Devotions of a High Heeled Warrior

Have you ever tried to get credit for something you didn't do?  I made a delicious dish, Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken, that amazed my family.  My husband is still on the Keto diet, so this recipe was perfect for him.  Once everyone started praising my culinary efforts, I was tempted to pass this recipe off as my own creation.  In the end, I admitted that Pinterest was the inspiration for my dish, not my creative imagination.   This made me think of Philippians 3:12-14.   12  Not that I have already  obtained this or  am already perfect, but I press on to make it (resurrection from the dead) my own , because Christ Jesus has made me his own.   13  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,   14  I press on toward the goal for  the prize of the upward  call of God in Christ Jesus. ...

Have you ever had someone break into your home?   A year ago, my oldest son was home alone sitting on the couch doing what teenagers do best.  He had in his ear buds listening to music when he heard a knock at the front door.  The knocks became more insistent until suddenly, the door knob began to turn.   It was probably good that he wasn't watching a horror movie because at this point he might have been freaking out.  The knob turned until the door slowly creaked open.  A little head poked around the door.  "Friends.  Friends?  Are you here?"  The little five-year-old boy across the street had come to our home in search of someone who would play with him.  The little boy walked through our darkened house calling, "Friends?  Where are you?  Hey, this isn't funny!  Friends?"  At the lack of response, he exited the house and gently closed the front door.  I'm not sure why my six-foot four-inch son (his heigh...

Have you ever put on someone else's glasses?  We all did it as kids.  We would find that family member with the coke bottle thick glasses and then try to walk around the room without walking into a blurry wall.  I always noticed that the way things appeared through those glasses were always distorted and not at all as things really were.  Why?  Because those glasses were never made for me to wear.  Have you found yourself viewing others through a distorted frame of mind?  You were hurt in the past by others, and now all you can do is remember that hurt when you see others around you.  You're afraid to trust, to move on, or to let go.   This distortion becomes the way you see all life around you.  God never intended for you to wear this pain.  It's like wearing the wrong prescription glasses.  God wants you to see others through His eyes.  What would that look like?  He would see the hurt that all are suffering....

For those following along with the book study, The Circle Maker, here's the next installment.  My ladies book study covered Chapters five and six.  One of the first things that Batterson points out is that circle makers are risk takers .  Moses took a risk to tell the Israelites God's plans.  Noah took a risk building the arc.  Honi took a risk stepping into the circle and praying for rain.  Prophets were often stoned if prophecies did not come true.  They were risking reputation and life to be faithful to God.  Batterson mentions you could be one defining decision away from a totally different life .  Our ladies book study talked about the music group, Casting Crowns .  They started out doing youth ministry.  They made a demo of the music they were performing for youth and thought about sending it to a record label, but then felt they needed to be faithful to youth ministry and did not send the demo off.  Later, one of...

I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say that if they step foot in church, lightening would strike.  We have it stuck in our heads that since the world expects perfection, God must also.  Women think they have to look like a magazine cover to be wanted.  Men think they have to make six figures in their jobs to be respected.  So does God follow the world's expectations?  When Moses was selected by God to represent Israel before Pharaoh, he panicked. (Exodus 4:10) Why?  Because he stuttered.  He begged God to find someone else, so God provided a mediator between Pharaoh and Moses, but God still poured His power through this flawed individual.  What about Elisha?  He was mocked by a bunch of people because of his baldness , but God still used him to lead a nation, baldness and all (2 Kings 2:23-24).  When we look at the followers of Jesus, we really see flawed individuals.  You have James and John, whom Jesus referred ...