Cross My Heart Ministry

“But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.”
Psalm 13:5

David begins Psalm 13 by asking four times, “How long…?” His questions are more of a lament, giving insight into his pain and frustration: 

• He feels forgotten by God.
  
• He feels God is hiding from him.
  
• His thought life is not peaceful.
  
• His heart is filled with sorrow.
  
• He feels defeated by his enemy.
  

If Job’s wife had been around to advise David, she would have said, “Just give up. Curse God and die.” 

Self-righteous acquaintances might have looked on condescendingly, asking, “Is there sin in your life that you need to confess?” 

When you find yourself in a similar slump, you may have friends who try to distract you by suggesting a good movie, a hot fudge sundae, taking a vacation, or splurging on clothes or a new pair of shoes.  

But David doesn’t run to his friends (or to the mall). He does what he often does through the Psalms: he processes the pain as he worships the Lord.  

David’s words are gritty, real, and unvarnished. They give us permission to be equally blunt as we pour out our own lament.

Why do we assume we have to get our act together first, THEN go to God?

Do we only pray when we are anger-free, worry-free, and sorrow-free? If so, it may explain why we do so little praying! 

David’s brings himself – negative emotions and all – before God. No filters. His honesty is both startling and refreshing. Most importantly, it gives us permission to do likewise. 

Though experiencing a crisis, he refuses to allow it to shake his faith. And that reveals much about real faith: it is immune to circumstances, unaffected by difficulties. 

We can claim David’s prayer and make it our own:

“But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.”
Psalm 13:5

Notice that it begins with “but.” When we pray that prayer, we are not saying the hard things aren’t real, or that we expect their pain to just magically disappear when we reach “Amen.” 

What we are declaring is that in spite of … no matter what … come what may … my circumstances will not change the reality of who I am and whose I am! We can choose to trust in His love and rejoice in His salvation even in – especially in – a time of pain and struggle. 

When your life seems filled with hardship and uncertainty, it’s helpful to declare what you do know and what you do believe: 

• God is faithful.
• His love never fails.
• I’m choosing to remain steadfast.
• I know my salvation is a done deal.
• Even if He doesn’t fix what is broken right now, He has provided what I need most of all: salvation.

Come what may, when the last earthly page of your book (and mine) is finished, the most important thing of all is not what’s written on the pages of my journal, in the margins of my Bible, or in messages sent to loved ones. No, the most important thing is that my name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Is your name there, my friend?

Do you know – beyond a shadow of doubt – that you are HIS? 

David wraps up this Psalm by doing what he does best. He praises God: 

“I will sing to the LORD for He has been good to me.”
Psalm 13:6 

David prays and praises himself out of the pit, and to a place of peace and joy.

Do you need to do the same today? Are you looking around when you need to be looking up?  

Will you choose today – regardless of your circumstances – to trust in His unfailing love and rejoice in the salvation He has provided? 

In this week’s Friday devotional video, Laura welcomes her friend, Donna Kemp, for a conversation about I Peter 1:3-5. This passage reminds us of what we already know – we have a LIVING HOPE in Christ. We invite you to listen as Donna and Laura unpack key words from this passage: praise, salvation, living hope, and inheritance.

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— from violent people you save me.
II Samuel 22:2-3

These verses are part of a long Psalm of David recorded in II Samuel 22. If they sound more like one of David’s Psalms than a verse found in a book of history, you will find it interesting to note that these words in II Samuel parallel those from Psalm 18. 

This is a song of praise, so we can imagine David (the singer/slinger/warrior/king) playing his harp and offering these words in worship to our great God.  

As David praises God, he not only highlights many of God’s attributes, but he also celebrates how God is personal to him. Note the repeated use of the pronoun “my”: 

My Rock  …

My deliverer …

My salvation …

My stronghold …

My refuge …

My Savior.

God provided for David physically and spiritually. As David’s rock, deliverer, salvation, stronghold, refuge, and savior, God played both offense and defense in David’s life. He protected David from his enemies (bears and lions in the wilderness, Goliath in battle, Saul when on the run, the Philistines, and even from his own rebellious son, Absalom).  

He not only protected David from, but brought him to a solid place — a place of salvation and refuge. 

Whether you are calling on God today to protect you from an enemy or to take you to a place of safety and security, you can call to Him with the same “my” pronoun used by David.  

Because of the presence of God, our rock, we can remain steadfast, confident, and unwavering in the midst of whatever challenges today brings. The ebb and flow of daily life brings irritations, challenges, and bumps in the road with marriage, friendships, employment, parenting (and grandparenting), care-giving, church responsibilities, and many other areas. It may bring extraordinary challenges, as well: serious illness, prodigal children, marital struggles, family estrangement, financial setbacks, loss of loved ones, or any number of devastating circumstances.  

As we look over David’s list and recount the many ways God provides for us, it’s reassuring to note the best is saved for last: He is our Savior. In providing our salvation, our Lord demonstrates His power over death and victory over sin.  

My greatest enemy of all is ME. My sin, my choices, and my rebellion disqualify me from heaven and bring eternal consequences. But through Jesus — my rock, my deliverer, my salvation, my stronghold, my refuge, and my savior — the slate is wiped clean. He doesn’t just mark “paid in full” over my debt; my record is expunged. Gone. Just as if it were never there! 

Have you allowed Him to rescue you? Are you living like you are free? Can you lift your voice to heaven and join with David in exalting God as your savior? 

Thank you, Jesus, for saving me from me.
Thank you for the gift of salvation!

This week’s devotional video features Laura’s conversation with her friend Tracy, who shares insight from Ephesians 6:17, the passage that inspired this month’s bookmark. We think you’ll be inspired by Tracy’s personal testimony about salvation and the Word of God as she shares thoughts on this passage!

The woman of God puts on her helmet and takes up her sword…every day!

“Take the helmet of salvation…”
Ephesians 6:17

Last month, we introduced our first study of elements of the Armor of God from Ephesians 6. After focusing on the Belt of Truth during May, we are continuing in June with the Helmet of Salvation.

The word salvation, like many others, is a “churchy” word we use frequently, but we might find it hard to pin down a definition if asked to explain what it means to someone outside the faith.

As I pondered the meaning of salvation and its implication to my life, the classic Star Trek TV series came to mind. When Captain Kirk needed to return to the Starship Enterprise, he would speak into his communicator to his chief engineer, “Beam me up, Scotty!”

If you’re a fellow Trekkie, you already know that phrase is one you might use as a humorous way of saying, “Get me out of this situation!”

The older I get, the more I realize that life itself is a bit of a situation. We seem to be perpetually in a jam, coming out of a jam, or heading into a jam. Perhaps, then, we can think of exiting earth and entering heaven as the time we get to “beam up.”

Our salvation – our acceptance of Christ as our Savior – means that when we leave this world, heaven awaits us. Our hope for eternity on that day is all about Jesus.  That’s the good news of the Gospel.

Because of the Gospel, we have confident hope for that day.  We have steadfast assurance for that day. We know we do not grieve without hope, and we know there is life beyond this one here on Earth. That is indeed good news … great news! The best of news!

But is the Gospel more than that? Is it not just for that day, but for THIS day?  If the only purpose of salvation was to get us to heaven, why wouldn’t God just “beam us up” the moment we accepted Christ as our Savior?

Does – or should – the gospel change my today?

Does – or should – the reality of my salvation affect my words, thoughts, actions, attitudes, and behaviors in THIS life and on THIS day?

As we Write the WORD this month, let us celebrate our life in Christ, lean into renewed gratitude for our salvation, and ponder its implications for living in this world as we await getting “beamed up” for eternity.

Visit our Downloads page for your copy of this month’s Write the WORD bookmark, optional S.O.A.P. Bible study pages, and other free resources to help you balance your heart for God with the demands of a busy life and home.

In this week’s devotional video, Laura introduces our new bookmark for June and unpacks David’s powerful words from Psalm 13:5: But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. We invite you to watch her introduction and hope you also accept her challenge to read, write, and commit to memory this truth-packed verse.

Stand firm then,
with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…
Ephesians 6:14a

As followers of Christ, we put on the armor of God daily so that we can take our stand against the enemy. Ours is a spiritual battle. We know we stand against the enemy. We also stand behind the truth.  

When we don our spiritual armor, the belt of truth goes on first. Perhaps that is to remind us that truth is the foundation of everything else. Jesus described Himself as, “the way, the truth, and the life” in John 14:6 and John 17:17 says, “…your word is truth.”  

Is God’s Word your source for truth? Is it your GO-TO for answers to life’s questions? 

When the world argues there’s some gray in a decision, God’s Word may reveal clearly what is black and white.

When the world tries to push, pull, and tug us off course, the Word of God is our compass pointing due north.  

The Psalmist describes it as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. We need that illumination to live well and stand firm in today’s world—and we need to understand the importance of modeling that truth for our children, grandchildren, and those in our sphere of influence.  

And it’s a daily choice: Get up. Put on your belt of truth. Immerse yourself in the Word of God. 

Yesterday is gone. If you sought truth from scripture yesterday and walked in the light of that truth, good. But today, the battle begins all over again. 

Each day is a fresh start—for good or otherwise. Protect yourself from the lies of the enemy today, by choosing to believe what God says. 

Yesterday, putting on the belt of truth may have covered your core. But that was yesterday.  

Today is a new day. Time to suit up … and it starts with the belt of truth.

Are you buckled up for today?

In this week’s devotional video, Laura and her friend, Rhonda Gentry, discuss I John 1:6-8:

If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

We invite you to watch as Laura and Rhonda talk about sharing fellowship in truth and light, and how we can each lean in to walking in fellowship with Jesus and those around us!

“Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.”
Psalm 25:4-5

David makes three requests of God: 

• Show me your ways 
• Teach me your paths 
• Guide me in your truth 

Acknowledging the need for direction, teaching, and guidance requires a heart of humility. In making these requests, David simultaneously admits both his own need and identifies God as the One who can provide.  

Only a teachable spirit can learn. Only a humble spirit acknowledges the need for guidance. When we place ourselves in a position to learn from God, we choose to be under His authority and leadership. We are protected from the world’s ways and even our own flesh.  

God’s truth is really the only truth. And without His truth, we have no hope. Those who would argue about “my truth” and “your truth” fail to realize that by its very definition, the truth is objective. It is exclusive. It is absolute. That’s what makes it truth! That’s how we distinguish it from lies. Only by clinging to the truth do we have genuine hope. 

In declaring, “You are God my Savior,” David admits he cannot save himself. He is totally dependent on God, and his only hope is in Him.  

Does that describe you, beloved? Is your only hope in God?  

Our hope is placed in Jesus when we call on Him and give our lives over to Him for salvation. It ensures we will enter heaven on that day in our future. But Jesus also provides hope for this day in our present circumstances. We can experience peace and joy in the here and now. We need not wait for heaven.

As we deliberately and consciously place our hope in Him all day long, He is ever faithful to show, teach, and guide us.  

Do you see the connection between truth and hope? And will you allow His truth to guide you and provide for you all day long on this day, as you await heaven on that day?

In this week’s devotional video, Laura welcomes her friend, Hannah Millsap. Together, they explore the meaning of the word “truth” as spoken by Jesus, and what it means to be “free indeed!” We invite you to listen for ideas of how to apply the passage to your life in new ways.

It’s not too late to join us for the rest of May, as we learn about the Belt of Truth, one component of the Armor of God (Ephesians 6). Visit our Downloads page for this month’s bookmark, S.O.A.P. study pages, and other valuable resources to help you balance your heart for God and others, with the demands of a busy life.

Paul uses the word stand four times in the Armor of God passage in Ephesians 6: 

• Take your stand against the devil’s schemes 
• Stand your ground 
• Stand 
• Stand firm 

We can almost imagine a four-star general barking, “Stand your ground!” orders to the troops, or a coach yelling to players on the field, “Stand firm!” 

Both the athlete and the soldier are trained in the ready stance: knees slightly bent, tight core, weight evenly divided and senses engaged and ready to move. A good leader utilizes practices, drills, and repetition to train soldiers and players to stand. 

If we are to stand as followers of Christ in the Army of God, we must know: 

1.  Who we stand AGAINST: the devil 
2.  What we stand BEHIND: the truth 

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.  

When the Christian soldier suits up in her armor, the first element she puts on is the belt. (In Bible times, it may have been called a girdle.) Placed around the waist, it kept everything else strapped on and accessible when needed. Just like putting on that belt, choosing to take our stand for the truth is a daily choice.

The evil one is a liar and a deceiver. He persuaded Eve to commit the first sin by convincing her to believe a lie. Down through the ages, he has continued to use that same ploy. Has he ever whispered a lie in your ear? Perhaps something like: 

• God could never forgive you for that. 
• If your friends knew about that incident from your past, they would reject you. 
• Your ideas are brilliant –why haven’t you been tapped for leadership? 
• Your husband has lost interest in you and your marriage. 
• Your kids don’t appreciate you. 
• Prayer is a total waste of time.  
• You are a star employee, so you deserve this indulgence. 
• No one is perfect and no one will know, so just go ahead. 

Maybe it’s not those lies, but others. Make no mistake, the enemy delights in telling lies and in getting you to believe them. If he can do that, he breaks your ready stance. He distracts you from the truth. He renders you vulnerable and ineffective for battle. 

The late Tim Keller did a great job categorizing those lies as either a temptation or an accusation.

The evil one wants us to either think more highly of ourselves than we should, or much less of ourselves than God thinks of us.

You are His beloved child.

Christ died for you.  

We cheapen God’s grace when we see it as a license to indulge our sin … but we discount His sacrifice when we focus on that sin, rather than His atoning death on the cross.

We are both more sinful than we want to believe, and more loved than we dare hope.  

How do we refute the lie? By saturating ourselves in the truth. Are you standing firm on the truth today? Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is yet to come. Immerse yourself in the truth today. Protect yourself from the lies of the enemy by choosing to believe what God says.  

His words are found in His Word. Read it, write it, and walk in it today.  

We must be ready to stand.

In this week’s devotional video, Laura welcomes her dear friend Brenda, who shares insight from John 4:24: God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.  We invite you to listen in on their conversation about this verse, which teaches us the importance of having a heart filled by God and the Spirit living inside you!

“…be strong in the LORD and in his mighty power….”
Ephesians 6:10 

Picture yourself seeking counsel from a friend or mentor, and she provides this challenge: “Be strong in the Lord! Find your strength in His mighty power!”

The admonition is delivered with gusto. You respond with a passionate, “YES!! 

You leave motivated to embrace it and walk in it. You say to yourself,  I will be strong in the Lord! I will find strength in His mighty power!

As the emotion subsides and you begin to process and think through the follow through, you then ask yourself: But how exactly do I do that? What does it look like to be strong in the Lord and to find my strength in His mighty power?  

To answer that question, we need to read through Ephesians 6. Thankfully, Paul not only tells us to find our strength and power in God, he also provides insight in what that looks like lived out.  

We choose to daily appropriate His strength and power by putting on the full armor of God.  

The imagery chosen by Paul prompts several thoughts: 

Armor—we are at war!
Life in this world is indeed a daily battle. And that battle is not only against the evil “out there,” but against the evil that can rise up in our own flesh. We are a new creation in Christ living in a body that sometimes pulls us in the opposite direction. We empathize with Paul’s confession in Romans 7:15, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” 

We choose to suit up.
When Paul says “put on” that is a call to the believer to do our part. Only Jesus can save us; that’s our salvation. But we must cooperate with Him in our sanctification – our growing in Christ. Living things are growing things. We began our new life in Christ as spiritual babies. As we abide in Him, we will grow spiritually. Are you and I different today than a year ago? Five years ago? Are we choosing to yield to Him? Putting on our armor will have us ready to face today’s challenges.  

The full armor is needed.
A solider doesn’t go into battle wearing only her helmet. She needs every element of the armor to be fully prepared. Spiritually, the warrior for God needs to be fully suited up:  

• Belt of truth 
• Breastplate of righteousness 
• Gospel shoes of peace 
• Shield of faith 
• Helmet of salvation 
• Sword of the Spirit 

I have a friend who prays through this passage every morning and “puts on” each element of the armor. Will you and I accept this challenge? Let’s give it a try. It will be a daily reminder that: 

• We are at war.
  
• We must choose to suit up to be ready.
  
• We need the full armor to fight well.
  

In John 15, Jesus taught us to abide in Him. My translation says remain in Him. He reminds us: apart from me, you can do nothing. 

Putting on our armor is our daily choice to abide in Christ, to remain in Christ. It’s the only way to victory. God has given us everything we need in Him. We just need to do our part to claim what He has provided. 

If your life feels like a losing battle … if you feel like you are living less when you know there’s more … if you’ve lost the joy of living for Him … if today has you feeling like you want to wave the white flag … then know you are not alone. We’ve all been there. Stuck. Spinning our wheels. Unable to move forward.

Perhaps when we are stuck, the best thing is to go in reverse. Back up. Regroup. Remind yourself who you are and whose you are. PUT ON YOUR FULL ARMOR.  

Would you pray it on with me now?

• Lord, I’m buckling on your truth for today. Help me be true to your Word. Jesus, You are “the way, the truth, and the life.” I will follow You today. 
• God, I know that I am not righteous, but I’m grateful that I have been declared righteous in Christ. When the enemy wants to shame me, I’m grateful for your breastplate of righteousness that honors and protects me.  
• Thank you, Jesus, for the good news of the gospel. Because of my sin, I was at war with God, but in You, I have peace with God. I praise You as my Prince of Peace. I will walk in that peace today. 
• God Almighty, in You I can lift my shield in confident faith. The condemning arrows the enemy shoots will fall away without finding their mark. You are my protector. My faith is in You all day long. I will not be shaken. 
• My salvation is found in Christ alone. My hope is in Christ alone. When my mind wants to make it complicated, when reason screams that grace is illogical, and when the enemy mocks the outrageous truth that Jesus died for me, the helmet of salvation brings victory to the battlefield of my mind.  
• Lord God, I love Your Word. It is powerful. It is life-giving. I agree with the writer of Hebrews, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow…” I choose to daily sharpen my sword so that I will be ready to face today’s challenges with strength, wisdom, and power. Give me an insatiable hunger and thirst for Your Word. Holy Spirit, bring to mind the Scripture hidden in my heart, right when I need it.  

Let’s choose to not leave home – or stay home – without being completely dressed!

Laura is pleased to welcome her friend Barb Maples for a discussion in this week’s devotional video. Barb shares insight from John 1:17:  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Can we keep the law? God’s Word is Truth … and it says we cannot. Does this mean life is hopeless? No! Through Christ Jesus, God extends grace to us.

Visit our Downloads page today for your copy of this month’s Write the WORD bookmark. During May, we will be studying the Belt of Truth … one of the components of the Armor of God, from Ephesians 6.