Tag: holy spirit

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Loving Enough

krisshetter

First published December 2025 as a Christmas message

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

Hello Friends!  I haven’t written for the blog in over a year and have missed hearing from you with your comments and insights!  Many of you know that this year has been filled with both highs and lows.  In April, I became a full-time caregiver for my father, who had been diagnosed with advanced bladder cancer the previous July.  It was a blessing filled with trials, sadness, and laughter.  In September, my eldest daughter and I sat by his bedside watching him take his last breath.

As many of you have experienced yourself, being a caregiver not only takes up your physical time but also your mental and emotional time.  The thought of researching and writing was a dim, distant light this year.  Recently, that light has burned brighter with each passing day.  My prayers have included this burning desire.  I just today began gathering materials for a possible study in Romans. I don’t know where it will lead but I know being in His Word is always fruitful.

As always happens when I start pondering writing with more fervor, the Holy Spirit nudges me and reveals truths to me.  Today, in fact, just a few moments ago, was no different.

In my Truth for Life devotional (Alistair Begg), I was challenged like King David, to repent and humble myself.  To stop covering lies and let God cover them for me.  I wrote that I don’t love God as I should, nearly enough.  It was a hard truth to write but one that has weighed on my mind for some time.

And because God often uses vivid illustrations to bring His point home, both my dogs approached me while I was sitting indisposed in the bathroom.  I say “both” because my dad’s dog now lives with us.  A dog whose fur is the exact color of my late mother’s hair.  A dog who has lived most of his life in an unhappy home, full of strife and anger.

As both came to nuzzle against my knees, I begrudgingly petted Ben – my dad’s dog.  Yet when my dog Tucker put his cold, wet nose on my skin I leaned in to snuggle with the big lump.  Tucker wandered off and little Ben laid close to my feet.  And I felt that Holy Spirit nudge on my heart.

You see, my allergies have gotten terrible with a second dog.  And after just one day of my new carpet Ben peed on it in two places.  He’s kind of neurotic and yelps at the slightest movement.  He follows me around breathing heavily and anxiously wherever I go.  He wanders off when we are at the beach as though he’s forgotten what I look and sound like.  His bark is sharp and annoying. He’s underfoot and overly needy.

And I don’t love him like I should.  Like he needs.

Ben is cute as a button.  But I don’t want to love him.  I don’t want to give myself fully over to him. He represents a terrible past that I just want left behind.

In that moment, I realized Ben wasn’t really the subject of God’s lesson. I was. My reluctance to love him revealed something deeper: I don’t love God the way I should.  I stand at arms-length from Him.  Because if I were to truly love Him, I would have to give all of myself to Him.  I would have to accept both the blessings and the trials that come through His hands.  I would have to give up my fears, my prejudices, my preferences.  I would have to go “all in.”

While God may not sneak over to a corner and pee on my new carpet, He might bring people (or dogs) into my life that will.  People who need mercy, forgiveness and love.  I know this because He put me, a broken, sinful person, into other believers’ lives. And I pray for their mercy, love and forgiveness towards me.

Ben, sweet goofy Ben, needs a lot of love and patience.  I need a lot more Zyrtec.  More than that, I need a lot more Jesus.  I need to love Jesus a lot more than I do.  So, I prayed for forgiveness today that I don’t love enough the God who sacrificed His Son for me.  Who has forgiven my yelping and my anxiety.  For making a mess on beautiful things.

While I know the coming year will be full of unbelievers doing terrible things, I also know that God will be at work.  He will be in the tears and the laughter.  His glory will be available for anyone to see.  And I want to see Him, trust Him, and love Him in every season, every place, and every circumstance.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Ben and Tucker

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Amazingly Interrupted

krisshetter

First published November 16, 2020 as part of the Living Amazed series.

“One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”  For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.” Luke 5:1-11

I think a lot of us feel like 2020 has been one giant interruption in our lives.  We had weddings to celebrate, vacations to enjoy, careers to launch, businesses to grow, and retirements to embrace. And then March descended upon us.  To put it mildly, it’s been one giant cluster.

Recently, I saw an Instagram post by the Christian women’s group Proverbs 31 that addressed our need to rely on God during these tough times.  One of the commenters posted a very heartfelt account of what she has been dealing with, including the loss of a loved one.  She said she was having a hard time seeing God in the middle of everything.  And yet He is right there if we truly know His character. He’s the one interrupting our plans.

In the verses today, Simon, an experienced fisherman, had just pulled his boat in after a long, hard, unsuccessful day of fishing.  He sat and listened to Jesus as he preached to the masses on the shore.  Suddenly, Jesus asks for a ride out away from the shore to better speak to everyone.  I’m sure Simon had a mix of emotions.  Here he was, probably exhausted but still might have been honored to have the famous rabbi use his boat.  And then Jesus interrupted his plans to get home, have dinner and finally get some sleep.

The experienced fisherman was quite sure that another few hours on the lake would produce nothing. After all, he’d fished those waters his entire life.  Jesus wasn’t even from a fishing family!  But something about the rabbi made Simon comply.  And as the story finishes, we see Simon and the other fisherman completely interrupting everything about their lives and deciding to become disciples.

God often interrupts our “bright ideas” and “best-laid plans.”  The question is: when the Holy Spirit urges us in a new direction, will we respond like Simon and obey?  Or are we like the rich king, unwilling to give up what we have and know?  Many of us say we want God to speak to us. But do we really?

A couple years ago I was amazingly interrupted by Jesus.  I worked as an administrative substitute in our local school district.  I was very busy.  I wore my busyness as a badge of honor.   I had jobs assigned five days a week.  Then Jesus interrupted me.  

He urged me, through a vision, to take specific action each week and feed the homeless for a year.  This was not in my plans.  But it was something I had asked for.  I had been praying for growth in my trust in the Lord.  I kept asking for direction.  Serving the homeless in our downtown area had never crossed my mind.  What also wasn’t in my plan was giving up working a few days a week to accomplish Jesus’ vision for me. It was an amazing interruption.

He said, “Do this for me.”  So I did.  The lessons I learned during that year were ones that no sermon or Bible study could ever teach me.  My patterns of worry, distrust, control, over-planning, pride, feeling alone, all were tested.  It was never about feeding the homeless. It was about God finding a way to snap me out of destructive patterns – interrupting me and re-setting me.

I’ve told many people about this experience.  At the same time I tell them they should pray for something equally amazing to interrupt their lives.  So many of them either look scared or even voice their fear of such an occurrence.  That’s why I ask, “Do you really want to hear from God?” Because I can almost guarantee that what He says to you will be unexpected and will challenge you to interrupt your life.

“The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters.” Job 42:12-13

But like Job whose life was severely interrupted, the amazing blessings you receive will be immeasurable.  God has interrupted my life a few more times since my vision. And each time has brought me closer to Him. I urge you today to pray for interruption. Pray for the courage to do God’s work. Pray for the faith to push your boat into deeper water when He calls. The greatest blessings often begin where our plans end.

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He Will Provide

krisshetter

First published May 16, 2022 as part of the Lessons from Cherith series.

“The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down”.  Psalm 145:14

We had come to Colorado after receiving the news – my mother-in-law’s constant bowel pain was the result of peritoneal cancer, a rare and deadly disease.  She had never fully recovered from her battle with uterine cancer, diagnosed just eighteen months earlier. Her cancer markers were clear, yet the persistent abdominal pain continued to sideline her.  We will never know why it wasn’t discovered sooner but there are blessings even in that.

And so, after setting her up on hospice and determining that additional in-home care wouldn’t be sufficient and was well beyond what my father-in-law could afford, I offered to stay longer.  As I said goodbye to my husband who needed to get back to San Diego for work, I found myself wrestling with familiar self-doubt..  “I’m not good at this kind of thing,” I said to myself.  “I’m not a sweet, kind, compassionate person,” I lamented.  “I never know what to say in difficult times,” I fretted.  

I was scared to face day-to-day the woman I love as my own mother as she lay living out her last days.  I was worried about how to be around my quiet father-in-law.  I definitely was concerned how to handle all her friends who wanted to visit and needed a shoulder to cry on. Then, in the midst of all those fears, I remembered God.

“He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
    the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
He provides food for those who fear him;
    he remembers his covenant forever.”  Psalm 111: 4-5

I went for a walk and soaked in the beauty of the Colorado mountains and realized I didn’t need to have all those gifts.  He has blessed me with so many other gifts that were needed – organizing, communication, and more.  And what I now needed was to lean on Him for the rest of what was required.  

My BSGs had just finished Shirley Giles Davis’ study book, God. Gifts. You. Which takes a deep dive into the list of the gifts given by the Holy Spirit.  Coincidentally, she lives and works in Boulder, Colorado, just a few miles from where I now found myself needing the strength of God’s gifts.  She reminded us that our gifts can be used for good and have their own pitfalls if used incorrectly.  She showed us how God’s beautiful world can only function properly when we appreciate and honor the intricate ways all people’s gifts are used in harmony.  

“As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me.”  Psalms 55:16

And so, I called on God in humility.  I thanked Him for the blessings of financial security that helped me be there.  I listed in thankfulness the gifts of the Holy Spirit which have been endowed to me.  And I prayerfully spoke the following:

“Lord, I cannot do this without you.  I don’t have the right words for the right moments so I need the Holy Spirit to speak for me.  I don’t have the strength for this gracious Father.  I need you to keep me strong and lifted or I will fail.  Only through your loving grace, using my gifts that I have been blessed with and you filling in the rest will I be able to glorify you and help Bev and all those around her. Please Lord speak in place of my words and be my strength.” Amen

His intervention was immediate as He surrounded me with His love and peace.  All those worries and fears dissipated.  For the next three weeks, the Holy Spirit sustained me and spoke through me.  He comforted friends who left Bev’s room in tears. He guided conversations with family members who grieved differently than I did. He ministered to Bev as I read Psalms aloud each day.  And He kept me from being tired and weak.  I could wake at any hour with ease to administer medication, keep the house clean, and make meals for the ever-changing number of people at the house.  He provided, just as He promises, just as He always has.

“You are my strength, I sing praises to you; you, God are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.” ‘ Psalms 59:17

My BSGs recently completed Priscilla Shirer’s study on Elijah.  In her week 6 video she mentions the definition of faith as aligning our entire life with God’s 8,000 promises found in His Word.  Our faith doesn’t need to be some mysterious feeling that is undefinable.  Faith is simply believing God’s promises and living as though they are true.  

That’s what Elijah did when he went, as directed by God, to Cherith — a lonely, dry, desolate place. God provided in extraordinary ways, sending ravens with food and sustaining him with water for nearly two years.  Elijah knew he couldn’t make it on his own. He needed God to survive.  His own knowledge and abilities were not enough.  God would need to fill in where he was lacking.

Friends, God promises over and over to provide for us.  The Bible is filled with endless stories of His provision.  Our own lives are testimonies to those provisions.  Sometimes we just need to remember to humbly ask for Him to provide where we are weak and not gifted.

The morning my beloved Bev went home to our Father I was blessed again to have God show me how much He had answered my prayer.  I needed some alone time so I decided to take a shower.  As I stood in the bathroom waiting for the water to warm up, I suddenly felt a huge weight press on me – like an anvil was placed on each shoulder.  I cried out in surprise and then it was gone.  I knew He was showing me what He had sheltered me from for the last few weeks.  And although I am still experiencing the grief of Bev being gone from this earth, that heavy weight has never returned.  I can thank God and the Holy Spirit for being my weight bearers.  And I can thank God that He will provide in our weakest moments.

Where in your life do you need to ask for God’s provision?  
Where do you feel insufficient and weak?  Ask Him today He will provide!

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Not Yet Home

krisshetter

First published on December 8, 2023 as part of the Soli Deo Gloria series.

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 14:13-14

I had just found out that my boyfriend of three years was seeing another young woman behind my back. I didn’t know her, but she apparently knew all about me. I discovered this betrayal during a surprise visit to my (soon-to-be ex) boyfriend’s house –finding the two of them together. Now, looking back, it seems almost funny that he ran away and she stayed to tell me about the affair. I drove away, anger, sadness, betrayal, and confusion swirling inside me.

As I made my way home those emotions turned to despair. At 18 my world revolved around him. I was crushed and felt broken. Just a few miles from home, driving on the freeway, I did the unthinkable.  I looked up and said, “I’d rather die right now.” Then I let go of the wheel.

Thankfully, the usually busy freeway was almost devoid of traffic as my car veered out of its lane and crossed two others. Then came a whisper: He isn’t worth your life.  As I grabbed hold the wheel again I realized it wasn’t time for me to go to my eternal home.

I’ll admit that a couple of other times in my life I’ve wished it was my time. The last time I felt that way I finally sought help and realized my menopausal body was in complete disarray. With a caring, thoughtful doctor I went on a small dose of antidepressants to get me through this life transition. At the same time I turned and grabbed hold of the Lord. And I asked Him to heal me.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14:1-4

This week my church has taken a deep dive into this passage. This idea of “going home.” The promise Jesus makes to His disciples, and all other believers, is that He has made a beautiful, comforting place for us. We only need to seek Him and believe. But at rare times we yearn so much for that place we go ahead of God and try to take a shortcut. We want to be in control of that timeline because of pain and sadness.

Friend, I want to remind you, however, of two things. First, when Jesus took the glorious and awe-inspiring step to leave His earthly home and join us in the flesh He declared the Kingdom has come. We look to the heavens and dream of that place. But Jesus brought the Kingdom to us. John the Baptist was the first to herald this truth.

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Matthew 3:2

He came so we would experience great joy, love and peace through Him in this earthly kingdom. He came to give us the great command to love one another as He loves us. We can experience His peace and love right now. We just need to ask Him to show us the path. Throughout Scripture, He reminds us that His great love is not only for His people collectively, but for each of us individually.  He loves every single hair on our heads. He can wipe away our tears with a gentle reminder that He loves us so much He took on our pain and suffering.

Secondly, He came to prepare us for an eternal kingdom. He wants each of us to complete our God-given purpose while we are here for a relatively short time. We have a purpose and He has a plan. That purpose? To glorify Him each and every day through our works.

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”  John 14:12

Jesus never promises us a physically easy life. A life full of rainbows and unicorns. In fact, He makes it clear to the disciples that we may even be despised by following Him. But He does promise that we won’t be alone, that we can ask for help and He will provide. That we will experience the fruit of the spirit when we love others. And when the time comes we will be welcomed home to join in His glory.

He asks us to live outwardly: serving, washing feet, loving, and making peace.  Not worrying about today or tomorrow but trusting in Him. Keeping a watchful eye for the smallest of blessings and sharing them with others. He asks us to live our best and brightest life in service to Him. When we obey and trust in the Lord we find our despair, our anger, our hurt shrink as our hearts grows bigger. Sounds a litte like the Grinch, doesn’t it?

While we aren’t promised to never experience loss or pain we are promised our great Comforter. When He left the heavenly kingdom He opened Himself up to tears, physical pain, and even death. He knows how you feel.

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. … I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.” John 14:15-19

Jesus in the most glorious of ways lives in us so that we may live to glorify the Father. To look outward so that He may heal us inwardly. And when we have run our race, touched as many lives as He has planned for us, squeezed every last bit of love we can from our bodies in service to others, He will surely welcome us home.

May all Glory be given to Him alone. Amen

Friend, if you are experiencing overwhelming despair and sadness first look upward to the Lord for help. Seek immediate assistance through the many resources available in your community — possibly through your church, a Christian counseling group or a hotline. If you have a friend or family member you can go to knowing you will be received well, call them today and tell them you need help. You are precious my friend. And you are needed here for a specific piece of God’s plan.

If someone you love or know has talked about suicide here’s some ways to respond (from the Mayo Clinic)

  • Get help from a trained professional as quickly as possible. Your friend or loved one may need to stay in the hospital until the suicidal crisis passes.
  • Urge the person to contact a suicide hotline.
    • In the U.S., call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Or use the Lifeline Chat. Services are free and confidential.
    • U.S. veterans or service members who are in crisis can call 988 and then press “1” for the Veterans Crisis Line. Or text 838255. Or chat online.
    • The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the U.S. has a Spanish language phone line at 1-888-628-9454 (toll-free).

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Enjoying the Cycle of Life & Death

krisshetter

First published March 18, 2024 as part of the Enjoy Life: From meaningless to meaningful series.

I had a dream the other day that I had died.  I didn’t die in the dream; I was already dead.  In the dream, I was aware of my death and now “living” in an idyllic New England-style bay village.  The whole situation seemed a bit quirky and yet normal.  There was the typical mom and pop breakfast and lunch café, an ice cream shop on the corner, and even a small inn with a welcoming lobby bar featuring wine nights.  My death-fellows walked about in full acceptance that this was their final destination.  They were friendly and colorful.  It all was so normal yet I kept saying, “surely this can’t be it?”

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die,” Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

Ecclesiastes 3 might be one of the most well-known chapters in the Bible simply because in 1959 singer-songwriter Pete Seeger wrote the song, “Turn Turn” or “To Everything There Is a Season.” The Byrds made the song famous in the 1960s, drawing its lyrics from Ecclesiastes 3.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain that which is to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time of love, and a time of hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

Seeger’s motivation was to emphasize the last line in King Solomon’s list of cyclical life – peace.  But Solomon’s goal was to remind us again that the world keeps spinning round and round and at times may seem so meaningless.  He reflected on wickedness and judgment – a judgment that would be sought out at each of our deaths.

Death, my friends, comes to us all.  We may want to dance around that truth with familiar colloquialisms such as, “If I die….”  But the truth of death stares us in the face each year when we reflect on the people we have “lost.”  “Lost” as though we don’t know what happened to them or where they went.  Maybe they’re wandering around in some idyllic New England town.  Maybe they are in a fiery furnace.  Or maybe they are “with the Lord.”  

As a Christian, I know there are two roads to take toward death: 1) the way of the world and sin which leads to terrible judgment and hell or 2) the way of Jesus, leading to the glorious New Eden in which love abounds.  For the non-believer they may have chaos in their mind when they ponder death. If they’re atheists, like my father, they might believe that when we die we just disappear into nothingness. Others might hope for something better — like free ice cream for life, surrounded by Golden Retrievers. Many might imagine a walk up to the “pearly gates,” standing before an angel with a book of “infractions and do-goods” hoping the balance sheet is in their favor. For the atheist or confused, none of what they believe has as solid a foundational truth like the Bible.

For the Christian, we can look at Solomon’s list of “this and that” with comfort.  By trusting in God and His promises, we can seek Him in every circumstance, both the seemingly good and bad.  Each season Solomon describes contains complexity: sorrow may carry blessing, and even joyful seasons may contain loss.

“Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:6-7

The disciples were facing the truth about life.  We will die.  Jesus was the only one to ever know the exact day and hour.  In that death notice, however, Jesus gave them the preview of the blessing to come – the gift of the Holy Spirit. They still grieved mightily, but when the Holy Spirit descended upon them, they remembered His words and were healed.

Part Two of Enjoying the Cycle of Life & Death where we discover there are no “ordinary people.” Click here for part two.

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A Time for Reflection

krisshetter

Earlier this year my husband and I were blessed to be able to spend about 2 ½ weeks in France. For the first six days we meandered via car from Paris to Normandy and the Loire Valley to the south coast of France.  It truly was the trip of a lifetime!

In the midst of our travels something else amazing was happening.  My last blog series, 30 Days of Worship, was posting daily. As I regularly do during a series, I would log on to make sure each post went live smoothly.  What I discovered was a surprising burst in readership. Suddenly, my little blog went from about 100 readers per post to around 1,000.

Why? I had no idea.

It caused me to reflect on my very first post. I was led by the Spirit to start a blog back in July 2020. In my prayers I said, “Even if just one person reads this, LORD, let it lead them to You.”

These new readers weren’t just reading the latest posts. They were discovering posts from years past, too. It led me to do a bit of data mining of my site. The result of which is this new series, “30 Posts We Loved.”

I’ve gone back to these favorite posts and did some editing and refining.  Hopefully I’ve also caught all the spelling errors — since it’s me, myself and I as the editor!  

But this walk down memory lane has given me something even better: the gift of remembering just how much God loves us and how faithfully He is with us in every moment of every day.

Last night in my BSG Bible study one of the ladies commented, “I work on all these questions during the week. But when we get together and discuss them I read my answers and think ‘who wrote this? It’s so good and insightful!’” That’s the Holy Spirit teaching us and guiding us each time we read His Word.

I get that same thought when I re-read all these posts.  “Who wrote these?”  Not to toot my horn but to recognize the gift with which He has blessed me.  To take my trials and blessings alongside the Word of God and share them with you.  

I’ll be honest, some of these brought back hard memories.  Some were sweet.  Some brought me laughter and some brought tears.  I hope revisiting them blesses you as much as it has blessed me.

New series begins tomorrow October 1, 2026.

Snow-covered mountain peak emerging from clouds with sunset sky
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El Shaddai – The Almighty, Self‑Sufficient God

krisshetter

“When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.  On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram.”  Genesis 15:17-18

“For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.” John 5:26

God doesn’t need you.  He doesn’t need me.  

That may sound shocking or stark to some. But truth is what sets us free. Just like God’s self‑existence, understanding His self‑sufficiency is essential to our Christian walk.

Now, God being self-sufficient doesn’t then lead us into the heresy of deism.  That’s the claim that God did create the world but doesn’t intervene daily in our lives.  Deists must disregard just about every page of the Bible, including the entire New Testament in order to hold to their views.  They must shut their ears to the millions of testimonies by believers of God’s daily intercessions.

On the flip side, we must believe in God not needing us lest we become like pagan idol worshippers or followers of superstitious practices.  Rubbing coins for a god to make our wishes come true.  Or making daily sacrifices to please an unpleasable piece of wood.  

Oh, we Christians do try and fall into this practice.  I heard a friend once say that as a new Christian she was led to believe if she didn’t end a prayer with “In Jesus’ Name,” then God wouldn’t hear her prayer.  If we miss church, “God will be mad.” If we skip our daily 15 minutes of Bible reading, our day will be filled with quiet punishments.

The Truth and The Balm

We need to leave all those big and little lies behind us.  God may not need us but the balm to that hard truth is that He still made us and loves us.  He shows up, He blesses, He listens, He comforts.  The worshippers of the goddess Artemis in Ephesus didn’t have that same security.

We find in Acts 19 the apostle Paul making quite a stir when, with the work of the Holy Spirit, he was making headway into spreading the Gospel.  That not only angered all the artisans responsible for the booming Artemis idol trade but it also frightened them.  

They were worried that without the constant bowing down and sacrificing then the goddess would lose her divine stature and authority.

But the One and Only True God doesn’t need us to rub our beads, wear our crosses, lay flowers at the church altar.  Without us, He is still God. With or without belief, He reigns.

“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” Acts 17:24-25.

This truth, my Friends, should bring you to your knees in loving worship.  He’s not just a god who loves people.  He is God who IS love.  Between the Son, the Father and the Holy Spirit they have all the love they ever need.  But He chooses to bestow that love upon us.  How glorious is that?  

“Goodness (love, truth, beauty, holiness) is not some external standard He tries to emulate. He is goodness. God has no parts on which he depends.” Michael Reeves, President, Union School of Theology

He Doesn’t Have To

This Spring as the flowers around you begin to bloom and the colors explode in all their majesty remind yourself of this point: God didn’t have to.  He could have been content in His own perfect triune situation.  Instead, with an expert painter’s brush He created the world and everything in it.  He then became the eternal steward of His creation!

The Westminster Confession of Faith (2.2) says this about God’s self-sufficiency:

“God hath all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of himself; and is alone in and unto himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which he hath made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting his own glory in, by, unto, and upon them: he is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things; … To him is due from angels and men, and every other creature, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience, he is pleased to require of them.”

God is contingent on no one and nothing.  He is to be reverently feared while at the same time loved as a good, good Father.  When you read the covenants of the Old Testament you’ll find a remarkable aspect of each.  

Our opening OT verse today mentions the flaming pot moving amongst the animals split in two.  It was a type of longstanding ceremony done in those times.  But when done by man, man was responsible for the keeping or breaking of the deal.  A broken deal meant death.  But God’s covenants are made and kept by one faithful person, God.  God makes the promise and God fulfills it. His promise is sufficient.

All we need to contribute is our gratefulness through obedience.  That should help us not only have confidence in God but also allow us to rest easy that we don’t need to be in constant “please God” mode.  

Instead, we can wake each day knowing the gifts we have received come without burden and therefore should be received with all honor and love.

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Rest, Refuge, and the God Who Holds Us

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“My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior.”  2 Samuel 22:3

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”  John 17:15

At the time of writing this, my BSGs are beginning a new study by Priscilla Shirer titled Breathe: Making Room for Sabbath. The idea of maintaining sabbath has become so foreign that, just a few years ago, the fast‑food chain Chick‑fil‑A came under fire simply for refusing to open on Sundays. The company’s founder is a devout Christian who has chosen to live out his faith publicly. Imagine—people being so riled up because a chicken restaurant honored the sabbath and gave every one of its employees a guaranteed day off.

As part of the study, we were asked why we think the world values busyness over rest. The truth is, the world often views rest as inconvenient and unnecessary. My response was this: the farther we drift from God, the more tightly we cling to the idea that success comes only through striving harder and relying on ourselves. We stop looking for rest and refuge anywhere—but within our own effort. A God‑centered perspective says otherwise:

“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deuteronomy 33:27

True Rest

I am one of those always‑striving types. Even when I try to rest, I wrestle with guilt—feeling as though I am not being productive enough by the world’s standards. Just as I never learned how to wear makeup, I never learned how to truly wear the refuge and rest of God. I am still learning how to rest in His arms in a way that allows my work to have purpose and boundaries, and my rest to be true rest.

God taught so many of us a profound lesson about refuge during the COVID years. We lost businesses and friendships. We lost dreams, finances, loved ones, and trust in institutions. In the midst of all that loss, however, I began to recognize what I was also gaining—a deeper understanding of what God truly offers when He calls Himself our refuge.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-29

He became my shelter from the outside chaos.  My refuge from my internal strife.  He gave me the opportunity to not work and instead fully support my husband whose business was under fire each day.  The Holy Spirit encouraged me to start this blog and delve deep into the ways of the Father, encouraging others along the way.  

But as the world around us began opening up I felt the familiar tug at my heart and mind – “start producing and striving.”  The world was pulling me from His arms again.  Taking my eyes off the only thing that could give me the safety and security we all so desire.  

Run To His Refuge

Friend, the Christian life is not easy street.  It’s work.  The world comes at us full bore with sparkly lights and gems.  Always wanting more, being better, doing more.  But the psalmist reminds us: 

“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.” Psalm 5:11

I want to sing for joy while resting safe and secure in His arms.  Last year I chose two scriptures to memorize.  It wasn’t until I started researching for this post that I realized both focus on God’s promise of refuge.  It was obviously something on my heart!

“My flesh and my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”  Psalm 73:26

“God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved.  God will help her when the morning dawns.”  Psalm 46:5

The LORD commands us to rest and find refuge in Him.  It’s the only place we can find perfect peace.  Let’s all make it our priority today to swim against the world’s current of ceaseless striving.  Take time this week to turn all your troubles over to Him and rest in Him. 

I Heard The Voice of Jesus Say by Horatio Bonar (1846)

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Come unto Me and rest;
Lay down, O weary one, lay down
Thy head upon My breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary, and worn, and sad;
I found in him a resting-place,
And he has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one,
Stoop down, and drink, and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quench’d, my soul revived,
And now I live in him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“I am this dark world’s Light;
Look unto me, your morn shall rise,
And all your day be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found
In him my Star, my Sun;
And in that Light of life I’ll walk,
Till trav’ling days are done.

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He Knows All Things

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“Would not God find this out?  For He knows the secrets of the heart.”  Psalm 44:21

“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”  Matthew 10:30

Of all the blog posts I’ve written so far in this series it’s this one that I’ve spent the most contemplating.  It’s not for lack of material to work with; no, it’s the abundance that has caused me to ponder my focus.  

God’s omniscience shows up in scripture in various ways, both in the obvious and not so obvious.  It’s why I chose the two pieces of scripture to get us started.  One exemplifies the idea of God knowing exactly what we think and feel.  While the other represents God’s knowledge of everything in the natural world.  He is not only everywhere and all-powerful; He sees and understands all.

“By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before Him; for whenever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.”  1 John 3:20

The Apostle John apparently was paying attention during Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  If you drill down into all that Jesus taught and can be found in Matthew 5-7, He’s talking about God knowing our thoughts and hearts.  Even back in the book of Isaiah God told His people not to come with empty sacrifices; He wants our hearts.  This was the downfall of Cain.

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good.”  Proverbs 15:3

There is no place to hide, as the post on God’s omnipresence reminds us.  He is both physically everywhere and knowledgeable about all.  To truly grasp God’s mercy we must understand this. 

No one gets away with anything.  God is a just God and cannot let sin go unpunished.  We should be thankful for that.  Conversely, we should be eternally grateful that the punishment for our sins has already been paid.  As Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished.”  We may not understand it all but we don’t need to.

“God does not require us to understand His will, just obey it, even if it seems unreasonable.”  Life Principle #5, Charles Stanley, 30 Life Principles

When we completely accept as truth the “3 O’s of God,” as I once titled a blog post on His omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence, we let go of our wills and submit gladly to the power of Christ.  When we accept that the Holy Spirit is not just the angel on our shoulder balancing the red devil on the other, we move into a Christian life free of bondage to sin. 

His Eternal Wisdom and Knowledge

“Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?”  Isaiah 40:13-14

When James tells us in His book to seek God’s wisdom if we are lacking, he’s simply building on the truth of God’s omniscience told throughout the Old Testament.  From the creation of the world to leading His people out of Egypt and the wisdom books to prophets foretelling both the first and second coming of Christ, we can see God knowing what came, what is happening and what is to come.  All knowledge and wisdom finds its source in Him.

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” Romans 11:33

Friends, when we realize this truth, we can laugh when scientists “discover” something “new.”  In fact, I read there are at least 10 major scientific ideas found in the Old Testament.  For example, long before explorers circled the earth pronouncing it round, Isaiah tells us, “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth” (Isaiah 40:22).

Rest In His Insight

Honestly, when we feel lost, unsure, unseen, unheard, unloved by those around us in this physical world it can be very discouraging.  But God.  He sees you, has wisdom and knowledge to impart to you, and loves you.  He has a plan laid for you and for me.  And it is good.  

Countless Stars: At a time when people believed the stars could be easily numbered, Scripture declared the opposite: “As the host of heaven cannot be counted…” (Jeremiah 33:22). Modern astronomy reveals billions of galaxies each containing countless stars. The more we look, the more we discover that it’s truly an innumerable multitude sparkling in our night sky.  Science and The Bible, Bible Hub

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The Lord in the Midst of You

krisshetter

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!” 1 Kings 8:27

“For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” Matthew 18:20

A quick look up on Wikipedia will inform you that the Egyptians at one point had 17 gods of war.  When one Egyptian city went out to battle another, they brought their gods to fight alongside them.  When the Assyrians and Babylonians came up against Israel, they too carried their idols on the backs of slaves.  Assured that with their gods in their physical midst the battle would be theirs.  Yet when Moses and Joshua faced the fierce Amalekites all they had was Moses’ arms. But was that all they truly had?  

“And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Exodus 17:7

This verse sits just prior to the story of the great battle against the Amalekites.  The Israelites once again, believed God had left them without food or water.  The LORD told Moses to strike the rock so that water would flow freely from it. Afterwards, we find Moses naming the place as he so often did, when God performed a miracle.  I would imagine their question, “Is the Lord among us or not?” caused God to further show His omnipresent state with the ensuing battle.  The Israelites didn’t need an idol carried into battle, they only needed hands lifted to Him.

All throughout the ancient world idol worshippers felt compelled to have an object on their person or in their household in order to be in the presence of the gods.  But I love this (long) piece of scripture from Isaiah mocking this concept:

“He (the carpenter) cut down cedars,
    or perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest,
    or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.
It is used as fuel for burning;
    some of it he takes and warms himself,
    he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships it;
    he makes an idol and bows down to it.
Half of the wood he burns in the fire;
    over it he prepares his meal,
    he roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
    “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.”
From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
    he bows down to it and worships.
He prays to it and says,
    “Save me! You are my god!” Isaiah 44:14-17

And yet, modern “spiritual” people still do the same with beads, rocks, and stones.  If you wear a special bead bracelet then you are protected by some sort of god or spiritual being.  A bracelet probably made in China by child labor.  I prefer the God who is omnipresent like the one Paul describes here:

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, created through him and for him.  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.   And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,  and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Colossians 1:15-20

This God is everywhere with us at all times, throughout all time.  We don’t need to conjure up some spirit out of our craftsmen’s hands.  We, through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, have the Holy Spirit living in each believer.  We are His temple, His dwelling place.  Wherever we go, He goes.

There are so many other beautiful truths about God’s omnipresence in the Bible but this Psalm is a standout to bring the point home.

"Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139:7-10

I want to be held fast while in my car, in my bed, on a plane, in the presence of believers and non-believers.  And knowing that He sees me everywhere should also hold my feet to the fire to remember to whom I belong.    

“Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?” declares the Lord. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.”  Jeremiah 23:24

For the believer in the western world, we can easily forget that we need this God to be with us throughout our days.  But think about the believers in hostile lands such as Egypt, Somalia, Nigeria, North Korea, and unfortunately too many other places.  Even without a Bible in their hands, they can know the truth, that God is with them.  God the Father was with the more than 20 Nigerian Christians slaughtered by Islamic terrorists over Easter.  Now they are with Him in His arms for all eternity.

Friends, may we never face the terror some of our brothers and sisters face in defense of our Savior.  What we more likely face each day is the clash of cultures.  We face decisions to stand up for our faith or be ridiculed.  I pray each time you do, you remember the LORD is in the midst of you.  He is with you always.