Category: Treasures for the Heart

Everyone can use encouragement!

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How Well Do You Know Ed? written by Jan Neill

Happy Monday! I can hardly believe it’s Thanksgiving week!!

I apologize for the lateness of this post. I accidentally popped my left arm out of place over the weekend and was in excruciating pain. I got sidetracked trying to get an appointment with my chiropractor.

Thankfully, my chiropractor was willing to fit me in this morning to get this taken care of. I am now ordered to take it easy over the next several days to allow my shoulder time to heal. Then I will start exercises as I am able to strengthen the muscles and ligaments to prevent any more dislocations or subluxations in the future. I am looking forward to spending time with family.

This week’s devo is “How Well Do You Know Ed?” written by Jan Neill!

Please take the time to read as she wants to encourage US today! I hope that you have an absolutely amazing week!!!

How Well Do You Know Ed? – Jan Neill

In Joshua we find that the 2 ½ tribes of Israel had completed the task of fighting with the other tribes to subdue the land- and were returning to ‘their’ side of Jordon. Not the Promised Land God had provided but their choice (whole new discussion on this one- later) but where they asked to stay.

Upon crossing over they stopped to build an alter for reflection, and remembrance. Joshua 22:34 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.

I don’t know about you, but I often can be caught in the “God answers prayer for the deserving, staff, preachers, pastors wives, … and on it goes, but He isn’t as interested in my, my life, my needs as those IMPORTANT People, the Bible College crowd,.etc. (insert lie of the Devil that is whispered in your ear.)

We all need more ED… we need to make memorials, alters and remembrances of WHEN GOD did more than meet our needs, wants , and how He made ways we cannot see. In this world we are so bombarded with all the reasons that God, cant- won’t – or could use as reasons to NOT hear and care for His children. Our children, and grandchildren will live in a world that will continue to challenge who God is and that He is sovereign, mighty, holy, loving… all the attributes we KNOW about God, but can easily forget when the blows and challenges of the world constantly beat us up.

Who / what are the Ed’s in your life that when hard times come, and it seems the answers you pray for are delayed, that you can look to and remember .. several years ago after having been diagnosed with stage 2 type 2 melanoma, I can still tell you to this day the spot on the freeway where I surrendered my will to God for my health, and successful treatment and surgery, I can tell of begging God to save my then lost husband and provide me a Godly mate and a Christian home, and on and on the list goes.

We have a new member of the family this year and as I’m thinking of pulling out old pictures to share with her to show her the family, our history, who these people were that are so important to our history and who made a difference, as we move toward Thanksgiving and thinking about being thankful, grateful and blessed…. Perhaps it’s a great time to reflect on Ed, and maybe even share with our families the alters that God has made for and with us… ”That in times to come these shall not be forgotten.”

https://www.sappsolutely.com/devotions/how-well-do-you-know-ed-jan-neill

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For My Good

Romans 8:28 – And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

What a glorious assurance that He who was willing to sacrifice His life for mine will have my best interest at heart. Thus, I must learn to trust that whatever He allows to come into my life will purposefully work out for His glory and my good.

Having this knowledge should spur us to be kind, be strong, and stand courageously against the wiles of the evil one. This should also encourage our faith and hope that God’s ways are perfect.

Praying you have a fantastic Friday!🍁🍂

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Salt & Light

Matthew 5:16 – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

As Christians, we are to be salt and light in this world. As salt, we are to seek to influence others with our lives showing Christ’s unconditional love. As light, we are to be witnesses concerning the truth of the Gospel. 

Salt works internally while light works externally, affecting everything they reach. Hence, our lives should exemplify Christ both spiritually and physically with all with whom we come into contact. 

May our lives influence others in such a way that it draws them to Christ. Praying you have a dynamic day!🍁

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What Do You Believe? by Julie Myers

Happy November 15th! Can you believe next week is Thanksgiving??? I love this time of year! This week’s devo is “What Do You Believe?” written by Julie Myers! Please take the time to read as she shares with us this week! I hope that you have an awesome week!!!

What Do You Believe? – Julie Myers

John 11:18-26,38-44

What do you believe? Not just what you think you believe or what you say you believe. What do you believe in your heart about Christ?

This story is one that hit me like a ton of bricks. I had been struggling in conversations with a friend who had decided that God wasn’t for her anymore. She had a lot to say about everything that was going on in the government and with the pandemic. Though, I had noticed her behavior coming up to this confrontation, it seemed like she wasn’t living as she believed it for a long time. It began with head knowledge and never seeped into her heart.

John 11:23-27 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

If you read these words at a glance, you would think that she agreed with Him. Look closely though. She did not agree with what He said He was, she agreed with what she thought He was.

This is our struggle. This is a real thing. WE put it in our heads what we think He is saying instead of reading the words and meditating and believing. We move forward with our heads in our Christian walk instead of it manifesting in our hearts and then when things do not work out the way we believe they should (our perception or expectation fails) we doubt God’s goodness.

John 11:38-39 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

Jesus knows what He is going to do. He knows what He is capable of and though Martha is right there in the presence of the Lord her gaze is not on Him it is on the physical things of this world. Her words betray her thoughts. The physical death of her brother and even the smell are her focus. They are very real things yes but they are the things of this world, not the things of eternity and the miracles of God.

Though in verse 40 Jesus says to her Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

He gently reminds her that she has to believe to be able to see it. Not just in her head but in her heart. And though we continue to doubt and forget, our God is still good and still providing though we are not looking at it and watching for it. Do we believe it?

John 11:41-44 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with gravesclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Jesus even says in His prayer to the Father – He knows His Father hears Him always but because of the people who are standing by He said it so that they would believe. Even with Martha, though she was caught up in the here and now, in today’s moments and drudgeries- He showed her a miracle still.

I don’t know if Martha ever saw the miracle through the circumstances of her “now’s.: She isn’t mentioned past this passage. I do know that my friend –‘my Martha’ – gained a new view and started looking for them.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

O soul are you weary and troubled

No light in the darkness you see

There’s light for a look at the Savior

And life more abundant and free.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in his wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of his glory and grace

His word shall not fail you he promised

Believe him and all will be well

Then go to a world that is dying

His perfect salvation to tell

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in his wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of his glory and grace

O soul are you weary and troubled

No light in the darkness you see

There’s light for a look at the Savior

And life more abundant and free

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in his wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of his glory and grace.

https://www.sappsolutely.com/devotions/what-do-you-believe-julie-myers

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Are You a Biblical “Influencer?” by Angela Morrow

Happy Happy Monday! I hope you all had an amazing weekend! This week’s devo is “Are You a Biblical “Influencer?” written by Angela Morrow! Please take the time to read and enjoy, I hope this is a blessing to you! I hope that you have a great week!!

Are You a Biblical “Influencer?” – Angela Morrow

An “influencer” is one who has the power to move; in persuading or dissuading; one who leads or directs. I know this may sound foolish, but I just recently have found out what an “influencer” is according to our social media culture today. Honestly, I was not impressed. I found it to be a sad cultural norm. However, not in the sense you may think. I did not find it sad that people in this day and age do the same thing they have been doing for centuries (just by a different name), but rather we have “Christian Influencer” that trying to “influence” others for Christ by doing it the same way the world does it. They use the world’s music, they use the world’s lingo, they use the world’s method of delivery to do what exactly? “Influence” others to be “modest but trendy”, to be “Christian in style”, to “makeup like Jezebel without acting like Jezebel”? Ok, I made that last one up, but it did get me thinking. As Christians, we are supposed to influence people, we are supposed to point people to Christ, right? So, what is your influence? Are you a Biblical “Influencer”?

Paul tells the young preacher Timothy something that I believe can be applied to all Christian believers today, “These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” I Timothy 4:11-16

Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity…in doing so thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. It We are to be “influencers” but not as the world influences but as the Bible influences. Are you influencing as Christ would influence? Are you setting an example of the believer, the new creature in Christ, that has put off the old man with his deeds? Are you influencing in SELF or are you influencing in CHRIST?

Not only is it important to be an influencer based on the Bible, but it is important that you are influencing the people you should be influencing by order of importance. Your home is your first place of influence.

Are you Biblically influencing your home? As ladies, we all have many different avenues to which we can influence in our homes. Are you Biblically influencing your husband? Husbands need a wife who is influential in gaining her husband’s trust. Proverbs 31:11 states, “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.” Are you Biblically influencing your children? Children need a strong godly mother influencing them in Christ. Proverbs tells children to “…forsake not the law of thy mother:” on several occasions. Do they see their mother praying? Do they see their mother reading the Bible? Do they see their mother not just going through the motions but living Christ in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity? “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.” Or do they see their mother on their phone all the time taking selfies? Do they see their mother demanding perfection for a photo? Do they see their mother one way at home and another way in public? What laws are you setting forth for your children to follow? Is it the Book of the Law? (Joshua 1:8, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”) Maybe you are reading this, and you do not have children or a husband. Are you Biblically influencing others in your home: your parents, your siblings, and/or roommates? All of these people in your life can be encouraged and influenced by your testimony. Just the other day my eldest daughter was praying with a friend on the phone. I was encouraged and influenced by her testimony. My heart grew ten sizes, and I was extremely humbled in that same moment. I told my husband that I wish I was like that at 18. Are you too busy trying to gain followers rather than influencing those in your own home? Are you Biblically influencing your home?

Are you a Biblical influence to your church? Local churches need Christian ladies that want to be Biblical “influencers” at their church. Churches need nursery worker, Sunday school teachers, encouragers, prayer warriors, soul winners, disciplers, gossip stoppers…I think you get the idea. The Bible specifically talks about the older woman influencing the younger. Titus 2:3-5 states, “The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” Are you influencing young ladies to be discreet (wise in selecting the best means to accomplish a purpose; circumspect; cautious; wary; not rash)? Are you influencing them to be chaste (pure; genuine; uncorrupt; free from barbarous words and phrases, and from quaint, affected, extravagant expressions)? Are you influencing them in charity? Are you influencing them in purity? Are you influencing them to be keepers at home or are you influencing them to be keepers of Facebook or Instagram? Let us raise the next generation in the best book of all, the Bible. Are you Biblically influencing those around you? Are you Biblically influencing your church?

Are you Biblically influencing your town/city? Passing out trats is one the the most important things you can do, but there better be a testimony behind that tract because they are watching you. I was in another city helping with a ladies’ conference. I went to Olive Garden with some other ladies and left a nice tip with that local church’s tract. As I was leaving our witness chased me down and said she was so grateful for the tip. She also stated that typically when the people from “your church” eat here they complain the most and rarely tip. I’ll say that has made me a little more cautious to leave a tract from a local church when dining out. What kind of influence do you have in your town/city? Are you giving your church a good testimony? Are you not just sharing the Gospel, but living it too? Would your neighbors know you are a Christian if you never told them? Would the Lord say, “I know thy works…nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee”? Are you Biblically influencing your tow/city?

Lastly, are you a Biblical influence to the uttermost parts of the earth? Do you spend as much time or more promoting missions as you do yourself on social media? I understand that we cannot go everywhere; I also understand that Facebook, Instagram, etc. are excellent ways to reach the world for Christ. However, if your feed is not doing that, what is it doing? I personally would rather spend my time helping a missionary than spend my time making a post about my style for the month. Maybe you have lost sight of priorities. Are you spending too much time influencing the world that you have forgotten about your home? Think of all the joy you could have if you chose to be a Biblical “Influencer” for Christ. Let’s just get back to that blessed old Book and start raising a generation of Biblical Christ-like “influencer” in our homes first and then across the world.

https://www.sappsolutely.com/devotions/are-you-a-biblical-influencer-angela-morrow

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Behold

Isaiah 49:16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands;thy walls are continually before me.

When the word “behold” appears in Scripture, it usually means we ware to take notice. This passage should give us the assurance that God delights in us as even our names are graven in His hands.

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Touching the Hem by Gail Moore

Ladies!!!!! It is November!!! Let’s make it the best month of 2021 yet!!!
This week’s devo is “Touching the Hem” written by Gail Moore!
Please take the time to read as she shares her heart with us! I hope you have an awesome day!

Touching the Hem – Gail Moore

Is Life Becoming Unraveled? Is it too perplexed? Do you have issues that you can’t deal with; questions that you don’t know the answers to. The solution is within reach! Look at this wonderful passage of Scripture. It is one of my favorites!

Matthew 9:20 -26 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

What a wonderful account of faith and
dedication here in this passage. This could be so applicable to we as women today. Think about it. It appears that this woman is hurrying along with a crowd of people who were also trying to see this One called Jesus. It spoke of the multitudes and of a whole city coming out to see Him just a few verses earlier.

Aren’t so many seemingly caught up in the “rat race” of life? They are lost among the crowds and constantly going to and fro looking for peace.

So many are blindly looking, searching, grasping for something that they can hold onto to have a sense of security, happiness, and well being.

We can learn so much from this humble woman. She was looking at the perfect Source. She knew she needed help and she knew it was not within herself to help herself. She knew she could not “pull herself up by her boot straps”. Furthermore, she knew no one else around her could help her except Jesus. She believed He had the power to heal her.

She had faith that if she could but just touch the hem of His garment she would be healed. This sounds very close to the ” grain of mustard seed ” illustration that Jesus used, doesn’t it?

She, by faith, reached out and simply touched the hem of His garment.

The wonderful thing is, Jesus knew that she was desperate. He knew she was desiring to be healed by Him. He knew her dedication to following Him. He turned in the crowd of people and spoke directly to her. I love that part about this story! He summed it up by saying to her “thy faith hath made thee whole”.

She reached out and touched Him!

Have you reached out to touch Him today? Do you have some difficulty, some problem, some burden? Maybe it just seems that “life” is getting out of control or just passing you by and you feel like you are having to “keep up”? You can still reach out to Him, and by faith believe He can help, and He will! He cares! Touching the hem is touching Him, if it is by faith!

Oh how we need to touch or get in touch with Him every day! I know I do!

Matthew 14:36
And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.

https://www.sappsolutely.com/devotions/touching-the-hem-gail-moore

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I Think I’ll Just Praise Him Anyways by Amy Brown

Happy MONDAY!!! Just a reminder that Jesus loves YOU!

This week’s devotion is “I Think I’ll Just Praise Him Anyways” written by Amy Brown! Please take the time to read as she shares her heart with us!

I Think I’ll Just Praise Him Anyways – Amy Brown

I would like to start off by saying that we serve an AMAZING God! The Lord has brought me through so many storms and valleys throughout my life that it would literally take a book for me to be able to share it all! But this is what the Lord impressed upon my heart to share with you ladies, and my prayer is that you will be refreshed and encouraged, knowing that we serve a God who “is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above ALL that we ask or think!”

Last year, our family went through one of the hardest trials that we’ve ever had to face together as a family. My dad had been in the hospital with some major complications from an everyday procedure he had gotten done weeks prior, and he had to have emergency surgery to have his colon reconstructed. That, in itself- was very scary and very serious, but little did we know in the days following, the storm we would be facing. His emergency surgery had been that Saturday, but by Wednesday, instead of him getting better, he was getting much worse. During this timeframe, our church had a huge outbreak of Covid, and my mom finally convinced the doctor to test my dad for Covid. He came back positive, and on top of that, he had double pneumonia along with blood clots. At this point, the hospital sent my mom home, and she was no longer able to go and see him, and she had to be quarantined for the next 14 days. We weren’t about to let my mom be alone for all those days, and my 14-year-old daughter volunteered to go and stay with her. The entire time, I felt God had given me peace that my dad was going to be ok, but it wasn’t very long when things began to get much more serious. I’ll never forget this day…on July 4th, I got a call from the doctor at the hospital. I was numb as I was listening to what the doctor was telling me- they had done everything they could for my dad, but he wasn’t going to make it through the night, and they were calling the family in for us to say our goodbyes to him. Long story short, my mom, my husband and I went to the hospital to sit outside the glass room in the CCU where my dad lay. The nurse spoke to us saying how sorry she was, but they had done everything they could. I remember looking up at her and saying to her, “He’s not gone yet, so we’re gonna keep praying!” She replied, “You don’t understand. Your dad is the sickest man in this hospital, and I don’t want to give you a false hope.” I responded back to her, “You may not know my God, but we serve an amazing God, and we know that God can heal him, and as long as there’s breath in him, we’re gonna keep praying!” Come to find out later, this nurse that cared for him that night had been at this hospital the longest and was considered the best nurse there- NOT a coincidence!!! We were there the entire night and watched God perform miracle after miracle. They sent us home the next morning around 6am. And guess what?! My dad had made it through that long night! The next phone call I received from the doctor was promising. He told me that my dad was a fighter, and since he made it through the night, he wanted to give him a fighting chance. They had called Duke University (which happens to be one of the top hospitals) and were going to transfer him there for my dad to get the best care possible! When they called Duke, there was only ONE BED available in the CCU- again, NOT a coincidence! It was a breath of fresh air, and it brought so much peace to our hearts, and somehow, we knew that God was going to heal him. I don’t have the time to share everything. Each day brought its own challenges. Some were a step forward, and other days it seemed he would take two steps backward. But through it all, God was so faithful to us, and gave us the strength to make it through each challenge we faced. After 68 days of being in the hospital, we were able to bring my dad home!!! What a day of rejoicing, and what an AMAZING God we serve!!!

I’d like to share one last thought which will explain the title for this devotional. My teenage daughter, Brianna, writes and composes gospel music. She started at the age of 13 and is now 15 years old. She has written of total of 35 songs now, and we’re so thrilled with how God is using her life! My mom is a great woman of faith and a true prayer warrior. When Brianna went to stay with her during her quarantine days, they had a conversation together. She looked at Brianna and said to her, “Well, so far, God has protected my husband and brought him this far, and He’s also protected me from getting Covid, so I think I’ll just praise Him anyways!”

The hardest thing to do is to praise Him in our storms and valleys, but God INHABITS the PRAISE of His people. When we begin to praise Him, we have complete AUDIENCE with Him. It’s kinda like when we overhear someone talking good about us…we enjoy hearing good things said about us, and we listen intently to what they’re saying, right? It’s the SAME way with the Lord. God DELIGHTS in praise, and when we thank Him and praise Him, He begins to listen intently to what we’re asking of Him. So, I challenge you ladies who may be in the midst of a storm right now, to start praising Him and thanking Him for everything you can think of, and God will begin giving you peace and strength! If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it! And I promise you’ll come out on the other side with a greater faith and compassion for others!!!

Through the words my mom said to my daughter that day, Brianna wrote this song below entitled, “I Will Sing His Praise Anyways.” God has used my dad’s testimony as well as this song to help encourage many, and my prayer is that God will get ALL the HONOR, GLORY and PRAISE for ALL HE’S DONE!!! HE IS WORTHY!!!

Philippians 4:6-7“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

https://www.sappsolutely.com/devotions/i-think-ill-just-praise-him-anyways-amy-brown

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Look At Me

Matthew 6:1-4
​ Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

I wonder how many “Pharisees” in Heaven will be surprised at how little their heavenly rewards are because they chose to do their good deeds publicly on earth? 🤔

Don’t let that shy you away from doing good when you see an opportunity. Rather seek ways you can bring praise to God with the right hearts attitude rather than for self glorification.

James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.