"Graduation Season"

By: Alyssa Avant

Jeremiah 29:11, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (NIV)

It’s that time of year; hearts are racing as they anticipate that ever fateful day, graduation day. I remember it like it was yesterday. I could not wait for that last song to be played and for my hand to release that cap into the air. What a feeling of exhilaration, excitement, and nerves all mixed into one!

If you are graduating this spring, I bet you feel the same way. For one, you have accomplished a great feat. On the other hand, those carefree days of high school and no responsibilities are over. A new life lies ahead of you, stretched out like the open road, ready for you to take a drive. It will be full of roadblocks, traffic jams, and detours, that is certain. The choices you make and road you choose to follow will determine where you will end up. Hasty decisions will lead to dead ends. This is your life we are talking about, so you want to choose your destination wisely!

How do you guarantee that you will end up in the fast lane, successful and happy? Well, there really is no guarantee of success if you look at it by the world’s standards. However, if you look at life through the eyes of God and see in it the opportunities He is giving you, then you will always be a winner. The Bible says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21, NIV). You can make your plans, however God’s purpose for your life will prevail if you look to Him, follow Him, and obey Him.

When I was trying to make decisions about my future, it was difficult. There were so many choices to make, choices about college, career, and marriage. Also, would I get a summer job or move away from home? Decisions like these are never easy to make; however, we all have a link to the One who has the answers and who will help us make the right decisions.

This link is prayer, our lifeline to God. Choosing to go to Him with your decisions is the first step to making the right choices for your life. Matthew 7:7-8 reads, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (NIV). These verses confirm that seeking God’s help and guidance is the best way to go.

Another suggestion if you want to see how God works in your life is to begin recording your prayers in a journal. Writing down your requests, concerns, and thoughts is not only helpful to make you feel better, like a “therapy for the worried,” but it is also a rewarding experience to be able to look back and remember those prayers after God has so graciously answered them days, weeks or years down the road. You can then rejoice in the many blessings that God has given you. You will be astonished at all He truly gives you, and I guarantee it will be more than what you asked for!

So, as you look forward to graduation day, look to God, spend some time in prayer, and get ready for the ride of your life, which will be better than you can imagine because you are letting God direct you!

My Prayer for Today:

Dear Lord, Thank You for allowing me to make it to this point in my life and to enjoy the many things that I have enjoyed! You have blessed me with so much. I pray that as I look forward to my future that I will always seek Your wisdom and guidance and follow where You lead. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Think About It:

Am I willing to allow God to guide my life’s path?

What do I need to change in my life to ensure that I am on the right track?

How can I be even more committed to God’s will for my life?

Live It:

Purchase a prayer journal and begin using it.

Encourage a friend to join you in doing so.

Pray for each other and hold each other accountable.

Power Verses:

Job 8:7, “Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.” (NIV)

Proverbs 2:6, “For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (NIV)

Psalm 119:1, “Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD.” (NIV)

© 2008 by Alyssa Avant. All rights reserved.

"God's Glory in You"

By: Charlotte Cole

1 Corinthians 6:19, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of

the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

You are not your own.” (NIV)

Do you value your body and cherish it as if it were housing God’s Holy Spirit? I know when I was your age, I did not! My body was the punching bag for all my hurts and poorly thought out decisions. It was a collection bin for soda and unhealthy food. It got exercised with bare minimum effort (only when it was mandatory). I was concerned about how I looked but I did not nurture my body. Sadly for me, my body took the brunt of a lot of my emotions when I suffered bulimia and other destructive behaviors.

I was not a Christian when I was young so my body actually was not a temple in those days. I wonder what I would have done differently if I had been housing God’s Holy Spirit, or if I would have even recognized the value of my body to God.

Are you housing God’s Holy Spirit? Have you turned over the reigns, or as Carrie Underwood would say “The Wheel,” to Jesus?

Regardless of whether you have taken that step or not, I want to encourage you to love, but not worship, your body. Pay attention to it and care for it. Don’t solely focus on what it looks like in the eyes of other people. Think of it as an instrument to serve God.

Are there parts of it that you hate? Have you ever thought that God might use those areas that you consider “flawed” to connect with someone others can’t reach?

Does curiosity, “fitting in,” or society’s standards cause you to ignore what’s going on with God’s holy temple, your body? Remember friend, it is not just you who is getting exposed; it is God’s Holy Spirit also.

Think about the Holy Spirit for a moment. He is a part of the Trinity – God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – living in you. People don’t understand “holy” these days; the things they call holy are appalling! You know what I mean: “Holy (bleep)…” However, do you know how the dictionary defines holy? “Blessed, sacred, consecrated.”

Ponder this for a moment. Now imagine the Holy Spirit indwelling your body. This is a huge blessing when you need direction or comfort since the Holy Spirit is our guide and comforter, but with this blessing also comes responsibility.

As you tend to your body, be careful what goes into your eyes, your ears, and your mouth.

Are you disciplined with what you allow yourself to see? Matthew 6:22-23a says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” (NIV) Do you change the channel when something unholy comes on T.V.? Do you check out the content of movies on Christian websites like http://www.pluggedinonline.com before you go to the movie theater? How disciplined are you to walk away from things, such as a book or magazine, that you know dishonor God? How about the computer?

What about your ears? Are you listening to people, gossip, or music that is inappropriate to God?

What about your mouth? Do you fill it daily with candy, artificial food, power drinks and caffeine? Maybe you are like I was and have hurt your body though extreme diets. Are you mindful of your need to nourish it with wholesome natural provision like water, fruits, and vegetables?

Do you allow people, who have not been ordained by God, to touch your body? There is a time when God will delight in your sharing your body with the man he is designing just for you. Until then, keep it sacred. Cherish it, nurture it and value it.

God entrusted you with your body, however you do not belong to yourself. There are consequences for the decisions you make about your body, whether it involves things you do or things you allow others to do with it.

Because of His love for you, God is pleased to make your body the dwelling place of His Holy Spirit. If you allow Him to “take the wheel,” He will take you to amazing places!

My Prayer for Today:

Dear Lord, Please reveal to me how valuable my body is to You. Help me to be sensitive to what I am putting into and pouring out of body, and to change bad habits so that I may glorify you in my body. Thank You for making my body the temple of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Think About It:

What’s one change I can commit to right now as a starting point?

Is there an area I’ve tried to change and feel it’s impossible? Have I taken it to God and asked Him for help?

Is there something I am doing that is hurting my sensitivity to the Holy Spirit or my witness to others?

Live It:

Write down some trouble areas in your life that could use some polishing for the sake of God. Tell a friend so he or she can encourage you, pray for you and hold you accountable. Take a step in the right direction; even if it’s just a baby step, we all need to begin somewhere.

Power Verses:

Romans 12:1-2, “So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (The Message)

Romans 6:12, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.“ (NIV)

1 Peter 1:13-16, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self–controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (NIV)

© 2008 by Charlotte Cole. All rights reserved.

Devotion Writing Contest Results!!!

Proverbs 31 Ministries is pleased to announce the winners of the She Speaks Conference Devotion Writing Contest! Contest winners will receive a full scholarship to attend this year’s conference Next Generation Track. She Speaks is Proverbs 31 Ministries’ annual Speakers’ and Writers’ Conference.

Drum roll please!! .…The winners are:

Holly F. of North Carolina

Rachel W. of North Carolina

Congratulations ladies!!

Holly and Rachel will be special guest devotion writers on our Radical Revolution website. Please click here to read their devotions in the upcoming weeks!

"Feeding on His Word"

By: Elizabeth Robertson

Jeremiah 15:16, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight.” (NIV)

Eating is by far one of my favorite pastimes—I love food! Not only do I love virtually every kind of food, I especially love meat. Outback Steakhouse in one of my favorite places on earth!

Several months ago, I went on a business trip to Memphis, Tennessee. After a full day of site visits and meetings, I was starving. I was thrilled when our hosts told us they were taking us to a famous restaurant that serves ribs. The restaurant had even been featured on the Food Network for serving some of the best ribs in America—I was pumped!

I sat down at the table and began looking with eager anticipation at the menu. When it came time to order, I did not order a “small order.” No, no! The small plate was for wimps. I happily ordered a “full order” of the “World-Famous Rendezvous Charcoal-Broiled Pork Ribs.”

When the waiter brought me my plate, I was such a happy girl! I put my napkin in my lap and began to eat, and eat, and eat. When I finally polished off my final rib, I pushed my plate away, satisfied and full. One of our hosts looked over at my empty plate and in a thick, southern accent exclaimed, “Well, I’ll be darned, the Virginia girl can eat some ribs!”

I admit I was slightly embarrassed, but thankfully, the satisfaction I received from every single bite of my “full platter” outweighed my initial embarrassment, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I don’t know about you, but my mom always taught me that “a clean plate was a happy plate.”

Today’s verse encourages us to feed on the incredible words of the Lord. The way I hungered for my delicious ribs is the same way we should be hungering for the Word of God daily. Similar to craving food for our physical bodies, we ought to crave spiritual food through God’s Word—His Word should be something for which we hunger and long, and of which we can’t get enough.

When I was younger, I used to think that the Bible was dull and didn’t have any relevance to my life. As I grew older though, I learned that that couldn’t be further from the truth! Hebrews 4:12 tells us that, “The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword” (NIV). God’s Word is alive and active today!

As I continue to grown in my faith, I have learned to use God’s Word’s for daily support. It’s one of the best lifelines there is! God’s Word helps us tackle the problems we deal with everyday. We can turn to His Word when we’re feeling lonely, depressed, angry, brokenhearted, or disappointed. We can turn to His Word when we desperately need a word of encouragement or when we are trying to figure out our future. God has provided so many answers for us through His Word.

I love how in today’s verse, Jeremiah refers to God’s words as his “joy and his heart’s delight.” How incredibly blessed we are to have a book filled with promises, revelation, and insights into the heart of God! The more we feed on His Word, the more we learn to delight in and appreciate His Word.

How I pray that as we feed on the words of the Lord, we will come to know His words as “our heart’s delight.” Just like I’m always hungry for food, I want to be a young woman who is always hungry for God’s Word!

My Prayer for Today:

Lord God, I love Your Word! Thank you for providing us a tangible glimpse into who You are—Your power, Your might, Your deeds, and Your incredible unfailing love. I pray that I will feast daily on Your mighty Word. Thank You that Your Word is alive and active. I pray that I will revere Your Word with love and adoration. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Think About It:

How do you view God’s Word—as old and out dated or as alive and active?

How do you use God’s words to sustain you?

What do you think has more eternal nourishment—earthly food or spiritual food?

Live It:

Pray for a heart that sees God’s Word as alive and relevant in your everyday life.

In addition to eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, schedule some time each day to feed on God’s Word.

What kind of challenges are you facing now? Spend some time looking through the Bible to find a few verses that will help comfort and strengthen you. Write them down on index cards and when you begin to feel overwhelmed, pull them out and meditate on them.

Power Verses:

Psalm 119:103,105, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth…Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (NIV)

Matthew 4:4, “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ‘ ” (NIV)

Deuteronomy 11:18, “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.” (NIV)

© 2008 by Elizabeth Robertson. All rights reserved.

"Our Brothers' Keeper"

By: Samantha Roberts

Romans 14:13, “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.” (NIV)

Summer’s coming, and you know what that means: wardrobe change! Break out the shorts and tank tops! Hang that winter coat up and take that bathing suit out of the back drawer. The sun is coming back and it’s calling us outside!

Do you know what else this means? It means that now, more than any time of the year, we need to take care of the hearts of our Christian brothers. What do our brothers in Christ have to do with the summer and our warm weather wardrobe, you ask? Well, to be honest, they have a lot to do with it.

It’s no secret that guys like to look at girls they think are pretty. There’s a reason for that – God created them to be attracted to things that they see with their eyes. It’s part of their nature, and something that they are responsible for keeping in check. It’s also something, though, that they can also struggle with very easily. That’s where we come in.

Many of our brothers are trying very hard to keep in step with the Holy Spirit, working just as hard as we are to grow closer to God and to keep themselves from sin. There are a lot of things out there in the world that are trying to get in their way of pursuing God, but we shouldn’t be one of them.

As girls we should try our best to keep our brothers in mind when we decide what to wear. That low-cut shirt or two-piece bathing suit may look harmless enough to us, but it can be a serious hazard to a brother who is trying his best to keep his mind on the things of God instead of the things of this world.

Romans 14:13, our key verse for today, reminds us that we need to be careful not to trip up our brothers. It also says that we shouldn’t judge them either. It may not make much sense to us why guys struggle with the things that they do, but that doesn’t make their struggles any less real. We should remember that we struggle with things too, and that we would want them to be sensitive to those struggles instead of judging us, questioning us or being a stumbling block in our walk with Christ.

The bottom line is that we are all children of God trying our best to live right in a world that would love to see us go astray. There are enough things out there that are trying to wedge between us and God, and as Christians we should look out for each other. As girls this means that we might need to make some conscious decisions about what we wear to keep our brothers safe from stumbling.

So get excited about the sun that’s coming your way. Have fun putting away the long sleeves and jeans until next year, and enjoy pulling out all those fun, brightly colored summer clothes. When you’re getting ready for that next trip out, though, keep your brothers’ hearts in mind when you pick out what to wear. God wants us to look out for each other and this is definitely one way you can honor that.

My Prayer for Today:

Father, Help me understand how to avoid being a stumbling block for my brothers in Christ. I pray that I would be an encouragement in their walk with You, not a hindrance. I also lift up my brothers and pray that You would help them stand strong in the face of temptation. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Think About It:

In what ways do I need to be more conscious of my Christian brothers’ hearts when I dress?

What are some things I struggle with that I would want my brothers to be sensitive about instead of judging me?

Do I tend to judge my brothers’ struggles quicker than I try to find a way to encourage them when they’re struggling?

How can I be an encouragement in my brothers’ walks with Christ?

Live It:

Go through your closet and designate which clothing items might be more appropriate to wear just at home or when you’re only with your girlfriends.

Find a way to encourage a Christian brother in his walk with Christ, perhaps by sending him a note or a verse (even anonymously) and praying for him.

Power Verses:

1 John 4:21, “And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (NIV)

1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (NIV)

1 Timothy 2:9-10, “I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.” (NIV)

© 2008 by Samantha Roberts. All rights reserved.