Everyday Matters by Debbie Griffith

12/6/2023

Surrender to Change

Wednesday Matters- December 6, 2023
Everyday Change Me

Oh, that place when you know the only change that will happen is if you God ask to change you. So, crying in the middle of a dark living room I asked God to forgive me, to change and mold and make me to be more like Him. I didn’t ask that He change the other person but instead I knew the only real solution was that my heart be changed. And still, you can cry, “It’s not fair,” and God gets it.

I often don’t understand why a particular heartache is happening but it isn’t always for me to understand. Know the answer to the question, “Can God be trusted?” And He can because of His grace and comfort to meet us right where we’re at. Humble yourself by swallowing your own pain and pride and look at Peter 5; “Humble yourselves under God and He will lift you up in due time and then cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” ...everyday.

11/29/2023

Unconditional Love

Wednesday Matters- November 29, 2023
Everyday Well Loved

Amanda felt that no matter what she did she could never remove the stain from her past mistakes. She felt she was constantly trying to prove herself and even though her past mistakes where behind her and she had been sober for years she couldn’t shake her feelings that she was really loved but still judged. Jesus met a woman at the well who was a sinner, but He didn’t condemn her. He met her thirst. So, she ran back into town to let others know, that despite her past, Jesus accepted her where she was at. He hasn’t changed.

Nothing we could do would ever take His love away from us nor is there anything we could do to cause Him to love us more. He knows us, our pains and our past. HE IS here, waiting to make creative, redemptive use of what has happened. He “gets us” and loves us unconditionally…everyday.

11/22/2023

Heaven

Wednesday Matters- November 22, 2023
Everyday Eternity

God’s love is perfect and He’s perfectly holy too. In His holiness He must punish sin because sin blocks us from having a relationship with Him. God’s love for us brought Him to earth as fully God and fully man to take the punishment and pay for our sins by dying on the cross and then coming back to life. We cannot earn our way to heaven with good works. We now have a choice. Do we accept the sacrificial gift He offers with the hope of heaven where we too will be fully restored physically complete, whole with a purpose or do we refuse His gift and live forever without Him with weeping and gnashing of teeth?

God dearly loves you and so He has a plan of restoration by His grace and in 1 John 1:9 in the Bible it says that when we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and He’ll remove all our sins, all our unrighteousness so we can live with hope and freedom now and into eternity…everyday.

11/15/2023

Fashion

Wednesday Matters- November 15, 2023
Everyday Costumes

I have a hobby or perhaps my husband would call it a problem. I like to self-decorate or costume myself with outfits and in the past this hobby has resulted in me going into credit card debt. A few years ago, before shopping at the Mall of America I wrote in my journal a prayer; “Jesus than You for You. Thanks for things too. Today help me with spending. I ask for a coat that just ‘fits’ me. Help. Amen.”

I went to a consignment store and found a designer coat that had just gone on half price. Then I walked into Target and found a purple skirt that had my name on it. I stayed within my budget. What’s always so crazy cool too is to see that what I’ve read in the Bible on the same day fits too; “Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.” All glory is His. What matters to us matters to God too. But honestly, it’s His presence more than His presents I want…everyday.

11/8/2023

Jesus is Everything

Wednesday Matters- November 8, 2023
Everyday WWJD

I hear all the time “What would Jesus do?” but really the question should be: “What DID Jesus do? Jesus followed and obeyed the Father even on to death because it was the one way, He could really express the GREAT LOVE He had and has for us. So rather than ask myself, “What would Jesus do?” I want to follow the example of what Jesus did. I want to use the gifts He’s given me whether it’s in finances or speaking, or just sitting with someone. It’s following Galatians 5:16 and letting the Holy Spirit guide me. Then I ask; “God what do you want me to with this day You’ve given me?” The sin in me wants to satisfy my flesh and that’s most likely to happen when I’m super tired and people are super irritating and so I’ll lash out in hurt and anger because I’ve been hurt. Sigh. Help.

BUT God is aware of our weaknesses and need for Him. “Breathe on me Holy Spirit,” that’s a frequent pray of mine…mostly said…everyday.

11/1/2023

Diet

Wednesday Matters- November 1, 2023
Everyday Eating

Over ten years ago I never really ate breakfast; unless you counted the Diet Coke and chips. I ate what I wanted when I wanted. I even remember standing in my kitchen one morning at age 41; eating chips and drinking my Coke thinking, “I feel so great! I wonder how long I will be able to keep this diet going?!” And I thought because I was healthy in my relationship with God, reading the Bible and doing Pliates occasionally I’d be just fine. “Who needs green leafy vegetables?” But five months after having these thoughts I started getting sick with a lot of different infections and then came emotional anxiety and… well…I kinda crashed.

There were other factors that played into my “crash” but I heard God clearly speak to me. Yes, He had great plans for me but I needed to take care of my diet. 1 Corinthians 16:20; I don’t just belong to myself; I’m God’s girl and I honor Him by the way I live my life and take care of myself….everyday.

10/25/2023

Encouragement

Wednesday Matters- October 25, 2023
Everyday Sharpened

Do you know someone who’s served in the military? I know many and one of them is my husband, Dan. Military persons serve as an act of love for others. I remember Dan telling me that in the army they were constantly drilled that they needed to keep their weapons clean and ready for use. A useless weapon not only made the soldier useless, but also a liability because now someone else needs to pick up the slack. In Ephesian 6 God gives us a list of armor, but only one weapon—the Bible which is the Sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon of the six God’s calls us to “put on.” Our knowledge of the Word is its sharpness.

There are so MANY things screaming for our attention and I’m sure, like me, you are being pulled in many directions. But God never changes no matter what the direction of our day is. So Let the Word of God be in your head and heart; sharepend…everyday.

10/18/2023

Freedom

Wednesday Matters- October 18, 2023
Everyday Fun Freedom

Do you wanna have fun? I think most of us do especially when the earth experience is hard. It’s not just the girls who wanna have fun. There are events or responsibilities that we all have that aren’t always pleasant so try to find fun wherever you are. I kinda have this motto that works, “If it’s not fun, I’m done.” If we go into a difficult situation or experience with an attitude to find the humor in it, we find the difficulty less emotionally draining. This has been a game changer for me; to find a person in the moment to connect to or by asking God to see the blessing or lesson in the situation and find the “funny” helps to actually see that “nothing is wasted” with Christ. The way we respond to difficulties with an attitude of hope or humor is a greater testimony to others than us preaching to them.

Let His love of kindness, patience and truth we read about in 1 Corinthians 13 cause you to live with hope and freedom, drawing others to you and Him with joy and laughter…everyday.

10/11/2023

Love and Pain

Wednesday Matters- October 11, 2023
Everyday Pain Attention

Emotional pain is harder than physical pain? Can I get an “Amen?!” I mean I get physical pain from my recovery with scoliosis back surgery and having mono and flu where I never thought I’d leave the bathroom floor. However broken relationships, the loss of a loved one, and the failure of a plan or dream, well … that kind of pain is so much harder for me.

But it helps to remember God uses pain to get our attention. C.S. Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasure, but He shouts to us in our pain.” Pain is God’s megaphone. We rarely change when we see the light. We change when we feel the heat. But why does it get so hot? I hear ya. The answer is God’s love turns-up, it warms when it all seems so cold and hopeless. He’s always aware and He always cares. Proverbs 20:30, “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways.” Yes, God loves you, everyday.

10/4/2023

Relationship of Love

Wednesday Matters- October 4, 2023
Everyday Rule Book

I am thankful for God’s call on my life to love 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. 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. But it’s also important to note that at no point does God not stop being holy. Out of His great holiness and power and might and mercy, do we then deny our own sinful desires and bow to Him. Our flesh wants what it wants and more of it. So it’s only by God’s Holy Spirit in us that we can deny the flesh. I know the message of “sin is not in” and love always wins, but true love involves compassion with truth…everyday.