Cross My Heart Ministry

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
into this grace in which we now stand.
And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1-2 

Our Write the WORD verses this month all focus on the word HOPE. (If you haven’t done so yet, please visit this page to download your free bookmark with April’s verses, as well as the optional S.O.A.P. study pages, and start writing the WORD with us each day.)

Hope seemed the perfect theme for the days that follow Easter. The intrinsic nature of hope has us looking into the future, expecting something different, something preferred, something better than the place where we stand today.

For the follower of Christ, our hope is for eternity and it is all wrapped up in the person of Jesus Christ. Our identity in Him makes our hope not just wishful thinking, but a confident reality.

When Paul sanctions boasting—a verb normally considered “off limits” for a Christ-follower—we are understandably intrigued. Mr. Webster defines boasting as expressing excessive pride … clearly unacceptable if the focus is on self (e.g., boasting about our wealth, status, or personal accomplishments, or boasting in the hope of getting noticed and awarded a big bonus at work).

When our hope extends beyond the temporal and into eternity, we not only hope in the glory of God, but we can boast in it! This kind of boasting is simply bragging on God. And when we brag on God, we shine the spotlight on Him. We make much of Him.

How would you define the glory of God? I recall asking God during my quiet time, What is your glory? I was reminded of Exodus 33:18-23 where Moses asked to see God’s glory. He was only permitted to see God as He passed by:

When my glory passes by,
I will put you in a cleft in the rock and
cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back;
but my face must not be seen.

Our earthly eyes would perhaps be overloaded by the manifestation of His glory. Perhaps that’s part of the reason the fullness of God’s glory is reserved for heaven.

But we also know that God proclaimed in Isaiah 43:7 that He created us for His glory. Our purpose in life is to allow God to be seen through us … to put Him on display.

What words come to mind when you try to describe God? I’ll start a list, and you feel free to add your own adjectives, too:

• Loving
• Powerful
• Compassionate
• Great
• Good
• Strong
• Kind
• Mighty
• Gentle
• Wise
• Holy

Many of those seem almost contradictory, yet they are all true of God. He is the absolute magnificent complete epitome of all those words and many more. The essence of who He is, is who He is. He said about Himself, “I am who I am.” And His glory is seen when all of who He is is on display.

To see His glory is to see Him.

We see little pieces of Him now. When fellow believers walk in the Spirit, we celebrate the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that is exhibited—and what we really celebrate is the reflection of God’s glory.

When we ourselves are in alignment with Him and have that sense of living to please Him, we bring Him glory and it brings a satisfaction that nothing else in this world can deliver. It’s what we were made for. It’s our spiritual sweet spot.

We get a little piece of it now. We are all like Moses just getting a glimpse as God is seen here and there, but what we really hope for—and boast in—is the glory of God. That’s what heaven will be.

Are you bragging today on God and the confident hope in seeing His glory?

Our in-person ladies’ Bible study wrapped up our time in Galatians this week. Galatians 6:11 tells us Paul took the pen in his own hand and wrote with big letters. Whether due to poor eyesight, emphasis, making it personal—or all of the above—the Gospel message is clear to the end. We invite you to listen to this week’s teaching video as Laura does a “fly over” to review some of the BIG lessons learned from Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

The moment we begin a relationship with Jesus, we have HOPE. Hope for eternity on that day. But also hope for peace and joy and a life that matters on this day (which is a particularly poignant and appropriate observation today, as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior).

Hope keeps us afloat. Because of hope, we can proclaim with Habakkuk:  “… he  enables me to tread on the heights.” Habakkuk 3:19

We need not live under the pile, the hill, or the mountain. Whatever challenge today brings, we can walk over it.

Having HIM means we have hope. That never changes. That reality is sure. Our position in Christ is permanent.

But what does change is ourselves. We change through the events and circumstances that ebb and flow into the currents of life. We grow in Him. Hope bolsters our faith. Our faith is proven real. And through the squalls and storms of life, we are transformed to be more like Jesus, our source of hope. We become more acutely aware of what John Newton said so well, “I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.”

The ever-increasing awareness of our own wretchedness makes it even more astonishing and amazing that He would want us. But He does want us. He wants us enough to die for us.

Jesus chose the cross because He loved us.  And He loves us still.

Think about your absolute worst moment. Your most shameful response. We all have those situations that we would love to delete from our memory banks—those events that just thinking about make our faces burn with shame, as we look around hoping no one can read our minds or our faces.

Jesus knows every one of those. He knows. And He still loves us.

Why?

Some of those aren’t just bad memories from the past. They are very much ongoing challenges in the present. We commit, I’ll never say that again … then out it comes from our mouth! We proclaim, I’ll never do that again … and find ourselves spiraling right back to the same behavior. We feel like a failure. We are filled with disappointment and shame, because that’s what sin brings. But Jesus didn’t die for a perfect person. He died for sinners like you and me:

 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

He died for us and He loves us, warts, messes, and all. His is an honest love—He knows exactly who we are and who we are not—and He still loves us. He still died for us. And that, my friends, brings a blessed hope that nothing else in this world can make good on.

The hope you and I have is all because of who HE IS rather than who we are (and who we are not). Only a GREAT God and a GOOD God could love one so undeserving.

It is grace … grace on steroids! Grace amplified and demonstrated in power and love.

Because of that awareness, we have hope, and it prompts grateful praise. We are moved to praise Him more and more and more. Our praise expands. It deepens and widens. It becomes interspersed into our day to day. Not just a piece of our launch-the-day quiet time, but a song on our tongue, a thought-life devoted to continual prayer, and a transformation of our attitude.

I find myself switching from my favorite oldies station to Christian praise music—not from guilt or obligation, but because I want to. My delight is to praise the one who fills my mind and heart with hope.

Wonder and joy and peace and PRAISE are injected into my daily chaos. My list is still long, the urgent tasks still call, the undone list seems to mock me, but my heart is hopeful. Hymns spring forth from my tongue—naturally, almost unconsciously, and joyfully.

Praise in the midst of jumping through hoops and spinning plates? It can only be because of Jesus. My hope in Him prompts praise. How can it not?

Will you join with me in praising Him more and more … allowing hope to prompt praise in your life?

Thank you, Lord. This day, this moment, I’m choosing to praise You because of the hope you have provided!

As our weekly Bible study group comes to the end of the book of Galatians, we find that Paul offers some very practical ways for us to live out the Gospel in our relationships with others. We invite you to listen as Laura unpacks these assignments:

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13

When we read “I can do this,” it may bring up an image of Rosie the Riveter — jaw set, muscle flexed, and polka-dot scarf secure. The tough Rosie of the 40’s may well be the foremother of Helen “I am woman, hear me roar” Reddy in the 70’s … and all these generations later, we may try to sing the song and flex the muscle (and surely that red scarf is here somewhere!), but the reality can be less than rosy. Pun intended.

Our song may be more like: I am woman, I am tired.  

Philippians 4:13 is often quoted (also framed on our walls, posted on our social media, and written in our greeting cards). But is the truth of it written on our hearts?  

Rather than a proclamation of strength and self-sufficiency, it’s a confession of our weakness. Taken to heart, it’s a humble declaration of our dependency on Christ.  

Just before this oft-quoted verse, Paul wrote: 

I know what it is to be in need,
and I know what it is to have plenty.
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,
whether living in plenty or in want.
Philippians 4:12

Paul was explaining the secret — the key — to finding contentment no matter what the circumstances. I’m encouraged to note that he uses the word learned. Even if we haven’t yet achieved contentment, we can learn it. We can aspire and grow into it.  

And according to Paul it has nothing to do with our physical situation: want or plenty, well fed or hungry … and we might add employed or unemployed, malignant or benign, celebrating or grieving.  

We can fill in our own 21st-century “whether” but the message is the same: our circumstances do not dictate our reality, nor do they make us content. It is the One who is with us in those circumstances that determines our level of contentment.

Hard things will come and go in this life. Some the result of our sinful choices, some the result of the sin of others, and still others are simply the result of living in a fallen world.  

But none can touch our security in Jesus Christ.  

He is our life preserver in the storm. He keeps us afloat. He is our strength in any and every situation. Yes, my friend, we can do this — we can keep working, keep giving, keep serving, keep forgiving, keep hoping, and keep on keeping on.  

But not because we have the power on our own. It’s all because we have the power through HIM who gives us strength! 

Have you got trouble? Life in this world tells us if we don’t now, we will! It’s not pessimistic — just realistic. Life in this world will bring us trouble.

All this month, we are exploring verses that equip us in responding to trouble. In this week’s devotional video, Laura reflected on a good go-to passage to cling to in trouble or share with a friend who is enduring hardship. In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul has some advice for a time of trouble:

– Don’t be anxious
– Do give it to God
– Do be thankful for it

That last one is not only difficult, but counterintuitive! We encourage you to listen as Laura reflects on this powerful passage, and then consider sharing it with a friend going through hard things. We pray the insight Paul offers will be hidden in your heart and available to you, allowing you to share it when needed or claim it for yourself.

But I will sing of Your strength;
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
Psalm 59:16 

We all struggle with feeling like doing something versus choosing to do it. Because we are saved by grace — and because our eternal destiny is based exclusively on the completed work of Christ, not our own — we can easily give ourselves a pass on “I will” and instead wait for “I feel like” before we act.  

The engagement of an I will marks us as women of God. I will means that because my identity is in Him, I choose to lean in … to press in ... to work out the salvation He has provided.  

Here in Psalm 59, David’s use of “I will” conveys a deliberate choice. Let’s join with David and choose to do likewise.  

David’s I will is a choice to worship. And it’s also a choice to worship at a specific time: morning. Morning worship is a statement of priority. It adopts a first–things–first attitude that declares, “Worship is the priority of my day.” It’s a tithing of our time, if you will. 

And worshiping first also means it ripples out to impact everything else that happens in the course of the day.  

Worshiping first renews us for the day. Yesterday morning’s worship sustained us for yesterday, but today is a new day. The little irritations, the nagging annoyances, the distractions and frustrations of the day push us out of alignment. Our morning worship is a daily realignment.  

Fear and anxiety are typical symptoms of a day with trouble. The degree of the trouble is measured by the depth of our anxiety. Worship is the antidote. We may have no control over the trouble, but we can rein in our response to it.  

Worship is the best preparation for trouble, and the best defense when trouble comes.  

David’s worship included singing. The lyrics he chose showcased the character of God: 

I will sing of your strength,
I will sing of your love.

Over and over again in Scripture, I continue to see confirmation of the overriding character traits of our God — He is GREAT (strong) and He is GOOD (loving).  

If He were only loving, but not strong, he would be powerless to protect and provide for us. Because he is strong, He can help. And because He is loving, He wants to.  

As our worship draws us to celebrate God’s goodness and His greatness, His strength and His love, we renew our trust in His provision. Our worship keeps us safe in the fortress of His protection.  

Like many of us, you may look around at the world and feel there has been no season when we needed the fortress of God more. We are living in times of trouble. We may not feel like singing, but as women of we can choose to sing. Today, we can declare with David:

I will sing of your strength,
I will sing of your love.

And then let’s do it again tomorrow morning.  

We were so pleased to have guest lecturer Stacey Broyles at our women’s Bible study this week! Please listen as Stacey shares a powerful passage on the Fruit of the Spirit and practical applications for walking it out:

“Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior
and my hope is in you all day long.”
Psalm 25:4-5

David’s prayer to God hundreds of years ago is the prayer of humble hearts today: 

Show me … teach me … guide me. 

These words acknowledge a need for guidance and provision. They reflect a man who knows his need and knows only God can provide.  

Show me your ways 

The pronoun “your” suggests what we know to be true — there are indeed other ways than God’s ways. True for David and still very true for us. There are ways of the world, family traditions, and ways ingrained from old habits. There are ways prompted by legalism and ways prompted by liberalism. There are ways birthed from fear and ways birthed from freedom. But the way of a humble heart of faith is God’s way.  

God, as you reveal YOUR way, I am ready to follow – even if it messes with MY way! 

Teach me your paths

The word teach is reassuring. God doesn’t expect us to know everything. And as we ask Him to teach us, we acknowledge we don’t know everything. Pride resists learning, but humility welcomes it.  

The choice of the word path confirms life is a journey of learning and growing in Him. While he may not reveal the entire life map, we can trust Him to reveal the next step to be taken.  

We are reassured in knowing that traveling His path means He travels with us. His path is a path of righteousness (“He guides me in paths of righteousness..” Psalm 23:3) and it is a path of freedom (“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32). 

Jesus, give me a teachable spirit. I want to travel this journey along your good path of righteousness and freedom.  

Guide me in your truth 

The world says truth is subjective: You have your truth — good for you, but I have mine. Yet by its very definition, truth is exclusive. If there is more than one truth, a lie has been introduced.

God is so good to us. He gently guides us into His truth. He is not harsh with us, but kind. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “God’s kindness leads you toward repentance.” As He reveals truth, may we be faithful to make course corrections. (“I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statues.” Psalm 119:59) 

Holy Spirit, thank you for faithfully guiding me in the truth. Enable me to realign my ways to your truth. As You reveal, I will obey.  

As God answers our Show Me / Teach Me / Guide Me prayer, may we bend our will to lean in to the truth He reveals. May we follow faithfully where He leads. When we take that first step down the right path, the joy of abiding in Him becomes so good and so great that what may have once felt like obligation melts away into desire and even delight. We find that the hope enveloping our hearts and minds during our morning quiet time, will sustain us for the day — indeed, we can declare with David, “my hope is in you all day long.” 

Have you got trouble? Life in this world tells us if we don’t now, we will! It’s not pessimistic — just realistic. Life in this world will bring us trouble. All this month, we are exploring verses that equip us in responding to trouble. In this week’s devotional video, Laura unpacks truth from David’s words in Psalm 16:8. David — a man who knew trouble — declares (and challenges us) to keep our eyes on God come what may. We pray this devotional teaching encourages you if you are in a time of trouble … or equips you to be ready when it comes.

“I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
Psalm 16:8

At first read, How to Not Be Shaken sounds like a title in the self-help section of your local bookstore. You may have even wondered if this week’s Sunday Soaking had taken a turn from  scripture.  

And then you read the verse. There it is. Truth from God’s Word.  

If we want to be the women of God who stand firm in our faith, refuse to allow circumstances to dictate our reality, and who will not be shaken — we need God. We must keep our eyes on Him. Every day. Every moment of every day. Always.  

Like most biblical truth, it is profound and seems simple, but is challenging to live out. Johnny Hunt says, “The Christian Life is not difficult … it’s impossible.” Impossible that is, if we try to do it on our own.  

A sure way to be shaken: 

• Hit the snooze button, sleep late, and jump into the day without your time with Jesus. 
• Read the words of your Bible (checking the “daily scripture reading” box) with your mind simultaneously planning breakfast, laundry, and the rest of the day’s To-Do List. 
• Complete your Quiet Time, close the book, and then move on to Task Mode with no connection of what you read to the rest of your day. 

A woman of faith makes time for Jesus, every day. She does it because she knows she needs Him. She does it because she knows the rest of the day is fruitless apart from Him. She fills up so she is ready to pour out. “Have to” gives way to “want to” — and even “delight to” — as she comes to Jesus because she loves Him and needs Him.

Does that describe you?

Do you want it to? 

Are you ready to declare with the Psalmist, “I keep my eyes always on the Lord”?

It’s a daily choice. It’s a conscious decision about who’s in charge. Yesterday’s choice does not cover today. We need fresh manna. Every. Single. Day. Choose Him today. Prioritize time with Him today. And then do it again tomorrow.  

Putting Jesus first is a statement of faith — there will be enough time for everything else in my day.  

Putting Jesus first is a declaration of His Lordship — He is in charge of my life.  

Putting Jesus first is a declaration of my neediness — apart from Him, I’m finished. I cannot do life on my own.  

Putting Jesus first claims victory for today — without Jesus, I might as well wave the white flag of defeat before the battle even begins.  

Choosing to put my eyes in God’s book first (as I like to tell my ladies at Bible study, “You have no business putting your face on Facebook until you’ve had your face in His book!”) means everything else in my day is seasoned, softened, and saturated by His Spirit living in me and by the truth from His Word. The Spirit of God takes the Word of God and transforms my words, thoughts, actions, and attitudes for the day.

Daily life is transformed. The mundane becomes divine. The ordinary has purpose.  

The truth of Psalm 16:8 in the Old Testament is illustrated by Peter in the New Testament (Matthew 14:25-32). Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water. He had His eyes on Jesus and he was walking on the water. But then he looked away – the wind was blowing, he was distracted, and Peter took his eyes off Jesus. That’s when he began to sink. What a metaphor for us! We, too, can do the impossible — serve, give, love, forgive, and yes, refuse to be shaken — so long as we keep our eyes on Jesus.  

Paralleling our political freedom to our spiritual freedom, we must reject both the slavery of “legalism” and “liberalism.” We invite you to listen to this week’s teaching lecture as Laura unpacks Paul’s challenge to stand firm in our freedom.

This month’s Write the WORD bookmark and S.O.A.P. study pages,
as well as other free resources to help you balance your heart for God
with the demands of a busy life and home, can be found on our Downloads page.

If my people, who are called by my name,
will humble themselves
and pray
and seek my face
and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven,
and I will forgive their sin
and I will heal their land.
II Chronicles 7:14

Have you downloaded this month’s Write the WORD bookmark? If so, you know the verses selected all are chosen because they can speak to us in times of trouble. Trouble can lead us to fret and frenzy, to hyperactivity or fearful paralysis. Sometimes we alternate through all those responses in the course of a day! 

Times of trouble are heart-revealers. Times of trouble are also opportunities for us to walk out our faith. Choosing faith over the two extremes — fear or frenzy — is hard. But it’s also possible.  

If we want to stand in faith, I’m convinced we must abide in His Word and remain in a spirit of prayer. And that’s precisely what we hope reading, writing, and praying the Word this month (and every month) will help you do! 

The verse above from II Chronicles 7:14 may be familiar to many of us. You may read it, and even tend to immediately move to “scan” mode … thinking, “I know this one.” 

But do you know it? Have you dissected it? Let’s parse this verse today and glean some insight, phrase by phrase: 

My people ⇒  Clearly, this verse is directed to the people of God.  

Who are called by my name ⇒  When we define ourselves as Christians, we take on the name of Christ! 

If…then ⇒  This verse has covenant language. God has four things for us to do, and then He promises what He will do.  

Our four things: 

1. We must humble ourselves.
   Perhaps the reason we bow our heads or bow our knee when we pray is to adopt a physical posture that reflects our inward attitude. Only a humble heart can truly seek God. The best antidote for pride is to come before God. In His presence, we are aware of who He is – and who we are not. 
2. Pray.
   We all believe in prayer. If prayer were outlawed, we would make signs and march to protest. Yet, in our freedom to pray, we often fail to pray. Prayer is less about getting what we want and more about getting ourselves aligned with what God wants. Before we engage to do things for God, it is imperative we spend time with God.  
3. Seek His Face.
   We know we have persevered in prayer— we have prayed through to amen — when we can truly seek His face and be content with His will. Our Lord Jesus wrestled in prayer the night before His crucifixion. He was prayed up when He was ready to pray the prayer that never fails, “Thy will be done.” (Matthew 26:29-42) 
4. Turn from wicked ways.
   God did not call us to turn from our sin first. Cleaning ourselves up is never a prerequisite to come before Him. God knows we cannot conquer our sin on our own. It’s only possible in Him and through Him. The awareness of our sin comes when we stand before Him and behold His holy perfection. I can turn from my wicked ways because I have turned to Him. He enables me to do what I can never do on my own. This is not legalism, friend. This is freedom. Joy. Peace.  

And when we do our part, God does His. Note the three “I will’s” in this passage: 

1. I will hear. 
   We may find it impossible to get an appointment with the mayor, the governor, the president, the CEO, or the committee chair, but God is available to us 24/7. The Creator of the Universe listens to us. He hears us when we call.  
2. I will forgive.  
   His well of forgiveness never runs dry. He continues to pump it out far beyond what the most patient of humans would consider reasonable. Are we carrying a burden that can be lifted for the asking? Why struggle under the load of guilt and shame when freedom and forgiveness are available? Sin loses its grip on us when we allow Him to lift it.  
3. I will heal their land. 
   When followers of God seek God, those in the land are also recipients of His grace. Our blessings become the blessings of our fellow humans. Healing may be physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. God’s thoughts and God’s ways are higher than our own. (Isaiah 55:8-9). We see with human eyes, while He sees for eternity. But He is trustworthy. He is a God of love. He is for us.  

I read this verse and am startled and humbled to realize that I am culpable for many of things I have too often blamed on the world — the media, the schools, the government, the entertainment industry, etc. I have been good at identifying the problems, but in this passage, God challenges me to be part of the answer.  

Will you join with me this month in praying for the U.S.A. during this 250th year of our country’s existence?

In this week’s teaching video from Laura, Paul continues his relentless desire for his spiritual children in Galatia to rest in faith-based righteousness instead of reverting to works-based righteousness. He goes all the way back to Abraham and his two wives to help us see the contrast between slavery and freedom, law and grace. We hope this week’s teaching, inspired by the great Westminster Chapel pastor, G. Campbell Morgan, will help you glean a deeper understanding of God’s magnificent grace.