Dedication: the devotion of time, effort, or oneself to a particular task or purpose
In the Old Testament times, before Jesus came and died for our sins, anyone wishing to find atonement for their sins had to offer up a sacrifice.
They were instructed to take an animal that was perfect — one of the best ones — and bring it as a sacrifice. They could not offer the one that was bad or undesirable. They were commanded to give the best.
Another instruction found in the Bible that still remains a vital command today is to give ten percent of our earnings back to God.
And although these two commandments seem so different as one is the sacrifice of animals and is no longer necessary, and another is giving money and is still in practice today — I look at them and draw a connection to the word “dedication”.
Dedication is the devotion of time, effort, or oneself to a particular task or purpose. And there are two elements of the commandments previously mentioned that I think are important to dedication.
Those two commandments show me that we are to give God a portion of our time, and we are to give Him our best.
We can’t just dedicate Sunday’s to Him. We cannot dedicate our leftover time to Him. We must give Him a portion of our day, and make it the best.
In all the time we are awake, we have time to dedicate ourselves to our Creator — to the One who provides for us, is there for us, and makes a way for us.
We can find it in us to dedicate ourselves to Him.
So this week, how can you better dedicate yourself to God?
Maddisen Sauls is the smile and voice behind the Everyday Joy blog as well as the author of the Word of the Week posts and the editor of by leaps and bounds. Throughout her life, Maddisen has worked as a reporter for small town newspapers, a School Age and Preschool teacher, and has acquired her ministerial license.
An avid book reader and lover of the written word, Maddisen is passionate about using her favorite medium to reach the lost and the hurting, and to offer encouragement and hope to those struggling through life.
Following her battle with depression, Maddisen has made it her mission to help other people through this journey and to bring joy to the lives of the people around her.
You can find Maddisen on Instagram @maddisen.paige
An in-depth study on Walking in the Spirit v/s Walking in the Flesh Part 1 by Chris Carroll from Forerunners for Christ. Check it out and learn and grow…by and in the Spirit
This right here, friends, is the moment I began to truly realize that key thing I was missing.
This was written probably a good year or so before my deliberate step towards intentional living.
So many times in our life we allow things, circumstances, and responsibilities to blind us from taking a step back and enjoying the moment of time we find ourselves in. We can become so consumed by them.
For some, they are so focused on reaching a particular moment in their future that they completely miss what God was wanting to do on the journey.
For me, not only was I feeling so consumed by all of my responsibilities, I also felt consumed by social media and other devices. After a long day of running from place to place, all I wanted to do when I got home was veg. And that’s not a bad thing in moderation, but it became an everyday thing.
Now, let me say this before you get all upset at me: I don’t believe that social media is a bad thing. I don’t believe that watching TV or playing video games is either… in moderation.
You see, even sweet snacks are fine in moderation. But too much of it and it isn’t. And the same goes to things such as social media.
I became so consumed by it that my true aspirations weren’t getting accomplished… and then I was becoming frustrated and depressed because the things I truly wanted to do I never had time for. It was a vicious cycle and I knew it needed to cease.
I felt like I was in the pit with no way out, but as the Lord showed that I had to be intentional with how I handle my time I began to see the way out of that pit.
Hence, this journey of intentional living.
Since then I’ve taken the blinders off and opened my eyes to my life around me. I can see that I don’t have to fill my schedule to the brim, and I see that I can do other things to relax at the same time as fulfilling those aspirations.
And, for the first time in a long time, I can truly enjoy the life God has given me the way He intended for me to.
For the first time, I feel that I can truly soak up each moment the Lord has blessed me with.
So the question I leave with you today is this:
What in your life has you absolutely consumed that it takes you away from pursuing the dreams and aspirations that God has placed within you?
TTFN, mi amigos.
Caleigh
An adventurer and coffee enthusiast at heart, Caleigh Ball has a passion for reaching out to others to inspire them to live with intention and purpose. As an ordained minister, she spends her time ministering as a youth pastor and is actively involved in Arise Ministries as the vice president and bookkeeper as well as one of the ministers. She enjoys life with her husband, Emmanuel, and their cat, Alaska, in their home state, Almost Heaven West Virginia.
One of the notorious arguments against the existence of God employed by popular atheists such as Richard Dawkins, is the reductio argument offered in philosophical argumentation which proposes the following, “If evil exists and God exists, then either God doesn’t have the power to eliminate all evil, or doesn’t know when evil exists, or doesn’t have the desire to eliminate all evil. Therefore, God doesn’t exist.”
Multitudes throughout the centuries of time have proposed the infamous question, why do good people suffer? Even further, many believing Christians have found themselves startled as they have been astounded by the common pain of enduring suffering trials and bad circumstances in life. Over and over believers find themselves ringing their hands toward God asking why do believing Christians suffer?
As a young pastor in 2010, my wife and I experienced our first engagement with this emotionally extensive question; our first pregnancy did not end well. Following the roller coaster of emotions upon the surprising realization that our first baby was on the way, complications placed us at the dawn of a morning in a labor and delivery room 17 weeks into the pregnancy consulting with the area’s leading OBGYN expert in pregnancy crisis. In summation, the doctor declared with raw facts void of emotion that he was 99.9 percent certain that our baby boy would be dead in less than 24 hours.
Shaken, startled, and suffocated with grief we began to pray. We came into agreement with other believers, we taped anointed prayer clothes on her belly, we spoke faith and life, we rebuked the enemy, and we had full faith that this would be a miraculous turnaround. Meanwhile, we did exceed the 24-hour window; nine days later my wife was still in the hospital and our boy was growing and responding well to the complications of the pregnancy. Still yet, on December 20th, 2010 his funeral was conducted on a cold snowy day with Christmas looming in the background.
Have you ever wrestled with a sickness or hardship that left you asking the question, why do good people suffer? Why? Why would a good God that is omnipotent seemingly hide in the stillness allowing women to be raped, heart attacks to unfold, murders to be committed, babies to die, cancers to grow, and children to be abused? These are real questions that many honest believers ask on a regular basis.
My own personal struggle with the loss of our baby, as well as with other trials and hardships within life, propelled me to the scriptures to discover an answer to this infamous question. Overall, I had to know why God allows evil and suffering. Moreover, as a pastor I knew that I had to be equipped with some answers in my arsenal, in order to be able to help other believers in their times of suffering salvation.
My journey into the Word of God, and in prayer, to obtain an answer to why good believers suffer was enlightening; what I found is that God offers no singular easy answer. Absent in the Bible is a one-line zinger to the problem of trials and suffering. In contrast, God revealed to me through the Word that the answer to suffering truly depends on the situation at hand. In other words, the answer to why good believers experience bad situations is as follows: it depends.
To my surprise, the Bible, which is God’s own self-disclosure, reveals to us a display of various different examples of suffering and trials, which were permitted for multiple different reasons. In this article, I will share six diverse explanations as to why believers suffer. Each explanation can be applied to numerous different situations in life:
1. Free-will
One reason why good believers often suffer is due to free-will. In short, God allows us to make our own choices (Joshua 24:15; John 1:12-13). We must accept the fact that some suffering is the direct result of someone’s free-will choices in life.
In order for free-will to be free-will in actuality and not in just theory, God must willingly allow actions that are heartbreaking to both him and others.
Pastor Toney Cox
If God, for example, prevented all heart attacks, humans then would be free to eat unhealthily absent of any concern. Actions have consequences. A forty-year faithful smoker cannot blame God for lung cancer. Further, if God intervened and stopped every murder, God then would be willfully ceasing free-will.
While it would be celebrated if God stopped every murder or evil action in this world, doing so would handcuff free-will; if God intervened and stopped every evil action, God then would then be stripping humanity of the free choice to do good or evil.
In order for free-will to be free-will in actuality and not in just theory, God must willingly allow actions that are heartbreaking to both him and others. Some suffering is the larger result of free-will.
2. Foreknowledge
When Jesus was attacked in the garden, this did not make sense to Peter; he took control of the seemingly senseless situation and cut an ear off in defense, only to then find Jesus rebuking him for not understanding the moment (John 18:10-12).
We are not divine. We do not know the end from the beginning. We are limited in our understanding and knowledge of all things. We must confess that the omniscient (all-knowing) God of the universe knows more about the actions and interactions of divine assistance than we do.
Some suffering is the result of fallible limited humans not comprehending what the infallible, unlimited, all-knowing God understands.
Pastor Toney Cox
Simply put, God at times does not do what we think God should do, because God knows more than we do.
God knows all possibilities, complexities, and all results of actions as well as all potential results of his interactions (Isa 46:10; Isa 55:8-13). Imagine the mindset of a baby on vaccine day; he or she is carried into a bright room and is stripped down to the diaper. Mom or dad then lays the baby on a cold table, and a large stranger comes into the room and stabs him or her with a needle. The baby screams in pain. Would it be fair to propose that the baby could be thinking, why is mom or dad allowing this mean stranger to stab me? Of course, the rhetorical answer lies in the fact that mom or dad knows what is best, even though the baby does not understand. Well, sometimes in life we are the baby and God simply knows more than we do. Some suffering is the result of fallible limited humans not comprehending what the infallible, unlimited, all-knowing God understands.
3. Spiritual Warfare
Have you ever read about a man named Job? He did nothing wrong, yet all of hell befell him. No sin of his own was committed. No disobedience was offered. No lack of faith was displayed. Simply, God allowed the enemy to test him with trials and suffering. In as much, his troubles were due to spiritual warfare. We see a similar situation with Daniel as he prayed for help, and the answer was sent 21 days before the arrival; the explanation offered was delay and interruption due to spiritual warfare (Dan 10:13). Our battle is not physical (Eph 6:12), and Peter reminds us that the enemy seeks to devour us (1 Pet 5:8). Some suffering is the direct result of spiritual warfare. We do have a warring enemy whether our theology recognizes it or not.
4. The Faith Issue
A lack of faith can produce a lack of God intervening in our lives.
There, I said it. The cat is out of the preverbal bag.
Faith matters.
Pastor Toney Cox
It is true, faith matters. Jesus himself was limited when there was a lack of faith, “And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith” (Matt 13:58). Jesus rebuked people for having a lack of faith (Mark 4:35-41), and he taught that we are to have faith in order to see miraculous divine interaction in our lives (Mark 11:24-25; Mark 9:23). Every suffering situation is not a lack of faith; just ask Job about faith and trials. However, some situations of suffering and pain are, in fact, the result of our own lack of faith.
5. The Winepress
Trials and suffering make us stronger. Period. Suffering builds our resolve. The Bible says that it is the trying of our faith that produces patience (James 1:3). Peter says that fiery trials are more precious to us than gold, “Your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Pet 1:7). God often allows difficult trials and pain in our lives, in order to strengthen us and build our faith. Difficulties define us. It is through trials and tough moments in life that we build muscle and mature. If God coddled all believers and shielded us from all forms of suffering, we would be spineless and spoiled people. Do we like it? No. Yet, some suffering is allowed for our own benefit.
6. Correction
Last and most likely least embraced, God at times allows suffering as a form of correction to his own who choose disobedience, “Because the LORD disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children” (Heb 12:6-8).
Enough said.
God will, as the perfect loving father, allow correction through trials when we choose to disobey and ignore him. Are all suffering and hard times the result of chastisement? No. Nonetheless, in some situations the Bible says it can be the source of the circumstance.
God is not evil neither can God do evil things (James 1:13). On the other hand, God does in certain situations, allow suffering and trials in the lives of believers. Why does God allow suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do believers experience suffering salvation? The Bible offers an answer: it depends.
Pastor Toney, along with his wife Monica, serves as the pastor of The Refuge Church in New Martinsville, WV. Prior to this assignment, he led in a revitalization for twelve years of a church in Wayne, WV.
Pastor Toney is passionate about leading the church into revival and into an encounter in the presence of God. He believes that a presence driven church will experience the glory of God, and he strives to lead as a committed pastor of the people.
Pastor Toney is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God (Cleveland, TN.). In addition, he holds a Bachelor’s degree from Lee University, and he recently completed a Master’s degree from Lee University as well.
Joy: a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as He causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world; the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.
Joy is often seen as a feeling obtained through a good experience, but that is largely untrue. While joy can be felt as a result of a good moment, joy is not only found in the happy times. Joy is also a choice.
These definitions of joy represent this well by showing us that not everything in our life has to be right and good to feel it.
Joy is a good feeling produced (created) by the Holy Spirit, who is inside of us. This happens as He causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world.
This definition doesn’t say that we’ll see beauty as our circumstances change. Instead we see beauty as our perspective changes.
Oftentimes, we have no control over our situations and circumstances. We do, however, have control over how we perceive it. And when we allow the Holy Spirit to live inside of us, He will produce these feelings and we will begin to have our perspective shifted.
Joy is also resting in the fact that God is in control — He’s got this! — being confident that He’s going to work it out; and choosing to praise Him no matter what.
When our circumstances and situations are bad, we can find joy in knowing that we’re not in this alone. God is with us, He’s still in control, and He’s going to work it out.
And through all this, we can choose joy by praising Him in every situation.
So this week, cast your worries on God, trust Him, and praise Him through the storm. Your God’s got this!
Maddisen Sauls is the smile and voice behind the Everyday Joy blog as well as the author of the Word of the Week posts and the editor of by leaps and bounds. Throughout her life, Maddisen has worked as a reporter for small town newspapers, a School Age and Preschool teacher, and has acquired her ministerial license.
An avid book reader and lover of the written word, Maddisen is passionate about using her favorite medium to reach the lost and the hurting, and to offer encouragement and hope to those struggling through life.
Following her battle with depression, Maddisen has made it her mission to help other people through this journey and to bring joy to the lives of the people around her.
You can find Maddisen on Instagram @maddisen.paige
This week’s recipe — Breakfast Burritos — comes from me just sitting on my porch and watching God’s creations.
A lot of times, I get ideas through my mind when I’m resting in the quiet.
Also, this recipe is good because my husband likes anything you can make last and mix all together. He will eat anything I make, except for liver and onions, which is one of my favorites.
So when I make liver I call my older sister.
It’s funny how God gives everyone different tastes. Which I found to be a good thing because it would be boring if we were all the same.
I hope you enjoy this yummy recipe and that it satisfies your belly.
So from my blog to your kitchen, God bless and happy dishes.
Breakfast Burrito
½ roll sausage (you can use any meat you like)
2 eggs
1 large fajita shell
½ cup diced onion
1 teaspoon salsa
1 teaspoon sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese
Fry sausage and onions until done. Mix two eggs, add to the mixture. Mix together until done. Add desired amount of cheese to shell then roll. Add the rest of cheese on top with salsa and sour cream.
While you’re enjoying your burritos, remember Isaiah 55:2. “Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”
Stay tuned for more homemade recipes and blessings from my table to yours.
In addition to providing delicious recipes on her Faith and Food blog, Tina Rucker is a proud mom to her 18 year old son, happy wife to her husband Joel of six years, and the spearhead of the Five Loaves Food Pantry ministry in her local church, open twice a month.
Tina has worked in the food industry for over 25 years, and has a heart and a passion to serve, feed, and provide for those in need.
Does healing still exist today? That is the question many people have asked. Angel Miller, Street Minister and Associate Pastor of One Light Church, shares her miraculous story of being healed of Lupus. (6 min 45 sec).
When I was in like fifth or sixth grade I read this book called Halfway to the Sky by Kimberly Bradley.
It’s about this 12 year old girl named Katahdin, but everyone calls her Dani. Dani had a brother named Springer who died from Muscular Dystrophy. Her parents split up after her brother died and she decided she was going to be like her parents and hike the Appalachian Trail. She runs away and heads to the trail.
The next day though, her mom catches up to her and they decide to hike for a while. Along the way Dani learns many life lessons including “hike your own hike.”
Hike your own hike means that everyone’s journey is different; don’t compare yourself to others.
If you do, one of two things will happen…either you will see that others are doing better than you and you will feel ineffective and you can tear yourself down. Or the other thing that can happen is that you see that you are doing better than other people and pride can slip in.
Go at your own pace!
On the trail if you compare yourself to everyone else… you will NEVER make it. God made you exactly the way he meant to. Your journey through life is unique to you…embrace your uniqueness!
Remember God loves you and so do I!
Hannah Benson — known for her big heart, her kindness, and her eagerness to serve — is the author of the Overcoming Autism blog.
Hannah was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 14, and now uses this media platform as a way to reach out to those living with Autism and other handicaps. Hannah shares tips and coping skills for those with Autism and for family and friends of those who have been diagnosed; she also relates her life to stories in the Bible and chronicles the lessons she’s learned along her journey.
Hannah Benson can be found on Instagram @hannah_benson94 or on Facebook on the Overcoming Autism Hannah’s Story.
So the story I’m about to share is, honestly, a bit embarrassing.
It shows my naivete in some aspects, but it is a mistake so many make, in more ways than one.
Let me explain.
Not too long ago, I made a decision to purchase an item. This particular item was very expensive, and the company I was getting it from had an option where you could lease it, make monthly payments on it, and once these payments were complete, you would own the product.
Pretty simple, right?
I’ve done this type of thing before with other companies and never had any problems, but this time was different for two reasons.
One: I was purchasing from a different company.
And two: I was doing it by myself. Every other time I’ve done something like this, I’ve had a parent — an experienced adult — with me.
So the day was finally there, and I was going to make this purchase.
While speaking with the sales representative and speeding through the mountain of paperwork, I asked about the monthly payment, making sure that it was within my budget.
“What’s the monthly payment?” I had asked. She told me the number, which was a little higher than I first thought, but still within my budget.
So she pulled out the contract that legally binded me to the lease of this item and to completing the monthly payments, and I signed it.
Later at home, I was reading the contract since the sales representative hadn’t afforded me the time beforehand. And that’s when I noticed.
The sales representative hadn’t been completely honest with me. The number she gave me for the monthly payments was wrong; I would owe ten dollars more on the payment. Which isn’t a big deal.
No, the big deal was that the payment that she told me was monthly, was actually a bi-weekly payment.
I nearly died when I realized how much money I had just agreed to fork out for this item each month. I definitely could not afford that!
I’m not going to lie to you. I straight up panicked. I had signed a contract and I had no idea if I could get out.
I spent the next day panicking while I attempted to get a hold of somebody, with the help of an experienced adult this time, of course.
Due to a little help from my family, I was able to get the situation all turned around. I got myself out of the contract, which wasn’t quite as binding as I had first thought.
And while this situation is extremely embarrassing to me, and while it’s hard for me to admit how stupid I was, I think it’s important to share. Because how many contracts do we sign with the enemy?
I was at a prayer meeting when I heard someone pray for contracts that were signed with the devil to be broken, and this moment came back to my remembrance, and it just hit me.
So many times in our spiritual lives, we “sign a contract with the enemy” and get ourselves into a mess we aren’t fully prepared to handle.
So many times, we mess up and think we’re too far gone, that we can’t get out, that we’re stuck in our sin — but that’s just not true.
There is no sin too big, no problem too large, no chain too thick for God to break.
And get this: the “contracts” we sign with the enemy aren’t binding.
Just like how I was able to get out of my contract, so will you.
Take a look at your life. What contracts have you signed?
Have you signed away your peace to pursue something you know is wrong? Have you signed away your joy in order to achieve a goal that doesn’t make you truly happy? Have you signed away your salvation to make room for relationships you aren’t meant to be in?
When I signed that contract, I was trying to obtain something material, which is in no way wrong, within reason. But this was out of reason. The cost was too high, and I would have to sacrifice too much.
So why don’t you review your “contracts”? Is it out of reason? Is the cost too high? Are you having to sacrifice more than you should?
Because no relationship is worth your joy. No goal is worth your peace. Nothing is worth losing your salvation for.
So if you look back and see that you’ve unwittingly signed a contract that demands a price too high to pay, now is the time to back out. Nullify (make legally null and void; invalidate; cancel out) any agreement you’ve made. It’s just not worth it.
Maddisen Sauls is the smile and voice behind the Everyday Joy blog as well as the author of the Word of the Week posts and the editor of by leaps and bounds. Throughout her life, Maddisen has worked as a reporter for small town newspapers, a School Age and Preschool teacher, and has acquired her ministerial license.
An avid book reader and lover of the written word, Maddisen is passionate about using her favorite medium to reach the lost and the hurting, and to offer encouragement and hope to those struggling through life.
Following her battle with depression, Maddisen has made it her mission to help other people through this journey and to bring joy to the lives of the people around her.
You can find Maddisen on Instagram @maddisen.paige
Relief: a feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress; the alleviation of pain, discomfort, or distress.
Lately, I’ve heard the word “relief” tossed around a lot.
We hear about all kinds of Coronavirus Relief bills, packages, etc.
But where’s our relief?
The world has been in a state of perpetual fear and uproar so far this year.
2020 has not been kind to many, with us facing a world-wide pandemic and fears stemming from that, as well as the various other matters in the world ranging from reports of crazy Murder Hornets to the traggic death of George Floyd.
With all this craziness and hurt, it can leave someone asking, “Where’s my relief?”
Maybe you got your stimulus check, which was a part of the Coronavirus relief. Maybe your business got some relief in the form of the many types of assistance programs and grants being offered.
But in our personal life, for us personally, where’s the relief?
Relief is a feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress.
Relief is the alleviation of pain, discomfort, or distress.
And let me tell you: that’s freely ours, and we can have it right now.
The definition above states that relief is reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress. Notice it says release, which simply means to be set free from something, not that the problem is gone.
The definition also states that relief is the “alleviation of pain, discomfort, or distress.”
Alleviation is “the action or process of making suffering or a problem less severe.”
So in the midst of all this chaos, confusion, and uncertainty, we can gain relief by getting into the presence of the One who’s in control. By seeking His face out in prayer.
When we seek Him, the Bible says we will find Him. And when we do, relief is ours.
The problem may not go away, but the suffering will become less severe for us. We will be given reassurance.
Relief can be yours this week. Relief can be yours today.
Maddisen Sauls is the smile and voice behind the Everyday Joy blog as well as the author of the Word of the Week posts and the editor of by leaps and bounds. Throughout her life, Maddisen has worked as a reporter for small town newspapers, a School Age and Preschool teacher, and has acquired her ministerial license.
An avid book reader and lover of the written word, Maddisen is passionate about using her favorite medium to reach the lost and the hurting, and to offer encouragement and hope to those struggling through life.
Following her battle with depression, Maddisen has made it her mission to help other people through this journey and to bring joy to the lives of the people around her.
You can find Maddisen on Instagram @maddisen.paige
by leaps and bounds 