What are you HOLDING ONTO?

What (or WHO) are you HOLDING ONTO?

In good times and in bad times, we face moments when we need to HOLD ON to something. It's been around a lot, but there's that old saying, If there was a huge fire at your home (or disaster of some kind that was going to destroy EVERYTHING), and you could only take ONE thing, what is the ONE thing you would take?

Why do we always focus on the bad times? Why do we only seek to cherish things in the bad times? A loved one who's health is failing, and everyone is around them, but where were they in the 'good times'? Times are tough and times are hard, let's call on 'God' to help us, oh but He's not answering, so let's focus on our other 'gods' to help us... drinks, drugs, sex, addictions of other kinds, etc...  but what does this say about where our faith stands in the 'good times' and the 'bad times'?

What are we HOLDING ON to? I would hope that you are holding on to GOD. The one true God, not our 'gods'. There is only ONE God, and we are to worship Him alone. Other addictions that can get in our way become like our 'gods' & make Him a jealous God. He is the one we will be answering to on our 'last day'. Booze, drugs, porn, sex, food, shopping, etc will be no more. They are not important, and they will fade away. The only thing that will last is the LOVE of God. 

He is NOT a wrathful God, just waiting for us to screw up so He can send His wrath and punishment. He is a loving and caring God who wants what is best for us. He has GREAT and AMAZING plans for us, but if we walk away from Him, we cannot fulfill any of those plans. We are all given gifts and talents, in the physical as well as in the spiritual world. Sometimes those two collide and that's when God can do the amazing and unbelievable. You don't have to spend every waking hour in a church, YOU are the church. When you believe in a power that is WAAAAAAY greater than you, and 'know in your knower' that God is a good God, He is what you will want to hold on to.

It reminds me of the little story I love about the child walking with their Dad, (we use Dad as in the picture of our Heavenly Father).

 A little girl and her father were crossing a bridge.
 The father was kind of scared (for his daughter's safety) so he asked his little daughter: "Sweetheart, please hold my hand so that you don't fall into the river." The little girl said: "No, Dad. You hold my hand." 

"What's the difference?" Asked the puzzled father. 

"There's a big difference," replied the little girl. 
"If I hold your hand and something happens to me, chances are that I may let your hand go. But if you hold my hand, I know for sure that no matter what happens, you will never let my hand go." 

 In any relationship, the essence of trust is not in its bind, but in its bond. So hold the hand of the person whom you love rather than expecting them to hold yours...

So, who are you holding on to? Or should I say, who is holding on to you?

We've all heard the statement, 'carrying baggage'... We can get extra 'baggage' of things that we are holding onto. Not all of our 'baggage' is bad, but if we put it ahead of our relationship with God, then it can be. For example picture with me, a busy Mama who finally has some time to go grocery shopping alone (crazy I know). She is tired from a busy day with the kids, maybe she works at home; maybe she goes off to work, maybe she had to make dinner... maybe she had to leave the kiddos with a sitter waiting for Dad to come home... maybe she's a single Mom... anyway... now that you have the image... picture her with her bags and bags of groceries. She is too tired to take more than one trip so she is carrying all her 'baggage' in one trip. She is 'bogged down'... and there's no room to hold anything else... Do you get my picture? 

Here's a visual for those who aren't as visual as I am...

What is she holding onto? BAGGAGE. Who is holding onto her? As pictured, nothing we can see. (But yes God is). Can she hold onto anything else? Now add a child in there with her... can she hold on to him? NO. She would put the baggage in a cart, or she would carry less... or yes, she would use a THIRTY-ONE tote (LOL!) (Hopefully she wouldn't just let him run beside her.) There's no room for her to hold onto anything else, unless she puts something she is holding, down. She would take the hand of her child first, as he is most important! Do you get my analogy?

Too often we are holding onto 'baggage' (good or bad)... and we cannot let go (or most often will not let go) to hold onto God. Thankfully He has us in His hands. But God doesn't want us to be overwhelmed. He wants us to rest in His hands, while He carries us! 

Picture with me again, we're going on a trip. We have to take a plane to a far away warmer destination. Super fun eh? How about just you... since I might not know you well enough to take a trip with you. You are so excited. A far away destination for fun, sun and more. (Maybe you're family is going too -- picture it however you want -- it's your imagination after all). You want to pack one suitcase each (crazy and probably won't happen), so what are you going to take? What do you pack for your week of fun away? 

Some people don't pack much, as they will purchase stuff there. Some people pack for a month (ha ha like me) so they have 'choices' of what to wear. You have to 'stuff' everything in, and hope it closes. Maybe you have to sit on it to close the zipper. (ha ha! there's a visual for you). What's so important that you have to take? Clothes, toiletries, Bible, book, etc. (NO ITS NOT A BUSINESS TRIP). Hmmm... but there are some things that you just might want WITH you. So thankfully you can have one carry-on each. In there, you can put your passport, purse or make-up (if a female), a snack(s), a book you're reading, pens, paper, kleenex, any meds, hobby items (crocheting, etc), and extra set of clothing (incase your other luggage gets lost - eek), things for your child, a neck pillow, your phone or laptop (& charger), camera, gum, music/iPod/mP3, Bible, notebook, etc... What is most important to you on your trip that needs to be on your person? Maybe a picture of your family (if you're going alone), maybe a keepsake of some kind to remind yourself of family or good times... You CRAM WHAT YOU CAN into your suitcase and especially into your carry-on. Unfortunately, there are luggage limits to what you can bring. So you have to alter what's in there... or move stuff from your luggage to your carry-all... etc. Frustrating I know! (Ha ha! After a trip to Kigali Rwanda and having to change over luggage items a few times!) What are you HOLDING ON TO? What is a NECESSITY that needs to be packed into your luggage that now sits in the luggage compartment on the plane --trusting it to an unknown luggage guy? What is IMPORTANT enough to pack in the carry-on that sits in the compartment above your seat (or part of it with you in your seat) that you have control over? What are YOU holding on to?? Why is it so hard to give our 'baggage' to an unseen God, when we freely give our luggage to the baggage compartment, which indeed has a record for losing our luggage? God wants us to 'lose' some of our baggage too!

God wants your 'baggage' in life to be 'unclaimed baggage'. Put it down, and never pick it up again!

Unfortunately, the world has also seen fit to pick up others baggage and re-sell it (sometimes good, and sometimes not so good). (The store idea is a great one, don't get me wrong. Literally, 'you never know what you'll find'. I'm talking spiritually. The world throws our 'baggage' back in our face, and others can get a hold of our old 'baggage' & get bogged down along with their own baggage!)

What BAGGAGE are you HOLDING on to? Are you LOST IN LUGGAGE?

My primary love language is PHYSICAL TOUCH {See http://www.5lovelanguages.com/ and read more about Gary Chapman and find out your top love languages - and those of your close family and friends, if you don't already know.} So songs or quotes, or stories that involve 'touch' really touch me (pun intended I guess); which is part of the reason I am choosing to write this devotional. Being a 'teacher' and having to hold the hand of a lot of children (& youth) I totally understand this thought too. (Having amazing parents helped that too of course!)

There is an amazing worship song called "My Anchor" by Christy Nockels. It is on the new PASSION album 'Even So Come'. The bridge part says "I hold on to You. You hold on to me" -- and I just love it! Such truth in two simple statements. Even when/if we don't believe (when we're not holding on to Him), He still is holding on to us! (This is a truth that the WORLD needs to know -- another reason to share this devotional.) Even though there is trials or suffering, and even in the good times, God is there! He is holding on to us! What a PROMISE to HOLD ON TO!

Here's a link to the song: My Anchor, Christy Nockels (will open in a new window, so it can play in the background while you read the words). 

Here's the words; read them and let it sink into your soul. Who is the ROCK you stand on? Who is holding on to You? Who or what are YOU holding on to?

    You're the Lord Almighty

    Your every word is sure

    And in Your love unfailing

    I'm safe when oceans roar

    Yes I'm safe when oceans roar.

    (Chorus)

    My anchor forever

    My shelter within the storm

    You're my Deliverer,

    You never falter

    Yes, You're the Rock

    I stand on.

     Here within the struggle,

    Oh and every crashing wave

    You are more than able, and

    Your hand is strong to save

    Yes I know Your hand is strong to save.

     (Chorus)

    (Bridge)

    I hold onto You, and

    You hold onto me, Jesus

    I hold onto You, and

    You hold onto me, Oh Jesus

    I hold onto You, and

    You hold onto me, My/(Oh) Jesus

    I hold onto You forever, and

    You hold onto me!

    'Cause You're my (Chorus)

    My anchor, forever

    My shelter, within the storm

    You're my Deliverer

    You never falter,

    Yes, You're the Rock I stand on

    You're the Rock I stand on.

Hebrews 6:19 says: "We have this HOPE as an ANCHOR for the soul, firm & secure!"

Be blessed today, as you let Him HOLD on to YOU, and hopefully you have LET GO of a lot of things so that you can HOLD ON to Him! Praying with you as you read these words inspired by Holy Spirit, and listen to this song. May you drop your 'extra baggage' that is not important (As Elsa sings, LET IT GO... LET IT GO!), and hold on to that which is important! 

"Seeking His Blessings"

DAY #47 - 'A Woman of Faith' Devotional
Verse: "Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you." Psalm 37:5

The verse just before this one (v.4) is also important - "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:" (NIV) "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart... Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." (NKJV) WOW! Can you imagine the blessings that God has in store for you, if we delight ourselves in Him, commit our way to Him, and trust in Him. Sounds fun and exciting, but to seek His blessings is not what we should be doing in life... we should be seeking Him, the giver of those blessings first. Matthew 6:33 says, "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (NIV) We need to stop ourselves from seeking revival, seeking healing, seeking blessings, seeking protection, seeking created things, etc first... we need to seek the Reviver, the Healer, the Blesser, the Protector, the Creator, etc. God desires us to seek Him above all else, and then ALL those other things shall be added unto us.

"When our dreams come true and our plans prove successful, we find it easy to thank our Creator and easy to trust His divine providence. But in times of sorrow or hardship, we may find ourselves questioning God's plans for our lives" ('A Woman of Faith' Devotional. Day #47. ©2007 Freeman-Smith, LLC. Nashville, TN. 37202)

It's not easy to trust God in good and bad times, but it sure is rewarding. God never gives us tests that we cannot pass. In our own mindset we can seem to be a failure, or we can fail by the wrong choices we make, but His plan for this world is that we all 'pass'. He has BIG plans for all of us. (See Jeremiah 29:11)

 God is still God, and always will be God. All (small 'g') 'gods' have all passed away, or will soon pass away. We need to put our hope and trust in things that last, and God is something that has been, is, and will be forever and ever. We can't just trust God on Sundays, and give Him parts of us. We need to trust God with EVERYTHING... finances, health, provision, protection/safety, workplace circumstances & co-workers, our homes & family, daily circumstances, emotional moments,  relationships & friendships... EVERY area of our daily lives (inside and out). But we cannot always expect immediate blessings for obedience and trust. Sometimes God desires us to wait on Him for the answer. If things come too quickly we will start to think we can gain in our own strength. But when we wait on the Lord, He shall renew our strength... (Isaiah 40:31) And in just a few verses after today's verse it says, "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." (Psalm 37:7) 

We need to stop any immediate thoughts of jealousy or envy - - wicked people of the world might be seeming to succeed, but the Lord will take vengeance in time. We also cannot become jealous or bitter towards fellow Christian brothers & sisters who are receiving blessings - especially blessings that we are desiring or that we think we are deserving of. We need to celebrate with them in their joy, for they have been found faithful in the eyes of the Lord. We need to step forth in love, and not judgement and bless them in return as well. God can and will do things for us, but we need to be in the right place with Him.

Lessons learned today...
#1 SEEK GOD FIRST (& His kingdom)!
#2 DELIGHT yourself in the LORD
#3 COMMIT all that you do to Him...

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!

"Beyond the Comfort Zone"

DAY #43 - 'A Woman of Faith' Devotional
Verse: "Be not afraid, only believe." Mark 5:36 KJV

MSG - "Jesus overheard what they were talking about and said to the leader, "Don't listen to them; just trust me."

"Jesus. If you are walking toward Him to the best of your ability, He will see you through life's unpredictable waters-- but you must risk launching the boat." ~ Patsy Clairmont

To be continued...

Day 21: October 21st, 2009 - - James 1:2-4

“POINTS TO PONDER” – Day 21Written by M. HallPlease feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired.
If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. James 1:2-4 (The Message)

My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience. Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need. James 1:2-4 (NCV)

WOW… I am finally coming to realize that God has been using this very verse in my life for quite some time now, and I have finally gotten a hold of more of this revelation. I always knew the verse was there, and knew it was a good one to try to follow, and did try to have JOY in all circumstances, but never really thought much about the rest of this verse. I know in my own life, I love challenges. Some challenges do get frustrating, let me tell you, but for the most part I think life would be pretty boring without them. For those of you who don’t know me, I am an Early Childhood Educator, and I work with Preschoolers. These children range in age from 2½ to 5½ years old, and some of them can be very challenging. I am realizing now that this verse is a very important one in my life.

I usually am a very patient person, but when something has been tested over and over and over, my patience feels like it’s whittling away and I have to pray and seek God for more. I am trying to live out my life as open and ‘real’ as I can. I am not one person one place and another person somewhere else. I am ‘Me’ wherever I am. I am a very compassionate, and empathetic person, which helps me to ‘give people chances’ more often than some other personalities. Yet it also frustrates me, because I am also assertive, and don’t like when people seem to have to get their own way to be happy. I hate tantrums! (Who doesn’t?) LOL! My personality and characteristics do not match (according to textbooks and studies), as I can be very enthusiastic and outgoing, and extroverted, and assertive; yet I can also be very quiet, observant, introverted & passive. After doing many personality and character tests and quizzes, my two highest are opposites each other on the scales.
I always remember a statement from a VBS or March Break outreach that we did when I was in Youth regarding your character, and finding out who you really are; “If you want to know who you are, you must first know Jesus!” This statement is sooooooo true, and you do have to have that relationship to gain the whole revelation. I know that I am ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’ (Psalm 139:14), and that God created me to be who I am, with all my flaws, character traits, gifts, personality traits, talents, and more. He made ME like that for a purpose. I am beginning to understand that purpose more and more as I continue to seek Him and His will for my life, not my own.

I thank God for the increase in FAITH that I have, and the increase in PATIENCE that I have been given. I love the Lord with all my heart, and I am not afraid to tell you that, or to live my life according to that truth! If you walk each day of your life, transparent, in a ‘real’ way that shows your true colours, people will trust you more, and see the Light of Jesus that comes from the inside out. I pray that I can be an example to the little lives that are in my care each day at work, and also at church. I also pray that I can be an example to the adults I meet each day, and work with, play with, pray with, worship with, learn with, shop with, etc. I pray that YOU can live your life as ‘an open book’ as well, where people can see the ‘Light of Jesus’ shining in your heart too. (If you don’t have this ‘Light’… you can! If you do not know Jesus as your personal friend, brother, and Saviour then please do not hesitate any further. Take that step today - - It’s as simple as A.B.C., & it only takes a moment, to change your life forever. If you so desire, you can re-commit your life to Him as well too ~ it's never too late, while you are alive anyway.
A - - Admit to God you are a sinner, and repent and turn away from your sin
B - - Believe that Jesus is the Son of God and He gave His life for you and me
C- - Confess your faith in Jesus as your Saviour and your Lord forevermore

This simple prayer will change you from the inside out.
The verse today says, ‘then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need’. We will never ever truly be perfect, until we walk on those Heavenly streets, but we can be made perfect only through the power of the Holy Spirit. God will complete the good work that He started in you, and if that good work has challenges along the way, step up to those challenges remembering the verse, ‘I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13’. How many things can you do?? ALL things… Isn’t that an amazing truth all in itself? Do you have the FAITH to believe this? Do you have the PATIENCE and PERSEVERANCE to press on through the challenges that come your way? If so, God promises us that we ‘will have everything [we] need’. Amen and hallelujah! Amen means ‘so be it’ for those of you who may not know. Thank you Lord, for Your promises that will be fulfilled and completed.
God we put our trust in You, and lean not on our own understandings, and we acknowledge you, so that You may make our paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Prayer: Father God, we thank You again for Your Word, the living Word that we can put our full trust in. We thank you that we can put our full trust in You as well as your words and promises. All your promises are Yes, and Amen! Help us to accept all our flaws and traits, and to walk in the ones that You have called us to do. Help us step into the roles and traits that you have placed in our lives, and help us not to covet other’s personality traits and gifts. You have made us in Your image, and to fulfill Your purposes. Help us to set aside or throw away some of our own desires, to take up the desires of Your heart. Increase our faith, and our patience as we will walk through many trials and challenges. Help us continue to gain exciting revelations from Your Word, to teach us and equip us. Give us the words to use as we teach and equip others! Let Your anointing fall on us, as we seek Your will. We ask all these things in the name of JESUS, AMEN!
Be blessed, and be a blessing, and be filled with the JOY of the Lord as you face challenges of many kinds!

Day 6: October 6th, 2009 -- Isaiah 26:4

“POINTS TO PONDER” – Day 6
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your comments below. Thank you and may you be Blessed!! =)

“Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD,
is the Rock eternal.”- Isaiah 26:4

TRUST - - - We already spoke of trusting on “Day 2”. Trusting in the Lord should be easy because He is the only one who is able to be trusted. He will never ever fail us. Sometimes we think that God has left us, and that He doesn’t care, but really it’s just our flesh, and the enemy wanting us to fall away from God. I find that times of trouble are times when you need to trust God the most. In times of trouble or despair, you feel hopeless. The enemy tries to get you to think that troubles are God’s way of saying He doesn’t care, but really troubles are God’s way of saying, I know you can do it! With God, nothing is impossible. Remember the JOY of the Lord is your strength. If you give the devil your joy (yes, it’s true, he doesn’t steal our joy, we give it to him) then you are also giving away your strength in the Lord. This verse in Isaiah, tells us that He is our Rock eternal. Eternal means forever, and forever is a long long time. Long after our bodies die, His love and power will still go on.


There’s a story in the Bible (for those of you who don’t know), about a wise builder and a foolish builder. These two men are building houses, and one chooses to build on sand, and one chooses to build on rock. Suddenly a storm comes, and the house that was built on the sand gets taken down, and destroyed. However, the house that was built on the rock stood firm. This parable tells of us and our lives. We need to build our lives on the ROCK of JESUS, so that when the storms of life come, we can still stand firm. Jesus is not our foundation though, He is our cornerstone. We need to align our lives to His in order for us to stand firm. We don’t want to build our lives on earthly things (dust of the earth), because moths and rust, and storms of life can destroy those things. Our lives will crumble and fall into darkness and death without the ROCK! There is a song we used to sing with the children at my old church, and there’s also an old hymn that tells us that Jesus is the ROCK of AGES. That means He is the eternal rock, as it states in this verse today. Unfortunately, I cannot sing the song, or do the actions in a devotional - - (I will post a YOUTUBE video for the song below) but I pray that you will remember that Jesus is the Rock!


There is no rock, there is no God like our God
No other name, worthy of all our praise
The Rock of Salvation, that cannot be moved
He’s proven Himself to be faithful and true
There is no rock, there is no God like ours.


Rock of Ages, Jesus is the Rock!
Rock of Ages, Jesus is the Rock!
Rock of Ages, Jesus is the Rock!
There is no rock, there is no God like ours!

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PRAYER: Lord, give us Eyes to see - - - Your wonders and Your majesty; Your hurting children; where we can serve. Lord, give us ears to hear - - - Your words; the cries of the lost; & Your still small voice. Guide us and direct us with Your Holy Spirit, and teach us Your ways so we will not sin against You. Help us to love like you love. Help us to press on, and advance Your Kingdom here on earth! Thank You Lord again for that “red ribbon” of Your precious blood that You gave freely for us. Help us to not take advantage of that gift. Help us trust in You, our eternal Rock. Bless us this day and forever, in Jesus’ name, AMEN!