Category: Devotionals

Every night my prayer partner calls, he’s a little 88-year-old man in Nacogdoches, TX. A couple of weeks ago, we started reading a chapter of the Bible before we pray. This has been fantastic for both of us.

Tonight, we read Acts chapter ten; something Simon Peter experienced struck me… in verse fifteen, a voice spoke to him again the second time saying “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”

Then, in verse twenty-eight, Simon Peter shared this with Cornelius, saying, “But God has shown me I should not call any man common or unclean.”

It brought back to mind some thoughts I’ve had about myself, how I get down on myself for not measuring up, or especially when I struggle with my identity. Because I do not see me as God sees me. I’m often negative because the road I’m on has not led me to that place I thought I would be at this place and stage in my life.

I know I’m still moving forward and working on growing myself. However, tonight I feel God is showing me how I have been calling what He has cleansed common. I looked up the word “common,” and I don’t fit that label anymore.

God does not look down on me. He sees me as so much more than I see or anyone else sees.

The Blood of the Lamb has washed me clean.

So I’m putting this into practice; to not call the things He’s cleansed as common.

I quit smoking in 1998. Just quit.

I had smoked for over 25 years, had tried to quit many times. Failed many times. But then one day, I read this verse in Daniel while smoking a cigarette.

I pondered on this “purposing in one’s heart” for a little over a week. Then decided to purpose in my heart to quit smoking. I knew smoking wasn’t good for me, plus it defiled my body.

I made a choice to purpose in my heart, threw my cigarettes out, and have never desired one since.

This coming year – 2021 – I am purposing in my heart to be undistracted by the many things that keep me from sitting at Jesus’ feet. I will be more focused on sitting and listening to His revelations.

Here lately, it’s been waking up at 4 am and spending time reading, praying, and writing in my journal.

It’s a start…

What do you need to be purposeful and undistracted about in the year 2021?

I pray you will find purpose and be undistracted in whatever it is.

I opened my Bible and read the verse John 8:8 this morning. “And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.”

As I meditated on that one verse, I went back and read the passage. It spoke of the adulterous woman that the Pharisees had caught in adultery. 

They wanted to use her sin to trip Jesus up, but the whole while they were accusing her, Jesus sat and wrote in the dirt. Whatever He wrote, we may never know. Jesus stood and addressed the woman’s accusers. Then He sat back down and wrote again.

Soon everyone was gone. Only she stood before Him as He continued to write. He rose to address her, this time asking her, “Where are your accusers?”

As I meditated on verse 8, I sensed that what He had been writing the first time addressed the Pharisees, when He stooped down the second time… I got a vision of Him “rewriting” the woman’s story. And it brought tears to my eyes. 

Suddenly, it was no longer her standing there, but now it was me who stood before Him; and Jesus was rewriting my story.

I am so grateful that God has led me here. I know He will bring about the “Happily Ever After” story that I dream will come, the story Jesus has written for me. 👑👑👑

Can you see your story, and how is He rewriting it for you?

Have a blessed day, everyone.