Lori Hatcher's Blog: Refresh Blog, page 7

Do You Know Difference Between Christianity and Religion?

Few realize that Christianity is diametrically opposed to any other belief system.

 Not only opposed, but completely opposite. Every belief system except Christianity requires people to do something to get to God – good works, penance, life-transformation, even martyrdom. They teach that we need to be good enough to merit God’s favor. Like Noah’s descendants as they built the tower of Babel, we need to reach up into the heavens with some outrageous feat to attract God’s attention. 

Christianity, however, turns this approach upside down. Instead of mankind reaching up to God, God reaches down to mankind. Listen to Paul’s description in Philippians 2:6-8: 

“Christ Jesus . . . Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross!” 

Romans 5:6-8 puts it this way:

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners , Christ died for us.” 

“. . . while we were still sinners.” 

I find great comfort in these five simple words. They remind me how God, because he knew we couldn’t earn his favor, do enough good works to outweigh our bad ones, or stand before him at the judgment seat, sent Jesus. Guilty only of loving us, Jesus carried our sins to the cross and endured the atomic blast of God’s wrath – in our place. 

“Love was compressed for all history in that lonely figure on the cross, who said that he could call down angels at any moment on a rescue mission, but chose not to – because of us. At Calvary, God accepted his own unbreakable terms of justice,” said Philip Yancey. And satisfied them. 

“Is it not wonderful news to realize that our salvation lies outside ourselves?” asked Martin Luther. It is wonderful indeed. Yet as amazing as salvation is, we still forget. 

We forget that Jesus was arrested so we could walk free. 

That he was wounded so we could be healed. 

That he was abandoned so we could be adopted. 

That he was forsaken so we could enjoy fellowship. 

We forget that we are the unworthy recipients of a life-changing, joy-infusing, eternity-securing seat at God’s banquet table where we will feast on God’s goodness forever. 

Amazing grace. How can it be? That thou, my God, shouldst die for me. 

“Come, and see the victories of the cross,” Matthew Henry wrote, “Christ’s wounds are thy healings, His agonies thy repose, His conflicts thy conquests, His groans thy songs, His pains thine ease, His shame thy glory, His death thy life, His sufferings thy salvation.” 

As you enter this new week, I encourage you to ponder the miracle of your own salvation. Think back to how lost you were when Jesus found you. And then, with humility and gratitude, thank God for saving you. 

Salvation – we couldn’t earn it, we don’t deserve it, but we must be eternally grateful for it. 

Father, help us never take our salvation for granted. Remind us every day how much it cost you. Help us embrace you as the pearl of great price and the lover of our souls. And Father, help us not be greedy, keeping this great gift to ourselves. As you have freely given your grace to us, may we also freely share it with others. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen. 

Word for Your Day — 66 Devotions to Refresh Your Mind

Allow God’s Word to change your life, one word at a time! Lori Hatcher’s newest book, a 66-day devotional highlights one relevant, sometimes unexpected, word from each book of the Bible. Lori, the best-selling author of Refresh Your Faith and Refresh Your Prayers, shares simple—but never simplistic—truths. She continues to remind us that every part of Scripture is active, alive, and applicable. 

From beginning in Genesis to new in Revelation, ponder each significant word as you move through your day and allow God to transform your heart and mind.

Order A Word for Your Day from these fine retailers:

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/34t5k7j9

Our Daily Bread Publishing: http://tinyurl.com/mwwhya9h

Have you subscribed to Refresh?


If you’d like to receive Lori’s weekly 5-minute devotions to help you rediscover your passion for God and His Word, subscribe here or at the top of the page.

The post Do You Know Difference Between Christianity and Religion? appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

              Related StoriesHow to Pray the Right Way5 Simple Ways Hospitality Can Change Your LifeHow an Unbeliever’s Words Grew My Faith 

How to Pray the Right Way

“I’ve always struggled with prayer,” Katie said to me during a break in sessions. She had come from two states away to attend the “Let Prayer Change Your Life” conference I was leading. “I never know the right words to say. I feel awkward, I lose my train of thought, and I get discouraged.” She sighed. “I’m afraid I’ll never learn to do it right.” 

Thankfully, by the end of the conference Katie was feeling much better about prayer, but she’s not the first person I’ve heard express their doubt and frustration about their inability to “pray well.” They hear ministers deliver long, elaborate petitions during Sunday morning services. They watch how easily others pray, even with no preparation or warning and wonder why they can barely string two coherent sentences together when asked to pray over a meal. 

Click here to see Lauren’s love note

I thought of these struggling pray-ers this morning. Opening the fridge to get food out to prepare breakfast, a sweet sight caught my eye. It was a picture my 4-year-old granddaughter had drawn for me. I L-O-V-E Y-O-U, she had written in purple magic marker. 

“I picked purple because it’s your fav-rit,” she said. “And then I wrote my name, so you’d merember who it was from.” The letters on Lauren’s love note were uneven and sprawling. The A was twice as big as the L, and the E had four lines instead of three. 

On the back of the note she’d written my name, Gigi, with backward Gs and I’s that looked like lolly pops. Next to my name was a picture of a heart on a chain. 



Do you think I care that Lauren’s penmanship is less than perfect? Or that her E has four lines instead of three? Of course not. What matters to me is that my precious little granddaughter’s heart is full of love for me. So full, in fact, that she had to communicate it. Her love note to me was personal, thoughtful, and oh-so-special, and I will treasure it always. 

I suspect God feels the same way about our prayers. He doesn’t care that we don’t sound polished or perfect. It doesn’t matter to him when we don’t always use the “right” words or follow some pre-established format. All he cares about is that we love him and want to communicate with him.

Perhaps this is why Jesus often used children to illustrate spiritual truths.

Click here to see Lauren’s envelope

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child and had him stand among them.

“And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven’” (Mat. 18:1-4). 

I hope the next time you feel the urge to pray, instead of worry about doing it “right,” you’ll concentrate instead on telling God how much you love him. Share with him what’s heaviest on your heart and rest in the knowledge that he’s listening. 

This is the essence of true prayer. 

Word for Your Day — 66 Devotions to Refresh Your Mind

Allow God’s Word to change your life, one word at a time! Lori Hatcher’s newest book, a 66-day devotional highlights one relevant, sometimes unexpected, word from each book of the Bible. Lori, the best-selling author of Refresh Your Faith and Refresh Your Prayers, shares simple—but never simplistic—truths. She continues to remind us that every part of Scripture is active, alive, and applicable. 

From beginning in Genesis to new in Revelation, ponder each significant word as you move through your day and allow God to transform your heart and mind.

Order A Word for Your Day from these fine retailers:

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/34t5k7j9

Our Daily Bread Publishing: http://tinyurl.com/mwwhya9h

Have you subscribed to Refresh?


If you’d like to receive Lori’s weekly 5-minute devotions to help you rediscover your passion for God and His Word, subscribe here or at the top of the page.

The post How to Pray the Right Way appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

              Related StoriesHow an Unbeliever’s Words Grew My Faith5 Simple Ways Hospitality Can Change Your LifeAre You Drowning in the Storm? Here’s Help. 

5 Simple Ways Hospitality Can Change Your Life

The Swanson family collected stray cats and stray people. I was one of them. I was sixteen years old, the new kid in school, and lonely. But the Swansons were kind, and when their son brought me home, they adopted me into the family. 

For three years, I ate meals at their table, watched television in their living room, and even joined them on an occasional family vacation. When they invited me to church, I said yes. They’d won my heart with their kindness, and I wanted to do everything the Swansons did.

Before long, I was attending church every time they attended. Two years in, God cracked open my heart. I realized I was a sinner in need of a Savior. Glory hallelujah, I surrendered my life to Christ and promised to follow Him with all my heart.

Across town, another family was extending hospitality to another “stray.” The Smoak family was sitting in the second row when seventeen-year-old David walked to the front of their church during the invitation.

His long hair touched his shoulders, and his eyes still held a hint of the alcohol he’d consumed the night before. But he seemed sincere. Desperate to change his ways, he knew he needed Someone more powerful than himself to take control of his life.

“God, help me,” he prayed that day, and God did. Soon, like the Swansons had “adopted” me, the Smoaks “adopted” David.

Not everyone is in the position or has the desire to adopt people like our friends did. Some of you can. But even if you can’t, 1 Peter 4:9 encourages Christians, “Be hospitable to one another without complaining.” God calls us to “share with the saints [Christians] in their needs; pursue hospitality” (Romans 12:13). The rewards are great. “Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2).

Angels? Wow.

Thankfully, we can live out God’s command to practice hospitality in ways as different as we are. Remember—there’s a huge difference between entertaining and hospitality. Entertaining usually involves fancy dishes, silverware, and expense. Hospitality can be as simple as takeout pizza on paper plates.

If God is nudging you out of your comfort zone and into greater obedience in the area of biblical hospitality, consider these five simple ways to practice it.

5 Simple Ways to Practice Biblical Hospitality
1. Invite a younger woman over for tea or coffee and your favorite cookies.

When a young Christian woman and her husband moved in next door to us, in the spirit of Titus 2:4–5, I reached out and invited her over for tea and cookies. We had a lovely conversation, and God gave me several opportunities to share life experiences and (I hope) wisdom. 

Although we’ve never made a “formal” mentoring commitment, we get together at least once a month, always spontaneously, for tea and conversation. As we’ve gotten to know each other, our friendship has grown and our conversations have deepened. She often asks my advice on parenting or marriage issues and allows me to be a Titus 2 “older woman” in her life—over a pot of tea and plate of cookies.

2. Ask a neighbor or friend to take a walk with you.

We often think of hospitality as inviting someone into our home, but God has used my walks with friends and neighbors outside the home to accomplish some of the sweetest purposes. Whether we plan ahead or I send a spur-of-the-moment text, God does something when we walk together. 

Some of my walking buddies are believers. We share snippets of life interspersed with prayers as we log our steps. Other friends don’t know Jesus yet, so we spend our walking time sharing life, concerns, and thoughts. God always gives me an opportunity to sprinkle some spiritual “salt” into the conversation if I watch for it.

3. Take food to a sick, grieving, or hurting person.

As I mentioned above, hospitality doesn’t have to take place in our home. Sometimes it comes in the form of carry out. One day, I was sick with the flu and a kind friend texted me. “I’m dropping off Chick-Fil-A soup and crackers at your door. I hope it helps you feel better. I’m praying for you.”Oh, my goodness, that warm bowl of soup tasted like heaven. It nourished my sick body and ministered to my weary soul. Knowing someone cared enough to go out of her way to minister to me brought almost instant healing.

Hospitality in its purest form is seeing a need and meeting it. When we make it complicated, we hinder ourselves from ministering.

Hospitality in its purest form is seeing a need and meeting it. When we make it complicated, we hinder ourselves from ministering. Do you feed the neighbor kid alongside yours? That’s hospitality. Drop off a freezer meal to a grieving family for after the funeral casseroles are gone? Hospitality. Send a gift card that will feed a friend when she doesn’t have the heart or energy to cook? Jesus-inspired hospitality. 

“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:40).

4. Ask a visitor or new member out to eat after church.

It’s hard attending a new church for the first time. Everybody knows everybody else and visitors feel like they don’t belong. But when someone introduces themselves and invites them for lunch? Oh, my!

At least once a month my husband and I plan either to eat lunch out after church (if the budget allows) or invite someone in. If we’re eating out, we choose an inexpensive restaurant near the church. If we’re eating in, I put a simple recipe in the crock pot, toss a bagged salad into a bowl, and arrange homemade or store-bought pastries on a plate. Voilà! I’m ready to welcome someone into our home. 

One Sunday we invited a couple with two teenage boys. I don’t remember what I served or what we talked about, but later they not only joined the church, they became some of our dearest friends. Thirty-eight years later, we’re still enjoying simple meals and warm conversation around the table.

5. Invite someone into your heart.

Inviting someone into your home is nice, but inviting them into your heart is heavenly. Despite (or probably because of) all our devices, people today are lonelier than ever. When we extend hospitality of the heart, we touch them in a supernatural way. Sharing bits of our life and genuinely caring about theirs is one way to be Jesus to them. 

Friendship involves effort. It costs us in time and resources. Sometimes we even get hurt, but it’s so worth it. The women who have most impacted my life have done so because they opened their hearts and invited me in. As I watched them live their faith lives honestly and transparently (notice I didn’t say perfectly), I grew in my love for them and in my love for God. As my love grew, I felt a desire to share that love with others, and the gift goes on . . .

Who might God be calling you to extend hospitality to? What might He be planning to do? 

In 1983, I met David when mutual friends invited us out on a double date. We ate pizza, shared our salvation testimonies, and marveled at God’s grace. A year later, in front of our church families, along with the Swansons, the Smoaks, and our double-date friends, we said, “I do.”

This summer, David and I will celebrate our forty-second and forty-fourth spiritual birthdays. On December 28, we’ll commemorate our fortieth wedding anniversary. 

These joys and others too numerous to count happened because kind Christians extended biblical hospitality. It’s a ministry we hope to continue until Jesus comes back or He calls us home.

Pray, plan, and prepare to marvel at what God will do as you obey his command to practice biblical hospitality.

Now it’s your turn. How has being the giver or the receiver of hospitality impacted your life? Share your story in the comments.

This post first appeared on the Revive Our Hearts blog and is used with permission.

A Word for Your Day — 66 Devotions to Refresh Your Mind

Allow God’s Word to change your life, one word at a time! Lori Hatcher’s newest book, a 66-day devotional highlights one relevant, sometimes unexpected, word from each book of the Bible. Lori, the best-selling author of Refresh Your Faith and Refresh Your Prayers, shares simple—but never simplistic—truths. She continues to remind us that every part of Scripture is active, alive, and applicable. 

From beginning in Genesis to new in Revelation, ponder each significant word as you move through your day and allow God to transform your heart and mind.

Order A Word for Your Day from these fine retailers:

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/34t5k7j9

Our Daily Bread Publishing: http://tinyurl.com/mwwhya9h

Have you subscribed to Refresh?


If you’d like to receive Lori’s weekly 5-minute devotions to help you rediscover your passion for God and His Word subscribe HERE or at the top of the page.

The post 5 Simple Ways Hospitality Can Change Your Life appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

              Related StoriesHow an Unbeliever’s Words Grew My FaithWhy I’m Grateful for My Imperfect MotherAre You Drowning in the Storm? Here’s Help. 

If You Had 40 Minutes Left to Live . . . How to Make the Most of It

Passengers on United Airlines Flight 1175 thought they might die.

Midway through their trip from San Francisco to Honolulu,  they heard a loud bang. The aircraft began shaking. Passengers on the right side of the plane noticed parts of the engine cover flapping violently, then flying off.

The pilot radioed the Honolulu airport to say he’d be making an emergency landing. “Please have fire and rescue personnel on the ground.”

No one knew if they’d make it.

Flight attendants reviewed safety protocol, coaching passengers how to brace for impact, exit the plane using inflatable slides, and detach their seat bottoms to use as flotation devices if the aircraft crashed in the sea.

With those protocols covered, all they had left to do was wait, questions swirling in their heads like confetti at a ticker tape parade. Would the plane make it to Honolulu? Would it crash into the sea? Would it have to make an emergency landing at the airport? 

“It was the scariest flight of my life,” one passenger said later. 

“I thought we were going to die,” another said. 

Forty minutes. Such a short time, yet probably an eternity to those passengers, crew, and family members waiting to hear their fate. 

Some passengers took pictures of the damaged engine and tweeted about what was happening. Others texted final messages to their loved ones. 

“I told my family what was going on,” one woman said later, “and then I told them I loved them.” 

If you were on that flight, what would you do with what could be the last 40 minutes of your life? 

Were there any Christians on board? I wondered. Did anyone stand up and share the gospel? 

The average Boeing 777 carries 300 to 400 passengers. If you knew you and 400 people around you might die in the next 40 minutes, would you care about where they were going to spend eternity? Would you share your faith? 

Would I? 

I can’t say for sure. I’ve never been in a situation like that, but I hope so. I hope I’d accept the courage the Holy Spirit would give to stand boldly, risk embarrassment, disregard what others might say, and testify of the hope God gives. 

Whether the plane landed safely on the ground and I continued my vacation, or it crashed into the sea and my life ended, my destiny is safe in the arms of Jesus. Would I share this life-changing assurance or keep it to myself? 

Would you? 

I hope we never find ourselves in a plane over the ocean watching pieces of an aircraft fly off and fall into the sea. But we sit beside people every day whose life could end unexpectedly.

While there may not be 400 of them, there are probably a few who don’t know where they’ll spend eternity. They don’t know Jesus took the punishment for their sin so they don’t have to. And they don’t know that whether they die today or in 50 years, they desperately need the hope that is only found in Jesus. 

It’s up to us to tell them. 

Thankfully, the San Francisco/Honolulu flight landed safely. Passengers disembarked and continued their day as planned. But they might not have. 

Today, I challenge you, as God has challenged me — look around. Prayerfully consider who might need the hope you have in Jesus. Ask God to open the door to share your faith. Then walk through it.

It could change someone’s life forever. 

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:15).

A Word for Your Day — 66 Devotions to Refresh Your Mind

Allow God’s Word to change your life, one word at a time! Lori Hatcher’s newest book, a 66-day devotional highlights one relevant, sometimes unexpected, word from each book of the Bible. Lori, the best-selling author of Refresh Your Faith and Refresh Your Prayers, shares simple—but never simplistic—truths. She continues to remind us that every part of Scripture is active, alive, and applicable. 

From beginning in Genesis to new in Revelation, ponder each significant word as you move through your day and allow God to transform your heart and mind.

Order A Word for Your Day from these fine retailers:

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/34t5k7j9

Our Daily Bread Publishing: http://tinyurl.com/mwwhya9h

Have you subscribed to Refresh?


If you’d like to receive Lori’s weekly 5-minute devotions to help you rediscover your passion for God and His Word subscribe HERE or at the top of the page.

The post If You Had 40 Minutes Left to Live . . . How to Make the Most of It appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

              Related StoriesHow an Unbeliever’s Words Grew My FaithWill We Wail or Wait? How to Face Need with FaithAre You Tired of Waiting? 

The Doughnut Man — A Tribute to My Dad

When I was growing up, my dad’s nickname was “Bob.” Sometimes, when his family called him by his middle name, “Wilbur,” my sisters and I would giggle, envisioning the pink piglet in Charlotte’s Web. 

Click here to see a cute picture of my dad and me. https://lorihatcher.com/?p=2124(opens in a new tab)

In the last few years, however, Dad has acquired a new nickname—“The Doughnut Man.” 

            Dad’s 88, and he doesn’t get out much anymore. When he does, it’s usually for a medical appointment or the occasional family gathering. He sets his United States Navy Veteran cap on his head, grabs his rolling walker and off we go.

            He asks me the same question as he clicks his seat belt into place.

            “Okay if we stop at Krispy Kreme?” 

            He sure has a sweet tooth.

            He also has a sweet heart.

            “Of course,” I say. 

            We always order two dozen—one for him and mom to enjoy with their coffee (decaf, of course)—and one for someone else.

            Sometime we head to the doctor or dentist.

“My hygienist loves it when I bring her doughnuts,” he says, grinning like a kid. “The dentist does, too. It’s an easy way to say thank you.”

            Other times we swing by the local EMS station.  

            “I’ll never forget the day I thought I was having a heart attack,” he says. “They were here in five minutes. Hooked me up to every monitor they had and talked to me the whole way to the hospital. ‘You’re gonna be okay,’ they said. And I was.

            “Those guys don’t get thanked enough,” he says. 

            Today he has another stop in mind.

            “I want to go back to the radiology lab at the hospital.” 

He pauses, remembering.

            “It’s been twelve years since my cancer diagnosis. They gave me a radiation treatment every day for 45 days.” He rattles off the nurses’ names. “Remmie, Renee, and Rhonda. I called them the three R’s.

            “On Fridays, I’d bring ‘em doughnuts. So many sad faces in that place. But doughnuts always made ‘em smile.”

            Dad and I grab the doughnuts and head over to the hospital.

            He knows right where to go. I guess if you go somewhere every day for 45 days, it sticks with you.

            I whisper a silent prayer. Please, Lord, let there be someone there who remembers him.

The Doughnut Man

And there is—Remmie. At least she says she does. Maybe it’s the green and white box that triggers her memory. She flings open the door and wraps him in a hug.

            “Y’all took good care of me twelve years ago,” Dad says, “and I’ve been fine ever since. I’m thankful.” 

Dad’s a man of few words, but he makes them count.

            “Make sure Dr. Cavanaugh gets a doughnut,” he says, shaking his finger at her. “And tell him my PSA score’s still 0.01.”

            More hugs, more laughter, then we’re back in the car headed for home.

            He smiles as he clicks his seatbelt into place. 

            “Thanks for stopping,” he says.

            “My pleasure.”

Anything for the Doughnut Man.

A Word for Your Day — 66 Devotions to Refresh Your Mind

Allow God’s Word to change your life, one word at a time! Lori Hatcher’s newest book, a 66-day devotional highlights one relevant, sometimes unexpected, word from each book of the Bible. Lori, the best-selling author of Refresh Your Faith and Refresh Your Prayers, shares simple—but never simplistic—truths. She continues to remind us that every part of Scripture is active, alive, and applicable. 

From beginning in Genesis to new in Revelation, ponder each significant word as you move through your day and allow God to transform your heart and mind.

Order A Word for Your Day from these fine retailers:

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/34t5k7j9

Our Daily Bread Publishing: http://tinyurl.com/mwwhya9h

The post The Doughnut Man — A Tribute to My Dad appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

              Related StoriesWhy I’m Grateful for My Imperfect MotherThe Unusual Gift of DesperationHow an Unbeliever’s Words Grew My Faith 

How an Unbeliever’s Words Grew My Faith

“I’m so worried,” I said to my classmates. “I don’t know how I’m going to pay for school next year. My scholarship has run out. I don’t have money for tuition, let alone uniforms and instruments.” 

Spring semester was coming to a close in my first year of dental hygiene school. It had been a good year. I’d done well in class, despite having to study harder than I’d ever studied in my life. I’d passed the dreaded Head and Neck Anatomy class, the “weeder” course deemed most likely to eliminate marginal students. With the most difficult courses behind me, I was poised to enter the clinical part of my training in the fall. 

Except, with no second-year scholarship and no way to pay my tuition, I wondered aloud if I was going to have to drop out.

Then one of my classmates spoke from the back of the lunch room where we had gathered. 

“You say you believe God provided for you to be here. Don’t you think he can provide what you need to finish?” 

Her words hung there for a moment in the now-silent lunch room. Like mechanical dolls, every head turned in my direction, waiting for my response. Shame coursed through my body, and a red flush crept up my neck. This non-Christian was demonstrating more faith in God than I was. 

My Christian classmates smiled gently. My non-Christian classmates, the ones with whom I’d eagerly shared stories of how God was working in my life, waited for my response. 

“You’re absolutely right,” I said. “He can.”

The conversation turned to other matters, and as quickly as I could, I left the room. Standing alone in the bathroom, tears pricked my eyes and conviction pierced my heart.

“I’m sorry, Lord,” I whispered. “I didn’t trust you. You had to use an unbeliever to remind me of what I should have known.” 

I remembered that shameful day recently when I read the account of the Gibeonites in Joshua 9. The Israelites had conquered kingdom after kingdom as they made their way into the Promised Land. Pagan nations who had rejected God and chose instead to worship false idols and defile the land with their depravity fell, one by one. 

As six nations banded together in a feeble attempt to defend themselves, the citizens of Gibeon took a different approach. “If what we’ve heard about the God of the Israelites is true,” they said, “we have no hope of defending ourselves.” 

Instead of allying themselves with the other nations, they cooked up a sneaky plot. They disguised themselves as travelers from a faraway nation. Arriving in the Israelites camp wearing worn clothes and shoes and carrying moldy bread and old wine skins, they convinced them that they were distant neighbors. The Israelites agreed to a truce, promising that no harm would come to them. This verse from Joshua 9:14 explains why the Gibeonites were able to deceive them: 

“. . . but they did not ask counsel of the Lord.” 

Like my college classmate, the Gibeonites showed more faith in God and his plans and purposes than the Israelites did. And I, like the Israelites, had evaluated my present situation and come to a conclusion without talking to God about it. 

Thankfully, unlike the situation with the Gibeonites, I hadn’t gone so far in my independent thinking that there was no way back. 

“Lord,” I prayed, “please forgive me for my lack of faith. You’ve been faithful to provide for me so far, and I trust you to provide for me in the future. If you want me to continue my studies, please provide the money I need.” 

Later that week I met with my academic adviser. When I explained the situation, she helped me fill out an application for financial aid. Because I had lost my scholarship, I now qualified for additional assistance. 

When the award check arrived, I had enough money to pay tuition, books, uniforms, and instruments. 



Guess who was the first person I shared the good news with? Yup, my thought-provoking, faith-inspiring non-Christian classmate. 

“Thank you for reminding me of what I already knew,” I said with a hug, “that where God guides, he always provides.” 

Now it’s your turn. When has an unbeliever reminded you of what you knew to be true? Share your story in the comment box.

Word for Your Day — 66 Devotions to Refresh Your Mind

Allow God’s Word to change your life, one word at a time! Lori Hatcher’s newest book, a 66-day devotional highlights one relevant, sometimes unexpected, word from each book of the Bible. Lori, the best-selling author of Refresh Your Faith and Refresh Your Prayers, shares simple—but never simplistic—truths. She continues to remind us that every part of Scripture is active, alive, and applicable. 

From beginning in Genesis to new in Revelation, ponder each significant word as you move through your day and allow God to transform your heart and mind.

Order A Word for Your Day from these fine retailers:

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/34t5k7j9

Our Daily Bread Publishing: http://tinyurl.com/mwwhya9h

Have you subscribed to Refresh?


If you’d like to receive Lori’s weekly 5-minute devotions to help you rediscover your passion for God and His Word subscribe HERE or at the top of the page.

The post How an Unbeliever’s Words Grew My Faith appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

              Related StoriesAre You Drowning in the Storm? Here’s Help.The Very Best Parts of This Month—In Pictures!Will We Wail or Wait? How to Face Need with Faith 

Are You Drowning in the Storm? Here’s Help.

Prayer is a lonely business.

Especially those middle of the night prayers, when the world is asleep, and we are awake. Our hearts grow faint when darkness looms loud and the sky seems an impenetrable ceiling.

Satan, that deceiver of the brethren, whispers softly, so as not to awaken those resting peacefully nearby. He might as well shout it from the housetops; it’s already ringing loudly in our ears—

Why bother?

What’s the use? 

How long will you continue to pray?

Sometimes he’s the snake in the garden. Did God really say . . . 

Other times he’s a ventriloquist, using Job’s wife as his puppet. Curse God and die.

Our ears fill with tears, reservoirs for the streams that leak from our eyes unchecked into salty puddles. We lie there, frightened, paralyzed by what if’s and the worst possible scenario, some of which has already come true. Our minds defeat us before we breathe our first prayer, and we gasp our pleas to an almighty God whom we’ve rendered powerless by our lack of faith.

“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does” (James 1:6-8).

“. . . but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it” (Mat. 14:24).

And the waves threaten to drown us, and the sea rages around us, and the sky is inky black.

Yet it was in that fourth watch of the night—the most profound of darkness—that Jesus came to them, walking on the lake, because even mustard seed faith is enough to summon the Lord of the seas.

“Take courage!” he calls, “It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter (and we) reply, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said. 

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

And our fledgling faith steps falter, and we sink flailing into the sea.

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” 

And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

If you’re weeping in the darkness and drowning in the sea today, take comfort. The wind and the waves obey our Lord’s command. Satan is a defeated foe who trembles at his name. And the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective (James 5:16).

Pray on, dear friend, and rest in the knowledge that there’s no safer place than in the eye of the storm if Jesus is in the boat with you.

“Christianity,” a wise pastor once said, “is less about you holding on to God, and more about him holding on to you.”

“When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord” (Jonah 2:7-9).

What storm are you facing today? If you’ll leave your name in the comment box, I’d like to pray for you.

Word for Your Day — 66 Devotions to Refresh Your Mind

Allow God’s Word to change your life, one word at a time! Lori Hatcher’s newest book, a 66-day devotional highlights one relevant, sometimes unexpected, word from each book of the Bible. Lori, the best-selling author of Refresh Your Faith and Refresh Your Prayers, shares simple—but never simplistic—truths. She continues to remind us that every part of Scripture is active, alive, and applicable. 

From beginning in Genesis to new in Revelation, ponder each significant word as you move through your day and allow God to transform your heart and mind.

Order A Word for Your Day from these fine retailers:

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/34t5k7j9

Our Daily Bread Publishing: http://tinyurl.com/mwwhya9h

Have you subscribed to Refresh?


If you’d like to receive Lori’s weekly 5-minute devotions to help you rediscover your passion for God and His Word, subscribe here or at the top of the page.

The post Are You Drowning in the Storm? Here’s Help. appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

              Related StoriesPowerful Hope When You’re Weary of PrayingThe Very Best Parts of This Month—In Pictures!The Unusual Gift of Desperation 

Will We Wail or Wait? How to Face Need with Faith

From the time my daughter was a newborn, she was an excellent communicator. She could pack more meaning and emotion into one syllable than any child I knew. 

Other babies in the church nursery would work up to the full expression of their need. When their little tummies began to rumble, they’d squirm. Then their eyes would pop open. Then they’d poke their little lips out and whimper pitifully. Eventually, if no one summoned their mother or popped a bottle into their mouth, they’d begin to wail. 

Not my child. She’d go from dead asleep to howling in half a second. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! 

But every time she cried and I fed her, we built trust. Before long she transitioned from a bloodcurdling scream to a lusty cry. Then a softer cry. Eventually I couldn’t remember the last time she’d screamed herself (and me) awake. When I started feeding her on a schedule, sometimes she didn’t cry at all. She just waited for me to feed her. 

Once she learned simple words, she could ask for what she needed. And ask she did. 

“Mommy, may I have a pancake?” 

“Mommy, may I have a glass of juice? 

“Mommy, may I have that sparkly pair of shoes?” 

“Mommy, may I have another blanket?” 

Coming to me when she needed something became her default setting. I had proven myself dependable. Although it would be many years before she fully understood the commitment her father and I made when we brought her into the world, she knew one thing well – she could trust her parents to supply her needs. 

Apparently Jesus’ disciples struggled in the same way my daughter did as a newborn.

Mark 7 describes them looking out over a sea of 5,000 men and twice as many women and children and wondering, How in the world will we feed them all? 

“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked them, then multiplied the loaves and fish into so much food they gathered 12 baskets of leftovers (Mark 6:38-44). 

The next week, 4,000 men, many of whom had traveled great distances to hear Jesus, sat hungry at their feet. Jesus again told the disciples to feed them. 

 “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?” they replied. 

“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus again asked (Mark 8:5). Then he multiplied their loaves and fish and fed them all. 

You’d think watching Jesus provide food in abundance on such a grand scale would have taught the disciples that he was a capable and consistent provider, but later that day, they were still struggling. 

I’m not sure whose responsibility it was to pack food for the trip, but halfway across the lake they realized they had only one loaf among them. A comment Jesus made warning them of the “leaven of the Pharisees” caused them to mutter among themselves. 

“Do you think he said that because we forgot the bread?” one man asked another. 

“Probably,” he said. “How could you forget it? That’s the second time this week.” 

“Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: ‘Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 

 “’Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?’ 

“’Twelve,’ they replied. 

“‘And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?’ 

“They answered, ‘Seven.’ 

“He said to them, ‘Do you still not understand?’” (Mark 8:17-21).

Jesus asks us the same thing. 

Do you not still understand? 

How much money do you have? Not enough. 

How much time do you have? Not enough of that either. 

How much health do you have? Energy? Wisdom? Perseverance? Faith? 

Not enough – and that’s the point. Within ourselves, with our limited and minuscule resources, we cannot do the tasks God has called us to do. But with Jesus as our dependable and faithful provider, we can. 

So the next time we take stock of our resources and find them lacking, we have a choice: Wail in fear or wait in trust. To help us make that choice, we can ask ourselves two questions: “Has God provided for me in the past?” 

If yes, “Has his ability to meet my needs changed?” 



Do we have any reason to think he can’t provide for us in the future? 

Do you still not understand?

What are you waiting for God to provide? How has He proven Himself faithful in the past? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

A Word for Your Day — 66 Devotions to Refresh Your Mind

Allow God’s Word to change your life, one word at a time! Lori Hatcher’s newest book, a 66-day devotional highlights one relevant, sometimes unexpected, word from each book of the Bible. Lori, the best-selling author of Refresh Your Faith and Refresh Your Prayers, shares simple—but never simplistic—truths. She continues to remind us that every part of Scripture is active, alive, and applicable. 

From beginning in Genesis to new in Revelation, ponder each significant word as you move through your day and allow God to transform your heart and mind.

Order A Word for Your Day from these fine retailers:

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/34t5k7j9

Our Daily Bread Publishing: http://tinyurl.com/mwwhya9h

Have you subscribed to Refresh?


If you’d like to receive Lori’s weekly 5-minute devotions to help you rediscover your passion for God and His Word.

The post Will We Wail or Wait? How to Face Need with Faith appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

              Related StoriesPowerful Hope When You’re Weary of PrayingThe Very Best Parts of This Month—In Pictures!The Unusual Gift of Desperation 

Are You Tired of Waiting?

My friend Sarah is waiting for God to send her a husband. Katie longs to have a baby. Josie’s waiting for her prodigal to come home, and Mark’s waiting for a new job.

All four believe God has the power to answer their requests. Surely it would be easy for Him to send a godly man into Sarah’s path or bring about that positive pregnancy test Katie’s been waiting for. Josie knows God can transform a rebellious teenager’s heart, as He did for her. And Mark has heard sermons on sparrows, lilies, and the cattle on a thousand hills since he was a little boy (Matthew 6:25-32, Psalm 50:10). He believes God can provide a job. 

They know Hebrews 11:1 by heart, that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Most days, the God of hope fills them with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit they may abound in hope (Romans 15:13).

But sometimes they grow weary in the waiting. When weeks, months, and sometimes years go by with little or no change, doubt nibbles at the edge of their faith and they wonder if God has turned a deaf ear to their prayers. 

Does the Bible provide clear and rational reasons to hope?

Can they trust Him in the waiting? 

Can we? . . .

Today I’m blogging over at the God Hears Her blog of Our Daily Bread. To read the rest of this post (and hear three truths that will renew your hope and bolster your faith), CLICK HERE.

Do You Live in the Columbia, SC area? Do You Love Tea, God’s Word, and Christian Fellowship?

Join Lori at Dunn’s Chapel, Saturday, May 11, at 10 am, (Mother’s Day weekend) for a Ladies Tea and Inspiration. Lori will share “5 Words that Can Change Your Life.” For Food, Faith, and Fellowship, invite a friend and RSVP by emailing DebbieWatford1@gmail.com. See you there!

A Word for Your Day — 66 Devotions to Refresh Your Mind

Allow God’s Word to change your life, one word at a time! Lori Hatcher’s newest book, a 66-day devotional highlights one relevant, sometimes unexpected, word from each book of the Bible. Lori, the best-selling author of Refresh Your Faith and Refresh Your Prayers, shares simple—but never simplistic—truths. She continues to remind us that every part of Scripture is active, alive, and applicable. 

From beginning in Genesis to new in Revelation, ponder each significant word as you move through your day and allow God to transform your heart and mind.

Order A Word for Your Day from these fine retailers:

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/34t5k7j9

Our Daily Bread Publishing: http://tinyurl.com/mwwhya9h

Have you subscribed to Refresh?


If you’d like to receive Lori’s weekly 5-minute devotions to help you rediscover

The post Are You Tired of Waiting? appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

              Related StoriesThree Simple Ways We Can Hear God SpeakPowerful Hope When You’re Weary of PrayingThe Very Best Parts of This Month—In Pictures! 

Why I’m Grateful for My Imperfect Mother

Click on the square to see a pic of my cute mom and me 🙂

I’m glad I don’t have a perfect mother. 

Can you imagine what it would be like to follow that example?

Instead of perfect, I have an authentic mother – one who did her best and trusted God with the rest.

My mom did a lot of things right. In honor of Mother’s Day, I thought I’d list a few.

1. She taught me there’s no shame in just being a mother. 

My mom didn’t go to college. She never dreamed of a career or sought professional recognition. From early on she aspired to be a wife and a mother, and she’s accomplished it gloriously – for more than six decades and counting. 

2. She showed me how to care for others. 

Our family has a long history of looking out for their own. It’s what we do. As a child, Mom saw her godmother care for her mother-in-law for eleven years following a stroke. Mom  took her own mother, my grandmother, into her home until Granny’s health deteriorated and she needed professional attention. 

She babysat countless children, and every one of them wanted to call her Mama. No surprise, really, because she loved them like her own. 

When my first daughter was born, there was no question. Of course she would care for her while I worked part time. Unlike other new mothers who sobbed all the way to work that first day back, it never occurred to me to cry. I knew my newborn was safer in my mother’s arms than in my own. This was one of the greatest gifts of my life. 

As I help meet the needs of my family (including my parents), I seek to follow her example of loyalty, selflessness, and service.

3. She gave me the blessing of security. 

She and Dad stayed married, even when marriage wasn’t fun. It never occurred to me that my parents might split up. Ever. This was a priceless gift of stability in an unstable world. 

I never wondered if she’d be home when I got there. Or if there’d be food in the fridge, clean clothes, and someone to ask about my day. My sisters and I knew what we were having for dinner on any given day because Mom had a meal plan that included seven meals. Spaghetti day was my favorite. Hot dogs and beans not so much.

There was that time when she cooked liver and tried to pass it off as steak, but I’ve forgiven her. Even the greatest can have a momentary lapse in judgment.  

4. She’s loved me well. 

I knew from an early age that my mom thought I was intelligent, creative, and clever. But she didn’t shower me with praise. She was proud of my accomplishments but never pushed. If I’d chosen mediocrity, she would have loved me the same. Knowing this gave me the freedom to achieve without the pressure to do so. 

Sometimes, even now, I catch her bragging a bit about something I’ve accomplished. It makes me glad she has something to say. Every child, 6 or 60, wants to make their parents proud. 

In her imperfect mothering, my mom gave me a gift. Instead of excusing my own faulty attempts, her mothering makes me want to try harder. I know what an impact her influence has had on my life. If I can do as well as she did, I reason, perhaps my daughters and grandchildren will be similarly blessed.

May God’s gracious hand make it so. 



Thank you, God, for bypassing the perfect mom and giving me the perfect mom for me instead. She’s a gift I’ll never take for granted. 

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. I love you! 

“Every good and every perfect gift comes down from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17).

About Refresh Your Hope,
60 Devotions for Trusting God with All Your Heart

How can you hold on to hope in an uncertain world? Especially when experiencing disappointments, setbacks, and discouragement? In Refresh Your Hope, Lori Hatcher invites you to renew your confidence and courage by calling attention to the remarkably good news—you have a hope greater than you could ever imagine.

 

An unshakable hope.

 

In this uplifting, Scripture-driven 60-day devotional, Lori returns to our rock-solid foundation—God’s amazing promises and His faithful character. Each warm, story-based reading will help you grow closer to God as you reflect on His assurances, His generous nature, and His unwavering commitments. Strengthen your prayer life with thought-provoking prompts. Replace anxiety with joy, peace, and trust while encountering Bible truths about the ultimate Source of hope.

Available now on Amazon.com, Christianbook.com, and other fine retailers.

Why not share a copy with a friend who could use a fresh dose of hope?

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 Why I’m Grateful for My Imperfect Mother appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

              Related StoriesThe Unusual Gift of DesperationPowerful Hope When You’re Weary of Praying“I’ll Never Forgive You as Long as I Live!”