Category: women

Christian

Embracing What Matters Most

Cindy Dawson

1-minute devotion for Monday, 1/19/26

 “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

My thoughts: Regardless of how important and even necessary the things we do in serving God are, Jesus said that there is one thing that is better than them all. Mary listened to Jesus’ words, but we have His entire Word, the Bible. What a blessing!

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NASB

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

Do You Need to be Refreshed?

Cindy Dawson

1-minute devotion for Sunday, 1/18/26

“The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.”
Psalm 19:7-8

Do you want to be refreshed? Do you want to be wise? Do you want joy? God’s Word is the way to these treasures.

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NASB

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

From Normal to Unrecognizable: A Personal Reflection

Cindy Dawson

A pastor asked a church member what he thought the biggest problem in the church at large was: ignorance or apathy? The man replied, “I don’t know and I don’t care.” 😬

From the book Until He Comes, by Amir Tsarfati & Barry Stagner

The world today isn’t normal. That is if, like me, you grew up in America in the 1950s and 1960s. Please just indulge me for a moment as I give you a glimpse into my childhood.

I grew up in New Jersey and attended public school. Every morning, we started the day by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and the Lord’s Prayer.

In elementary school, every Wednesday (during school hours) we all went to church for Bible study. We walked in a line to the church of our choice. Some to the Baptist church, some to the Methodist church, and some to the Catholic church. (No one thought this was odd. It was just what we did.)

At lunch, we either went home to eat or (if you were lucky and had money) you could go to The Luncheonette. They made delicious hamburgers, which we often flattened with our plate. (I don’t know why.) The Luncheonette was packed with boisterous elementary students laughing and talking loudly. Can you imagine?

For all 12 grades, we walked to and from school every day. (We didn’t have school buses.) We thought this was fun because it gave us the chance to be with our friends.

Now there’s something I must confess. I wasn’t a perfect child. It’s true. In fact, in 7th grade, I got after-school detention for shooting a rubber band across the room! (I was mortified!)

Girls were not allowed to wear pants, and boys were not allowed to wear jeans. (Yes, Public School!)

Abortion was illegal. No one had even heard of transgender ideology, using the correct pronouns, or LBGTQ. Men could not marry men, and women could not marry women.

The average score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) peaked in 1963–1964. Today, 12th-grade reading and math scores are at historic lows.

The U.S. has changed drastically in my lifetime! It is quite shocking to have watched this with my own eyes! So, what does it mean? Why does it matter?

It matters because something of epic proportions is happening in our world. The Bible warns us about what will happen in the last days. Jesus told the Pharisees,

“You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” Matthew 16:3b

So, yes, it is necessary to interpret the signs of the times. We do that by carefully studying the Bible, not by reading books written by those who rely on their own opinions, what they claim “God told them”, and false teaching. Discernment is vitally important.

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…” 2 Timothy 3:1-4

“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.  At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,  and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.  Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,  but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:3-8

The difference between what was normal then and what is normal now is striking. Is God warning the church to wake up? You decide.

“And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Romans 13:11

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

Treasures From Job #6: Hope

Cindy Dawson

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

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NASB

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian, Jews

Treasures From Job #5: God’s Greatness

Cindy Dawson

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

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NASB

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian, Jews

Treasures From Job #4: Trust

Cindy Dawson

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

“Believers talk about trusting the Lord with their whole heart and refusing to lean on their own understanding (Proverbs 3:5), but no one really knows what that means until circumstances cast them headfirst into a dark and painful place. If we give ourselves fully to God in those moments, we will obtain keepsakes of Him to treasure now and forever.” Pastor David Jeremiah

“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

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian, Jews

Treasures From Job #3: Redeemer

Cindy Dawson

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

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NASB

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian, Jews

Treasures From Job #2: Suffering For Reasons Unknown

Cindy Dawson

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

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian, Jews

Treasures From Job #1: God’s Wisdom

Cindy Dawson

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

Did you know that although it is famous in world literature, Job is one of the least-read books of the Bible? To me, studying the book of Job is analogous to climbing Mt. Everest. And writing about it has been just as challenging. However, I have learned a lot while reading and studying Job, and over the next few days I want to share a few of the insights that seemed especially important to me.

  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

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NASB

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian, women

Choose Faith Over Fear

Cindy Dawson

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

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog