Time Out! Devotions

(devotional by Scott Walker from Guideposts and OurPrayer.org)

“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. . . .”

John 3:8 (NAS)

My children have always kidded me about how quickly I can fall asleep. When I sit down in my easy chair to watch a football game, my sons take bets as to how soon I’ll be snoozing.But occasionally I’ll have a night when sleep will not come. Last night I turned out my desk lamp at midnight, let the dogs back into the house and was asleep before my head hit the pillow—for fifteen minutes. Then I was jolted awake, a thousand thoughts pouring through my mind: My quarterly tax payment will soon be due; I’m nudging up on a deadline; I’ve got a doctor’s appointment next week. . . . I got up, put on my robe and wandered out into the front yard. It was a beautiful night, mild and pleasant, balanced between spring and summer. Standing beneath a canopy of water oaks, I gazed at the stars as a breeze rippled off the western prairie. Going back inside, I climbed to the second floor, opened the windows in the guest room and lay down on the bed. In the darkness, I listened to the gentle wind whisper under the eaves and watched the curtains billow in. Snuggling under covers, I felt the breeze ruffle my hair. There was a smell of sweet hay in the soft Texas night. Then sleep embraced me. When sleep and rest will not come, I need to open the windows of my soul and let God’s Spirit blow in. Father, I cannot command the wind to blow, but I can trust that in Your good time, Your presence will be felt in my life, bringing peace and rest. Amen.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (NIV)

The God of All Comfort

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. ⁵For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. ⁶If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

Look up “comfort” in dictionary.com or another reference, and you will read a definition like this: “Something that promotes a state of ease or provides freedom from pain and anxiety.” But God’s Word has a different solution when consolation is needed: the indwelling Holy Spirit. In Greek, He is called parakletos, which means “he who stands at one’s side; he who comes to one’s aid.” Believers don’t have to seek outward remedies or distractions to ease their mind, because help is available within.

Even before the Spirit was sent to indwell believers (John 14:26; Ephesians 3:16), Scripture identified God as the one who comforts His people (Isaiah 40:1; 49:13). The Lord personally provides consolation and reassurance because no one knows our hurts the way He does.

I like this anonymous quotation: “When we have gone into the furnace of affliction, His hand is on the thermostat and His eye is on the clock.” God lets us pass through hardship to make us stronger believers, wiser servants, and more humble people. But He stays right by our side through the entire experience, sustaining us and limiting the intensity and duration of our distress. The Holy Spirit’s reassuring whisper to our heart gives more comfort than the solace of family or the encouragement of friends.

People who fail to understand the true source of comfort try to escape their pain. They seek out pleasures, material wealth, or drugs and alcohol to soothe their heart. Only God can offer lasting relief from the crushing pressure of heartache. He even brings joy into periods of mourning.

(by Dr. Charles Stanley from In Touch Ministries)

READ | Exodus 3:1-22

Can you remember a time when you were so engrossed in the details of your own life that you couldn’t hear God at all? In times like those, we oftentimes cannot detect the Lord’s whisper. So instead, He may shout through unusual circumstances.

Consider Moses in the third chapter of Exodus. Though well educated and raised as a prince, he was now exiled and humiliated in the wilderness. Life certainly wasn’t turning out as he’d envisioned, and he was no doubt preoccupied with fear, disappointment, and pride.

But God had big plans for Moses and needed to get his attention. So the Lord arranged something that the shepherd just couldn’t ignore: a bush that was on fire and yet was not being consumed. Even more startling, God spoke to Moses through the burning bush! Do you think that would have made you take notice?

Sometimes, this is exactly how God works. In order to speak to us, He must first get our undivided attention by doing something so unusual that we have no choice but to stop, look, and listen.

There is no such thing as an accident for a child of God. Every single thing you see or hear is something that God allowed you to notice for a reason.

We must learn how to perceive God in every circumstance, from the wild and unexpected to the simple and mundane. Whether our situation seems unbelievably good or unbearably bad, we are wise to step back and ask the Lord to help us view the matter from His perspective.

(by Dr. Charles Stanley, from the October 2009 issue of In Touch devotional magazine)

Hebrews 2:17 (NIV)

¹⁷For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.

You’ve barely dipped a toe into Matthew’s gospel when you realize Jesus hails from the Tilted-Halo Society. Rahab was a Jericho harlot. Grandpa Jacob was slippery enough to warrant an electric ankle bracelet. David had a personality as irregular as a Picasso painting – one day writing psalms, another day seducing his captain’s wife. But did Jesus erase His name from the list? Not at all!

Why did Jesus hang His family’s dirty laundry on the neighborhood clothesline?

Because your family has some too. The dad who never came home. The grandparent who ran away with the coworker. If your family tree has bruised fruit, then Jesus wants you to know, “I’ve been there.”

The phrase “I’ve been there” is in the chorus of Christ’s theme song. To the lonely, Jesus whispers, “I’ve been there.” To the discouraged, Christ nods His head and sighs, “I’ve been there.”

(by Max Lucado from his book, Next Door Savior)

(from – http://www.intouch.org/site/c.cnKBIPNuEoG/b.5281195/k.210D/Feature_Article__Conquering_Your_Fears.htm)

Would you consider yourself a free person? More than likely, you would. But perhaps somewhere in the back of your mind, you wonder, am I truly free?

We live in a country that has a rich heritage—one that is steeped in freedom and liberty. But many people are not living free lives. They are bound by invisible chains that prevent them from reaching their full potential. These shackles are made up of links that have been cast and shaped in the emotional fires of fear.

Once this deadly emotion captures a person’s heart, breaking its bond is difficult—but it can be done. Though fear’s grasp is strong, it is not greater than the power of Jesus Christ. The Savior told His disciples, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31-32).

How do we break free from the bondage of fear? There is only one way, and that is through faith in Christ. But before we can do this, we must come to a point where we admit that we are battling a deadly foe and need God’s help.

I’m not fearful!

The young boy leveled his eyes at his mother’s gaze and said, “I’m not afraid. I want to camp outside with my friends!” His mother softened as she thought through the situation. He would be in the fenced-in backyard, within range of her hearing his every move, and more than likely, she would be awake—watching to make sure he and his friends were safe. And if they needed anything, they could easily come inside the house.

This is exactly what happened. Somewhere around 2 am, she heard the backdoor open and close. She got up, grabbed her robe, and hurried downstairs to check on her son. As she flipped the lights on in the kitchen, she was greeted by the sight of her boy and two of his best friends—sleeping bags in hand along with a crumbled bag of chocolate chip cookies. Sensing their embarrassment, she asked, “Son, what happened?”

“There’s something out there,” her son replied. “I don’t know what it is, but it snarled at us. We could hear it in the yard. Maybe it was a big dog, a wild fox, or even a large bear!” Trying not to smile at the thought of their imagined foes, she said, “Why don’t you just sleep in the den and go back out to the tent in the morning? I’ll make pancakes for you when you wake up.” The mood of the group immediately brightened. She didn’t bother to mention the fact that the chances of meeting up with a fox or a bear were extremely low, especially since they lived in a densely populated city.

Fear attacks without warning. It tempts us to believe things that will not or cannot happen, and often leaves us feeling helpless and without hope. Each day, we are bombarded with words and messages that have the ability to stir thoughts of fear within us. Turn on the news, and more than likely you will hear a dismal rundown on the economy and many other items that strike notes of panic in your heart.

News organizations often broadcast with the goal of creating an emotional reaction from those who watch, listen, and visit their Web sites. To increase their audience, they target people with the messages that produce the greatest response. Therefore, if the fire of fear works, the flame is turned up.

From a worldly perspective, the future may look pretty bleak, especially if you decide to calculate your situation apart from faith in Jesus Christ. The fact is, if you do this, fear will reach out and grab your heart, telling you that the worst will happen and it will be beyond anything you can imagine. Don’t buy into the Enemy’s lies. The nightly news cannot give you a complete picture of reality—certainly not from a heavenly standpoint. And remember, nothing the Devil whispers to you is based on the truth of God’s Word (John 8:44).

While we are facing very serious times in our nation’s history, we are not alone. God is with us, and He is never out of control.

(from – http://www.intouch.org/site/c.cnKBIPNuEoG/b.5281195/k.210D/Feature_Article__Conquering_Your_Fears.htm)

(the conclusion to this great message from

Dr. Stanley will be posted tomorrow!)