Tag: trusting God

Devotions

BE PATIENT -by Guest Blogger, Traci Jordan (revision)

Carol Ann Erhardt2 Comments

Apologies to my email readers and to Traci because the link to the song mentioned was incorrect and has been corrected in this repost.

I am humbled to host Traci Jordan on my devotional blog today. She is a wife, mother, and child of God. In addition to working full time, she runs marathons, and praises God by singing with the praise band in the church she attends. Please feel free to welcome her by leaving a comment.

We live in a world where everything is instant and we can all feel a little entitled at times. Often times when we pray we expect our prayers to be answered instantly. When that doesn’t happen some people lose faith. They say things like “God has never done anything for me.” 

It reminds me of a toddler throwing a fit because they didn’t get a toy they wanted.  They have a bunch of toys but they only see the toy they don’t have. We do that with blessings. We overlook what we have because our sight is only set on what we don’t have. 

Let me ask you this….Have you ever thanked God for what He has already given you?  Have you ever thanked Him for the blessings in your life you didn’t ask for or do you only talk to God when you want something?  Do you pray for the same thing everyday or do you trust that if it is His will and it is for your good He will give it you when the time is right? 

I used to ask over and over and think it just wasn’t His will for me if I didn’t get what I wanted in my time.  (The key phrase here is “in my time.” ) Even though I didn’t expect instant answered prayers I still had an expectation on when I thought the prayer should be answered. Then one day as I was listening to music, Nothing Else played.

I heard this song so many times before but this time it hit different. I was convicted by the lyrics and I cried out to God asking for forgiveness. I put all my trust in Him that day. I prayed for this certain thing for the last time. Trusting that if it was His will I would get it in His time not mine.

I have not prayed for that particular thing again. Instead I found myself being thankful for what I had and where I was.

It’s been a couple of years since then and my prayer is being answered. As I look back I can see where God was working in my life to bring me to this place. (Hindsight is 20/20.) Looking back I see that I wasn’t ready for the end result of that prayer back then. I had more work to do and once I trusted and let Him guide me I can see He was answering the prayer all along. It just wasn’t as cut and dry as I thought it was. God is amazing and He works all things for our good. We just have to learn to be patient.

Writer's Journal

The Author’s Spiritual Battle

Carol Ann Erhardt2 Comments

You’d think that after 17 years, I’d realize when Satan is attacking me, especially my writing efforts. It took being with my small group this week to see clearly what was happening. The topic I’m addressing in the book is one that is very volatile in our world today. He wants me to give up. Oh, and he gives me so many reasons I should.

Reasons like: I deserve to retire and just enjoy my hobbies. Statistics say I shouldn’t have many years left on this earth, so don’t fill my days with working. Or the big one–the plot is weak, the writing done poorly.

I think all writers fall into these doubts from time to time. For me, it hits right at the middle, even though I have tested my outline and had others look at it as well. I backed off for a month. Doing so takes me out of the story completely. This was a win for Satan.

But I’m not going to let him win the battle. I printed off the pages already written and have been reading. I’m inspired that it is well written, the plot line is intact, and I want to read what happens next! The one thing I have to remember is God will never say I should do nothing for His Kingdom! He wouldn’t tell me to stop writing.

When Satan attacks, he is so sneaky. He knows which buttons to push. After all, he’s had a lot of years to perfect his attacks against me. But God is bigger, better, stronger, and greater than him! Patience, trust, and obedience will persevere against the evil one.

So, take that Satan! You lose!

Devotions

Armor for Spiritual Battle

Carol Ann Erhardt

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 NIV

The main thing I am learning is how my enemies are not the people and situations, like rude drivers, or people who speak ill of me. My enemies are the forces behind the actions meant for evil against me. There is evil all around us. Satan is everywhere spreading darkness and hate, stealing souls. This is what he does in an attempt to be stronger and more powerful than God.

But that battle has already been lost. Why? Because God sent His Son, Jesus, to save us. Once we believe and ask Him into our hearts, confessing that we are sinners, He will forgive us. We become citizens of heaven and not of this world. All the forces of evil at work around us, will not prevail if we trust in God’s Word. The gift of salvation is given to us through grace because Jesus already paid the price for us through the cross.

But this will also make the devil more aggressive in trying to deceive us. So how do we stand battle day by day? We put on the armor of God: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the spirit.

What does this mean? These are five components of defensive armor and one offensive weapon. The offensive piece is the sword of the spirit, which symbolizes the word of God. We should pray each morning as we put on the armor of God.

With this armor we are geared against the devil’s schemes. The battle is spiritual.

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for giving us what we need to stand against the evil intended against us as we walk in this world. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Devotions

The Riches of Life

Carol Ann Erhardt

“But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:9-10 NLT

Money. I’ve often wondered how different my life might be if I had enough money to buy everything I wanted and travel to the places I desired to see. I wondered what I would do if I ever won the lottery, though I have never played any lotteries. I thought I would bless the church, pay off my children’s debt, as well as mine. But these things were only fantasy.

I grew up with everything I needed, and a few things I wanted, but my family was like most then, living from paycheck to paycheck. After getting married and having children, I remembered having a dollar and change to go to the store and buy bread and bologna so my children could have something to eat. If I had $25.00 to spend for weekly groceries, it was a good week. I learned how to fill family bellies with what God provided.

As time passed, and the family grew with a new marriage, we still struggled. I couldn’t afford to buy the leather school jackets for my children who were in high school so they could dress like their peers. Life was difficult and work hours were long. But we made it through without suffering because God always provided.

Today I am a widow, all my children and most of my grandchildren are adults. I still live paycheck to paycheck, though they are monthly now, not weekly. I have learned how to distinguish between want and need, mostly. I realize nothing I have is mine. It is all provided by God through his goodness. As I look back on my life, I see how rich it has been without having a huge bank account. I have been truly blessed by the things that really matter. And I’m grateful.

What do you dream about? Do you believe money will solve all your problems and make you happy? What if you are looking for happiness in earthly treasure instead of realizing the treasures God offers?

Dear Heavenly Father, Help me to remember not to place my trust in worldly things, but to trust in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Devotions

The Battle Is Not Mine

Carol Ann Erhardt

“Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’ “

I’m a diabetic. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2016. At the time I was shocked, frightened and worried. This disease is silent and no one who looks at you realizes you are affected. I corrected my diet and tracked food and even lost weight.

But as the years passed, I grew impatient and gave up on tracking what I ate and slipping into old patterns of comfort food. The numbers told the truth no matter how I tried to justify my choices. Why did this happen?

I’m a carboholic. I’m always hungry for carbs and I have turned to them for comfort in this stage of life where I’m spending my life alone. I rarely speak during the day, but my mind is constantly working. I began to turn to the “comfort” foods I’d grown up with. What I forgot is I cannot win this battle alone. I need to turn to Jesus. He can fill me with the comfort I seek and need. I need more God and less processed carbs. I need to trust that God will go to battle on my behalf if I trust Him and listen.

The Battle is Not Mine.