in a spirit of prayer, turning to God in every situation, we are no longer guiding ourselves, but we are being guided by God, the one who created us and knows what path we should turn on. And when we give thanks in every situation, we find ourselves living gratefully and joyfully, no longer taking advantage of life but living it the way it was designed to be lived.

Open up to God about what you are thankful for, and the things that you aren't thankful for. Talk to Him about why you are or aren't thankful, and how those things have impacted your live. If you feel God leading you, ask Him to guide to always rejoice in Him, to always remain in a spirit of prayer, and to give thanks in every situation. Once you do, you'll find yourself satisfied and filled beyond anything you've ever known.

I pray that today you can rejoice in all the wonderful things God has blessed you with, and that you will be empowered to give thanks in every situation. Hope you all have a marvelous day!

Madelynn

Divine Love

Isaiah 62:5 (NIV)

As a young man marries a young woman,
    so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
    so will your God rejoice over you.

Think about someone that you have loved and maybe still love. It doesn't necessarily have to be a romantic love- but just think of a person you have genuinely loved in some way. Think about how you felt when you told them you loved them, and what that love really meant to you. Here in God's word, God tells us that His love for us runs so deep that He is making an eternal promise with us, one as serious as a marriage between man and wife. God designed us to be filled with His divine love, and also to love Him with a love that is undivided and one that recklessly abandons anything that would hinder that love. God makes His promise clear throughout His love letter that He wrote to us in His message, and God's promises are always unshakable. Our Creator and the Builder of our lives desires for us to return our love to Him so that we may live the life He intended us to live, immersed in the fullness of His love. 

Open up to God about the love you've experienced in your life, or maybe the lack of love that you have felt. Talk to Him about how love has affected you, and what His love means to you. If you feel God leading you, open up your heart to love Him with all that is in you, leaving behind anything that would hold you back. Make a promise to God to love Him forever, just as a man and wife would promise to love each other the rest of their lives. God greatly desires to hold you in His unfailing love that lies within that promise, and He rejoices over that life-changing promise. 

I pray that God's divine love for you empowers you and fills you up throughout today. I hope everyone has a fantastic day!

Madelynn

Think About It

Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Think about what consumes your thoughts everyday, and how those thoughts affect your actions. Now read over this verse once or twice more. The thoughts that fill your mind everyday- do they match up with what this says? Are they true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable? Chances are, not all of your thoughts are all of these things because none of us are perfect, and our thoughts tend to stray to things that are not what they should be. Many people disregard controlling their thoughts because most think that our thoughts don't affect us greatly, and that no one will ever know exactly what we are thinking. So why should it matter? Often our thoughts determine our attitude, which determines our actions, which can lead us down either the right or wrong path in life. If we fill our mind with lies and negative thoughts, often those thoughts are reflected in our everyday lives. But if we strive to focus on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable, we notice that our lives begin to transform into all those things as well. And not only will our lives be filled with such things, but we will be thinking about what God desires us to think about and what he designed us to think about. 

Talk to God about what's been consuming your thought life, and how it's affecting you. If you feel God leading you, ask Him to purify your thoughts of anything He wouldn't want you thinking about, and ask Him to guide you to set you mind on things that honor Him. Once you do, you'll find your life filled with things that satisfy you because you're allowing God to sustain your thoughts. 

I pray that this sustains you and empowers you throughout today! Hope everyone has an awesome day :) 

Madelynn

Life as Clay

Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)

Yet you, Lord, are our Father. 
    We are the clay, you are the potter; 
    we are all the work of your hand. 

Think for a moment about all the things that you have allowed to mold you in your life. Friends. Family. People you look up to. School. Work. The list could go on and on with the things that we so often let mold us in our day to day lives. While we soften ourselves to the world to be conformed to what the world expects of us, so many of us harden ourselves to the one shaped us in the beginning, and should still be shaping us today. When we allow the world to mold us, we find that we are shaped into a contorted mess, something that we were never meant to be. But when we soften our hearts and surrender our lives to be shaped by our Creator, we are sculpted into the beautiful masterpiece that we were intended to be. 

Open up to God about what has shaped you in your life, and how it has affected you. If you feel God leading you, ask God to melt your heart from hardened stone to soft, moldable clay. Invite God to be your only potter and to shape you into the beautiful masterpiece that He designed you to be.

I pray that you live today empowered by the incredible masterpiece of God's that you are. Hope everyone has a great day! :)

Madelynn

Dark to Light

1 John 1:5-7 (NIV)

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Think about moments when you've felt like you've been in the dark. Physically. Emotionally. Or spiritually. We have all faced dark moments, days of sorrow where we were stumbling blindly through the night that we were living in. Think about how those moments came to be, and how they have affected you. Despite however great the darkness may seem, one promise always reigns greater than that darkness: Our God is Light. Eternal, everlasting light that has the power to rid our hearts of all the darkness that use to consume us. And once we allow God's light to come into our hearts, we have that eternal, everlasting light within us. While there will still be much darkness in the world around us, so long as God's light consumes your life, the darkness will not touch you and will have no power over you. Why? Because God's light is a powerful light that cannot be dimmed by even the greatest of darkness.

Talk to God about whatever darkness may be in your life and how it's impacting you. If you feel God leading you, ask Him to come into your heart and flood you with His powerful light. Come clean to Him of any sin that you feel you haven't brought to Him, and ask Him to purify you of that sin with His incredible light, because God is the only one who can take away your sin and make you a new creation in His light. Ask Him to guide you to live in this new life that He has brought into your heart. 

I pray that this empowers you to live in the new light that God has given you in your heart. I hope you all have a fantastic day! :) 


Madelynn

Renewed - Restored - Revived

Isaiah 57:15 (Message) 

A Message from the high and towering God, 
   who lives in Eternity, 
   whose name is Holy:
"I live in the high and holy places, 
   but also with the low-spirited, the spirit-crushed,
And what I do is put new spirit in them, 
   get them up and on their feet again."

Think about moments when you have felt lowly or crushed from life. It's not exactly a pleasant thing to think about- but think about it for a moment and come to terms with yourself with the low moments in your life, what caused them and how they have affected you. We've all been to a place in our lives where we have felt low and crushed because of something we've done or something that has happened to us. But God, the one who has fearfully and wonderfully created you, who reigns with perfect power, He promises here that He will renew our low and crushed spirits, and get us back on our feet again to live out the powerful purpose He has set before us. Like mirror once broken, He puts our pieces back together in only the way He can, restoring us completely into something beautiful designed to reflect His glory.  

Open up to God in prayer. Bring to Him whatever may be causing your spirit to be low and crushed, and talk to Him about how it's affecting you, like you would vent to a friend about problems or mistakes you've made. God has told us in His word that He is our friend and He desires for us to come to Him and establish that lasting relationship with Him. If you feel God leading you, invite Him to come into your heart and renew you with a brand new spirit, pure and unbroken by this world. Ask Him to guide this new, revived spirit with in you to live the life He has set before you, recklessly abandoning everything that use to hold you back and push you down. 

I pray that your renewed spirit will empower you throughout today, and that you will find strength in God's powerful purpose for your life. I hope everyone has a great day! 

Madelynn