TGIF for Women E-Book

Os Hillman

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 541

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Transform your workplace for God's glory. God has called women to demonstrate their faith at work, but it can be hard to experience God's presence in the middle of meetings, projects, and emails. Best-selling author and expert on faith in the workplace, Os Hillman, shares how you can be a living testimony at work. With stories from Scripture and women through the ages, TGIF for Women will inspire you to - apply biblical truths to your work life, - make an impact despite adversity, and - fulfill God's calling in your profession. Work out your faith and watch the eternal impact of your transformed life.

Leseprobe

I can think of no other time in my life when cultivating daily intimacy with the Lord mattered more than it does today. As the world around us undergoes unprecedented birth pangs—nation rising against nation, kingdom against kingdom—our souls long to abide in ever deepening union with the matchless, changeless, and unshakeable One. As you embark on the next 365-day journey in Today God Is First for Women, you will find your faith being strengthened, your hope being lifted, and your knowledge of God’s Word being sharpened by the day. As marketplace leaders, we get the privilege of revealing the light of the world in meetings and boardrooms, on calls and in emails every day. Keep your lamp burning bright by soaking in the timeless truths and wisdom you will discover as you read each new day. May your spirit be captivated and empowered continuously as you encounter his presence in new, refreshing, and glorious ways!

—Anna Kramer, editor in chief, World Changer Magazine; founder and chief creative officer, Pneuma33 Creative

Os Hillman has spent years listening closely to the heartbeat of the Father for his children and, specifically in this book, for his daughters. If you ever need a word of encouragement, inspiration from the lives of women who are walking this journey with you, or a fresh impartation of courage from those amazing daughters of the faith who have forged a path and gone ahead, you will most certainly find it here.

Filled with words of wisdom, strength, and support to equip and encourage you along life’s way, this book will be a welcome companion each and every day.

—Sharon Curtis-Gerlach, president and CEO, Divine Exchange Inc.

I love the TGIF devotional. For me it is such a great companion in my quiet time as I journey through life. It is a signpost in some areas and a mile marker in other areas. It gives direction, it gives encouragement, and it gives strength. I just want to encourage you to enjoy TGIF every morning like I do.

—Kathy Branzell, national director, National Day of Prayer

This Today God Is First for Women devotional will help you praise when you are celebrating, will comfort you when you are struggling, will encourage you when you are doubting, and will be the balm of Gilead when you are hurting. Each day, Os points to the glory and goodness of God while God reveals himself to us in his Word. Whoever you are, there is rich treasure for you in this book of devotions for women.

—Patti Plough, founder and CEO, Excel Legacy Group LLC; The ESOP Evangelist

Scripture is filled with messages from our heavenly Father to guide our daily lives. God continues to use Os Hillman to help Christ followers, and now specifically Christian working women, apply the Bible to their work. Through stories and Scripture, Os helps us see all that God intends when we read the Word through the lens of our work. Thank you, Os, for speaking directly to women in bite-sized nuggets of truth for us to consume daily.

—Martha Brangenberg, cohost, iWork4Him Podcast; cohost, sheWorks4Him Podcast

I found the new devotional Today God Is First for Women to be thought-provoking as well as inspirational. Each morning I looked forward to the nugget I was going to receive for the day. Os is masterful in how he tells a story or educates with a historical fact; he makes a point practical to my life and my personal walk with God. Each day I took away a thought that caused me to ponder and reflect. Although each devotional is short, only about four minutes to read through, the impact it made was lasting. In one of my early readings, Os told a story about a little girl who was blind, yet she was able to see what those around her could not. I meditated on that for days, asking God to show me things that were not visible to the natural eye. Almost immediately, I was drawn to details of my day that I would have missed if my spiritual eyes had not been opened. I believe women who read this devotional will be blessed beyond measure and that their walk with the Father will be deepened.

—Alicia Johnson, MS, pastor; licensed chemical dependency counselor (LCDC)

A powerful daily resource to help readers stay rooted in the truth that it is Christ through whom we live, work, and have our very being. Os, thank you for your continued commitment to helping men and women live their faith and fulfill their God-given callings through their work.

—Shae Bynes, founder, Kingdom Driven Entrepreneur; author, Grace over Grind: How Grace Will Take Your Business Where Grinding Can’t

If you are a woman who wants daily encouragement to live fully authentic as your best self and empowered by God’s love, this devotional is for you. Os Hillman joins with the Lord’s heart in affirming and acknowledging the giftedness and the beloved nature of women at work in God’s beautiful world.

—Beth Bennett, Atlanta-area director, Mission Increase

As the author of Jesus, CEO; The Path; Jesus in Blue Jeans; and others, I have to tell you, Os, how much I am enjoying your book TGIF: Today God Is First. What a visionary writer you are! I’m sure that your advertising background helped you develop such clear and concise messaging. TGIF is my new favorite devotional book, and I felt compelled to write to you and say, “Well done!”

—Laurie Beth Jones, founder, The Jones Group

BroadStreet Publishing® Group, LLC

Savage, Minnesota, USA

BroadStreetPublishing.com

TGIF for Women: 365 Daily Devotions for the Workplace

Copyright © 2023 Os Hillman

9781424565238 (faux leather)

9781424565245 (ebook)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018, 2020 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB). Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. Scripture marked KJV is taken from the King James Version of the Bible, public domain. Scripture quotations marked RSV are taken from Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked NRSVUE are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 by the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Scripture quotations marked NET are taken from the NET Bible®, copyright © 1996–2016 by Biblical Studies Press, LLC. http://netbible.com. Quoted by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked CEV are taken from the Contemporary English Version. Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked GW are taken from GOD’S WORD®, copyright © 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of God’s Word Mission Society. Scripture quotations marked MEV are taken from the Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®. Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Scripture quotations marked CSB are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

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Dedication

To Pamela and Charis, the two most important women in my life. Thank you for all you bring to my life.

Foreword

As a young Christian woman, I felt an undeniable tension between my career in the marketplace and the longing in my heart for full-time ministry. This was something I was unable to reconcile until I was introduced to Os Hillman’s work in 2006. As I read his TGIF: Today God Is First devotional, I was reignited in my faith and received great clarity in my calling. I had the privilege of meeting Os in person at a Change Agent Weekend he facilitated in North Myrtle Beach in 2014. I was inspired by the authenticity of his leadership and genuine encouragement to me and the other women who were present. He challenged us to step out of the traditional “church” box and into our God-given identity as Spirit-led women who were called to become kingdom leaders in the marketplace. Os and I eventually became collaborators in marketplace ministry as we found ways to serve together from our respective organizations.

It was during these times that I have been able to watch Os herald the amazing accomplishments of his daughter and wife as their biggest cheerleader. I have witnessed these women overcome great adversity to now lead powerful ministries as God increases their influence and platforms for his glory.

Since Os’s first TGIF devotional became a catalyst for my own calling, I am deeply honored to be one of the many contributors to his latest work TGIF for Women: 365 Daily Devotions for the Workplace. I pray you, too, will meditate on this life-changing devotional and discover clarity for your own calling in the marketplace. May you be affirmed in your God-given identity, and together we can link arms with our brothers and sisters around the world “for such a time as this”!

For the kingdom,

Nadya Dickson

National and international director, The Master’s Program for Women

Preface

I first met Os in 2015 at a movie preview for Captive, a movie about a female drug addict who was abducted in her apartment by a man who had killed two other people that night in downtown Atlanta. She read The Purpose Driven Life to her captor and believed this saved her life.

When I met Os at the movie that night, I was introduced by my good friend Polly Harper, who had business dealings with Os years prior. She said, “This is Pamela Winderweedle. She has a prison and reentry ministry, and since you know the producer here, Os, maybe you could assist Pamela with the contract she has on a movie deal for her life story.”

He responded, “What in the world would merit a movie about your life?”

I said, “It is very complicated and a very long story.”

He handed me his card, and I gave him mine as he stated, “I am very interested in hearing more.”

I had no idea who Os Hillman was nor how our lives would forever be connected after that night.

It just so happened that I worked at an engineering company two exits from where Os lived on Georgia State Route 400 in Cumming, Georgia. We had lunch almost every day, and during every meeting, Os handed me another one of his books or CD sets or magazines. The first was his TGIF: Today God is First devotional, which I loved and constantly commented to him about how he was reading my mail! I thought he was trying to impress me, and I told him quickly that I was moving from a thirty-acre property with a seven-bedroom house, three rentals, a large warehouse, three large kilns, and so much office equipment and ministry supplies. I had been there for a year but now had to move. I was trying to acquire property for my ministry and did not have time to read or listen to all his publications, but I promised I would at some point.

Os traveled nationally and internationally all the time, and we read devotions and prayed together no matter what state or country he was in. One time while he was in Hawaii speaking at a conference, he mentioned his Change Agent Network, and I said, “Oh, that sounds like a great program.”

He chuckled and said, “Have you even been to my website to see all that

I do?”

I said, “No, I am sorry. I haven’t. You know that I have been really busy all these months, trying to get packed and moved and with work also. No, I am so sorry I haven’t. I promise I will do it when we get off this call though.” I did, and I was so shocked! Who is this man I have been dating all these months? I thought. He was so humble and never really talked about all the things he had accomplished and done all over the world as a Christian leader. This really impressed me. I felt like I was so connected with him in so many ways. And we really were…for such a time as this. Within eight months, we were married. “For such a time as this” was our wedding theme.

Os will often share with me a testimony from a reader of TGIF, which truly blesses me. God has used a major adversity that Os went through in the midnineties to turn his Valley of Achor (“trouble” as described in Hosea 2) into a door of hope for many.

I am so grateful to God that I am married to Os. We have a wonderful life together, and God is using us in both of our ministries. I have a prison and reentry ministry called LifeChangers Legacy (LifeChangersLegacy.org). I, too, am a writer and developer of curriculum, including the “I See ME Free” Incentive Mentorship Program for those within the prisons desiring change. It is so beautiful how God brings his children together.

I pray this new TGIF for Women will be a blessing to you as much as it is to me.

May God richly bless you as you discover new insights about God and his dealings with his children—us.

Pamela Hillman

Introduction

The story behind TGIF: Today God Is First began in 1994 after I went through a major crisis. I lost over $500,000 from a “Bernie Madoff” type of scam. My financial advisor called me one day and said the investments he was handling for me had been taken by a scammer who fled the country. I would not recover one penny. I was also experiencing a marriage crisis at the time that would lead to a divorce. My largest client in my ad agency refused to pay a $140,000 bill. Life went from one place to a whole other place in the space of three months. This would take me into a seven-year crisis.

It was during this time I sought God for answers. I met a man in 1996 who told me I had a “Joseph Calling” on my life. He said it was a marketplace calling to be a spiritual and physical provider to others. But the key was I would have to press into Jesus with all my heart. He became my mentor that day. Everything he said has come true. I began writing TGIF as therapy for myself. I just happened to share some of the messages with friends. One friend owned a website. He asked if I would put the messages on his website. The rest is history. I began to get emails from people around the world. The common messages were, “You read my mind today” and “You spoke right into my situation. Thank you!” TGIF is now read in 105 countries, and hundreds of thousands of readers subscribed to receive its messages daily. I pray this devotional book will be a blessing and encouragement to you.

God turned my Valley of Achor (“trouble”; see Hosea 2:15) into a door of hope for many through my crisis. He restored my finances after seven years (just like Joseph), I married Pamela many years later, and I have traveled to twenty-six countries and have written twenty-four books as a result of the process God took me through.

He can do the same for you!

Os Hillman

JANUARY 1

Failing Forward

Suddenly Jesus appeared among them and said, “Peace to you!”

JOHN 20:19 TPT

The first thing Jesus said to the disciples when he appeared before them after his resurrection was, “Peace to you!” He could have chastised them for their failure to be true to him. He could have expressed his disappointment in their lack of faithfulness. But he didn’t.

Fear of failure can often keep you from success. However, failing forward brings us one step closer to success. God doesn’t test us to find out something he already knows; he tests us to let us know ourselves so we can grow into maturity. If you hope to succeed, learn everything you can from your failures. God sees failure as preparation for success. Some things we can only discover by our failures.

Sara Blakely is the founder of Spanx, a women’s garment company with sales of more than $400 million annually. She said her father taught her the greatest lesson in life: “Growing up, my dad used to encourage my brother and me to fail, and he would ask us at the dinner table what we had failed at that week. If we didn’t have something to tell him, he would actually be disappointed. I didn’t realize it at the time, but he was just redefining failure for me. Failure became about not trying, not the outcome…That was a real gift he had given me.”1

Question

Do you ever not pursue something for fear of failure?

Ask God to give you the courage to pursue something you have in your heart and embrace the process, even if it means risk of failure.

 

JANUARY 2

One Tough Woman

She said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.”

JUDGES 4:9 NKJV

Deborah was one of the few women judges in the land of Israel. She had just won a major battle against the enemies of Israel and a general named Sisera. His army had been soundly defeated by Israel. At first, when she tried to recruit a warrior named Barak, he did not accept Deborah’s invitation to the fight. As a result, she prophesied that a woman would be used to deliver the general into the hands of Israel. He later relented and joined her in battle.

A gentile couple named Heber and Jael were not known to have an alliance to either Israel or their enemy but had some form of relationship with the general, Sisera, who was now a fugitive. He thought he had loyalty from the couple. Unfortunately for him, Jael was sympathetic to the people of Israel, who had lost twenty thousand lives at Sisera’s hand. When Sisera came to her tent and asked to hide, she invited him in and hid him under a rug. She gave him something to drink, and he fell asleep. She then proceeded to take a tent peg and drive it through his temple; he immediately died.

In her song of triumph, Deborah honored Jael for acting on behalf of Israel. It’s one of the few places in Scripture where a woman is the subject of a prophecy related to battle.

Question

What spiritual battles are you facing today that you need to engage on behalf of the kingdom of God?

Father, give me the courage to fight the battles that come my way.

 

JANUARY 3

Your Positioning

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.

PROVERBS 27:2 NET

What is your “position” among your peers?

I told my wife one time, “God obviously plays favorites. He gave you a level of beauty unlike any woman I have ever known! You are gorgeous!” (She liked that.)

During our lifetime, we develop a personal “brand.” Just like Cadillac is a luxury car brand and Walmart is known for low prices, you and I are known for certain characteristics among friends, family, and associates.

Perhaps you, too, are known for your physical beauty. Or perhaps there are other qualities that represent you, like generosity or being a faithful friend. Or you could have a not-so-good brand as a person who is moody, controlling, or critical of others.

King David had a brand. He committed adultery and murder, and he failed many times in his family life. Yet, God later described David as a “man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22 NIV). Although David did make many mistakes, his heart became soft toward God, and God honored that despite any perfections David might have had.

Question

What is your “position” today among your peers? What do you think others say when your name is mentioned?

Father, make me a woman of integrity, love, and faithfulness. Bless me with the heart of a servant to others.

 

JANUARY 4

Ten Flights of Stairs

Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? To surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices.

ROMANS 12:1 TPT

One Sunday in Copenhagen, Corrie ten Boom, who was eighty at the time, had spoken from Romans 12:1–2, urging listeners to present their bodies as living sacrifices to Christ. Two young nurses invited Corrie to their apartment for lunch, not thinking that they were inviting an eighty-year-old woman to scale ten flights of stairs because there was no elevator. (Perhaps they should have thought twice about putting that kind of burden on Corrie!) That seemed to be a monumental task at her age.

When Corrie discovered this was the situation, she complained to the Lord. Then the Lord whispered to Corrie that a special blessing awaited her on the tenth floor, so she bravely tackled ten flights of stairs, having to stop and rest along the way. The parents of one of the girls were in attendance, and neither were Christians, but they were eager to hear about the gospel. After hearing Corrie’s testimony, they both invited Jesus into their lives. Returning down the steps, Corrie said to the Lord, “Thank you, Lord, for making me walk up all the steps. And next time, Lord, help me listen to my own sermon about being willing to go anywhere you tell me to go—even up ten flights of stairs.”2

Question

Have you ever had to go the extra mile for God?

Father, help me be available at all times to share your love with others.

 

JANUARY 5

The Purpose of the Desert

“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her.”

HOSEA 2:14 NIV

If you have an important message to convey to someone, what is the best means of getting the message through? Have you ever tried to talk with someone who was so busy you could not get them to hear you? God has his way of taking us aside to get our undivided attention. For Paul, it was Arabia for three years; for Moses, it was forty years in the desert; for Joseph, it was thirteen years in Egypt; for David, it was many years of fleeing from King Saul.

Sometimes God must take us into the desert wilderness in order to speak to us. Fear not the desert, for it is where you will hear God’s voice like never before. It is where you become his bride. It is where you will have the idols of your life removed. Someone once said, “God uses enlarged trials to produce enlarged saints so he can put them in enlarged places!”

“He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me” (2 Samuel 22:20).

Question

Are you too busy to spend time with God? Begin to change that today.

Father, help me spend time with you every day to know you better.

 

JANUARY 6

Receiving Only from God

To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven.”

JOHN 3:27 NIV

God never gave you that property,” said my friend, who had entered my life at a time of great turmoil. These were hard words at the time. My business, my personal finances, my marriage all seemed to be drying up at the same time. My friend had made an observation about some land we had purchased years before. His point was that I had acquired something that God had never given me. It was not a by-product of God’s blessing; it was a source of sweat and toil born out of the wrong motives of the heart.

When John’s disciples came to him and asked if he was the Messiah, he responded that he was not and that one could only receive what God had given him. He was a forerunner to the Messiah, and he was fulfilling a call God had given him. When we seek to acquire anything that God has not given us, he will remove that which we are not supposed to have.

David understood this principle when he said, “Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (1 Chronicles 29:14).

Question

Have you ever sought something God never intended you to have?

Father, help me to receive only what you have for me out of obedience and abiding in you.

 

JANUARY 7

Saved from Death’s Door

“If you embrace the truth, it will release true freedom into your lives.”

JOHN 8:32 TPT

My wife, Pamela, and I met in 2015. I learned that she was sexually abused growing up, which led to drug use for years, which led her to prison for eighteen months in 2010 and 2011. God changed her there, and today she has an international ministry for men and women in prison.

Lori Ann is a woman Pamela met in prison in 2010. Due to many years of drug use, her organs failed, and she was on life support for one and a half months in April 2021. She believed her fate was to die. With fingers amputated and no feeling in her foot, Lori Ann reached out to Pamela for help. Pamela poured herself into Lori Ann’s life immediately. Lori Ann got on a disciplined plan that Pamela gave her, which included a health and wellness regimen of walking, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, nutrition shakes, and vitamins she had been so deficient in due to the extreme drug usage. Pamela used her “I See ME Free” workbook program to mentor Lori Ann.

Lori Ann could feel her mind and body improving in ways she never experienced before. She started getting feeling back in her foot and other parts of her body. Lori Ann began investing all her time in daily Bible studies and the “I See ME Free” workbook. She began seeing herself free. After follow-up doctor’s visits, her vital signs were now normal, nearly perfect.

Today, Lori Ann is a transformed woman through Christ with renewed hope, and she wants to live her identity in Christ. She spends her time sharing her story and is working with LifeChangers Legacy, helping and mentoring others within the prison system to get the same freedom she found in Christ.

Question

Are you available to save someone from death’s door?

Father, thank you that the truth makes us free!

 

JANUARY 8

God’s Economy

“To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

ISAIAH 61:3 NKJV

The world has its own economy that includes buying and selling, methods for getting ahead, and ways to advance a cause. It often includes distorting truth and manipulating people to get the desired outcome.

God has an economy in which we are called to operate that is very different from the world’s economy. He says go low to get high, serve others instead of being served, give to receive, praise when you have heaviness, die to live, and forgive instead of getting even.

Living in God’s economy is not always easy. However, when you live under this economy, your life will be blessed. You will experience supernatural living. You will receive from God things you never thought you’d receive or deserved to receive. We find a key truth of God’s economy found in Joshua 24:13: “I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.”

What does this verse mean? It means sometimes, through your obedience, you might get less than what you think you should get, but other times, you may get more. Obedience is the key to opening the windows of heaven in your life. God will open doors based on your obedience versus your skill and abilities.

Question

Are you living in God’s economy? If not, what adjustments do you need to make?

Father, help me to live in your economy.

 

JANUARY 9

The Women in Jesus’ Life

Many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”

JOHN 4:39 NKJV

Women were often second-class citizens in Bible times. But Jesus demonstrated respect and affirmed many of the women in his life and ministry. He often confronted the biases of the day.

The disciples questioned Jesus when he spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well. They could not understand how he would speak to a woman, not the least of which was a Samaritan woman, the worst of the worst in the eyes of the disciples. Custom taught that Jews had nothing to do with Samaritans. However, this encounter would lead to Jesus preaching to the residents of Samaria, with many embracing Jesus as their Savior. That would not have happened without the Samaritan woman.

Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus involved women. We can see this in his words and actions. He saw their worth, unlike people of his time who regarded women as inferior.

When the disciples reproved the woman who poured perfume on Jesus’ feet and the woman who touched his robe, Jesus acknowledged the faith and actions of the women.

When Jesus was crucified, women stood by the cross and prepared spices for his anointing. Jesus chose women as the messengers to bring the resurrection message to the fearful disciples after he rose from the dead.

Yes, Jesus built genuine relationships with women, defending them and depending on their influence.

Question

Is Jesus your best friend?

Father, thank you for sending Jesus to be my Savior and Lord.

 

JANUARY 10

Sarah Laughed

Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

GENESIS 18:12 NKJV

Have you ever laughed at an instruction given to you from the Lord because it seemed so utterly preposterous? And not only that, but you denied that you laughed at the instruction? That’s exactly what Sarah did when the angel of God paid Abraham a visit one day.

“But Sarah denied it, saying, ‘I did not laugh,’ for she was afraid. And He said, ‘No, but you did laugh!’” (v. 15)

Abraham and Sarah thought God needed help in fulfilling his promise to give them a son by having Ishmael through Sarah’s servant girl. Now they are confronted with their sin of not trusting God.

I once had a prophetic person say to me during a time of crisis in my life, “Os, whenever I look at you, I see the word write on your forehead. You are going to write many books!” I had never written one book. And I was a very poor student in school, making Ds in English class. However, what she said that day actually came true. As of this title, I have written and had published twenty-three books!

Question

Have you ever laughed at the prospects of God doing something extraordinary in your life?

Father, I repent of my lack of faith and believe you can do anything in my life.

 

JANUARY 11

Obedience

“Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.”

EXODUS 5:23 NIV

Have you ever felt that the more obedient you are to following God, the more adversity there is? Moses had been instructed to go to Pharaoh and tell him to release the people of Israel. God had said he was going to deliver the people through Moses. The only problem was that God did not tell Moses at what point they actually would be released. When Moses complained to God, the Lord told Moses that he had to harden Pharaoh’s heart in order to perform greater miracles. God was behind the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. Sometimes we forget that even the king’s heart is in God’s hand.

God has a reason for everything he does. These delays were designed to bring greater glory to God and were to be a lasting legacy of God’s miracle-working power for generations to come.

Question

Are there delays that tempt you to attribute negative feelings toward God’s character?

Father, help me to reconcile what I cannot control and trust you to move on my behalf when I cannot understand.

 

JANUARY 12

Wrestling with God

The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.

GENESIS 32:31 NIV

Jacob was a man who was a controller. He connived and manipulated his way to get what he wanted. It was a generational stronghold passed down through his mother, who encouraged her son to play a trick on his father, Isaac, by pretending to be his brother, Esau. As a result, that trick caused Isaac to give the family blessing to Jacob. Jacob also learned control from his uncle Laban, who caused Jacob to work for fourteen years to take Rachel as his lifelong mate.

Control is a problem for men and women. People try to control others by keeping score of others’ mistakes, blaming others, or constantly criticizing. Control is at the core of that which is opposite of the life Christ calls us to in serving others.

What delivers us from this fleshly nature of control? It often requires a crisis. Jacob’s crisis came when he faced the prospect of meeting his brother, Esau, who had said he would kill him the next time he saw him after Jacob stole the birthright from him. An angel came to Jacob the night before he was to meet Esau, and he wrestled the angel, who dislodged his hip socket. Afterward, Jacob would walk with a limp. Jacob had to yield to God’s will for his life related to his brother Esau. In essence, he could no longer control the outcome of his life.

Question

Do you struggle with control in your life?

Father, deliver me from controlling people and circumstances in my life. I choose to trust you for my spouse and children today.

 

JANUARY 13

Sudden Ghosts in Life

When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

MATTHEW 14:26 NIV

Have you ever had some unexpected event in your life that caused great fear? Sudden calamities can result in great fear unless we know who is behind the event. Such was the case for the disciples when they were out in their boat one night. Suddenly, they saw a figure walking on the water, and they assumed it was a ghost. They feared for their very lives. But as the figure got closer and closer, they could see that it was Jesus. Their fear turned to joy because now they knew whom they were confronting. This seemingly life-threatening event turned into one of the great miracles of the Bible. Peter was invited to walk on the water—and he did just that.

Are there some “ghosts” in your midst? Look beyond the appearance and let God turn your ghosts into a miracle.

Question

Has there been an event in your life that cause you to fear?

Father, thank you that you have not given me a spirit of fear but love, power, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

 

JANUARY 14

Move On

“Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.”

EXODUS 14:15 NIV

Moses had brought the whole nation of Israel, approximately six hundred thousand, to a dead end in the desert. The only thing between Israel and Pharaoh’s pursuing army was the Red Sea. God did a strange thing. He directed Moses to take a route that led to the Red Sea instead of the northern route around the Red Sea. God explained that he didn’t want them to fight the enemies they would have encountered on the northern route. But still, there was the issue of the Red Sea.

They finally arrived at the Red Sea, and the people were wondering where they would go from there. News hit the camp: Pharaoh had changed his mind. He was coming after them with his army. They had no place to go. Panic set in. They blamed Moses for their predicament.

God sometimes brings each of us to a “Red Sea” in our life. It may be a work problem that can’t be solved. It may be a marriage that seems to be failing. It may be a debilitating disease. Whatever your Red Sea, God tells us one thing: “Keep moving!”

Question

Do you have a “Red Sea” in your life today?

Father, I trust you to part my “Red Sea” today.

 

JANUARY 15

Dealing with Barrenness

Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude.

PHILIPPIANS 4:6 TPT

Hannah was married to a man named Elkanah, who was financially secure enough to support two wives. He loved Hannah more than the other wife.

However, Hannah could not have children. The other wife had several children, and that was a cause for jealousy between the two women. She even jeered and insulted Hannah for not having children. This became a deep wound in Hannah’s life. She cried out to the Lord, “If you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant” (1 Samuel 1:11 NIV). She told the Lord that if she could have a child, she would give him fully to the Lord for his service. God answered her prayer, and when young Samuel was weaned, she took him to Eli, the priest, to serve in his house. Every year she would make a robe for Samuel and take it to him.

Years earlier, Abraham, too, faced giving up his beloved child, a foreshadowing of what God himself did in sending us Jesus. Hannah was a committed believer, who sought God passionately and sacrificially in her life. She was a prayer warrior. God answered Hannah’s prayer after she spent years seeking him.

Interestingly, God honored Hannah’s faith and perseverance. She would later have three sons and two daughters.

Question

Is there anything in your life that you’re desiring deeply?

Lord, I turn this desire over to you and ask to receive whatever it is you want me to receive.

 

JANUARY 16

The Value of Hard Places

So, then, death is at work in us but it releases life in you.

2 CORINTHIANS 4:12 TPT

Being forced into hard places gives us a whole new perspective on life. Things we once valued no longer hold the same value. Small things become big things, and what we once thought big no longer seems important.

These hard places allow us to identify with the sufferings of others. It keeps us from having a shallow view of the hardships of others and allows us to truly identify with them. Those who speak of such trials from no experience often judge others who have had such hardship.

Those who have walked in hard places immediately have a kinship with others who have walked there also. They do not need to explain; they merely look at one another with mutual respect and admiration for their common experience. They know that death has worked a special thing in them. This death leads to life in others because of the hard places God has taken them through.

It is impossible to appreciate any valley experience while you are in it. However, once you have reached the top of the mountain, you are able to appreciate what terrain you have passed through. You can appreciate the beauty of the experience and lay aside the sorrow and pain it may have produced.

Death works in you for a greater purpose. If you are there today, be assured that God is producing something of much greater value than you will ever know.

Question

Do you need special grace for the season in which you find yourself?

Father, thank you that your grace is sufficient for every trial I may encounter.

 

JANUARY 17

The Driving Counselor

We are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together for good, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose.

ROMANS 8:28 TPT

Turn left here, honey. Slow down! You’re driving too fast.”

With each instruction, her husband exploded in anger, “Stop telling me how to drive!” was often his response. But it didn’t matter. She felt compelled to instruct her husband.

After years of this behavior, Bill decided to pray. Lord, I do not know why my wife feels compelled to tell me how to drive. But I am going to believe there is some reason this is taking place. I choose to give thanks for this behavior instead of responding in anger.

“Turn right here, honey,” said his wife the next time they were going somewhere.

“Thank you, dear, I appreciate your help,” was his polite response.

A few weeks passed, and one day his wife walked in while he was reading his Bible. “Bill, I just got a revelation about something I have been doing. I realize now why I nag you when we are in the car together. It’s because I was the oldest of five kids, and I was responsible for them when our parents died young. I was their parent and always had to instruct my siblings. Will you forgive me?” Bill nearly fell off his chair.

For Bill, driving with his wife is now pleasant since he gave it to the Lord. And he now better understands his wife and what might be a need behind certain behavior that he could meet.

Question

Are there behaviors in your life that might have a root cause?

Father, reveal any hidden wounds from my childhood that might be contributing to negative behaviors in me.

 

JANUARY 18

Kings and Priests

[Jesus Christ] has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.

REVELATION 1:6 NKJV

After leaving Bible college, Nadya bought a small restaurant. She enjoyed business ownership, but she often felt like she was leaving her “ministry” to run a “secular business.” She eventually sold the business to accept a pastoral role. After several pastoral roles, her love for entrepreneurship led her again to work with business start-ups. She became the vice president of a consulting firm that served investors and professional athletes. It was exciting, but she still feared she was missing her calling. One day she received a devotional I had written called TGIF: Today God Is First. For the first time, she felt affirmed with God’s blessing on her work. She felt the Spirit of God and began to weep. She sensed God saying to her, Nadya, I am going to use you to connect the kings and the priests. Seven years later came the epiphany.

She became the managing partner of an organization that held events, connecting marketplace leaders to Christian nonprofit leaders who were looking for business counsel. One morning, when standing at the podium to pray for the meeting, God reminded her of the words he had spoken to her. He said, Look! Look around. You are connecting the kings and the priests! She caught her breath and began to pray with fire in her belly. Since then, she has been connecting and coaching marketplace leaders to discover their purpose and thrive in their calling.

Question

Have you ever fallen for Satan’s lie that if you’re in the workplace versus in vocational ministry, you have less of a commitment to God?

Father, thank you that whatever we do, we do it unto the Lord (see Colossians 3:23).

 

JANUARY 19

The Purpose of Crucibles

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart.

PROVERBS 17:3 NIV

We don’t often think of the Lord testing the heart. However, in this proverb, God reveals his way of refining us is by bringing crucibles into our lives. When we examine the lives of those God uses significantly, we can usually find a crucible they had to endure that helped prepare their lives for use in the kingdom. Those seasons of fire became the catalyst to take them to a deeper level of relationship with their heavenly Father. Often, the greater the use in the kingdom, the greater the fire of preparation that leads to greater revelation of himself and his ways. “Some of God’s greatest crucibles are found where we live every day”—the workplace: the employee who betrays our trust, the client who refuses to pay, the vendor who falls short of our expectations. Each of these is a test from God to find out how we will respond.3

Question

What tests is God bringing your way today? He also provides his grace so you might pass the tests that he brings before you.

Father, I ask you for the grace to walk with you in whatever tests you have placed before me this day. Thank you that you are able to accomplish what you want for me.

 

JANUARY 20

The Prayer Handkerchief

For the “foolish” things of God have proven to be wiser than human wisdom.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:25 TPT

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