Devotions of a High Heeled Warrior

 As a pastor's wife, I cross paths with many people. One of the most common things I have heard is, "God could never work through me because of where I come from." So often we allow our past to define our value to God. Let me take a moment to argue that your past does not determine your value to God. Let's get into the cool part of this. In the Old Testament, Numbers 16, Moses has led his people out of Egypt. They have built a tent as the Tabernacle for God. During this time a man named Korah, who was a Levite dedicated to working in the Tabernacle, decided the whole community was holy, not just Moses and his people. Therefore, they should be allowed to lead the people.  He took 250 men to raise a rebellion. Moses addressed them by telling them to bring incense to worship God, and He would bring incense. They would see who God called. As they brought the incense, God warned the people to move away from the tents of the wicked. Then, the ground opened and swallowed K...

  Since Fall has finally come, I wanted to join the bandwagon with Fall mums. I have driven by so many stands with these big, beautiful mums in so many bright colors. I voiced my excitement for these mums and my sweet husband heard. He appeared one day with two pots of yellow mums. The only negative was that they were green with one little flower poking out of the greenery. After mentioning this, my husband pointed out that by being green, my mums would sprout later so that I enjoyed color for much longer. I couldn't fault this, so I waited. Nearly two months later, my one little yellow flower peeks through the greenery like a clown in the middle of a funeral, bright in an otherwise solemn surrounding. Of course, this became the joke around my house. It's like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree of mums. Here's the spiritual nugget. It becomes so easy to focus on what you don't have that you can't value and appreciate what you do. If only I had more money, meanwhile,...

  I attended a women's retreat this weekend. While there, there was a statement made that really challenged me. "When we don't put on the armor of God each day, we open ourselves up to the enemies attacks. Naked Christians (unarmored Christians) are not pleasant to look at."  I thought about the TV show , Naked and Afraid. People are dropped off in harsh conditions with no clothes and only their wits to survive. Due to lack of clothing, the harsh conditions create obstacles that cripple the contestants ability to function. God gave us the ability to protect ourselves from the harsh conditions of this world. We have the helmet of salvation to guard our minds from thoughts that intrude and cripple our walk with God- those thought that tell you that you'll never be good enough to earn God's love. We can never be good enough. We all fail, but my salvation reminds me that this is the point. Jesus came because we could never be good enough; however, with Christ, He...

  Over the years, I have owned several dogs, and the bigger the better. As I was walking my grand puppy this weekend, I started thinking about what my neighbors must be thinking as I plead with my dogs to do their business. Imagine late at night the sound of a desperate woman repeating the mantra of, "Come on. Poop. Go poopy. Poop. Poop. Poop." They must think I'm crazy, but I  read about a study where dog owners who repeat one phrase over and over saw a quicker poop time for their dogs; thus, the poop mantra. As the dogs hear my voice, they become so familiar with it that they automatically respond. Wouldn't it be great if we become so familiar with God's voice that it's second nature to automatically respond to His voice? Keep in mind   that immediate obedience comes in a very similar way to the dog training. It's repetition. As we seek God regularly, we become responsive to His voice. The more we listen, the more we recognize His commands. So as I wand...