Everyday Matters by Debbie Griffith

9/30/2022

God is Aware

Friday Matters-September 30, 2022
Everyday Harder Days

Some days are harder than others and yet God’s grace is always sufficient. Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. God supplies what you need each day, so you can avoid fatigue, burnout, weariness and “mind crazies.”

We must learn to live one day at a time or go crazy with the “what ifs” of the future. Yet, everyday we get a new batch of grace to go forward with. AMEN because I always use my allotted amount each day. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:34 to meet each day’s challenges as they come and not to borrow trouble from tomorrow and then at the appointed time God’s grace will be available to us in sufficient supply. He helps us to face and overcome whatever may occur in our lives. One thing that helps me is to think about who I can be a blessing to someone else and not just focus on myself. God’s grace IS sufficient for you right now (2 Corinthians 12:9). “IS” is a present tense verb. Take a deep breath. You’re gonna be okay today, tomorrow and…everyday.

9/29/2022

Comfort in Difficulties

Thursday Matters- September 29, 2022
Everyday God in Hard Places

Ya know how sometimes you get physically sick, like the flu and it's not because you're not reading the Bible enough or doing enough acts of service, you just get sick. Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. Well sometimes you get emotionally sick and it’s not because you’re a “bad Christian.” There can be all kinds of factors that play into all kindness of sicknesses like lack of sleep, an infection, a damaged relationship and sometimes we need medication to get well. It’s okay.

God loves you as you are. We’ll go through challenging seasons where it doesn't make sense but it’s in the hard places where we grow. God tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that, “His strength is perfected in our weakness.” Sometimes the hardest thing to do is just let go and let God take care of us and surrender to Him or ask someone for help or take the medication. He works in many different ways and through many different people. In every place and time, He wants you to know how much He loves you like crazy…everyday.

9/28/2022

Love Never Fails

Wednesday Matters- September 28, 2022
Everyday Stuck

Okay there’s this kind of Christians who is “stuck” outside the tension between law and grace – and specifically I’m talking about those who don’t know they need grace. I have been that girl at various times myself. Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters.

When you don’t know you need grace you come to the counseling room in righteous indignation. You come with your “rights” and “it’s not fair because there’s a sinner worse than you. This may include the spouse who drags their partner along to get fixed, the partner who doesn’t think they need fixing, the person angry with God for failing to fulfill their dreams and the one who simply cannot forgive. They know they’re right and they want you to know it too. Accepting Christ means acknowledging deep sin and a need we have, in all areas of our lives for a lifetime. Jesus desires to confront the blackness of our hearts and change us to be set free. PRAY for yourself and others who need to KNOW and SEE how much we need His grace, because without it we can’t really love …everyday.

9/27/2022

Love Others

Tuesday Matters- September 27, 2022
Everyday Like Him

"How do we love and accept difficult people?” Someone asked me that question. I know…right? Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. God loves us ALL and we are all created in His image. The ONLY way to love others genuinely is by the love God gives to us. 2 Peter 1:9 really made me think, “For whoever lacks the genuine quality of love is blind to what they have been given from accepting Christ. Jesus has wiped off, erased from the books, our own sinful lives.” He has cleared us. We’re free.

I KNOW it’s hard. You’re hurt. It’s unfair. The “other person” has the problem and not you. BUT love covers. God covers you; He sees and knows all the stuff you shouldn’t have done and the things you should’ve done and He still loves you. He wants you to show that love to others even though you may need to set a boundary with them. Forgive others just like He loves and forgive you. You can do it with Him; the power of the Holy Spirit…everyday.

9/26/2022

Christ Fully Loves

Monday Matters-September 26, 2022
Everyday Exposed

The message of Jesus is to LOVE and forgive others, which you can only do once you have seen your bad self and accepted His forgiveness. Hey this is Debbie Griffith from Everyday Matters. There’s this past so many people carry around that they cover because it’s filled with shame from harming themselves through “cutting,” an eating disorders, an affair, alcohol, abuse suffered, it’s all yuck. I read that 80% of memories are shame based. People carry shame because they think once they’re fully exposed or discovered they won’t ever be accepted or loved. But when their identity is solid and they know who they are in Christ, they’re stable.

Psalm 91:1 is my 911 verse. It reads; “She who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will remain stable.” It means that when I can stand still and let myself be exposed. God covers me, my shame, my fear and replaces all that I’m not with all that He is. God can see the real you and He loves you as you are no matter what…everyday.

9/23/2022

Loving Every Person

Friday Matters-September 23, 2022
Everyday Best Friends

“We’re best friends now!” is something I say when I’ve really made a connection with someone and have met them for the first time. Everyone has a story and I find myself taking the time to listen to people’s stories. Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. I always take a selfie afterward too. This fall is Gigi, who is originally from Brazil. She loved this whole concept of “best friends in 30 minutes or less” because when you ask questions and listen to the heart there’s this wonderful joy that turns to love as you begin to fully know a real person and not a performer or poser.

Gigi shared her wild child past living in Brazil and as I listened to Gigi, it was fascinating to hear about her life. For many seasons she lived in darkness, making harmful choices and yet, because of her relationship with God, He never let her go and did not let her past define her future. She is fully known by God (I mean Jesus knows the good, bad and ugly), loved and redeemed, which enables her to be me and others…everyday.

9/22/2022

The GRACE of God

Thursday Matters- September 22, 2022
Everyday Love not Law

I am thankful for the opportunity to share God’s love with others. He hasn’t called me to hand out a rulebook or a list of “you should” and “you should nots,” which means He hasn’t called on me to point out the sins of others. Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. He knows I have enough of my own stuff to cleanup, and with His grace, how can I afford not to extend this gift to others?

I love people. I want to have fun, be real, love God and love others. So, in love I need to remind myself and others that God is holy. So, because God is holy, do we then must deny our own sinful desires and surrender to Him. Our feelings, our flesh wants what it wants and more of it. It’s only by God’s Holy Spirit in us that we can deny the flesh and be set free from the entanglement of sin. I know the message of “sin is not in” and love always wins, but true love involves compassion with truth to share God’s love and holiness…everyday.

9/21/2022

What is Love?

Wednesday Matters- September 21, 2022
Everyday I love Ice Cream

I love Jesus. I would also say that I love ice cream. But did you know that 75 years ago people didn’t say they loved ice cream but instead they’d say they liked it? Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. The word love was so special that it was only used to describe something that was worthy of loving...like another person or God! I mean really, how do we find words anymore to even begin to convey how great and awesome God really is? It’s actually kinda sad that words, like love, which really can only apply to God, get trivialized.

But can I say, “I love the Psalms?” Nothing is more comforting than to read the Psalms aloud like Psalm 116:1; “I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. God loves us so much, right where we’re at, not where we should be cuz we’ll never be where we should be. And there’s nothing trivial about that...everyday.

9/20/2022

You are LOVED

Tuesday Matters- September 20, 2022
Everyday Important You

What makes you feel important loved or even liked? How often do you check the “likes” on your Instagram or Facebook post? I know. Been there. Done that. Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. But REALLY the place I feel the most love is when I know who I am and whose I am. I’m God’s girl. He loves all of you and He LONGS to have you rid yourself of the garbage and dirt that makes you feel ashamed or unloved. We’re so important and significant to God. He gets us, gives us gifts to have purpose and He never stops loving us.

Jesus instructs that we’re to be willing to accept ourselves as least in importance. The least is a symbol of those who have the lowest places in society; the poor and the oppressed, the prostitutes, the tax collectors. But Jesus concern was that these should not be treated as inferior (Matthew 18:10). He was well aware of their feelings of shame, and because of their humility and His compassion they were of REALLY great value. Remember with God, you’re always popular…everyday.

9/19/2022

There’s Always Hope

Monday Matters-September 19, 2022
Everyday Coma

Today would have been the 127th day in a row that Robert visited his wife at the hospital as she rested in a coma. Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. But last night Robert had a dream that she died, and he woke up in tears this morning and he couldn’t bring himself to drive to the hospital to see her lying there like that. So, he stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling, and thinking of how he was going to have to learn to live without her for the rest of his life. And then my phone rang, and it was her.

Hope…it’s the belief that things will get better and that right around the corner there’s something to hold unto so we can move forward. Despair believes that you’re forever stuck and things will never get better. Sometimes we put our “hope” in a box and close it up for fear of being disappointed. Never lose hope. You can actually know that no matter what is happening, God IS with you and He’s always on the move. With God there is always hope…everyday.