Tag: Let Love Be My Motive

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A Willing Spirit (Daily Devotional)

Psalm 51:12 CSB

We not only have a heavenly father who sympathizes with our weaknesses but lived a life of obedience — no matter what it cost Him. In order to live a life of obedience, like Jesus, we must know God is love. We must truly know His character. But, we must also have an eternal view. We must understand that though the Spirit is willing, our flesh is weak. May we stay connected to His heart and be empowered by His Spirit through prayer each day. May we not forget or overlook the cost of truly following Jesus but the glory that will come later.

Lord, give us a willing Spirit. Not one that is hesitant or unsure, but strengthen our hearts to trust that what you ask of us has ultimate good in mind because you are good. Forgive us for the times we have chosen self because of fear, pride, or a misunderstanding of your heart. Reveal yourself to us in greater measure. We trust that what you’ve asked of us, no matter what that may look like, is eternally good and won’t fade away like the things here on earth. Thank you for being the perfect example but loving us enough to remind us of your compassionate heart. Let our heart posture be one of reverence for you above all else.
In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Thankful For His Word (Daily Devotion)

What a gift to have God’s Word within our grasp! The words that came from His mouth that spoke galaxies into existence is the same word that will soon bring us a new heaven and a new earth where only righteousness dwells. His Word that holds the stars in its place is the same word that knows the number of hairs on our head and sustains us through every season. Rejoice in the gift of His Word this morning. There is nothing more refreshing, faith building, and transformative then being in His Presence!

🌿The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all the stars, by the breath of his mouth.
Psalms 33:6 CSB

🌿The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Hebrews 1:3 CSB

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He Gives His Beloved Rest

In my morning devotional I saw this quote and it reminded me of the sweet rest that Jesus died to give His children.

So often, especially now a days with social media, we can fall into the comparison trap. Whether we fall into comparing ourselves to others or maybe we feel that we haven’t yet reached that level of success we thought we should be at. We end up heavy burdened, overloaded, schedules busy with an empty heart, and void of what is truly important.

Jesus didn’t die so we could strive for greatness here on earth or be the best of the best. His plan wasn’t for us to have a full schedule of what seems to be godly activities but empty of His presence that comes from the mountain. Jesus died so we would no longer strive but simply abide. It was to have fellowship with us. It was and still is, relationship that He desires.

Let us not get so busy that it takes away what is most important. May we not miss the mark by viewing and chasing worldy success rather than reaping an eternal reward. Let our heart posture be understanding and living from the place of what is most important in the heart of the Father.

Being One With Him —
Resting In His Presence By Knowing & Trusting His Character —
Trusting That It Really Is Completely Dependent On Him —
Surrendering It Isn’t Dependent On Us —
Knowing He Will Finish What He Started —

Our king’s pace isn’t the world’s pace and hustle culture is not kingdom culture.

He gives His beloved rest.

Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.
Psalms 127:1‭-‬2 NLT

🖼: Ruth Chou Simons

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Shame, The Tool Used To Silence

Shame: a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior.

“Don’t you ever come near my tribe again”

“The next time I see you…”

“You have delayed your season because of this”

“You’re the reason you’re all alone”

“You are so emotionally unstable…Look at how unstable you are” (After not getting a reaction out of me)

“You have such a victim mentality”

“No one will believe you, you did this to yourself”

These are just a few of the words spoken over me as I finally broke free. By the power of the Holy Spirit I did not fight back but rather, He had me speak a promise.. I would now speak against abuse within the church and help people heal from spiritual abuse.

These last words were a tool to manipulate and shame me into silence, The uncovering of true character and motives had been uncovered. Fruit had been exposed and it was rotten.

With a history of childhood trauma it was easy to believe the lies that were sown. Often abusers use things that you tell them in confidentiality and care as weapons later on. You see, these people knew I had just went through another miscarriage, my husband was deployed, and knew I had went through prior abuse within the church. They used they very things I had asked them to pray about and twisted fears and insecurities I had into what looked like truth.

I finally blocked every single person that had participated in this hurt and began to ask questions. Would He actually hurt me with my husband not home? How could a godly leader threaten me over accountability for their own actions? Was talking about my problems and asking for prayer about abuse I had suffered in the past, really a victim mentality? I am really alone right now. But I was just trying to set healthy boundaries. Was this really my fault? Where is Jesus in all this? Is this how God really feels about me?

The Anointing at Bethany is a well known testimony in the bible where Jesus was at the house of Lazarus, Martha was serving, and Mary took the pound of perfume, pure and expensive and anointed Jesus’ feet with her hair. Judas Iscariot had plenty to say:

“Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray him), said, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it.”

-John 12:4-6 CSB

Judas criticized Mary’s extravagant worship to Jesus. Like many abusers He shamed because there as a hidden heart motive at play. He shamed her. But what was Jesus’ response to this?

Jesus answered, “Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of my burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” -John 12:8 CSB

Jesus spoke up for Mary. He wasn’t ashamed of her actions and He was not afraid to stand up for her when shame was thrown at her to make her feel belittled. He saw the heart of the matter.

I am not sure where you are in reading this, but I do want to let you know that if you have endured shame being thrown at you by an abuser to silence you, know Jesus’ first response is stand up for you. Spiritual abuse can be confusing because it is someone who is supposed to represent God’s character. We can often relate our abuser’s to God’s character. We can fall for the lies and shut up and shut down. I want to let you know today that no matter what was spoken over you, Jesus is not ashamed of you. His grace, His mercy, and love outweighs it all.

More To Chew On:

-The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit. -Psalm 34:18 CSB

-Be gracious to me, God, for a man is trampling me;
he fights and oppresses me all day long.
My adversaries trample me all day,
for many arrogantly fight against me.

When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?

 They twist my words all day long;
all their thoughts against me are evil.

 They stir up strife, they lurk,
they watch my steps
while they wait to take my life.
 Will they escape in spite of such sin?
God, bring down the nations in wrath.

You yourself have recorded my wanderings.
Put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
 Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call.
This I know: God is for me. -Psalm 56:1-9 CSB

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. -2 Corinthians 1:3-5 CSB

Have a prayer request? I would love to pray for you. Click here.

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3 Book Recommendations For Those Battling Infertility And Have Endured Pregnancy Loss

One thing that has brought me great comfort is hearing of other people’s journeys through infertility and child loss. It often feels lonely and shame tries to wrap us so tightly as we attempt to navigate life from a place we never thought we would be in. After reading several books and devotionals over the past couple years, I wanted to share them all in one place for you to find. In hopes, that maybe you too, will have a safe place to ask questions, find comfort, and see you aren’t alone in this.

My Favorite Recommendation- Unexpecting By Rachel Lewis

I love this book for the sheer fact that you hear from both husbands and wives throughout the pages. This book made me realize that I was rushing through grief with busyness and not allowing myself to feel the weight of losing our children. It has great insight for those, like myself, who battle infertility and have had multiple child losses. Unexpecting is a masterpiece. Lewis covers many topics such as, questioning faith, mental health, caring for your body, understanding boundaries, parenting after loss, pregnancy after loss, and handling grief triggers. The author and stories of other women who have endured child loss are displayed throughout the pages with raw emotions and empathy. Unexpecting is broken up into four sections, Loss, Lament, Love, and Legacy. Each section ends with journal prompts. I cannot rave about this book enough. It introduced me to be able to hold space for my grief, understand my husbands perspective, and brought deep healing to my soul that desperately needed it. Unexpecting is a book I would recommend to anyone who is dealing with infertility or who has dealt with losing a child and/or multiple children through pregnancy loss.

My Favorite Devotional- Grieving The Child I Never Knew By Kathe Wunnenberg

Grieving The Child I never Knew was a devotional I picked up a couple months into grief. Kathe’s devotional(s) for each day are short but very thought provoking. Grieving The Child I Never Knew made me confront the children I truly lost and the unhealthy coping mechanisms I was using to avoid the pain. There are questions that are after each day that help you have self-awareness. From the cover to the pages filled inside are full of gentleness, wisdom, and healing. I would recommend this devotional to someone who wants to take small steps. The days are impactful but no overwhelming to someone who is either new to grief or like me, who had a very hard time with dealing with the actual impact of child loss.

My Favorite Book For Those Battling Infertility- Longing For Motherhood: Holding Onto Hope In The Midst of Childlessness- Chelsea Patterson Sobolik

Longing For Motherhood is one of the best books I have found on infertility so far. It was equally convicting as it was comforting. Oftentimes infertility and lack of motherhood can feel like an identity or an ailment. Chelsea talks about this with wisdom and elegance. She touches on the loneliness we can feel in longing for motherhood, the heartache that comes with motherlessness, and brings freedom and healing to those who may have been hurt by the church in the midst of infertility.  

A Gift From Me Let Love Be My Motive & Studio

I pray that each of these resources bring you hope and healing. I do want to add that here at Let Love Be My Motive, we also have been creating stickers, bookmarks, and other gifts for you. If you have lost a child or are battling infertility, you can email us at letlovebemymotive@gmail.com for a free gift or can browse our shop here.