The Crosswalk Devotional

Have you felt like the plans you had for your own life were thwarted? If so, did your unmet expectations prompt disappointment and heartache, or were you able to recognize God was working for good on your behalf?

Are you wondering why God has allowed—or not allowed—something in your life? It's possible He wants you to be desperate for Him, too. When you and I can say our hope is in Him, not in what He will do, then we get a little clearer picture of what it means to follow Him faithfully.

We have been given the precious gift of time here on this earth; let’s not waste our time but redeem it all for God’s glory!

You don't have to be stressed by all the change around you when you remember that the Holy Spirit lives inside you.

Instead of worrying God won’t provide, why not reflect on what He has done in our lives already? It’s good to remember and recount what the Lord has done.

Make time today, this week, and every coming week to remember the Lord’s deeds and remind yourself of why it’s good to remember. Commit to making time throughout the coming year to remember the good of the past.

Not only is peace impossible when you live life according to your fears. There’s also no way to be happy. Your mind is thinking about all that is going wrong, or could go wrong, instead of the myriad of blessings we experience every day. And we do experience them daily.

Do you live in fear of the future? All of the what-ifs are out of our control, but they are safe in the loving, sovereign hands of our Savior. Jesus died on the cross, securing our eternal home. We can trust Him with our tomorrows.

There is nothing wrong with making plans and hoping for something. In fact, God often places these desires in our hearts.What about when our plans fall through? When we feel like we’re praying, begging for a breakthrough, but heaven seems silent, or worse yet, God says no?

You may have been through to the other side of heartbreak yourself and seen the kind of redemption your child hasn’t. Yet. Remind your child that God loves them, and so do you. And that you believe God’s promise: that He will carry them through.

Just like an effective teacher learns the learning styles of each of their students, then tailors each lesson to speak to them in a way they will understand, we as Christians need to follow a similar suit when witnessing.

Selfishly, I pray I will be able to see positive movement in ministry visually, but if not, I’ll remind myself that even when I can’t see it, God is faithful.

By actively participating in your relationship with God, your faith in Him will grow. There may be difficult times ahead, but if your faith in God is strong, you can overcome even the toughest of situations.

What would it look like for you to truly listen? Rather than giving advice or having all the answers, what would it look like for you to put yourself in their shoes – and care. Doing this forges strong and trustworthy relationships.

Truthfully, I think we need to pay attention to what the scriptures say about children because God created them. God calls children a blessing, a gift from the Giver of good gifts. Do we have eyes to see them as a blessing?