Barefoot Devotions

Grace In The Fire

Life can feel like an all-consuming fire especially if you are not prepared for the flames that have come up around you. If you are lacking the proper equipment to extinguish the fire, then you can be certain that the flames will grow hotter, more fierce, and feel as though the flames are impossible to put out.

Your world may feel like it’s on fire and burning down to the ground but here is what I am confident of:

1. You are on the right path God has called you to and are engaging in spiritual warfare.

or 


2. God is setting your world on fire in pursuit of you.

There is another one in the fire with you and His name is Jesus. Regardless of your number, Jesus is the living water to extinguish the flames.

You can walk out with nothing but ashes or you can walk out untouched and a fighter with Jesus.

To the One that is the First Person

You know that God has a plan for you, a purpose, and a calling for each season of your life planned for you. I don’t have to remind you of this wonderful truth that is confirmed in God’s Word.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

Just as certain as it is that God has a plan for your life, you can be certain that the enemy will throw darts, distractions, and problems at you to try and discourage you from pursuing the will God has for your life.


It may seem that all of a sudden your world goes up in flames but you have the confidence to know that Jesus is with you.

This is your reminder to always put on the Armor Of God daily. It is so important to be prepared, expecting, and ready to put the fires out. Just as you can expect the enemy to derail your plans, you can also expect that Jesus is in the fire with you and when you call on Him, His living water extinguishes the sting of the flames.

To the One that is the Second Person

Perhaps, you once had a zeal for the LORD and fulfilling His purpose He had for you but you’ve found yourself back in bondage over the sin you have been freed from or maybe you have been set free. Maybe you have let negative thoughts take over your mind, or have been distracted to the point of what feels like no return. Sometimes the battle we fight can get the best of you and the desires the LORD has placed deep within your heart fade away.

Maybe you have never pursued a relationship with God.

I want to remind you that grace is not under the fire but it is within the fire with you. It can’t be burned to ashes, it can’t be driven away, and it can’t be lost.

Grace can only be rejected by you. It never left you in the fire alone. The One in the fire with you holds the keys to grace, and His name is Jesus. He is the living water.

John 4:14 ESV – But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

We can be confident in knowing that God knew there would times when you would stumble and fall short of His grace but Psalm 37:24 tells us
“though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.”

If your world seems to be crumbling to the flames around you, perhaps God is in pursuit of your life? It might be time to reevaluate your heart posture, your actions, your social circles, and really let God do a heart check. At first, it doesn’t feel “good” as our inward flaws, desires, and true self are revealed. With God, we can expect the process to be gracefully done between you and Him inside the fire. When it’s time to arise from the ashes, you will have a powerful story to tell, a newfound faith, and a purpose deep within your heart.

Whether you are the first or second person, that’s between you and God.
I trust that God has revealed to you which person you are and if your heart is open, He is already working in your life. If your heart isn’t open, then you can expect your world to burn to the ground and you will be left with ashes. Don’t let another day go by without saying, “yes” to Jesus. He doesn’t give up on His pursuit.

Isaiah 58:11 ESV – And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Personal Reflection

  1. Are you Number One or Number Two?
  2. In light of this discovery, what else can you observe in your relationship with Jesus?
  3. In what areas of your life do you need to surrender to God?
  4. How can you wholeheartedly seek God starting now?

Heavenly Father,

I come to you with all that I am and I give you my heart. Search me and know me, reveal to me the areas in my life that need to be revived and that need to be watered by your grace, love, and mercy. Thank you for your endless pursuit of me.

With all my love and encouragement,

Hannah B.

Barefoot Devotions, The How To Series

How To Overcome Unbelief

If unbelief is not counteracted with the promises of God and His word,  it is easy to fall prey to the enemy’s lies.  It begins with a simple thought of, “oh, just this once” or “it’s not really that bad, is it?” Not only does unbelief creep in through sin, but it can also find a way into your heart and mind but causing you to doubt God’s love and promises for your life.  Before we even know it, we have entered a downward spiral that leads to a hardened heart turned away from God.  If you let the little sins and thoughts in,  slowly they will morph into a wall of hardened responses, thoughts, and perspective.  How great of a God do we serve that He loves us unconditionally and His grace is sufficient for us? The most awesome God!  We must keep our unbelief in check so that we may live our lives to the fullness Christ intends. The Bible gives us this warning about the dangers of sin and unbelief:

Hebrews 3:19 NIV | Warning Against Unbelief

  So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice,  do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger,  ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.  But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.  We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.  As has just been said:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts
    as you did in the rebellion.”[b

 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?   And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?  And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed?  So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

Steps to preventing an unbelieving heart:

  • Fellowship with other believers 
  • Talk about your mutual faith daily. 
  • Be aware of the deceitfulness of sin. 
  • Encourage others with love and concern. 

Personal Reflection: 

How are you going astray in your walk with Christ? 

In what areas of your heart do you feel like God is asking for a complete surrender?

How can you make better steps to stay committed to your faith? 

Dear Heavenly Father, 

I come to you seeking forgiveness, willing to turn from sins, and follow You wholeheartedly.  Make known any areas in my life that I have allowed anything that is not of you into my heart.  As you reveal them, give me the grace to follow through in obedience of your will for my life.  Equip me with discernment to know when seed of unbelief are being planted and pluck them from my heart. 

In Jesus’ Name, I pray! Amen!

Be encouraged in your faith! 

Hannah B.

Barefoot Devotions

Faith Over Fear: Season One // Day Two

Here is Day Two of our current devotion series and if you have missed Day One – No reason to fret – you can find it here: Faith Over Fear: Season One // Day One


Pondering

Each day you are bombarded with the cares of life. You try to manage your family, household, career, extracurricular activities, and your friends; but it all takes a toll on you.

You are giving all your physical energy and your mind into worldly cares that are zapping all your energy, your joy, and your love for life. You are always running to and from in a frazzled state of mind waiting for something to go wrong or having to dodge everything life keeps throwing at you. It won’t be long until you reach your next breaking point.

This is not the life God intended for us to live. He desires for us to live in peace and reassurance in all things, but the only way we can do that is by putting him first in each of these things. He seeks us early in the morning because he knows the demands of life will be too much for us to bare alone and he cares.

Choose him over being anxious about the things that are piling up on your to-do list. By choosing him, you allow him to refresh every part of your being before you start the things that once burdened you. This is the key to enjoying the chaos of your life.

Isaiah 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Proverbs 3:6 In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.


Praying

Heavenly Father, I come to you, seeking you in the midst of my chaos. I am burdened with the needs that need to be met and I am unable to enjoy life as I am overcome with anxiety. I give all my worries to you LORD. Thank you and caring for me so much that you would take all my cares, burdens, and anxieties from me so that I may live my life for your glory. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.


Practicing

What are you being lead to leave at the feet of Jesus today? Talk to Jesus about it, leave it, and find joy in his presence. He has all of your cares and burdens already mapped out for your best life. Believe it!

Do you like the series so far? Comment below, share with your friends and join our Facebook group, A Gathering Place.

Xoxo,

Hannah B.

Barefoot Devotions // Faith Over Fear Series

Faith Over Fear: Season One // Day Two

Here is Day Two of our current devotion series and if you have missed Day One – No reason to fret – you can find it here: Faith Over Fear: Season One // Day One


Pondering

Each day you are bombarded with the cares of life. You try to manage your family, household, career, extracurricular activities, and your friends; but it all takes a toll on you.

You are giving all your physical energy and your mind into worldly cares that are zapping all your energy, your joy, and your love for life. You are always running to and from in a frazzled state of mind waiting for something to go wrong or having to dodge everything life keeps throwing at you. It won’t be long until you reach your next breaking point.

This is not the life God intended for us to live. He desires for us to live in peace and reassurance in all things, but the only way we can do that is by putting him first in each of these things. He seeks us early in the morning because he knows the demands of life will be too much for us to bare alone and he cares.

Choose him over being anxious about the things that are piling up on your to-do list. By choosing him, you allow him to refresh every part of your being before you start the things that once burdened you. This is the key to enjoying the chaos of your life.

Isaiah 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Proverbs 3:6 In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.


Praying

Heavenly Father, I come to you, seeking you in the midst of my chaos. I am burdened with the needs that need to be met and I am unable to enjoy life as I am overcome with anxiety. I give all my worries to you LORD. Thank you and caring for me so much that you would take all my cares, burdens, and anxieties from me so that I may live my life for your glory. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.


Practicing

What are you being lead to leave at the feet of Jesus today? Talk to Jesus about it, leave it, and find joy in his presence. He has all of your cares and burdens already mapped out for your best life. Believe it!

Do you like the series so far? Comment below, share with your friends and join our Facebook group, A Gathering Place.

Xoxo,

Hannah B.