Lori Hatcher's Blog: Refresh Blog, page 17

We Have to Be Broken So We Can Become Whole

Going down the slide standing up wasn’t my most brilliant moment.

The girl before me had done it—like a surfer riding a wave. But not me. After a promising start, the toe of my shoe caught on the slide and down I went, landing at the bottom in a heap. 

Gasping for air from having the breath out of me, I lifted my arm. It was bent at a strange angle and already beginning to swell. I cradled it to my chest and stumbled to the playground monitor. An x-ray later confirmed the doctor’s suspicions—two broken bones. 

“I’m going to have to set it,” the doctor said, “and it’s going to hurt. But only for a moment.” He lowered himself until he was eye-level with my frightened face. “If I don’t set it, the bones will grow back crooked, and you’ll never be able to use your arm. Do you understand?” 

I nodded a tearful yes. 

Taking my skinny arm gently in his hands and glancing long at the x-ray plastered onto the light box, he paused. Maybe he said a prayer. I don’t know. Then, swiftly and smoothly, he pulled the two parts of my broken arm in place. 

I screamed and crumpled into a sobbing ball on the table. 

I thought about this experience recently when I read Proverbs 3:5-6,

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight.” 

The Latin word for straight is orthos. From this root we get the English word “orthopedic,” which means to make children’s (ped) bones straight. This is what the doctor did for me when I was seven years old. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 describes what God wants to do for me every day—to make the path of my life straight. 

Before he intervened, I was broken and crippled by sin. Paralyzed by fear. Empty and dissatisfied. At 18 years old, I surrendered my will to his. Through the miracle of grace through faith—a precious gift of God—I believed. I flung my whole self on him with no holding back. 

“I’ve been living my life my way,” I prayed, “and I’ve been doing a terrible job. I don’t want to be in charge any more. I want you to direct my paths.” My will was broken—in a painfully wonderful way. 

Wonder of wonder, God heard the prayer of my heart that day and began to transform me. I wish, like the orthopedist, he had given one pull and straightened out everything in my life, but spiritual breaks don’t heal like that. 

Instead, as I read God’s Word and learned to recognize and obey the Holy Spirit’s voice, my twisted path grew less convoluted. The Bible provided direction and helped me make good choices. Wise counselors shared insight and experience. Mentors guided me. I began to fulfill God’s purpose for me—to bring him glory. 

Sanctification—becoming more like Jesus—has continued to be painful at times. 

Doing the right thing can be unpopular. Sometimes it’s embarrassing. Other times it’s expensive. It’s cost me relationships, jobs, and opportunities. 

But oh, the joy of following Jesus. Of trusting his perfect way instead of my flawed and frail one. Of walking in confidence, knowing that as I commit my way to him, he will make my path straight. 

I’m thankful for physicians who know how to set broken arms and help them heal. I’m even more thankful for God, the Great Physician, who knows how to straighten our sin-twisted souls and make them whole. 

What a miracle. 

What a gift. 

Now it’s your turn. How has God straightened what was broken in your soul? Leave a comment below and join the conversation.

Does Your Prayer Life Need Refreshing?

We know Bible reading and prayer are vital parts of our faith, but what happens when our prayer lives become stagnant and our quiet times grow stale? We need something more than just familiar verses and the command to pray. In Refresh Your Prayers, Uncommon Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise, Lori Hatcher shares relevant, five-minute devotions that spotlight unusual prayer verses in the Bible.

Each devotion ends with a Power Point (a spiritual truth to empower your faith) and a Praise Prompt (a short prayer designed to magnify God and make your faith soar). The Live It Out section challenges you to apply what you’ve learned right now for immediate change.

If you’re tired of your all-too-quiet quiet time, Refresh Your Prayers is the answer.

The UNcommon Book on Prayer – Unusual Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise

Available now at Amazon.com.

Have you subscribed to Refresh?

If you’d like to receive a weekly 5-minute devotion to help you rediscover the excitement of God’s Word, CLICK HERE.

The post We Have to Be Broken So We Can Become Whole appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

              Related StoriesHow to Wait Well When the Waiting Is LongWhen We Face Something Scary, Let’s Be Brave TogetherTips to Pray When You Don’t Know How to Pray 

Blessed Relief When You’re Fainting in Life’s Heat

Heat is relentless, whether it comes from the weather or from life’s circumstances. It saps our energy, steals our motivation, and sometimes even threatens our physical or spiritual lives. For many across the United States, this summer has been characterized by high temperatures and drought, but physical trials can’t compare to seasons of emotional and spiritual heat. If you’re in a season of heat, here’s hope.

Fun Fridays and Our Faithful Father

If you’ve ever cared for young children, you know how hard it is to keep them occupied indoors.

The moderate climate of my home state of South Carolina provides year-round opportunities to play outside, but my grandchildren and I struggle in June, July, and August. Mid-day temperatures often reach 100 degrees, hot enough to melt even the most resilient outdoor lover. 

Such was our quandary one Fun Friday at Gigi’s house. We’d exhausted our indoor options and the children begged to go outside. A new box of sidewalk chalk was singing a siren’s song to their creative souls. 

“Please can we go outside, Gigi?” Lauren said. “It’s not too hot.” 

The thermometer said otherwise, but I agreed. They’ll realize I was right, I thought, and scurry back inside asking for Popsicles. To my surprise, they lingered long over their chalk drawings, embellishing my sidewalk with a rainbow of colors and shapes. 

But even children aren’t oblivious to the effects of unrelenting sunshine. 

Their cheeks turned crimson. Bright beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads and upper lips. Damp strands of hair curled into corkscrews at their hairlines. Grabbing Popsicles from the freezer, I headed outside, only to stop in surprise. 

When I left, they’d each staked their claims on distant corners of the driveway canvas. Now they huddled in a tight knot at the foot of the stairs. 

“Look, Gigi,” Lauren said proudly. “We found shade.” 

And they had. Clustered in the only shady spot on the sidewalk, they crouched happily, drawing loopy loop daisies and flower bouquets. 

Shade, either from a tree, an awning, or a building can make the temperature feel ten to fifteen degrees cooler, experts tell us. And when you’re trying to enjoy the outside, there’s a huge difference between 85 and 100. But the relief, shelter, and protection shade offer don’t just make a person feel better. It can make the difference between life and death, as heat stroke occurs most often when working or playing in direct sunlight. 

How marvelous that God our Father calls himself our shade.

“The LORD is your keeper,” the psalmist writes. “The LORD is your shade on your right hand.” 

Psalm 121:5

Instead of shielding us from the effects of heat and sunshine, however, God provides a welcome respite from the incinerating power of life’s challenges. 

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High,” Psalm 91:1 reminds us, “will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” 

Today, if you’re melting under the heat of adversity, sweating from the relentless effects of trials, or fainting from the fiery blast of sickness, I invite you to seek relief in the shadow of God’s wings. 

Huddle close in prayer. Gather with others searching for shelter. Praise Him for His presence and His Promises. Exult in His care for you. 

Say with the psalmist,

“Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.”

Psalm 63:7

If you’re struggling today, I pray you’ll allow God to cast his big, broad shadow over your feeble soul and give you relief.

Does Your Prayer Life Need Refreshing?

We know Bible reading and prayer are vital parts of our faith, but what happens when our prayer lives become stagnant and our quiet times grow stale? We need something more than just familiar verses and the command to pray. In Refresh Your Prayers, Uncommon Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise, Lori Hatcher shares relevant, five-minute devotions that spotlight unusual prayer verses in the Bible.

Each devotion ends with a Power Point (a spiritual truth to empower your faith) and a Praise Prompt (a short prayer designed to magnify God and make your faith soar). The Live It Out section challenges you to apply what you’ve learned right now for immediate change.

If you’re tired of your all-too-quiet quiet time, Refresh Your Prayers is the answer.

The UNcommon Book on Prayer – Unusual Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise

Available now at Amazon.com.

Have you subscribed to Refresh?

If you’d like to receive a weekly 5-minute devotion to help you rediscover the excitement of God’s Word, CLICK HERE.

The post Blessed Relief When You’re Fainting in Life’s Heat appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

              Related StoriesHow to Wait Well When the Waiting Is LongWhen We Face Something Scary, Let’s Be Brave TogetherTips to Pray When You Don’t Know How to Pray 

How to Wait Well When the Waiting Is Long

I don’t wait well.

Long drive-thru lines, grocery stores with ten customers and one cashier, even slow downloads make me grumpy. The longer the wait, the more I struggle with patience. 

I find it especially difficult to wait for something I want badly. 

The grown up version of “I just can’t wait ‘til Christmas” becomes, “Why isn’t my career, financial situation, ministry, relationship, or ____________(fill in the blank) getting better? When will something change?” 

I suspect you struggle in similar ways. 

You desperately want your husband to get a new job so finances will improve, and he’ll be happier. You struggle with a prodigal child, a difficult marriage, or a challenging ministry, and you wonder when the breakthrough will come. You give and give and give, and pray and pray and pray, and some days you wonder if you’re just wasting your time. 

Should you give up on the hope, the dream, the prayer? 

James, the half-brother of Christ, penned words of encouragement for times like these: 

“Be patient, brothers . . . See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient”

James 5:7-8

Since most of us aren’t farmers, we miss the profound significance of this metaphor. It speaks volumes of hope to those of us who are waiting. 

Every day we plant a hope. We water it with effort and prayer—sometimes a lot of effort and prayer. Sometimes years of effort and prayer. And we wait. And we wait. And we wait.

Occasionally we see glimmers of what might be happening beneath the surface, but often we don’t see anything but flat, black earth. Sometimes things even seem to get worse, and we wonder, Is God at work at all in this situation, or is he off tending to more important business? And we grow weary. 

What we miss by not being tillers of the earth is the necessary process of waiting. Did you notice that in the two short verses above, James used the word patient three times? Three times. 

No farmer expects to plop a seed in the ground and come back the next day to harvest an ear of corn. He recognizes that time, warm dirt, and gentle rain will one day cause the seed to produce a harvest. 

But not today. And not tomorrow. 

He also knows that the flat, black earth isn’t a barren wasteland. It’s an incubator for growth and change. 

How does this apply to our wait? A wise counselor once told me, “It’s your job to plant the seeds, but only God can make them grow.” 

If you’re in the period between sowing and harvesting, please don’t despair. 

And don’t give up. Continue to pray, sow, and water, and, I promise you, the latter rains are coming. And then comes the harvest. 

“He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.” 

Psalm 126:6

“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). 

What are you waiting for? If you’ll leave a comment in the comment box, I’ll add my prayers to yours, and together we’ll wait (patiently) to see what the Lord will do.

Does Your Prayer Life Need Refreshing?

We know Bible reading and prayer are vital parts of our faith, but what happens when our prayer lives become stagnant and our quiet times grow stale? We need something more than just familiar verses and the command to pray. In Refresh Your Prayers, Uncommon Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise, Lori Hatcher shares relevant, five-minute devotions that spotlight unusual prayer verses in the Bible.

Each devotion ends with a Power Point (a spiritual truth to empower your faith) and a Praise Prompt (a short prayer designed to magnify God and make your faith soar). The Live It Out section challenges you to apply what you’ve learned right now for immediate change.

If you’re tired of your all-too-quiet quiet time, Refresh Your Prayers is the answer.

The UNcommon Book on Prayer – Unusual Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise

Available now at Amazon.com.

Have you subscribed to Refresh?

If you’d like to receive a weekly 5-minute devotion to help you rediscover the excitement of God’s Word, CLICK HERE.

The post How to Wait Well When the Waiting Is Long appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

               
CommentsHow to Wait Well When the Waiting Is Long by LoriAHatcherHard Questions about Prayer on the God Hears Her Podcast by LoriAHatcher7 Great Reasons to Do the Right Thing by LoriAHatcherWhen We Face Something Scary, Let’s Be Brave Together by LoriAHatcherTips to Pray When You Don’t Know How to Pray by LoriAHatcherPlus 5 more...Related StoriesDo You Know How to Recognize these Two Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks?When You Can’t Pray Any More — 10 Reasons to Keep PrayingWhen We Face Something Scary, Let’s Be Brave Together 

Hard Questions about Prayer on the God Hears Her Podcast

God Hears Her is a podcast, inspired by the bestselling devotional by Our Daily Bread Publishing.

Hosts Elisa Morgan and Eryn Eddy are joined by a variety of guests to share personal stories of hope and encouragement. True freedom comes from sharing our journeys and knowing we’re not alone. This podcast is for women who are in the trenches of the beautiful and messy moments of relationships, work, ministry, and more.

Slow down. Be in the moment. Be known. Be heard.

This week I’m honored to join Elisa and Eryn to talk about prayer–what it is, what it isn’t, and what to do when God doesn’t answer as you’d hoped. I’d love for you to listen in. Here’s the link: Podcast — God Hears Her.

And here’s a devotion from my latest book, Refresh Your Prayers; Uncommon Devotions to Restore Power and Praise to continue the conversation.

Resting in God’s Sovereignty

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9

One morning I received a heartbreaking comment from a reader in response to one of my blog posts on prayer.

“Can’t bring back all the dead friends/family members I prayed for God to save,” she wrote. “Praying to preserve the few family I had left didn’t work either (down to one). Praying for healing from a health issue that has gone on for TWO YEARS and made my life miserable. Praying for this, praying for that, my heart gets hard when I get down on my knees. Just feels stupid. I can’t make myself believe.”4

As I bowed my head in prayer, I didn’t pray for her only. I prayed for all the weary warriors wondering if their prayers were accomplishing anything and whether God really cares.

And if He does, why would He answer our petitions with what appears to be the exact opposite of what we prayed for? Is it because our faith isn’t strong enough? Maybe prayer doesn’t work. Or perhaps God isn’t good.

The prophet Habakkuk didn’t comment on blog posts, but he wasn’t afraid to ask God questions. His example helps us puzzle through the mysteries of “bad” answers to “good” prayers.

“How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” he wrote. “Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.”

Habakkuk1:2-3

Habakkuk was a godly, tenderhearted man grieving for his country. Everywhere he turned he saw violence, perversion, and a wanton disdain for God and His ways. His countrymen had turned their backs on all that was good and right, and danced merrily along a path leading straight to destruction. In vain he warned the people of Judah, pleading for them to forsake evil and turn back to God. He begged God to soften their hearts and draw them back to himself. He prayed for God’s mercy to lead His people to repentance.

God responded to Habakkuk’s prayers with words that took his breath away.

“I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own. They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor” (Habakkuk 1:6–7).

Habakkuk prayed for God’s mercy to lead his countrymen to repentance. Instead, God sent a cruel and godless army to conquer the nation and carry them off to Babylon.

What kind of God does this?

What kind of God hears an earnest prayer for healing and allows death to take our loved one? Or a desperate prayer for reconciliation and allows our marriage to end in divorce? Or a trusting prayer for provision and allows poverty instead? What kind of God allows unemployment, illness, and heartbreak when He could speak a word and make everything right again?

Only a God of love.

A God of love? Really?

These are hard words to accept, and they introduce an even harder concept. But if we are to be men and women of faith, we must trust and believe what the Bible says about God:

God is love (Romans 5:8) and loving (1 John 4:10).

God is wise (Proverbs 3:19).

God is merciful (Psalm 145:9 NKJV).

God is kind (Lamentations 3:33).

God is just (Luke 18:7).

God is all-powerful (Jeremiah 32:17) and all-knowing (1 John 3:20).

When we, as Habakkuk did, receive an answer to prayer that appears to be the opposite of what we asked for, we must trust that there are bigger things happening than what we see unfolding in front of us.

This is the moment when faith stares fear in the face—and faith must win. “Without faith,” Hebrews 11:6 says, “it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” And when we seek Him, really seek Him, He blesses us with the greatest reward of all—the presence and power of Jesus Christ.

We must stake our lives on the truth that God is a good God with a good plan that will ultimately surpass anything we could ever hope for or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Through the events of our lives and the answers to our prayers, God will glorify himself and work for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). He will remain true to His nature and accomplish His divine purposes for us and in us.

But sometimes good looks bad.

A cruel army invades Judah and carries off God’s chosen people. An innocent caretaker gets accused of rape and spends years in jail (Genesis 39). A Godfearing man prays in his home and gets sentenced to the lions’ den (Daniel 6).

The sinless Son of God suffers and dies on a cruel Roman cross (1 Peter 2:24).

“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:9).

When we receive answers to prayer that fly in the face of all that seems good and right, we have a choice: to rage or to rest. We can rage against the circumstances that threaten us, or we can rest in the strong arms of God’s wisdom and love.

Job made his choice: “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15).

God used the cruel army that invaded Judah and carried off God’s chosen people to bring about a national revival. God used the innocent caretaker jailed for rape to save millions of people from starvation. God used the praying man thrown into a lions’ den to testify before kings and record a vision of the end times.

And God used His sinless, holy Son, who suffered and died on a cruel Roman cross, to secure eternal life for all who will believe.

We don’t know if Habakkuk lived to see the good things God accomplished through the tragedy of the Babylonian invasion, but we know he had the opportunity to stare fear in the face and choose faith.

“I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:16–19).

Uncommon Power

Faith in God’s good nature allows us to pray and rest in quiet trust.

Praise Prompt

Father, thank you that when I don’t understand what you’re doing, I can rest in what I know about you. When you send answers to my prayers that don’t look at all like what I asked for, help me remember that although your ways are not my ways, they are good. Grow my faith. Increase my trust. Fill me with joy so others will see and believe. In the precious name of Jesus I ask, amen.

Live It Out

How would your prayer life be different if you clung to the truth that God is sovereignly working for your good and His glory? Would you respond differently to the challenging situations in your life? Pray in faith, wait in trust, and rest in the fact that God is good.

Does Your Prayer Life Need Refreshing?

We know Bible reading and prayer are vital parts of our faith, but what happens when our prayer lives become stagnant and our quiet times grow stale? We need something more than just familiar verses and the command to pray. In Refresh Your Prayers, Uncommon Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise, Lori Hatcher shares relevant, five-minute devotions that spotlight unusual prayer verses in the Bible.

Each devotion ends with a Power Point (a spiritual truth to empower your faith) and a Praise Prompt (a short prayer designed to magnify God and make your faith soar). The Live It Out section challenges you to apply what you’ve learned right now for immediate change.

If you’re tired of your all-too-quiet quiet time, Refresh Your Prayers is the answer.

The UNcommon Book on Prayer – Unusual Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise

Available now at Amazon.com.

Have you subscribed to Refresh?

If you’d like to receive a weekly 5-minute devotion to help you rediscover the excitement of God’s Word, CLICK HERE.

The post Hard Questions about Prayer on the God Hears Her Podcast appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

               
CommentsHard Questions about Prayer on the God Hears Her Podcast by LoriAHatcher7 Great Reasons to Do the Right Thing by LoriAHatcherWhen We Face Something Scary, Let’s Be Brave Together by LoriAHatcherTips to Pray When You Don’t Know How to Pray by LoriAHatcherDo You Know How to Recognize These Two Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks to Us? by LoriAHatcherPlus 5 more...Related StoriesWhen We Face Something Scary, Let’s Be Brave TogetherTips to Pray When You Don’t Know How to PrayLink Is Fixed: Do You Know How to Recognize These Two Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks to Us? 

7 Great Reasons to Do the Right Thing

Some days I don’t want to do what’s right.

Do you ever feel this way?

It’s okay to raise your hand. Mine’s right up there with yours, although I have to confess that admitting it makes me feel squirmy and small.

You’d think that after almost forty years of being a Christian, doing the right thing would get easier. In many ways, it has, but there are still times when I don’t want to.

Just being real here.

I had one of these days recently. Get out of bed to fix breakfast for my husband? Nope, it wasn’t on the top of my Oh boy I get to do this again today list. Even though I knew that after breakfast we’d read a snippet of a devotional book and pray together, and it would be one of the best parts of the day, I still didn’t want to. My flesh wanted to stay horizontal beneath the covers. When we had young children at home, my husband was working 12-hour days, and we were homeschooling, I felt this way at least once a month week.

Some days I don’t want to read my Bible. Other days I don’t want to be unselfish, patient, or kind. The alternatives are mighty tempting.

I suspect I’m not alone.

That old boyfriend who sent you a private message? Part of you doesn’t want to say no. Somedays are bad enough that you don’t want to come home. And at night, when the kids have been especially unruly and your spouse doesn’t seem to appreciate you? You think about walking away and never looking back.

Some days you don’t want to go to church. Or to work. Or to the nursing home. You don’t want to give, serve, pray, or smile. You don’t want to honor your vows, keep your promises, or train your children.

Some days we just don’t want to do the right thing.

But by God’s good grace, we do.

Thank you, Jesus, for helping us.

Today I can think of seven good reasons to do the right thing. I bet you can add a few more. I’ll begin with the negative and move to the positive.

7 Reasons to Do the Right Thing

Because disobedience is sin. “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). When I know what I should do and choose to disobey, there’s only one word to describe my action—sin.

Because God punishes sin.  “. . . because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in” (Proverbs 3:12). God loves me, and He will punish me for disobeying. His motives are pure. He wants the best for me. Sin and its consequences cannot produce the good life I desire.

Because the natural consequences of disobedience will hurt me. Skipping my Bible reading, eating junk food, and being lazy come with consequences. And they’re not good.

Because doing the right thing lays the foundation for a good life. “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).

Because God sees what I do. ”God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (Hebrews 6:10).

Because God will reward me—in this life and in the next. “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:21).

Because I want to honor God and make him smile. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15). Most days I love Jesus more than I love myself. Because I love him, I want to please him. Love is the greatest motivator of them all.

I’ve never regretted doing the right thing, but I’ve often regretted not doing it. Today we’ll get to decide whether or not to do the right thing. For these seven reasons and many more, I hope we all say yes.

Now it’s your turn. What helps you do the right thing, even when it’s a battle? Share your thoughts below and join the conversation.

Does Your Prayer Life Need Refreshing?

We know Bible reading and prayer are vital parts of our faith, but what happens when our prayer lives become stagnant and our quiet times grow stale? We need something more than just familiar verses and the command to pray. In Refresh Your Prayers, Uncommon Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise, Lori Hatcher shares relevant, five-minute devotions that spotlight unusual prayer verses in the Bible.

Each devotion ends with a Power Point (a spiritual truth to empower your faith) and a Praise Prompt (a short prayer designed to magnify God and make your faith soar). The Live It Out section challenges you to apply what you’ve learned right now for immediate change.

If you’re tired of your all-too-quiet quiet time, Refresh Your Prayers is the answer.

The UNcommon Book on Prayer – Unusual Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise

Available now at Amazon.com.

Have you subscribed to Refresh?

If you’d like to receive a weekly 5-minute devotion to help you rediscover the excitement of God’s Word, CLICK HERE.

The post 7 Great Reasons to Do the Right Thing appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

               
Comments7 Great Reasons to Do the Right Thing by LoriAHatcherWhen We Face Something Scary, Let’s Be Brave Together by LoriAHatcherTips to Pray When You Don’t Know How to Pray by LoriAHatcherDo You Know How to Recognize These Two Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks to Us? by LoriAHatcherThree Daily Habits to Transform Your Life by LoriAHatcherPlus 5 more...Related StoriesWhen We Face Something Scary, Let’s Be Brave TogetherTips to Pray When You Don’t Know How to PrayLink Is Fixed: Do You Know How to Recognize These Two Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks to Us? 

When We Face Something Scary, Let’s Be Brave Together

Are we still on for tomorrow?

Yep.

You sure you want to do this?

Yep.

It’s kinda scary.

I know.

We’ll be brave together.

These messages ping ponged between my sister and me late one evening. We were overdue for a sister date, and she had a gift card to a new restaurant. A Thai restaurant.

It’s important to know that we come from a long line of Italians who think pasta is a food group and adventurous means choosing the Spicy Chicken sandwich instead of the Original at Chick-fil-A.

But we’re both in our 50’s and in some ways, we’re busting out. Shaking things up. Living dangerously. Hence the pinkie promise to help each other be brave and try something new.

So off we went, brave together.

I often need a sister’s help to face something new and scary.

I’m sharing “Brave Together” on the God Hears Her site today. To read the rest of Brave Together, please click HERE

Does Your Prayer Life Need Refreshing?

We know Bible reading and prayer are vital parts of our faith, but what happens when our prayer lives become stagnant and our quiet times grow stale? We need something more than just familiar verses and the command to pray. In Refresh Your Prayers, Uncommon Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise, Lori Hatcher shares relevant, five-minute devotions that spotlight unusual prayer verses in the Bible.

Each devotion ends with a Power Point (a spiritual truth to empower your faith) and a Praise Prompt (a short prayer designed to magnify God and make your faith soar). The Live It Out section challenges you to apply what you’ve learned right now for immediate change.

If you’re tired of your all-too-quiet quiet time, Refresh Your Prayers is the answer.

The UNcommon Book on Prayer – Unusual Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise

Available now at Amazon.com.

Have you subscribed to Refresh?

If you’d like to receive a weekly 5-minute devotion to help you rediscover the excitement of God’s Word, CLICK HERE.

The post When We Face Something Scary, Let’s Be Brave Together appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

              Related StoriesTips to Pray When You Don’t Know How to PrayLink Is Fixed: Do You Know How to Recognize These Two Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks to Us?Do You Know How to Recognize these Two Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks? 

Tips to Pray When You Don’t Know How to Pray

Have you ever found yourself in a situation so overwhelming you didn’t know how to pray about it? 

Ten years into our marriage, my husband, David, lost his job. He went to work one Monday morning and returned an hour later with a pink slip in his hand. We had two preschool aged children, a mortgage, and little savings. I worked a day and a half each week as a dental hygienist and earned enough to buy groceries, but nothing more. 

The day after he was terminated, David awoke to violent stomach pains and nausea that confined him to his bed for days. Instead of job hunting, he was, well . . . I’ll spare you the details.

Two days later our car died. A friend suspected the engine had thrown a rod.

David’s doctor ordered a series of tests, but we hesitated to schedule them because our health insurance ended with his job.

As our heap of trials rose higher than the stack of bills in our mailbox, our fears grew, and our faith trembled.

You may be facing a different yet equally frightening scenario. A prodigal child. A serious health threat. A complex work situation. Maybe you’re stuck in a relationship battle with a difficult (or impossible) friend, church member, or family member, and you simply don’t know how to pray your way through.

If you’d like to read four suggestions for How to Pray When You Don’t Know What to Pray, CLICK HERE to read the rest of the post on ReviveOurHearts.com.

Does Your Prayer Life Need Refreshing?

We know Bible reading and prayer are vital parts of our faith, but what happens when our prayer lives become stagnant and our quiet times grow stale? We need something more than just familiar verses and the command to pray. In Refresh Your Prayers, Uncommon Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise, Lori Hatcher shares relevant, five-minute devotions that spotlight unusual prayer verses in the Bible.

Each devotion ends with a Power Point (a spiritual truth to empower your faith) and a Praise Prompt (a short prayer designed to magnify God and make your faith soar). The Live It Out section challenges you to apply what you’ve learned right now for immediate change.

If you’re tired of your all-too-quiet quiet time, Refresh Your Prayers is the answer.

The UNcommon Book on Prayer – Unusual Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise

Available now at Amazon.com.

Have you subscribed to Refresh?

If you’d like to receive a weekly 5-minute devotion to help you rediscover the excitement of God’s Word, CLICK HERE.

The post Tips to Pray When You Don’t Know How to Pray appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

              Related StoriesWhen You Can’t Pray Any More — 10 Reasons to Keep PrayingLink Is Fixed: Do You Know How to Recognize These Two Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks to Us?Do You Know How to Recognize these Two Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks? 

Do You Know How to Recognize These Two Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks to Us?

Have you ever heard God speak?

If you’re a Christian, you have the ability to hear God speak every day, because the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, lives inside you. Ephesians 1:13-14 describes this.

“When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession…”

The Holy Spirit speaks to us in different ways, but I’d like to focus on two, found in John 16:8.

It’s an honor to guest post on the Salvation Army’s website, The War Cry. I’d love it if you’d hop on over and read the rest of this post on The War Cry.

Does Your Prayer Life Need Refreshing?

We know Bible reading and prayer are vital parts of our faith, but what happens when our prayer lives become stagnant and our quiet times grow stale? We need something more than just familiar verses and the command to pray. In Refresh Your Prayers, Uncommon Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise, Lori Hatcher shares relevant, five-minute devotions that spotlight unusual prayer verses in the Bible.

Each devotion ends with a Power Point (a spiritual truth to empower your faith) and a Praise Prompt (a short prayer designed to magnify God and make your faith soar). The Live It Out section challenges you to apply what you’ve learned right now for immediate change.

If you’re tired of your all-too-quiet quiet time, Refresh Your Prayers is the answer.

The UNcommon Book on Prayer – Unusual Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise

Available now at Amazon.com.

Have you subscribed to Refresh?

If you’d like to receive a weekly 5-minute devotion to help you rediscover the excitement of God’s Word, CLICK HERE.

The post Do You Know How to Recognize These Two Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks to Us? appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

               
Comments7 Great Reasons to Do the Right Thing by LoriAHatcherWhen We Face Something Scary, Let’s Be Brave Together by LoriAHatcherTips to Pray When You Don’t Know How to Pray by LoriAHatcherDo You Know How to Recognize These Two Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks to Us? by LoriAHatcherThree Daily Habits to Transform Your Life by LoriAHatcherPlus 5 more...Related StoriesDo You Know How to Recognize these Two Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks?When We Face Something Scary, Let’s Be Brave TogetherTips to Pray When You Don’t Know How to Pray 

Link Is Fixed: Do You Know How to Recognize These Two Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks to Us?

Have you ever heard God speak?

If you’re a Christian, you have the ability to hear God speak every day, because the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, lives inside you. Ephesians 1:13-14 describes this.

“When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession…”

The Holy Spirit speaks to us in different ways, but I’d like to focus on two, found in John 16:8.

It’s an honor to guest post on the Salvation Army’s website, The War Cry. I’d love it if you’d hop on over and read the rest of this post on The War Cry.

Does Your Prayer Life Need Refreshing?

We know Bible reading and prayer are vital parts of our faith, but what happens when our prayer lives become stagnant and our quiet times grow stale? We need something more than just familiar verses and the command to pray. In Refresh Your Prayers, Uncommon Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise, Lori Hatcher shares relevant, five-minute devotions that spotlight unusual prayer verses in the Bible.

Each devotion ends with a Power Point (a spiritual truth to empower your faith) and a Praise Prompt (a short prayer designed to magnify God and make your faith soar). The Live It Out section challenges you to apply what you’ve learned right now for immediate change.

If you’re tired of your all-too-quiet quiet time, Refresh Your Prayers is the answer.

The UNcommon Book on Prayer – Unusual Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise

Available now at Amazon.com.

Have you subscribed to Refresh?

If you’d like to receive a weekly 5-minute devotion to help you rediscover the excitement of God’s Word, CLICK HERE.

The post Link Is Fixed: Do You Know How to Recognize These Two Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks to Us? appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

               
CommentsLink Is Fixed: Do You Know How to Recognize These Two Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks to Us? by LoriAHatcherThree Daily Habits to Transform Your Life by LoriAHatcherAre You Struggling to Believe the Bible? Here’s One More Reason You Can by LoriAHatcherIs Life Really Meaningless, or Do We Owe King Solomon an Apology? by LoriAHatcherWhen You Can’t Pray Any More — 10 Reasons to Keep Praying by LoriAHatcherPlus 5 more...Related StoriesDo You Know How to Recognize these Two Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks?When You Can’t Pray Any More — 10 Reasons to Keep PrayingThe Antidote to Cure Our Complaining Heart 

Three Daily Habits to Transform Your Life

My boss, a dentist, often says, “What you do every day will either kill you or keep you.”

Case in point—one day a college student who worked at a fast-food restaurant came in for his semi-annual dental checkup. We found 12 cavities. When we quizzed him about his daily habits, he admitted that he often sipped his favorite soft drink, Mountain Dew, to keep awake during his late-night shifts. He was shocked to learn he had so many cavities. 

We weren’t. 

Another patient, an older man who taught school, was also surprised when I announced he had two cavities. “You must be mistaken,” he said. “I haven’t gotten a cavity in 20 years.” 

Remembering that he’d complained about a dry mouth, I asked about his daily habits. “Do you regularly suck on candy or chew sugared gum?” 

His eyes grew wide. “Now that you mention it,” he said, “I started sucking on peppermints to keep my mouth moist while I lecture.” 

Mystery solved. 

Unfortunately, destructive daily habits aren’t limited to the dental realm. Regular smokers die of cancer and emphysema. Regular drinkers experience liver disease, digestive problems, and heart disease. Chronic couch potatoes are often obese and diabetic. 

More serious than any health problem I’ve mentioned, though, are the destructive results of poor spiritual habits. Studies have shown that those who never miss a Facebook update are more likely to be depressed and discontent. Those who spend every Sunday on the golf course or the beach have great tans but pale spiritual lives. Those who seldom miss a workout but never exercise spiritual discipline are strong on the outside and weak on the inside. 

If you’d like to cultivate daily spiritual habits that will keep you rather than kill you, here are a few suggestions:
1. Read good books. 

One godly woman I admire has three books going at all times—one spiritual, one practical, and one just for fun. She puts them in strategic places like in her car, on her nightstand, in her purse, and yes, in the bathroom. Even if she only reads a few pages, she’s still reading more than if she hadn’t been intentional about it. 

2. Keep a thankful journal. 

Acknowledging what we’re thankful for is a habit with strong biblical roots. Physically writing down the acts of God in our daily lives helps us remember He is always working on our behalf. Being thankful protects us against ingratitude, entitlement, and doubt. 

3. Speak blessings. 

We live in a world characterized by negativity. Every day our husbands, children, and friends are pelted with words that hurt their hearts. When we speak blessings over them, we kiss the bruises.

Imagine how your husband would face the day differently if the last words he heard from you as he walked out the door were, “I’ll be praying for you today. You’re going to do great.”? How might your child feel as he climbs onto the school bus after you reminded him of the special ways God has gifted him? How might your coworker feel if you greet her with a smile and tell her one specific thing you appreciate about her? 

 And here’s an interesting observation:

 In the dyslexia of the divine, God somehow often manages to multiply the blessings we give away so they come back to us. 

I hope these three spiritual habits (and my cavity-ridden patients) have caused you to think about what you do every day. Habits, good or bad, chart the course of our lives. “As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it,” Job 4:8 reminds us. 

The prophet Hosea offers a better way: “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you” (10:12). 

 Are your daily habits killing you or keeping you? What habits have positively or negatively affected your life? What spiritual habit would you add to my list above? Leave a comment and share your thoughts. I’d love to hear them.

Does Your Prayer Life Need Refreshing?

We know Bible reading and prayer are vital parts of our faith, but what happens when our prayer lives become stagnant and our quiet times grow stale? We need something more than just familiar verses and the command to pray. In Refresh Your Prayers, Uncommon Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise, Lori Hatcher shares relevant, five-minute devotions that spotlight unusual prayer verses in the Bible.

Each devotion ends with a Power Point (a spiritual truth to empower your faith) and a Praise Prompt (a short prayer designed to magnify God and make your faith soar). The Live It Out section challenges you to apply what you’ve learned right now for immediate change.

If you’re tired of your all-too-quiet quiet time, Refresh Your Prayers is the answer.

The UNcommon Book on Prayer – Unusual Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise

Available now at Amazon.com.

Have you subscribed to Refresh?

If you’d like to receive a weekly 5-minute devotion to help you rediscover the excitement of God’s Word, CLICK HERE.

The post Three Daily Habits to Transform Your Life appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

               
CommentsThree Daily Habits to Transform Your Life by LoriAHatcherAre You Struggling to Believe the Bible? Here’s One More Reason You Can by LoriAHatcherIs Life Really Meaningless, or Do We Owe King Solomon an Apology? by LoriAHatcherWhen You Can’t Pray Any More — 10 Reasons to Keep Praying by LoriAHatcherAre You Experiencing These Surprising Symptoms of Sin Sickness? by LoriAHatcherPlus 5 more...Related StoriesIs Life Really Meaningless, or Do We Owe King Solomon an Apology?When You Can’t Pray Any More — 10 Reasons to Keep PrayingAre You Experiencing These Surprising Symptoms of Sin Sickness?