LORD HELP MY UNBELIEF

10/27/2023 by Judy Fashaw

Have you ever felt like your faith has gone stagnant or even disappeared? I have. Especially recently. Maybe you're going through a tough season, and it feels like God is distant. Whatever the reason, know that you're not alone, and there is hope.

In the book of Mark, there's a story of a man who brought his son to Jesus to be healed. The boy had been possessed by an evil spirit since childhood, and the father had been trying to find a solution for years. He had tried everything but had lost all hope. The man had faith in Jesus, but it was weak and overshadowed by doubt.

Jesus recognized the man's struggle and responded by saying, "Everything is possible for one who believes." The father, desperate for healing for his son, cried out, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:23-24) THAT PART

Like the father in this story, we must recognize our unbelief and ask God for help to overcome it. We must also remember that God is loving and desires to draw us closer to Him. He understands our doubts and struggles and desires to strengthen our faith.

Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."

So, let us reactivate our faith today! Let us seek God earnestly and believe in His promises. Let us remember that He is faithful and desires to draw us closer to Him.

Prayer: Lord, help me to overcome my unbelief and strengthen my faith. Draw me closer to you and help me to trust in your promises.

In Jesus Name, Amen.

Take a few minutes today to seek God and ask Him to help you overcome your unbelief. Read His Word and trust in His promises. He is faithful, and He will strengthen your faith.

Keep believing I Am I refuse not to.

EMBRACING YOUR SINGLE SEASON 

08/21/2023 by Judy Fashaw

As God works in me and my marriage, I am reminded of my past single season. Instead of romanticizing my time alone, I reflect on how I impatiently prioritized a relationship over strengthening my connection with God. This is me being raw and transparent, sharing the real truths about rushing God's timing during your single season. I feel compelled to speak to those who are in that phase currently.

It's common to covet and appreciate what other couples have without fully understanding the sacrifices that were made. Social media serves as a platform that frames others' relationships & marriages in a positive light, but not all that shines is gold.

It's vital to remember a single, powerful truth while you're alone, especially for Christians: don't rush God's timing. The enemy can manifest as what we crave and long for, and by the time we realize it, we've abandoned our intimacy with God to satisfy our carnal urges.

Sometimes, we may feel impatient or long for what we see in others' relationships. However, it's essential to remember that God's timing is perfect, and He knows what is best for us. He wants us to focus on Him and allow Him to shape our hearts and desires.

During this season of singleness, God may be working on various aspects of your lives, such as inner healing, growth, maturity, or preparing you for the future. It's a time to seek His guidance, draw closer to Him, and allow Him to mold us into the person He created us to be.

So, embrace this season as an opportunity to deepen your relationship with God and allow Him to shape you into the person He wants you to be. Focus on personal growth, serve others, and trust that God is preparing you for something beautiful. Remember, His plans are always better than what we could imagine for ourselves and everything falls in place on His time.

Place God First: Give this time as an offering to the Lord, dedicating your heart to Him. In Mark 12:30, we are reminded to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."

Patience & Trust: Don't rush into a relationship but rather patiently wait for God's perfect timing. In Psalm 27:14, it says, "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."

Learn & Grow: Use this season to grow in wisdom, understanding, and self-discovery. In Proverbs 18:15, it states, "An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge."

Seek After God's Heart: Delight in the Lord and let Him shape your desires and aspirations. As Psalm 37:4 beautifully says, "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

Commitment to God: May you always choose to honor and commit yourself to the Lord, even when relationships come into play. In Matthew 6:33, we are encouraged to "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Embrace this season of singleness as a precious gift from God. Grow in your relationship with Him and trust in His perfect plan for your life.

Singles, May God guide you during this season of preparation and may you find comfort, strength, and joy in the presence of our Heavenly Father.

Share this message with others who are walking through their single season.

𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄: For those who are seeking their Boaz or awaiting him, this message is for you. If you are married seek God and give Him back control of your life decisions and marriage.

BE MINDFUL OF YOUR THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS

05/21/2023 by Judy Fashaw

This is the first devotional on my site! I am excited that you are here! This was a topic I had to deal with while working on all of this and I thought it was a good way to start things off. The mind! 

We are made up of spirit, soul, and body. The spirit is the inner part of a man, it is the one that helps man to relate with God. The soul is who we are and is made up of mind will, and emotions. Finally, we have the body, which is man's physical and tangible part.

God desires that the spirit, soul, and body be found blames at the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

This, therefore, means that you should be mindful of your thoughts and emotions which are part of your soul. If that doesn’t happen, the devil will corrupt your mind, affecting your emotions later. This happens especially when your faith is at trial. He will always whisper into your ears that the God you serve is not fair because He has blessed others and forgotten you. And if God was fair, you couldn’t have been going through what you are currently going through.

The devil does this so that you may miss seeing the blessings and the greatest love of God in your life. He will cause you not to have time to count your blessings. Instead, He always points you to that which you currently don’t have in life. When the devil in form of a serpent approached Eve in the garden of Eden, he started corrupting Eve’s mind with a lie.

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5). This was the beginning of the fall of man. Immediately after this influence of the devil on Eves’ mind, look at what happened next as recorded in the scriptures. So, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave it to her husband with her, and he ate it. (Genesis 3:6).

The corruption of the mind was not only done to Eve as it can still happen to us if we are not careful. This is the reason why when Apostle Paul writes his second letter to the Corinthian church, he doesn’t fail to warn them like this; But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:3)

Whatever is stored in our minds determines our emotions. If our minds are pure our emotions will be pure and if our minds are corrupted our emotions will be corrupted. This now calls for everyone who needs to live a godly life to be very mindful of what they are always meditating upon. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:8).

When Paul is writing the verse above, he knows very well that when someone is experiencing challenges in life, their minds may easily be corrupted by the devil to cause anxiety and worry. If that is about to happen, they should do as follows; Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

When we are passing through challenges in life and instead of complaining or being anxious, we commit ourselves to God in prayer, supplications, with thanksgiving, the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding guards our hearts and minds through the power of Christ Jesus. It is called the peace of God that surpasses all understanding because when people around are expecting you to complain during suffering, they are surprised to see you rejoicing in the Lord.

To surrender your thoughts and emotions to the Lord one needs to renew their mind. This is done by the word of God, which can penetrate the thoughts and intents of our hearts and align them with the word of God.  For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12),

When we meditate upon the word of God Day and night our thoughts will be guarded against the corruption of this world and the deceptive schemes of the devil. This was very hard for me to master, and I am still learning, but it is a daily practice to take my thoughts captive if they do not align with the word of God and His promises for and over me. 

FAITH COMES BY LISTENING TOO!

04/25/2023 by Judy Fashaw

𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 [“FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞 and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].” Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

Faith comes by hearing. AND hearing, [listening, understanding, comprehending] comes by hearing the word of God. it’s not only enough to “read” but also LISTEN.

By Listening you have now engaged in a two-way communication with God. Watch how your questions and prayers are answered almost immediately after “𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈” the word. 

𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒅/𝒖𝒏𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔: Has someone ever sent you a Christian meme, reel, or video, and/or you watched a message online or went to church and 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒅 someone peach or testify and you identified with it? (𝐼𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑎 𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛.) It’s possible that you heard from God.

Are you listening though? He’s always talking, but we aren’t always listening.

PRAISE HIM THROUGH THE STORM

03/20/2023 by Judy Fashaw

Some people's lives currently look like a boat out in the deep ocean surrounded by a raging storm. Inside the boat is a lamp unmoved by the winds. They are standing tall and firm still shining bright in the middle of the biggest storm or fight of their lives. Their lamps are still full. Including myself. You do not know the secret battles people are facing. You don’t know the storm raging war around them; but when it is all said & done you will know their strength, perseverance, and faith in how they overcame.

If you find yourself like this ship. Hard pressed on each side. Remember the light that shines through you and over you. Remember the oil in your lamp. You’re not tipping over, you haven’t sunk, and your boat hasn’t cracked because God is sustaining you. He’s got you! And when you feel lost & alone it’s when He’s found you all to himself and wants your attention.

We are pressured in every way [hedged in], but not crushed; perplexed [unsure of finding a way out], but not driven to despair; hunted down and persecuted, but not deserted [to stand alone]; struck down, but never destroyed; always carrying around in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the [resurrection] life of Jesus also may be shown in our body. For we who live are constantly [experiencing the threat of] being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the [resurrection] life of Jesus also may be evidenced in our mortal body [which is subject to death]. So physical death is [actively] at work in us, but [spiritual] life [is actively at work] in you. 

2 Corinthians 4:8-12 AMP

The crushing, the pressing, & the refining is the best part of the journey although painful it produces fresh wine & good fruit ~ JC Fashaw

𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠: Praise You In This Storm

Song by Casting Crowns

FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD

03/06/2023 by Judy Fashaw

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen”. To me, faith simply means a very strong belief coupled with total trust or confidence in God, someone, or something. If I can be transparent and honest, this wasn't something easy for me to learn or have, and if you are a person that loves to be in control of things; Faith in anything or anyone other than yourself will be a challenge. Over the years I have learned a few things regarding faith. Perhaps you heard of them already and that is fine. Nothing wrong with a little refresher. Let's dive into this weeks devotional. 

• Faith Without Works Is Dead!

Faith needs a propeller and that propelling force is action/work. James Chapter 2:14 (AMP)  says, "What is the benefit, my fellow believers, if someone claims to have faith but has no [good] works [as evidence]? Can that [kind of] faith save him? [No, a mere claim of faith is not sufficient—genuine faith produces good works.]  So, before faith can be put into action there needs to be some action on your part. 

I will share a story with you. I was depending totally on God to do something for me. I mean totally on God. I was hoping He would supernaturally make paperwork at an office appear, have my name on it and they would call me with what I needed. He's God right? He can do that. I thought If He can make a blind man see and a donkey talk, then He can certainly make some paperwork appear with my name on it. That was crazy faith. See what I failed to realize is that all I was contributing to that prayer and petition was "hope in the things unseen" I did not apply the work! I didn't fill out the paperwork and mail it in. I didn't make the phone calls to try to get help. I just assumed God would do it all. It's silly, but many people do this. They wait on the Lord to do a thing, never meeting Him halfway. Had I done my part, I am sure God could have and would have done His because He cares about us.   

• Have Faith Without Doubt!

If you say you have faith in God about anything whether it be work, relationship, finances,  or your future; you need to put your total trust in Him. It may feel like you are taking a big leap of faith. Your diving into the unknown, Not knowing how and where you will land but you take the leap all because you are trusting the one who said you should take a leap.

I was like  “doubting Thomas” in the Bible. I would doubt God. I would doubt myself. I often prayed Lord, please forgive my unbelief.  Some of you might have been seeing miracles and unexplainable events happening to people around you. You are experiencing delays in achieving what you are looking to God for; but if you doubt for a minute, you are just extending your waiting time! Just because you don't see it does not mean He is not working. God knows the best time to answer those petitions and desires of your heart. He knows the appointed time! You must also understand, what we desire and what we want must be laid down to His will, His desire, and His wants for and over our lives. Remember God is not a man that He should lie, He is not a human who changes His mind. Whatever God has promised He will surely do it. 

3. Faith In Yourself

Develop the “Yes I Can” attitude!  Take that step of faith into that project that is scaring you, have faith in “yourself” and you will see that it is not as difficult as you think. Your gift and talents are hidden within you. We all got some. Whatever burning desire is in your heart to do or accomplish, is your gift! Have faith in God that He will help you walk out your purpose, but also have faith in yourself that you can and will accomplish it. That you have what it takes. That you can do it. Someone once said, “That very thing you are scared of is also scared of you." It's afraid of your voice, it's afraid of your talents, it's afraid of your gift, it's afraid that you are going to make an impact!  

Give yourself grace in the season you currently are in. Trust God. Believe God. My pastor always says, "it's not enough to know God, we must believe in God." Believe Him. Have faith in Him. Have faith in yourself. He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Perhaps you just needed the reminder this week. I encourage you to tackle this week ahead with extreme faith. What does that look like Judy you may ask? Well, to start, surrender it all to Him. Say, Father, I realize that I have been trying to do this all on my own. I realize that I have not allowed you to be God and I have not allowed you to take control of every situation. I have held on to things I have no control of or over. Father, Please forgive me for not trusting you. Please forgive me for not believing in you. Please forgive me that I tried to be God and be the Holy Spirit all at the same time. Father, I know that I am safe with you. I know that I can trust your timing. I can trust your direction and I can trust your path. Forgive my unbelief Abba. Help me to have faith in you this week. Help me to be more aware of the moments in which I am no longer trusting in you and I am relying on my own strength. In Jesus' Name, I pray, Amen. 

WATCH THE BLINDSPOTS

02/28/2023 by Judy Fashaw

𝐁𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬:  An area where a person's view is obstructed. Blindspots also refer to the aspects of ourselves we aren't fully conscious of.

As fellow sisters/brothers in Christ, especially if we consider each other friends. I believe it is our job to help each other grow. Not only when it’s pretty and going well; but also when it’s ugly and needs some work. People like to correct; but hate correction.

The problem is, some people believe they have already arrived at some level of spirituality where they are immune to the enemy. They believe because of their “works” they have reached a level of Godliness where they could never sin, do no wrong, never offend/hurt anyone, or potentially come under a Jezebel or Leviathan-like spirit. THAT! is a problem…But where the REAL problem lies is in the inability to accept we could be wrong, have some flaws, and/or still need some work. Instead, we blame shift, act as a victim, rebuke, demonize, cut off, or the famous one block those who are only trying to help you grow by pointing out BLINDSPOTS in your spiritual life.

We are prone to blindspots in other areas of our lives. Our sight is limited by our experience, so we miss things that might hurt those around us. The humble response as Christians is to acknowledge that we have blindspots.