Christian

Treasures From Job #6: Hope

1-minute devotion for Friday, 1/16/26

Hope comes when we trust God completely, whatever the circumstances.

Satan accused Job to God, saying, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” (Job 1:9-12)

Job’s words prove that Satan’s charge against him is false.

“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;” Job 13:15

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Treasures From Job #5: God’s Greatness

2-minute devotion for Thursday, 1/15/26

God reveals His greatness, power, omnipotence, and omnipresence.

In chapters 38 through 41, God speaks to Job, asking questions Job can’t answer.

“The Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said … where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?” Job 38:1, 4

“Can you raise your voice to the clouds
    and cover yourself with a flood of water?
Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?
    Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?” v.34-35

My thoughts: The description of God in these four chapters can be difficult for some to accept. It’s easier for people (if they even believe in God at all) to think of Him as a fatherly figure who will listen to their prayers, someone to go to when they are desperate. They put God in a box to be opened only on Sundays (or when needed). The rest of the week, they go on their merry way, enjoying the things of the world. It makes them uncomfortable to make God more important than that. It makes them uncomfortable to contemplate God’s sovereignty or His hand in current events.

Others see Him as a genie in the sky who gives them the power to speak what they want into existence. Their faith becomes a tool to obtain their earthly desires. This is New Age thought and totally unbiblical. Almighty God is not at the beck and call of His creatures. The book of Job is a refutation of the new age teaching from WOF and NAR.

We learn to know God through His Word.

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Treasures From Job #4: Trust

1-minute devotion for Wednesday, 1/14/26

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Treasures From Job #3: Redeemer

1-minute devotion for Tuesday, 1/13/26

A day is coming when God Himself will redeem (vindicate) all of our suffering.

“I know that my redeemer lives,
    and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
    yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him
    with my own eyes—I, and not another.
    How my heart yearns within me!”
Job 19:25-27

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Treasures From Job #2: Suffering For Reasons Unknown

1-minute devotion for Monday, 1/12/26

Job’s story is relatable to other believers who have suffered for reasons unknown to them.

Corrie ten Boom is one example. She hid Jews during the Holocaust and saved an estimated 800 people’s lives! The Nazis caught her and imprisoned her (along with her father and sister) in Ravensbrück Concentration Camp.

Corrie ten Boom is known for using the following verse to describe her feelings after she and her family were arrested by the Nazis.

“How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me…” Job 29:2

Read Corrie’s book, The Hiding Place.

My thoughts: I have endured some painful things that I could not understand at the time, but eventually I came to understand this…

“God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 NASB

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Treasures From Job #1: God’s Wisdom

2-minute devotion for Sunday, 1/11/26

  1. The value of God’s wisdom is beyond our ability to comprehend.

“But where can wisdom be found?
    Where does understanding dwell?
No mortal comprehends its worth …
    

It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
    nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,
    with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,
    nor can it be had for jewels of gold…
    it cannot be bought with pure gold.

Where then does wisdom come from?
    Where does understanding dwell?
God understands the way to it
    and he alone knows where it dwells,

for he views the ends of the earth
    and sees everything under the heavens.
… he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
    he confirmed it and tested it.
And he said to the human race,
    “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
    and to shun evil is understanding.”
Job 28:12-13, 15-17, 20, 24, and 28 (emphasis mine) Read full chapter

More to come!

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, women

Choose Faith Over Fear

After church one Wednesday night, my daughter asked me to stop by her house because she had something to tell me. I knew right then I needed to brace myself. I had no idea what she wanted to tell me, but I had a feeling it was going to be something I wouldn’t like.

She sat me down on the couch and with all seriousness she said, “God has called me to be a missionary. I’m going to Africa. My heart practically stopped.

The witness in my spirit said this was of God, but the mother in me froze in fright. She wasn’t going with an established missionary society. She was just going alone. But first, she would be stopping off in Bangladesh. (I reminded myself to breathe.)

She Face-Timed me along the way. “Hi Mom, I’m at the airport in Istanbul!” (Breathe!)

“Hi Mom, I’m in Kisumu. A man just asked Helen how many cows he would need to pay to marry me! (Breathe!)

Then, COVID-19 hit, and all flights to America from Nairobi were canceled. I didn’t know it then, but it would be six months before I would see her again. I’m sure I needed God’s strength more than she did. You’ll understand if you’re a mother.

She had never lived far from me. I thought I could always protect her and keep her from harm. Now she was on the other side of the world. I was in for the greatest spiritual battle of my life – against fear.

I made a conscious decision to trust God and not cave in to fear. I fiercely fought against fear every day, refusing to let it in for even a minute. I refused to entertain thoughts of what could happen. I knew that if I didn’t trust the Lord to bring her home safe and sound, I would never make it.

God gave me the peace that passes understanding. I know that. It wasn’t by my own strength. It was the grace of God.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

Clinging to the Lord and His precious promises, I wrote this poem, now a song. Listen below:

🎶 Your Love, Oh God

The Poem, My Prayer

Your love, O God,
Will hold us near.
It shields us from
our darkest fears.

In times of darkness
Where I can't see,
Your loving eye
Will watch for me.

When I can't see
What lies ahead,
I'll trust you, Lord,
And what You've said.

Your promises
Are my delight.
They guide my way.
They are my light.

With my whole heart
I trust in you.
Your loving hands
Will see us through.

Your faithful love
Forever watches
My precious child
In all Earth's places.

In Africa, playing cards with the boys before bedtime.

“God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.‘” Hebrews 13:5-6 NIV

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid.” Psalm 56:3-4 NIV

The Lord kept her safe and brought her home again. It was the experience of a lifetime – for both of us!

Maybe you’re wondering, “How? How do I trust and not give in to fear? Here are some practical steps you can take:

  • Write down the Scripture verses that strengthen your faith.
  • Read them whenever doubt starts to creep in.
  • Ask God to give you more faith to believe His promises.
  • Thank God daily for being with you (and her) every step of the way.

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian

How Can I Overcome Fear?

1-minute devotion for Friday, 1/9/26

“Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
    they will be remembered forever.
 They will have no fear of bad news;
    their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” Psalm 112:6-7

Comments: This is one of my favorite Bible verses. It is the key to conquering fear. Don’t focus on controlling fear. Focus, instead, on trusting the Lord. How? One way is to write down all the verses that build your faith and encourage you, like the one above. Do an in-depth study on what happens when we trust God. There are hundreds of verses! Psalms is a good place to start!

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Are You Wondering What Will Happen?

1-minute devotion for Thursday, 1/8/26

God said, “I make known the end from the beginning,
    from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
    and I will do all that I please.” Isaiah 46:10

Commentary: God is in control. His Word reveals what is to come, and He intervenes to accomplish His plan. Are you wondering what has happened to our world? Read Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation, and you’ll be off to a great start!

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian

Spiritual Insights for a Changing World

Quote of the Week for Wednesday, 1/7/26

“For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:13-14

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

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

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.