Cross My Heart Ministry

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.

What is your attitude about work? Is it a proverbial “four-letter word” in your vocabulary? Are you just the opposite – a workaholic who finds it difficult to rest and stop working? Are you one of those rare people who finds satisfaction in your work?  

If you’ve been reading (and, hopefully, writing) the verses from this month’s Write the WORD bookmark, you know the Bible has a lot to say on the topic of work. As we wrap up the month, let’s consider the WHO, WHAT, and WHY of work.
 

The WHO of Work

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,
as working for the Lord, not for men.
Colossians 3:23

There are lots of “-ings” that fill up our day, claim our energy, and get our attention. Life can become so full and stressful that there’s little room to think much about God’s role in our day-to-day life. We may assume that teaching Sunday School, visiting a sick friend in the hospital, or cooking for the Missions banquet is what really counts as “working for the Lord.”  

But then we read Colossians 3:23.  

Whatever means whatever. Baking, cooking, shopping. Exercising. Reading. Cleaning. Washing. Mowing. Teaching. Babysitting. 

The fact that all tasks are apportioned to us by our Lord means their completion is working for Him.  

Let’s pray that our children and grandchildren have a strong work ethic. Let’s model this for them, as we display an “all your heart” attitude. Let’s pray they see us complete our tasks with joy and commitment — not just getting it done, but honoring God as we do it.
 

The WHAT of Work

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk
leads only to poverty.
Proverbs 14:23

The Chinese proverb, Talk don’t cook the rice, echoes the truth of Proverbs 14:23. Maybe here in the South we would say, Talk don’t fry the bacon!

At some point, we need to stop talking about doing what needs to be done (cleaning out the garage, weeding the flower beds, purging the closet, scrubbing the sink, etc.) and just engage and DO IT.  

It makes me giggle to note how many YouTube videos are out there – with hundreds of thousands of views! – of people cleaning or exercising. Does it make us feel productive to watch other people clean or exercise?  

Time to stop talking and start doing!

The WHY of Work 

Several verses might offer an answer to the “Why work?” question, but here are three: 

1. We work to bring God glory:

I have brought you glory on earth
by completing the work you gave me to do.
John 17:4

Jesus is always our example for all things. He willingly set aside his robe of majesty and took on human flesh to come and live among us. His life models for us the attitude and behavior that honors God. Jesus brought God glory. We were created to bring God glory. We do that by faithfully completing the work He has for us.  

2. We work because we need to eat:

If a man will not work, he shall not eat.
II Thessalonians 3:10

There’s a big difference between will not and cannot. Laziness and idleness have no place in the life of a believer. We honor God by stewarding well the gifts He has given us.  

3. We work so we can bless others: 

He who has been stealing must steal no longer,
but must work, doing something useful with his own hands
that he may have something to share with those in need.
Ephesians 4:28

The ultimate blessing of work is that of giving. The Scripture tells is it is indeed more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). When we lean into working hard, we not only provide for ourselves, but we’re rewarded with the joy of being used by God to bless others. 

As we desire to develop a correct attitude about work and have a strong work ethic, let’s pray we lean into the right WHO, WHAT, and WHY. To HIM be all the glory!  

In this week’s devotional, video introduces our May Write the WORD bookmark. In the upcoming month, we will be studying verses about the Belt of Truth – one component of the Armor of God. This topic is the first in a series of studies in which we’ll examine pieces of the spiritual armor Paul teaches about in Ephesians 6. We invite you to listen as Laura unpacks this topic for us today. Then, visit our Downloads page for your copy of our May bookmark, the optional S.O.A.P. study pages, and other free resources!

Moses’ father-in-law replied,
“What you are doing is not good.
You and these people who come to you
will only wear yourselves out.
The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.”
Exodus 18:17-18 

When Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came to visit, he assessed the situation, identified the problem, and suggested a solution.  

Moses was arising early and serving as the judge for the people – hearing cases, settling disputes, and making decisions to dole out justice – from dawn to dusk. (Read Exodus 18:13-27 for the full story). 

Jethro took note that this was a heavy burden for Moses. He also understood this method was not only bad for Moses, but also for the people. Yes, Moses was getting worn out, but the Israelites spent all day (and perhaps day after day) awaiting their turn to be heard. Everyone involved was surely exhausted. And those long waits in the hot desert sun probably meant even more cases arose that needed to be settled!

Jethro’s solution is akin to a modern-day appellate court system: divide the people into groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. Choose trustworthy men to preside over each group. Make sure everyone knows the rules, train the leaders, and then you hear only the cases that make their way up the chain to you. Brilliant idea! 

Moses received the wise counsel from his father-in-law and implemented the plan. Because of his teachable spirit, both Moses and the people gained relief and satisfaction. The workload was shared, with more men trained and involved. Moses wasn’t worn out. God’s people did not have to wait to resolve their disagreements. The solution came about because Moses did not allow pride to preclude him from releasing responsibility, thereby allowing others to lead and serve.  

Are you in a place today of feeling burdened, overwhelmed, and exhausted? Are you laboring from dawn to dusk, yet feeling more behind when you go to bed than when you got up? Your job may not be judicial, but you find that working, volunteering, cooking, cleaning, washing, and a zillion other “-ings” demand your hours and rob you of peace and joy in the course of a day.

Would you consider receiving some wise counsel from Jethro? 

If you are feeling overwhelmed, there could be many reasons: 

• you’ve taken on more than you should 
• saying “yes” without praying first 
• failure to plan well 
• failure to budget time well 
• you’ve assumed the martyr mindset – everything is my job! 

If your life is frenzied and stressful, take a moment to breathe deep. Pray. Ask the Lord to help you discern what you need to keep doing and what you need to release. As you focus on exactly what tasks are YOUR responsibility, step into Jethro’s shoes and assess the situation. Do you need to do some delegating to others, whether inside your family or outside? 

Some of us struggle with laziness and idleness, while others wrestle with over-working. The over-working may be the result of failing to plan; when we don’t have a plan for delegating tasks, it may just feel easier to jump in and do it ourselves.  

But the over-working may also be rooted in something ugly: PRIDE.

Do you notice how insidious pride can be? We kick it out the front door and sometimes it comes slithering in the back, wearing a noble costume.

It may be pride if we refuse or don’t want help because we either want the task done our way (the right way, of course!) or we want all the praise for it. We want the bragging rights.  

One telltale way to identify pride as the motivation? We enjoy rattling off the look-at-what-I-got-done-today list: 

• Up at 4:30 am 
• Quiet time 
• Sunday School lesson planned 
• Treadmill 
• Two loads of laundry (washed and folded!) 
• Scrubbed the bathrooms 
• Mopped the floors 
• Dinner in the crock-pot 
• Baked five loaves of bread 
• Took the pets to the vet for their annual shots
• Delivered a meal to the family with a new baby

Check, check, check. Etc., etc., etc. Ad nauseum, ad nauseum, ad nauseum. 

Can I ask you in the kindest, gentlest way, my friend – do you do what you do to feel needed, important, or irreplaceable? Would you check in with our Lord and ask Him to reveal the motives of your heart, and give you the help you need to both manage your home well and find that place of peace and joy that should characterize our lives in Him? 

Some of us need to get with it and do the work. Others of us need to hear the message from Jethro and figure out a way to share the work.

Are you ready to put away your cape? Is it time to take off your martyr hat? Are you ready to find some satisfaction like Moses and the Israelites? I’m praying for you today! 

We’ve been looking at passages on the topic of WORK this month, as we make our way through the April Write the WORD bookmark. In this week’s devotional video, Laura explores yet another reason for leaning into hard work — and it’s not all about what you GET! Watch now to discover a reason for work that just might surprise you.

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He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work
as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue,
purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen,
and weavers—all of them master craftsmen and designers.
Exodus 35:35

This passage in Exodus addresses the construction of the Tabernacle. While we may never be called to erect a religious (or even secular) structure, there are some work principles to be gleaned from God’s instructions for Moses and the people. As I share some reflections on work, perhaps you will think of others to add to my list, so I invite you to share your own thoughts in a comment.  

• Every gift, talent, and aptitude we each are given comes from God. Your natural ability may be to write, create, decipher, calculate, sew, organize, cook, garden, manage, program, hunt, sing, fish, trade, speak, or teach. But whatever it is, the ability comes from God Almighty. He created you, and He poured gifts and talents into you.
   
• God empowers people with “skill to do all kinds of work.” Each person has a unique skill set. God did not mass produce robots to populate the earth, but image-bearers – unique human beings created in His image to do His work.
   
• The skills of those we admire and enjoy – even those who are not believers – should prompt us to worship the God who not only thought up all those amazing gifts, but had the power to create them from nothing and instill them into humans. As we behold and admire the gifts of our friends, family, and fellow humans, it should prompt us to worship our great God. He is both a creative genius and a powerful creator. We can see God in the brilliant mind of Einstein, as we behold the masterpiece of Michelangelo, listen to the work of Mozart, and read the work of Tolkien. Even tall skyscrapers that stand erect, space modules that carry humans to the moon, automobiles, telephones, computers – every modern invention bears testimony to the ingenuity, intelligence, and creativity of those who have done the work … men and women who were first created by God.
   
• We certainly see and worship God in those who were equipped by Him and followed Him in obedience. From the Bible: Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Ruth, David, and Paul. From history: St. Augustine, George Washington, Amy Carmichael, William Carey, C.S. Lewis, and Chuck Colson. Great theologians such as Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, and Timothy Keller. You can add those names of your mentors and teachers who have been equipped to influence you on a personal level. We can celebrate the blessings all those folks have brought into our lives – comfort, beauty, knowledge, freedom,wisdom, and even entertainment.
   
• We are gifted “to do.” As we steward the gifts God has given us, we honor Him. We bring glory to Him, and satisfaction to our own lives.  

How has God gifted YOU, and how are you stewarding those gifts for His glory? 

In this week’s devotional video, Laura challenges us to say “YES!” when God calls us to do things that we believe are beyond us! Please read and reflect on Exodus 35:35 and then listen to this week’s words of encouragement.

It’s not too late to join us for the remainder of April, as we read, write, and reflect on verses about WORK. Visit our Downloads page today for your free copy of our Write the WORD bookmark, optional S.O.A.P. Bible study pages, and other resources to help you balance a busy life with a heart for God.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God.
On it you shall not do any work,
neither you, nor your son or daughter,
nor your male or female servant, nor your animals,
nor any foreigner residing in your towns.
Exodus 20:9-10

Do the Ten Commandments still apply this side of the Cross?  

Most believers today would respond, “Of course.”  We have no other gods but the one true God. We do not lie, steal, or commit adultery. We keep those – or at least know we should, and we try to do so.  

But when it comes to keeping the Sabbath, we may shrug and dismiss this one as legalistic, a cultural tradition, or a by-gone religious ritual. Yet stiff-arming anything in Scripture is dangerous at best, and heretical at worst. There are still ten commandments – not nine – and respect for the text as God’s revelation requires even the 21st-century believer to consider its application to life.  

As we defend the 4th Commandment, most of us would most likely need to admit our failure to keep it. Our lives are full. They are fast-paced. Sunday is often a catch-up day. We may feel simultaneous guilt that we aren’t keeping up with our responsibilities, and also that we aren’t honoring the Sabbath! 

If, like me, you were a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan as a kid, you recall that scene in Farmer Boy when Almanzo and his siblings were forced on Sunday afternoon to sit upright for hours on end – solemn, serious, quiet. If that’s the Sabbath, count me out! 

As we wrestle with this commandment and what keeping it means for today’s believer, I’d like to offer a few musings (while absolutely acknowledging this is an area of struggle for me): 

1. Perhaps keeping the Sabbath should be viewed more as a gift to be accepted, than a yoke to be worn. If our boss gave us a day off, would we choose instead to stay at our desk? If your professor came into class and sent everyone home to enjoy the day, would you insist on staying in your seat?
2. Perhaps God ordained it because He knew we needed it. My husband, the engineer, faithfully reads the manual cover to cover when we get a new car. He is diligent to change the oil, hoses, and filters according to the manufacturer’s instructions. He does this so our vehicles will operate with maximum efficiency, performance, and longevity. As our manufacturer, God knows what is best for us – better than we know ourselves. A weekly day of rest may well improve our efficiency, performance, and longevity. 
3. The call to “remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy” should certainly include worshiping in community with other believers. We need that mutual encouragement. We need to lift our voices together in praise to our great God, and be challenged by the word He gives to our pastor. Choosing to neglect corporate worship is an invitation to the enemy. We leave ourselves vulnerable without regular fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. Make this a priority. Set the standard for your family and your children. 
4. Rest need not look like it did for the Wilder family in the 1800s. I heard once that if you work with your hands, you should sabbath with your mind, and if you work with your mind, you should sabbath with your hands. That means, then, that the mechanic might read a book or listen to beautiful music, while an accountant might tinker with his car or build in his wood shop.
   
5. Busyness may well be an idol. Ticking those things off our list may cultivate a sense of accomplishment that quickly spirals downward to pride. Ask yourself if you are forfeiting sabbath rest to serve the idol of busyness – and allow yourself to be convicted by the answer.
   
6. Choosing to make the Sabbath a day of rest may spur us on to more intentional productivity in the other six days. Making a plan early in the week will have us working diligently, in anticipation of our day off to worship and rest. 
7. Take a look at places to hike or visit in your local area. You may find that getting away from home to enjoy God’s creation on the Sabbath is the best way to both worship our Lord, and resist the temptation to tackle tasks on your to-do list.  

This month, as we study the Bible’s teachings on WORK (our Write the WORD topic) – and lean into the challenge to embrace it – I believe it’s appropriate to begin first with a focus on rest and honoring the Sabbath.

How do you choose to dedicate your Sabbath to worship and rest, as you respect the 4th commandment?

In this week’s devotional video, Laura unpacks John 17:4 as Jesus prays in the garden the night before the cross. We hope you will listen and be challenged to embrace the WORK God has for you to complete!

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“I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift
to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged
by each other’s faith.”
Romans 1:11-12

The apostle Paul makes a strong case for living in community. We need one another in the body of Christ. Living with fellow believers both propels (Romans 1:11-12) and protects (Hebrews 3:13) us.  

Mutual encouragement means we both release and receive encouragement. There is a sweet, beautiful rhythm that comes from members of the body of Christ investing in one another. God created us to need, depend upon, and encourage each other.  

The writer of Ecclesiastes taught us that “two are better than one” and Paul confirms this truth in the passage above. The love we show one another may manifest itself as affirmation, a gentle rebuke, wisdom, or just spurring each other on to “keep on keeping on.” 

Mutual encouragement is cultivated in the soil of trust and security. It takes time to grow this relationship and enjoy the fruit it bears. Growth comes when the relationship is well watered with honor, respect, and a teachable spirit.  

It takes time.  

We don’t plant a seed today and expect to harvest a watermelon tomorrow. Likewise, the blessing of faith-based mutual encouragement also takes time to mature.  

This mutual-encouragement/faith-nurturing relationship is only possible when both parties are committed to the end goal of maturing in Christ, bringing glory to God, and living a Spirit-filled life.  

Time spent with an encouragement partner fills us up. We leave these encounters renewed, invigorated, equipped, and committed to God and His Word. We leave those conversations ever more determined to live an active faith.  

When we choose to invest in the life of a fellow believer, we find that the blessings roll back to us—we leave our coffee meeting or lunch date filled up and ready to pour out. God is faithful to speak to us through fellow believers who share our love for Him and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.  

Do you have a mutual encourager in your life? Is there an accountability partner that you meet with regularly to discuss your journey of faith? Taking just one hour each week (or every other week) can be a life-changing investment of time. In this one hour, you can share what God is teaching you (which holds you accountable to abide in the Word of God), share your successes and challenges in living out your faith, and wrap up by sharing your personal and even confidential prayer requests.  

My accountability partner is a godly woman who loves Jesus and is committed to His Word. After reaping the harvest of mutual encouragement, it would be difficult for me to overstate the tremendous blessing this relationship has had on my life.

As you and I continue forward in devotion to our Lord, growing our faith, may we also embrace the blessing of living in community and mutually encouraging one another. 

In this week’s devotional video, Laura shared Good Friday reflections on John 1:14. We invite you to listen and spend a few moments this Easter Sunday in reflective meditation on Christ Jesus — the WORD who became flesh, the One who came from the Father, full of grace and truth — whose resurrection we celebrate today.