Welcome to Litsy!

Day 40 💙 For joy! Can you believe that the simple joy of knowing we would get to live in freedom & have eternal life with Him was why Jesus chose to endure suffering on the cross?

It makes me think of Romans 5 (continued in comments)

Day 39! This one talks about one of my favorite psalms. I love it for the way you can read it when you're miserable or ashamed and need a reminder of God's grace and faithfulness, or when you're longing to celebrate God's generosity and character. Whatever you're feeling, this is the psalm to turn to 💜

Day 38! This offers so much hope, to think that instead of pain being the end of the story, God actually takes our suffering and turns it into an invitation to know Him better and trust Him more. He is so marvelously Great 💙

Day 37! This week especially, I'm so thankful for the reminder that God is able and He will always make a way where there seems to be none. I'm praying that this week, we can all raise our voices in faith and say, God, I like Your odds 😊❤

Day 35! I really can't get over the verse she shares at the end: "When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.” (John 14:3) How wildly comforting to know that we have a Savior who longs for us to always be with Him where He is ?

Day 34 👑 Trust is a hard one for me. It's easier to retreat from letting others in. Keeping people at a distance removes the possibility of rejection, disappointment, & pain. What I have to work to remember is that I can trust God with my relationships with others. I can trust that, even if the worst happens & I get hurt, God remains steadfast & holds me steady. (Continued in comments!)

Day 33 ? "Do you want to get well?" does seem like such a silly question, but I loved this reminder that it's one we do need to consider. God is always ready and willing to heal us, but we also have to be willing to receive His healing and embrace all that being made new in Christ means!

Day 32 💙 This truth is one I am so thankful for and comforted by. I remember a Christian author writing that we must remember that when bad things happen, God isn't up in Heaven, wringing His hands, wondering how it will ever work out. No. (Continued in comments!)

Day 31❓ Realizing God invites us to wonder and ask questions is so encouraging to me. Understanding that He created curiosity as a doorway to empathy and relationship is incredible to consider!

What questions have you been holding back from asking God or others? I'm praying that God would give us the courage to be bold and childlike in our curiosity!

Day 30! ?

I think we all need this reminder on repeat in our thoughts as we learn to celebrate who God uniquely created us to be:

"He's called you, positioned you, & equipped you. There is a realm of influence - a group of people - that only you can inspire, encourage, & lead. There's a plan only you can complete. That's how valuable you are!"

So, what has God uniquely created only you to do? (Continued in comments!)

Day 29 💙 Can we all just say that prayer together? Please free me from whatever is holding me back. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Day 28 ? I love where she says, "We invite God into our mess so He can deal with it and help us deal with it. When we invite Him into our calamities, He can get us out."

It's so easy when we're confronting hard truths to feel overwhelmed because we think we have to sort it all out ourselves. That just isn't true, though. So thankful for a God Who's willing to step into our mess & bring healing where it feels impossible. (Continued in comments!)

Day 27 💜 I love that when we're facing the unknown and feel frightened or unsure, we can lean on God's faithfulness. We don't have to rely on circumstances changing because God isn't thwarted by circumstance. What is a risk God's been asking you to take for Him?

For me, it's growing my publishing business. Right now, I don't know the next step to take, but I can rely on His faithfulness to lead me and make a way where there seems to be none!

Day 26 💙 Praying God gives all of us the ability to serve with humility and value others above ourselves.

Day 25 💜 This one means a lot to me. I am not a lover of change. At all 😅 That being said, I also don't want to miss out on the new things God is doing just because my preference is for routine. Praying for each of us, that no matter what change might come our way, we trust God to bring something wonderful from it.

What about you? Do you love change or is it something you try to avoid?

Day 24 ❤ Whatever you might be walking through, I hope you hear this truth loud & clear: God's grace is bigger and mightier than the worst of your mistakes. If there's anything I can be praying for, I hope you always feel welcome to reach out 💗

Day 23 💙 Today, I'm praying that God helps all of us to be present here & now and to trust Him for every step forward!

Day 22. What sticks out to me here is that forgiveness relies on God's faithfulness amd grace, not our ability to make it up to Him. We can't possibly earn forgiveness, and that can feel overwhelming, until we realize that when we confess our sins, it's His faithfulness we're relying on and His faithfulness that will never fail 💜 If there's any way I can be praying for you, please let me know!

Day 21 💙 Love the reminder that receiving forgiveness is wonderful, but it's never meant to stop there. We receive forgiveness so that our hearts are humble and soft enough to extend it.

Day 20 💙 Praying God gives us all the courage to call sin what it is, but also the assurance that, no matter what the sin might be, we are always welcomed in by Jesus to be forgiven & made clean. Thankful for this truth tonight

Day 19 ? I love the part that says when we invite Him in as our Lord, He moves in. I love that the God of the universe would want that kind of relationship with us, would want to move in & cover us (& every moment of our past) in His grace ? "The Word became flesh & blood, & moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside & out, true from start to finish." John 1:14

Day 18 ? I can't count the number of times that I have felt uncomfortable in my own skin because my eyes have been fixed on someone else and on how much "more" she seems to be than me.

And then I read something like this. Something that pulls me out of insecurity and reminds me that I was hand-crafted by the God of the universe, all of my days laid out before Him. And He waits in delight as each one unfolds. Continued in comments!

Day 17 💙 I am not perfect. Neither are you. And God is not surprised by this. We were created for completely shame-free living, and while we may never experience the fullness of this on this side of Heaven, I'm thankful that God gives us a taste of it through His mercy and grace. Whatever shame you might be battling against, know I am praying for you and am always available to talk!

Day 16 ? When I need to remember that God is still present in my struggles and pain, this verse has brought Truth to the forefront of my thoughts again: "Hagar called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, 'You are a God of seeing,' for she said, 'Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me.'" Genesis 16:13

When things feel unbearably hard and God feels distant, there is nothing sweeter than remembering He sees me and looks after me.

Day 15 ? I'm thankful for the reminder that even the hardest things we face are so small compared to God!
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"For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
#faith ➡️ #unshakeablefaith

Day 14! ? This is a reminder I need often! And I'm thankful for the verse she includes at the end: "He destined us for adoption as His children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will." Ephesians 1:5. I love how intentional God's love is and the thought that it gave Him great pleasure to call us His own ?

Day 13! This one speaks for itself ?

"There is only one Rescuer who has the power to free any of us from prison. This Rescuer is the God I love - & who loves you & me so much that He left everything to come for us, to die for us, to free us. And this God makes all things new. He loves you unconditionally, unrelentingly, & forever. He loves you in your brokenness, & He loves making you whole again." ?❤

Day 12 ?‍♀️ This devotions reminds me that God delights in us while we're in progress. He doesn't wait to love or delight in us until we're picture perfect. He loves us right now, wherever we might be. I love these two verses in Philippians that say "God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns" and (continued in comments!)

Day 11 💖 I love that God is not thwarted by people's opinions about or mistreatment of us. This is a powerful reminder for me, that even when relationships are broken and life is painfully unexpected, God's love for us remains. Our identities as His fearfully and wonderfully made sons and daughters can't be taken. I'm praying He uses that truth to fill you with peace tonight just as He did for me.

Day 10 ? I love today's reading! It makes me think of Psalm 25:4: "Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow." God delights in doing just that, & Joshua 6 shows that off beautifully! But there's one thing that really stands out. In Josh. 6:2, God tells Joshua to see His deliverance long before the walls ever fell. He called for obedience, faith, & perseverance before the promise was ever fulfilled. Continued in comments!

Day 9 ❤ Today is not wasted. God is so good and He is always on time. I love this reminder that even in obscurity, God always see us. Has anything this week reminded you that God's present with you even in the waiting?

Day 8 ✨ Though there are many, many good things in life, today I'm feeling my weakness and weariness over the areas of life that are not. So thankful for His strength filling up my weak places and His reminder that only He is the One Who makes things and people whole. I'm praying you feel that peace and strength today, too 💜 If you have any prayer requests or just need someone to talk to, I'm here.

Day 7 🌹 Holding onto past failures and hurts, letting them consume my daily thoughts, is a struggle I am uncomfortably familiar with. My prayer for all of us is that we'd allow there to be a sweeping away of the old and an ushering in of the new. It's such a sweet promise from God that I don't want any of us to miss out on 💙

Day 6 🌊 This one means a lot to me. Vulnerability & trust don't come easily to me. I open up to people slowly (often, too slowly), so this reminder of God's patience is so sweet for me. I'm so thankful for the patient, steadfast friends He's blessed me with over the last few years, people who reflect His patience beautifully. Continued in comments!

Day 5 😊 I love how God delighting in us leads to us delighting in Him right back. And that He delights in us no matter what state our hearts and minds are in... weary, joyful, sad, passionate, lonely... He's not afraid of any of it (and even better, He understands any and all of our emotions). What are you thankful to God for? Are there any ways that He's shown His delight for you recently?

Day 4! This one means a lot to me, especially the part about how living from a place of passion turns the things we "have" to do into things we "get" to do! And then to think of doing those things because of the passion that comes from the Holy Spirit filling us ? It transforms the things that would have drained me dry into things that actually revive me. Changes everything ? Continued in comments!

Day 2! One of my words for 2020 is "Finished" because I've always struggled with fixating on my mistakes and failings. I've let them be the defining force in my life instead of Jesus and His finished work on the cross. It's been such a weight lifted this year to start taking my eyes off myself and fixing them on Jesus! Does anything really resonate with you in today's reading? ?

I decided to start this devotional by Christine Caine (in August instead of January because I'm a real rebel 😅), and I thought I'd post each day's reading in case anyone would like to read along with me! 😊 I'm really enjoying it so far, especially with how uncertain everything feels in the world right now