Monday Matters

Everyday Shields of Faith

When my husband had cancer thirteen years ago it was hard, it was scary. Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. My relationship with God enabled me to have peace despite the circumstances. Thankfully, Dan is now cancer free but at the time of the tumor, surgery and chemo I had to be intentional to stop and breathe and let my anxiousness go to God. Of course the enemy is always prowling around trying to steal our peace like we read from 1 Peter 5:8.

One night I had a dream of my husband Dan and I standing in a circle between two pillars that spelled the word, “IS.” “What did that mean?” God said: “My grace IS sufficient.” “My power IS perfected in weakness.” And then I saw people praying in a circle around us, facing outwards and protecting us with shields of faith. The enemy was prowling around trying to find an entrance in hoping shake us up but the power of prayer and faith prevented him. Remember GOD is good and He IS greater…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Ask God

Should I do it? What do you think? Maybe I should put a poll out on social media? Sure, it is wise to ask advice from others and in Proverbs 15 we can read that plans fail for lack of counsel but with many advisers they succeed. But it’s also important to care most about what God thinks. Often when we pray, we make all these requests but then fail to wait and LISTEN. God knows your heart and loves you. He has the best advice.

In the Bible when Paul was talking to the Colossians, he told them that they could have a peace in their heart when a decision was made. It’s important that we aren’t seeking the approval of others or just relying on our feelings. God does answer us. Sometimes the answer is “no” and sometimes we can’t hear because we tell God what we want and ask Him to bless it rather than asking Him if it’s a direction He even wants us to take. Feelings come and go but the peace of God will remain…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Questions

God will never tire of us seeking Him or of all our questions. I think of my kids and especially when they were younger and all the questions they had.. But I always want them to know I love them no matter what. I imagine it’s a lot like God with us. As T.S. Elliot put it; “Oh my soul, be prepared to meet Him who knows how to ask questions.” I imagine questions from God might be? Did you know Me and how I much I loved you for all eternity?

There are things about God that are mysterious and secret, things we will never know about Him. But there also are things revealed, and those belong to us. Deuteronomy 29:29; “The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all He has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.” I follow and trust God because I know He loves me no matter what …everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday God Speaks

Are you listening? Jesus is speaking. Hear His voice; “You are forgiven. Today is a new day. God’s Word from Lamentations 3:23: “Great is My mercy. It’s new every morning and great is My faithfulness. Everyday I try to “be better” by choosing what I should think on and how I should behave which often means I remain silent, shut my mouth and pray. Just think of the amazing gift God offers us! We have an opportunity to receive God’s forgiveness which means our soiled sin rags are washed and made t white by the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:14)

Don’t be discouraged. There’s a whole lot of us who so wanted to be faithful, but who at times got defeated, beat-up by life and tested by trials. We have the bloodied garments of life’s tribulations, but through it all we clung to the faith. This is the Gospel of Grace. So with me, let’s celebrate. Let’s raise “a glass of hope,” receive and share this love and grace with others. Carry on Christian Soldiers, onward and upward…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Biker

As Nathan was training for America’s largest mountain bike racing series, he was thankful that biking had kept he and his brother, Kyle, connected through Kyle’s drug addiction. And thankfully in the last two years of Kyle’s life he overcame his addiction via a 12-step program and a relationship with God. Kyle died in a freak car accident which was crazy tragic. Yet there’s peace and hope that replaced the tragedy because they knew they’d see Kyle again.

The night before the big bike race Nathan made a dedication and said, “I let go of all performance pressures and made up my mind to ride for the love of God, Kyle, and the sport itself.” No matter what the results I was giving this race to God because I realized more than ever that it wasn’t about me. It was about what God was doing in and through me. When Nathan walked up to the podium for his first overall win at this huge race, he never heard such cheering. “Sure, the prestige and prize money are great” said Nathan, “but relationships and loving others is what lasts…everyday.”

Monday Matters

Everyday Supposed To

Many of us are not fans of the words; “You’re not supposed to do that.” Sometimes, hearing those words only makes us want to do what we’re told not to. I remember my friend Karen saying, “Today I went down the road that had a sign that said; “No thru traffic” and I thought of you. I didn’t know whether to be proud or mortified.

What it comes down to is this; I don’t want to be a predictable cookie-cutter Christian, but I do what to be known as a predictable loyal and sincere friend. We all want what’s unique and special about us to be appreciated and so for many of us it is not doing things like “we’re supposed to.” The one thing I do try and do is said by Jesus in Matthew 8:22; “Follow Me.” “Yes, I'll go where He wants me to go and do what He wants me to do because He is God. He knows you’re unique and He created you for a specific purpose now and into eternity…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday God Comfort

I know you’ve been disappointed, hurt or mistreated. I get it. There’s a loss and an ache that you just can’t explain because maybe you don’t get it either. 2 Corinthians 1:3 says that God wants to help by comforting you and sometimes that means going to counseling to work through turmoil but nevertheless God gives us the Holy Spirit to guide us. He’s actually called the Comforter/Counselor. He’s available 24/7.

In the early years of my marriage, I’d become angry with my husband Dan when he wouldn’t comfort me the way I thought I needed. But when I began reading the Bible consistently, I began to see a change in my marriage and in ALL my relationships because God was changing me. If our expectations are in the wrong place, we’ll always be disappointed. Of course, God uses other people to reach us, but He promises to always be our comfort and sometimes it’s through a song, a circumstance or a direct word from scripture. Seek Him. He sees you and wants to bring you comfort and hope …everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Redeemer Lives

It has always struck me that Job said, "My Redeemer lives,” when he was in such a miserable place. He didn't know the end of the book that's named after him. What he did know was the loss of his children and all wealth, livestock and material items. His health was afflicted with sores, and he was in constant pain. And he had three friends who only added to his misery, telling him he must have done something wrong. Yet Job said, "My Redeemer lives," (Job 19:25) and not, "my disciplinarian lives." In the next verse he says, "And after even this body, has been destroyed, then from my flesh or without it, I shall see God."

Obviously, he understood the greatness and omnipotence of God because he understood God in a way that wasn't just about what he was experiencing in the moment. Job had hope. But I love that he could still lament even to the point where he wanted to end his life. Whatever mess you're in, or the troubles from past mistakes or your mistreatment from others, there's a Redeemer who lives, sees and will care for you…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Earth Life

The earth experience is hard. It’s not our home and on this earth, we are served a lot of hard and challenging circumstances and of course, difficult people, too. Ever since our separation from God in the garden, humanity has had trouble with sickness, tragedy, violence, and death which are the results of sin. Jesus made it clear that troubles would be a part of living in the world and He was the remedy, not the source. 

But I struggle with the hard commands from Jesus like, “Love your enemies,” or “Rejoice in your trials,” which are certainly not fan favorites, yet Jesus gives us the way to do the hard things, and He tells us in John 15:6, “I am the Vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” So, listen up, Buttercup, the only way you can do the hard things God commands of you and allows in your life is to be in union with Him and tap into His grace…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Job Explanation

Maybe the reason God doesn’t explain to Job why terrible things happen is that because He knows that Job really doesn’t need an explanation. Frederick Buechner’s shares this insight from his book; “Wishful thinking.” “Suppose that God did explain. Suppose that God were to say to Job that the reason the cattle were stolen, the crops ruined, and the children killed was thus and so, spelling everything out right down to and including the case of boils. Job would have his explanation.

But Job would still have to face his kid’s empty chairs at breakfast every morning. Having a complete theological justification of his boils, he would still have to scratch and burn. God doesn’t reveal His grand design. He reveals Himself. He doesn’t show why things are as they are. He shows His face. And Job says, I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.” And this is the same God we too can see…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Treatment of Others

How we treat others, including family members, from day to day, or how we react to the alcoholic who just can’t seem to get their act together or the people we don’t like, says a lot about us. How we respond to interruptions from people and how we deal with the frustrations of everyday life will speak the truth of who we are more clearly than a Christian bumper sticker on our car.

Life is not all about us but about God and His love of us and others. So, as children of God we need to reach out in love to others by listening and responding in love with our actions and words. We are all of equal value with a need for affirmation and real love and acceptance. Jesus tells us in Ephesians 5:15; “Make the most your time on earth with taking advantage of each opportunity and using wisdom because the days are filled with evil. But God is good and He’s love is unconditional. Show others real love by the way you live your everyday…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday “I Should”

Today I want to encourage you to ask God to help you take the “should” out of your life. Think how often you say, “I should read the Bible, I should memorize scripture, I should attend a Bible study, I should lead one.” But remember what Paul says in 2 Corinthians; “The code of the Law kills but the Holy Spirit makes alive.”

When we start thinking “I should” is when we get stuck in being religious. Some religious circles want you to believe that God can only be reached through rule keeping and good behavior. This “religious spirit” was alive when Jesus walked the earth, but He died so we could have a close personal relationship with Him and not a religion. Today, that same religious spirit still trips people up if they don’t know the truth. Remember the Law was given to show people their need for a Savior. A relationship with Christ enables us to walk in freedom and to be loved by grace and not by the law of, “I should,” …everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Open Eyes

Jesus meets a man who’s been blind since birth. I don’t know how brief their encounter was but, in that time, Jesus bent down took some mud and rubbed the man’s eyes with it and when he opened them, he could see. Immediately the Pharisees-the Religious Leaders, questioned the man wanted him to proclaim Jesus a sinner…. WHAT? But the blind’s response is brilliant in John 9:25, “Whether He is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see!” He didn’t know how or why he had been healed but he knew a miracle had taken place and he wasn’t afraid to tell the truth.

We don’t have to all the answers in order to share Christ with others. What’s important is that we tell people the truth of how God’s love and forgiveness has changed our lives. Use your experiences and share your testimonies, to help others see Him too …everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Open Eyes

Jesus meets a man who’s been blind since birth. I don’t know how brief their encounter was but, in that time, Jesus bent down took some mud and rubbed the man’s eyes with it and when he opened them, he could see. Immediately the Pharisees-the Religious Leaders, questioned the man wanted him to proclaim Jesus a sinner…. WHAT? But the blind’s response is brilliant in John 9:25, “Whether He is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see!” He didn’t know how or why he had been healed but he knew a miracle had taken place and he wasn’t afraid to tell the truth.

We don’t have to all the answers in order to share Christ with others. What’s important is that we tell people the truth of how God’s love and forgiveness has changed our lives. Use your experiences and share your testimonies, to help others see Him too …everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Test Training

Sometimes don’t you feel like you’ve been wandering in the wilderness for an awful long time and it’s high time things should start looking brighter? I’ve been there. And what helps me is to understand that the trials I’m facing are like tests given in a course that God has allowed to prepare me for my future. The class in the wilderness is not easy but knowing that God had to first approve what’s happening to me and it’s also no surprise to Him, helps me to understand the scriptures which say; “He who began a good work in you will complete it so rejoice in your trials because they’ll produce character which will bring you hope.”

God permits Satan to contest the believer. We’re given these tests to train us so that by Isaiah 45:3 we will be given treasures hidden in the darkness. But let’s remember the rest of the verse; “He will do this so we may know that He’s the Lord, the One who calls us by name…everyday.”

Monday Matters

Everyday Vegas

Susan had turned her life around by turning to Jesus and now she was on talk radio with three other women still in the “business” discussing lifestyle choices in Las Vegas. The host and others on the panel were repeatedly asking Susan, “Where was God when you were in this business? Why didn’t He save you?” And Susan replied, “God was always with me. It was I who left Him. The others clearly did not have a relationship with Christ, they didn’t know of His great love for them, and so they had no respect for God or His ways but Susan understood completely and she said; Christ gives us all a free will but it’s our choice whether we want to have Him in our lives or not.”

Without knowing the relationship that brings love and freedom a person is only going to see God’s laws as bringing judgment and bondage. But as Proverbs 28:5 says, those who seek the Lord understand fully…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday No Mama

Hearing our children’s first words are memorable such as, “Dada,” “Puppy” or “Ball.” Ball as was the first word of our third son, Joey, but the word “NO” came quickly too. When I was nine months pregnant with our fourth son I told. our two-year-old. Joey that I had a baby growing inside me. Joe took one look at my belly and said, “NO, Mama that’s a ball,” and he stood by his logical word choice. “No,” isn’t always a fun word to hear from our children but “no” is an important word when negative thoughts invade our minds. Maybe there’s untrue and ugly gossip about you, so you need to remember, “NO, that’s not who God says I am,” or “No, my past mistakes don’t determine my future in forgiveness.”

Jesus mostly used the word “no” when speaking to the religious leaders who were trying to boss everyone around. He came to fulfill the law by His grace, not by giving us more rules. God loves each and every one of us fiercely. If you feel or hear that your unlovable then you need to hear “NO” that’s not the truth…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday World Peace

There’s a lot going on in this world. There are a lot of people with different opinions on how our country should run. If you’re not a political person you may feel stuck in the middle because you’re not joining a side. Honestly, I’d be okay holding a sign on the corner saying, “Jesus saves,” because it’s the truth.

I’m convinced no matter your race, your political side of the aisle, your gender, your religion, or your financial status, we will never achieve real peace without a deeper understanding of God. People have become so disagreeable that nothing is able to draw them into harmony. Jesus said the peace He gives is not like the peace in our world. His peace is rooted in mercy, forgiveness, and everlasting life. His peace cannot be removed, just like His love because it’s unconditional and everlasting. As humans our nature is combative, defiant, and selfish. Human nature will never be at peace, because sin cannot know peace. This is why it takes God to remove sin and replace it with His peace and saving grace…everyday

Monday Matters

Everyday Shields of Faith

When my husband had cancer fifteen years ago it was hard, it was scary. But my relationship with God enabled me to receive peace despite the circumstances. Thankfully, Dan is cancer free but at the time of the tumor, surgery and chemo I had to be intentional to stop and breathe and let my anxiousness go to God. We can read in 1 Peter 5:8 that the enemy is always prowling around trying to devour our hope and steal our peace, especially in scary situations.

One night I had a dream of my husband Dan and I standing in a circle between two pillars that spelled the word, “IS.” “What did that mean?” God said: “My grace IS sufficient.” “My power IS perfected in weakness.” And then I saw people praying in a circle around us, facing outwards and protecting us with shields of faith. The enemy was prowling around trying to find an entrance in hoping to shake us up, but the power of prayer and faith prevented him. That was an amazing dream. Remember GOD is always greater than the enemy of our souls and always good…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Your Past

Joshua who served under Moses finds himself ready to lead God’s people into the Promised Land but first he needs to send two scouts to check things out especially into Jericho to see what they might be up against. And it turns out these two scouts are able to lodge at the house of Rahab, a woman who had worked as a prostitute. In Joshua 2:14 we read the promise of the two spies; “We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety. If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise and be kind to you when the Lord gives us the land.” And that’s in fact what happened.

By the end of her life, Rahab too had come to love the God of Israel, and she’s even mentioned as an ancestor of Jesus. No matter how many mistakes you’ve made, always know that God can use everything for the good. He is a Redeemer and has a new beginning for you. You may have a rough past, but you also have a future with Him who loves you…everyday.