Tag: Prayer

Barefoot Devotions

A Lesson From Coffee

Hannah B.

Every Thursday I put on a pot of coffee before my in-home Bible study. There is something about the smell of coffee brewing and holding a hot cup between my hands that brings me comfort. The smell is enough to re-energize my bones after a tiring day and make the home feel inviting.

This past Bible study was a little different because at the end there was coffee to pour out. As I began emptying the pot while talking to Jesus, I realized that my action of pouring out this dark fluid from my coffee pot was the same as what Jesus does for us. When we surround ourselves with Godly friends, when we are spending time in His Word, and in prayer, He begins to pour the darkness of the carnal world out of us. The more time we spend seeking Him and allowing Him to change us, the clearer our hearts and minds become. This allows the words and actions that flow from our heart to become transparent and based on the truth that is found on the pages of Scripture.

Oh, the love the Savior has for us! It’s so deep and pure that I can not even begin to describe. I am so thankful that He does this for us! He cleanses us so that we may fellowship with Him and be transformed by the renewing of our mind so that we can put off our old self.

Reflection

How can you renew your mind so that you are better focused on God’s plan for your life?

In what areas of your life can you improve the condition of your soul?

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for cleaning out the darkness that comes into my life. Show me the areas in my life that need improvement and give me the courage and willingness to follow through and obey Your commands. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

With all my love and encouragement,

Hannah B.

Barefoot Devotions, The How To Series

How To Overcome Discouragement & Disappointment

Hannah B.

In our lives, we are bound to walk through trials from circumstances and experience rivals that provoke us and lead to disappointment and discouragement.  If we do not deal with these emotions in a Christ-like manner, then our emotions have the potential to spread deeper into our soul causing more destruction. The story of Hannah is one of my favorite stories in the Bible because through her actions we can see a proper course of action that defeated her problems and her emotions.

1 Samuel 1-8, NIV

1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

3 Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. 4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. 6 Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.

 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 8 Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”

In this passage, we can see that Hannah lived in a dysfunctional family and was greatly grieved by her barrenness.  Not only was she in a situation that brought on great embarrassment for her husband but Peninnah provoked her until she wept and would not eat.

Although Hannah was greatly loved by her husband, she could not be consoled by him.  When our heart burns with such a relentless longing for something in our lives or we are having to live out circumstances that cause disappointment or great weeping, we do not see anything or anyone except for this one thing we are seeking.  The saddest part is when that we are overcome by our emotions and we miss the plan Jesus has in store for us because our eyes are set elsewhere.  When this happens, we allow the root of bitterness to sink into our heart and grow roots that lead to resentment, hate, and negative attitudes.  As this root begins to grow, we question God’s sovereignty and love for us when we are experiencing trials, relationship problems, and a longing for something that hasn’t been given to us yet.  Emotions are powerful and unless we learn to control them, they will control us.

1 Samuel 10-18, NIV

10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.11 And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

12 As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”

15 “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

17 Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” 18 She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

Hannah’s prayer to us demonstrates the necessity of being raw and honest with God about the way we are feeling – the ugly, the bad, and the mad.  She poured everything that was inside of her out before the LORD.  When we take our emotions and thoughts before God, He will show us His view on our problems and how to correctly proceed in our actions.  We see that after Hannah was weeping greatly before the LORD, she left her problems there, resumed her life, and her face was no longer downcast.

We can see the drastic change of Hannah’s attitude due to her praying and the importance of taking everything to God in prayer especially when the first sign of disappointment sets in. By following the steps below we can learn how to handle these situations:

  1. Honestly pray to God and bring your problem before Him.
  2. LEAVE your problems with God. Walk away and live your life for Him.
  3. Know that God is Sovereign and His will for your life is perfect.
  4. Praise and Worship Him through the trials.
  5. Receive encouragement and support from Christ-minded friends and mentors.

 

Hannah eventually receives her son from God who is named Samuel. He was the last judge of Israel and the first priest and prophet to serve during the time of a king.  Samuel’s characteristics were the best examples of what a good judge should be, and he governed the people by God’s word and not by his own will.  He was pivotal in Israel’s history since he was the first to anoint the king and usher in the Davidic line.

We can trust Jesus with the desires and longings of our hearts and all of our hurts and disappointments. God’s timing is perfectly purposeful.

 

Personal Reflection

What do you do when you don’t receive the desire that causes a deep longing within?

How can you learn to take everything to the LORD in prayer?

Do you have a hard time leaving your problems after you have talked to  God about them?

If so, what steps will you take to overcome carrying your burdens yourself?

 

With all my love and encouragement,

Hannah Boyd

Barefoot Devotions

Hope for The Fatherless

Hannah B.

For as long as I could remember, Father’s Day has been a bittersweet day that was surrounded with sadness. A day that served as reminder that a little girl would not always have the daddy she so desperately wanted to have. I prayed to have but a prayer that went unanswered. My daddy tried the best that he could considering his addictions and other issues I began to realize as an adult. Eventually, the day became surrounded with anger as I grieved the loss of him and my childhood. No chance for redemption. Emotions of anger, jealously of people who still had their dad, depression surrounded me and plagued me for a decade after his death.

I don’t tell you this to be sad for me or feel bad for me because even though we had a lot of bad times, we had a lot of good times too. In the end, the good outweighed the bad and I thank God for His unanswered prayers. Through my journey, Jesus was there in the blackness still surrounding me with a grater plan than I could ever imagine. He provided the answers along the way as I cried out my whys to Him. He gave me the peace that I needed to carry on another day especially on Father’s Day.

Even in my darkest days that turned to years, my vision only allowed me to see blackness in my current state. Hopeless. Discouraged. Depressed. Grieved. Angered. Fatherless. Orphaned. Lost in a dream that wasn’t a reality and didn’t have the chance at ever being a reality.

It was at that moment that God started changing my heart and opening my eyes to the most impactful statement He has ever told me in my Christian life:

I am your Father and everything you ever needed and will need in a daddy. Stop searching.

Although I still had years of emotions to unravel, this marked the moment that my hardened heart began to crumble and heal my “daddy issues”.

The next phase allowed me to truly forgive my dad, it was realizing that my dad did the absolute best that he could be physically, spiritually, and mentally for me. Once I accepted that, I quit blaming him for not trying hard enough. I realized he did try – to the point of exhaustion and to the breaking point of someone with an addiction. As I realized this, I wave of guilt washed over me and they only place I could go to make it right was to the LORD.

It’s freeing when such burdens are lifted but as they are lifted so are the blinders that cover your eyes. You are able to look at the situation with opened eyes and realize the affect of your actions and are able to acknowledge the stubbornness and pride in your heart.

When the blinders are removed, you are able to see further out than what is in front of your face. My next moment was that I was blessed with uncles that were always there and stepped in to fill the role. Even though they weren’t my earthly dad – they were placed in my life for what I would need.

As these truths were unveiled to me and I accepted them into my heart, I became free from a false reality, a false expectation, and a false idea. The idea I had was not what God intended for my life. When we let go of our preconceived ideas and accept that our ideas and plans weren’t part of God’s will, that is when He can work and show us His plan. When we fully accept that He is God, He is good, and He loves us enough to not let us settle for anything less, we surrender it all to Him willingly. I realized that for some reason He needed that little girl to go through heartache, trials, and the ugly feelings to get to where I am now. Whatever His reason is, I am thankful He chose me.

I am exactly where God needs me at this very moment and I have been this entire journey. Perhaps, it’s all about your perspective. You can focus on the negative and the things you can’t change or you can focus on who you were grown into during the experiences.

I am not Fatherless and neither are you. We are loved dearly by a God that doesn’t change, doesn’t leave, and loves us unconditionally.

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Happy Father’s Day God! And Happy Father’s Day to my earthly daddy who taught me a lot about life.

Xoxo,

Hannah B.

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Barefoot Devotions

Not Forgotten

barinmysoul

It always amazes me how distracted we can get on a daily basis and forget how far we have come in life. We do our day to day things and have our day to day issues.  Could be a stressful day with work and kids and so much to do and so little time to do it.  Or I just got paid and now I have no money.

Recently, I was watching a documentary on the Oklahoma City building bombing that sadly happened back in 1995.  I remembered that I had written in my journal just a few short days afterwards about how I had felt about it.  I ran upstairs and grabbed my journal out of my suitcase full of all my teenage memories.  Which is pretty fitting considering I moved around a lot as a child.  My parents were divorced and I found myself going back and forth between the both of them.

So, I started reading my journal which only consisted of a few months from that year. I must have remembered the old saying “don’t print anything on paper that you wouldn’t want broadcasted on the front page of a newspaper” Lol. As I was reading, I couldn’t stop.  All these memories that I had blocked out.  I was such a depressed and lonely teenage girl.  I wanted to reach into that journal and hug her and tell her everything would turn out okay.  My day to day journaling consisted of boy trouble, abuse, feelings of suicide and loneliness.I had wanted to have a closer relationship with Jesus but I found myself drowning in depression and anger.

I do remember times of shaking my fists and screaming out to God to take me out of this world.  To make all this go away.  To save me.  I had no mentor back then. No woman to show me what a life for a girl is supposed to be like.  I lived with my father and my 2 brothers most of the time.  I longed for someone to see into my soul how tormented I was.  I suppose I didn’t know how to articulate any of that at the time.  I only knew how to yell and fight and defend myself.  I only knew how to express how angry and sad I was.  I got myself into quite a bit of trouble. Drugs, alcohol, premarital sex. I stopped caring about myself.

I don’t actually remember much of the details of that time; even the events I wrote about, but I do remember making my mind up at some point that I was going to look forward to the future and hold onto that last thread of hope that God was real and what I’ve learned my whole life was true and that Jesus loved me and hadn’t forgotten me.

Now, as I look around at my beautiful house and the peace in this house I see how God did deliver me.  I have wonderful children.  I didn’t do too much in my life in the right order but God still blessed me none the less.  God saw through my soul and saw my pain and He delivered me.  He set me on solid ground.  I may have messed up in so many ways but being the Sovereign God He is; picked me up, dusted me off and pushed me forward.  What an amazing mighty God we serve. And the thing is, I may have just been reminded of  some of the pain I went through growing up and some of the awful things that were said to me or done to me but I’m also reminded that I am blessed and I survived. That I was saved and He did hear my cries and I was delivered from all of it.  I don’t have to feel sad about it anymore. I don’t have to be angry.  I can forgive and I am forgiven.

The annoyances that happen in my day to day are nothing compared to what The Lord God brought me out of so many years ago.

Looking back I don’t even recognize that girl in that journal.  I know that God has transformed me.  He has worked on my heart and has mended all my little holes and patched all those rips and tears.  There may be scars but they are no longer wounds.

If you are going through a time in your life where you feel like nobody could possibly understand what you are going through or you feel like you are alone; I am a living testament that you are never alone.  God does hear you and even if you don’t see his work yet, He is working on your behalf.  It is always in the right time.

He knows perfectly and strategically where you are at in your grief or your anger or your sadness.  He knows what you need and when you need it. He knows when you are open and ready to receive it. When you can lay it all down and get on your knees and recognize that He does have your back you are ready to receive it.

If you don’t have a mentor or somebody to reach out to that will listen and pray for you or pray with you, I encourage you to get out your bible and pray.  I encourage you to find a bible based church to go to and do not isolate yourself. Reach out to other people or your pastor and ask them to pray with you.  You are loved and you are never forgotten.

Luke 12:7- “But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows”.

Valerie C.

Barin my Soul