Posted by: judyhitson | October 21, 2024

The Grace of Prayer

The Grace of Prayer
by Judy Hitson

1 Thess. 5:17 NKJV pray without ceasing,

This is one of my favorite Bible verses on prayer. It brings to mind Andrew Murray saying our verse today means prayer is like breathing. I asked the Lord about that and He illustrated my experiences of swimming laps in the pool, taking breaths as I swim. He reminded me that at first it is difficult but with practice it gets easier to breathe and get into a good rhythm while swimming freestyle. Through this experience the Lord taught me to pray without ceasing, like breathing. He is every breath I take.

Another illustration of God’s grace for me with prayer is when I wake in the night and have difficulty going back to sleep. I remember asking the Lord, “Do You want me to stay awake to read the Bible or is there someone or something You want me to pray about?”

There are times I’ve been up in the night watches when the Lord led me to either read the Scriptures or to pray. But this time, I heard, “Pray the Lord’s Prayer and I will give you sweet sleep.” (Proverbs 3:24) Since then, this has become a habit when I wake in the night.

The Lord’s Prayer (Matt.6:9-13) has taught me the importance of these words, they are living and active (Heb. 4:12) to call on our Father in heaven. First, acknowledging His holiness, asking His kingdom to come, His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, asking for our daily bread realizing Jesus is the Bread of Life. Asking His forgiveness for our debts as we forgive our debtors pierces my heart to always choose to walk in forgiveness, no matter what. Last, asking Father not to lead us into temptation but to deliver us from evil for His is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. This reminds me of the importance for us to practice Kingdom Living through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by His Spirit, honoring our Father in heaven and being grateful for His grace of prayer.     

There is so much we can learn on prayer in the Bible. One profound thing is learning to pray the Word. Many times I like to start with Ps. 139:23-24 for a time of confession and repentance as needed.

After meditating on different translations through the years, this is my personal paraphrase prayer of Ps.139:23-24: Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me and know my anxious thoughts. Show me if there is any hurtful, offensive or wicked way in me and lead me in the everlasting way.

Ps.66:18 reminds me of the importance of asking the Lord to search my heart.

Ps.66:18 AMP If I regard sin and baseness in my heart
[that is, if I know it is there and do nothing about it],
The Lord will not hear [me];

Powerful is the grace of prayer.

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Posted by: Administrator | October 9, 2024

Grace to Support Israel

Grace to Support Israel

by Brenda D. Flowers

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for his only son, … (Zechariah 12:10, NKJV)

I (Paul) say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. (Romans 11:1, NKJV)

Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. (Romans 11: 5, NKJV)

On October 6, 2024, I attended a special service at World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee (www.wochurch.org). I had heard about the service on Bott Radio.

Yael Eckstein, President and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (www.ifc.org) and Pastor Allen Jackson were going to share with the body of Christ an important commemorative message to honor the October 7, 2023 victims and their families and to share the current state in war-torn Israel.

Although World Outreach Church is not my home church and is a 30 minute drive away, during my quiet time that morning, I sensed God’s prompting for me to attend this service.

 Yael had traveled with her children the long distance from Jerusalem, her home city, to be able to share her testimony in Tennessee.

What is a thirty minute drive compared to the thousands of miles she had traveled? (“How far is it from Nashville, Tennessee to Jerusalem, Israel?” “It is 6,427 miles as the crow flies.”, Siri answered.)

What an honor it was to hear Yael share her personal stories in real time in my home state.

As I entered the parking lot of the church, I saw small Israeli flags planted on the property. I was impressed by the number of flags.

When it was Yael’s turn to speak at the service, I learned from her that each of the 1,200 flags commemorated the lives of the over 1,200 innocent men, women and children massacred on October 7, 2023. Yael told stories of individuals she knew personally who had died that fateful day.

Yael further explained that these “Flags of Fellowship” could be seen on the grounds of churches and campuses in each state of the United States.

“Flags of Fellowship is an opportunity for thousands of Christians to take a BOLD stand and show solidarity for the Jewish people.” (www.ifc.org)

I realized a message of hope goes forth as people unite to show love and support for the people of Israel.

Yael, who lives in Jerusalem with her husband and four children, has been impacted personally by the ongoing attacks. She shared how recently she and her youngest children had to rush to a bomb shelter to be protected from on-going missile fire.

Yet, in spite of many dangers, she along with Christians and Jews are bravely taking steps to help the people of this special land. They are going to the frontlines to help hurting people no matter their ethnic background, sharing the love of God.

Her personal stories touched my heart.

I appreciated how Yael stressed that the battle being fought in Israel although physical is truly a spiritual battle. She emphasized how important it is for us as the body of Christ to pray for Israel and to stand up against anti-semitism and evil.

Pastor Allen ended the service with a prayer and with the encouragement for us to be ambassadors to share how God loves the people of the land of Israel.

As I thought about this, I realized how I need God’s grace to know how to pray and support Israel.

I trust that God, by His grace, will guide me and each of us to our part in being the hands and feet of Jesus. It is God’s will.

May we join together to pray as He calls us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. (Psalm 122)

We can trust God’s promises. He is faithful and blesses us as we honor Him by being obedient to His Word.

Meditate on this truth:  One day King Jesus will reign in New Jerusalem. (Revelation 21)

Imagine when we Christians are with Jesus in all of His glory!

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Posted by: judyhitson | September 23, 2024

The Grace of Mourning

The Grace of Mourning
by Judy Hitson

Psalm 30:11 NLT You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy.

After the loss of family members and friends the past few years and recent months, I consider God’s grace in the grief process on earth. I also think of God’s grace for our loved ones who are now absent from the body and present with the Lord, 2 Cor. 5:8.

The Word of God is vital for all stages of life and a true comfort in times of grief. As Christians, God’s Word tells us we grieve with hope. We have the hope of the Resurrection,

1 Thess. 4:13-15 NLT And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.  

The books written on grief can be a practical help to work through the process. Grief is a process. A book titled, Good Grief by Granger Westberg has been helpful in my life to work through ten stages of grief he outlines. This is a book I recommend for others to read in their times of grief.

For me, a time of grief is like embracing the grace of mourning. That is breaking through denial, working through sadness and depression, overcoming anger and coming through to the reality of the loss with forgiveness and acceptance. 

My most recent experience with grief was losing a dear sister in Christ who exhorted me in the faith as a new believer and through the succeeding years since we met at a Bible study in her home in 1980. She was a God friend, one of a few women God brought into my life to help me mature in Christ. The loss of her on earth is sad. She is missed. For many years we prayed together weekly in my home. When that season of life changed, we were sure to meet for prayer and share time on our birthdays each year. Now I am grateful to know she is with the Lord and that we will see each other again when the Lord returns or when He takes me to my heavenly Home.

Prayer: Thank You Lord for Your grace of mourning at this time. I look to You to be clothed with joy and my mourning to be turned into joyful dancing. In Your name Jesus. Amen.

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Posted by: Administrator | September 8, 2024

Grace to Testify

Grace To Testify

by Brenda D. Flowers

My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.  (Psalm 71:15-16, ESV) 

And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4: 33, ESV)

Each day for 33 days this summer, during my personal quiet time of Bible study and prayer, I spent part of that time reading personal testimonies of Olympic athletes (found in the Bible App devotional, “Struggle and Triumph:  Olympians’ Stories”).  Each story I  read touched my heart and challenged me to persevere in my personal faith “race”. Their words of tested faith also encouraged me to share my story of God’s intervention in my life with others.

At my church each week, a member gets to testify about their faith journey and how God has answered prayer or helped in some way. I had the opportunity to share recently. 

As I prepared to tell about how God had answered my prayers and how he had helped me, I thought about how the apostle Paul had written his letters testifying of God’s intervention in his life, too. When he wrote his letters to the churches, he challenged the followers of Christ in his day to continue testifying of God’s goodness and His great love. 

 Luke, a physician who traveled with Paul the apostle, recorded these words of Paul, “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24, ESV) 

Laura Story (laurastorymusic.com) is a worship leader and Christian Songwriter and Recording Artist who sees the importance of testifying of God’s intervention in her life. She does so through the words of her songs and by sharing her story on-line and in person. Several years ago, I heard her speak at a women’s conference at a church in Tennessee. There she spoke about how each of us has a special story to tell. We are a part of God’s story. I purchased a T-shirt her team was selling that day. On the shirt are the words, “He’s the God of every story” When I wear this shirt, I am reminded of the great value of tested faith shared in one’s testimony.

God gives us the gift of testimony so we may share it.  

Have you recently opened one of God’s gifts by hearing someone’s testimony?

I try to do so daily. 

     One of the leaders of the organization Bible Study Fellowship recently shared on a Leadership training video, “ “Everything we do (in BSF) is by His grace and for His glory.” 

That challenges me as I step into a new season as a wife, mother, grandmother of five grandsons, sister, cousin, aunt, neighbor, friend, mentor and co-laborer in the body of Christ as children’s leader at BSF, a homeschool teacher for three of my grandsons and a writer called to write to testify of God’s goodness. 

That is my mission statement to glorify God with my actions and words. I’m trusting God to give me the grace to help me in my story. 

We all have a purpose in God’s great story!

Lord, may we devote ourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And may we see our part in Your story. May we trust You to give us the grace to testify of Your goodness. May we remember to pray for our country’s leaders, spiritual leaders and mentors. Please open doors for our messages of tested faith to touch many lives for Your glory. In Jesus’s victorious name, we pray. Amen

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Posted by: judyhitson | August 26, 2024

The Grace of a Solitary Place

The Grace of a Solitary Place
by Judy Hitson

Mark 1:35 NIV Very early in the morning while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Soon after coming to know the Lord, I learned the importance of having a quiet time each morning in a quiet place. My heart leaped when I read this pattern of Jesus in Mark 1:35 and of David in Ps.5:3 NKJV My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You and will look up.

This pattern is essential in my life. That is to start each day with the Lord in quiet time in a solitary place. Last month I wrote, The Grace of Worship and see the next step of going to a solitary place in the
presence of God to hear His voice and follow Him is huge! A title of a booklet I treasure comes to mind, My Heart Christ’s Home. I’ve searched but cannot find it but sense the Lord has something He wants to say to me. Perhaps it is just the title. Think about it, “My Heart Christ’s Home.”

Do you practice this grace each morning of going to a solitary place to be with the Lord in prayer?


Take the time. Practice this discipline. It is worth it, for the Lord is worthy. The grace of a solitary place blesses us to grow to the full measure of Christ. How? By investing time with the Lord in prayer, in His
Word, in His presence and receive His power to live in the Spirit receiving His words of life to live Christ.
I think of Paul’s words in Phil.1:21 NKJV For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Yes, the best is yet to come when we are absent from the body and present with the Lord.

Our time on earth is just the beginning to establish and practice a quiet time with the Lord on this side of eternity. As we start our day in a solitary place in the presence of God, we develop an intimate love
relationship with Him through Jesus Christ by His Spirit. We learn to pray without ceasing, like breathing. We learn to practice the presence of God, knowing in Him we live and move and have our being.

Prayer: Thank You Lord for Your example while living on earth, leading us to get up in the early morning to go to a solitary place to pray with our Father in heaven. Amen.

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Posted by: Administrator | August 12, 2024

Grace to Find the Way

Grace to Find the Way
by Brenda D. Flowers

Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I hope in you…The LORD is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. (Psalms 25:4-5, 8 NLT)

Recently, my son shared with me an experience he had that l believe God wants me to share with you.

It happened one hot summer evening. My son decided to go jogging on some unfamiliar trails in a densely wooded park. It was late in the day when he started down the trail.

As he was jogging, he veered from one trail to another, and was enjoying the solitude and beautiful forested setting.

Yet, he wasn’t aware how low the sun was in the sky.

When darkness fell quickly, he realized he couldn’t see the path to get back to his car. He didn’t know which way to go.

He was lost!

He thought to himself, I need to find the road to get back, yet he didn’t know which way to go to get to the road.

It was then that he prayed for God’s help.

He jogged quickly in the direction he felt impressed to go, surefooted, although the trail was getting darker and darker. He rejoiced when he found a road and realized it was leading him to a neighborhood.

But when he finally reached the neighborhood, he still needed guidance to know which house to approach. Most of the houses were dimly lit because by then it was very late.

Who would be willing to help a lost stranger who was dripping in sweat at such a late hour?

Again he prayed and in the distance he saw a brightly lit house. Bravely, he knocked on the glass door and was greeted warmly. There a kind family was willing to open their glass door to him and believed his story.

The dad empathized with him by sharing how he too had gotten lost on the park trails at night. He willingly drove my son back to his car at the trailhead’s entrance. My son was impressed by the man’s kindness.

As my son told what had happened, he shared how he believed God had helped him in his time of need by leading him to the right person to help.

This story reminds me that we all will have times in our lives when we may veer off the path God intends us to be on. Yet, if we wake up to this realization and reach out to Him, God is faithful to help us. His grace is sufficient in our times of need.

God’s Word says,

 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4: 16, NKJV)

Do you recall a time when God has helped you when you were lost? Let’s share our stories and impact those around us as we give God the glory for His grace and guidance.

LORD, as the psalmist shared You are good and You do what is right. You show us the proper path when we realize we have gone astray and seek You for help to get on the right path. Thank You for the many times You have helped me. I acknowledge Your guidance and great grace. Thank You for helping me to know The Way.

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Posted by: judyhitson | July 24, 2024

The Grace of Worship

The Grace of Worship
by Judy Hitson

Psalm 22:27 NKJV All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. 28 For the kingdom is the LORD’s, and He rules over the nations.

Hang on Christians! Don’t give up but give all your concerns over to the Lord. We have so much to look forward to, like this time we read of when all the ends of the world remember and turn to the LORD and all the families of the nations worship before Him.

Reading through all of Psalm 22 we see the suffering, praise and posterity of Jesus Christ as Messiah.

What a contrast this is to think about with the decline of the world we are experiencing at this time of history. Yet it gives hope for how wonderful the new heaven and the new earth will be at the second coming of the Lord.

Now to think about the grace of worship, it is a beautiful thing. How could we worship except for the grace of God?! It is a wonderful spiritual fulfillment to embark in the grace of worship. For the Lord is worthy. As we read in Ps. 22:28, “the kingdom is the LORD’s, and He rules over the nations.”

I am thankful for God’s grace and mercy extended to me through my life. That is His great salvation, deliverance and healing.

Just the title alone of this devotional melts my heart!

Worship to me is drawing near to God, soaking in His presence in the Spirit who gives life. I think of
John 4:24 NKJV, God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

This is all by God’s grace.

Looking up the word grace on Dictionary.com, the Theological definition is “the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.” How precious to see this facet of God’s grace available to us. Let us practice the grace of worship.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us as Your people to occupy until You come and worship You in the beauty of holiness as You exhort us in Your word. (Ps.29:2, Ps. 96:9)

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Posted by: Administrator | July 11, 2024

Grace to Proceed in Trust

Grace to Proceed in Trust
Receive God’s Favor on Life’s Journey
By Brenda D. Flowers

Psalm 84:5, 11-12 NKJV
5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage…
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.
12 O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You! 

This summer, I am participating in a small group Bible study, focusing on the Psalms. A new friend, Cynthia, graciously invited me to join her and several other women in her home each Friday morning. By God’s prompting, I decided to attend.

Cynthia is leading the group as we journey more deeply into God’s Word. We are hungry to know the truth of God’s Word and to faithfully apply it in our lives. We want to grow in community to encourage each other as we pray for each other. I did not know any of the other women in this group until we started gathering together. But immediately I felt a unity of the Spirit. 

I see in God’s Word that God wants us to be on pilgrimage with Him and others. We are on mission as His faithful followers.

 When on earth, Jesus modeled His dependence and trust of His Heavenly Father.

As we are studying the Psalms in more depth together, we are realizing how Jesus and his disciples would have known the original lyrics and melodies of these songs and most likely would have sung them together as they were traveling.

Can you imagine Jesus and His disciples singing the words of the Psalms as they walked on paths to future destinations?

“O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!”

 Can you imagine how His disciples’ faith grew as Jesus shared stories of God’s faithfulness?

Jesus often quoted God’s Word to His disciples. He was led by His Father to share Truth with them.

Jesus knew His disciples would need help to live purposely with Him. He sent the Holy Spirit to help them stay on His prepared path for each of them.

By the gift of the Holy Spirit, we have God’s grace to live on mission with Him, too. We may endure hardships, but we can trust He is with us. We can proceed forward in our life, experiencing God’s favor and many blessings.

Father in heaven, I want to learn and grow to be more like Jesus, being on mission with Your guidance. Thank You for these readers. I trust You to give us Your grace, Your favor, as we step forward in faith on life’s purposeful pilgrimage. Thank You, Jesus, for showing us the way.

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Posted by: judyhitson | June 24, 2024

The Grace of Joy

The Grace of Joy
by Judy Hitson

Acts 20:24 NKJV But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit let Paul know chains and tribulations await him, read:
Acts 20: 22-23 NKJV. These are the things Paul meant when he said none of these things move him.

Can you imagine?

Wow! Only by the power, love and sound mind of God’s Spirit can Paul or anyone else put Christ first to finish their race with joy while awaiting chains and tribulations.

This reminds me of Jesus in Hebrews 12:2 NKJV looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Joy is a choice. The question is: Will I consider it all joy when I encounter various trials? We read about this in James 1:2-3 NASB Consider it all joy my brothers and sisters when you encounter various trials,
knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

If we choose joy in our trials and tribulations, we will be following in the steps of Jesus and as we read in our verse today, we will also follow in the steps of Paul.

Consider the grace of God you’ve experienced in your life. Have you thought about sharing these experiences as the gospel of grace? We often hear the gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ or of the gospel of the kingdom of God. Our verse today gives us the perspective of grace in sharing the gospel. It is the good news of Jesus Christ in our own personal lives as born again Christians led by the Holy Spirit to give glory to Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

In my personal life, God has surely extended His grace to save me from my sins and fill me with His Holy Spirit to give me life to live Christ.

Closing Prayer: Father in heaven, thank You for Your grace, that is Your great love, giving Your only begotten Son Jesus Christ that we may believe in Him and have eternal life. For us who believe, I pray You grant us the power, love and sound mind of Your Spirit to choose joy in our trials realizing it is a test of our faith. Amen.

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Posted by: Administrator | June 11, 2024

Grace and Peace from God

Grace and Peace from God
by Brenda D. Flowers

Grace to you and peace from God Our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  (2 Thessalonians 1:2, NKJV)

Do you have any letters or cards you have received that you treasure? I do. In fact, I have special boxes where I keep these treasures.

Why keep these letters and cards?

I guess I’m sentimental. But I believe the reason I keep these “treasure boxes” filled with letters and cards is because of the messages hidden within them.

The words encourage me. As I read the words, I recall special memories or people. The words, especially the handwritten messages, also give me inspiration, hope and love.

Even after reading only a few of them, I feel energized to share more with others so they too may be encouraged and blessed as I have been.

I love that the Bible includes the letters of people of faith who had first-person encounters with Jesus after His resurrection.

The Bible to me is a treasure book or love letter. I can read over and over the inspired words of God and be encouraged.

I notice that the writers of the letters in the New Testament (Paul, Peter, John and others) often included the statement “grace to you and peace from God” (or similar wording) somewhere in the greeting, body or closing of their letters.

For example, when Paul wrote his letter to a predominantly Gentile audience in Rome, he was inspired to write:

To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1: 7,  NKJV)

 Grace and peace are like book ends to the glorious life we can experience in Christ.

The writers of the epistles, under the direction of Holy Spirit, wanted us to know this truth.

I encourage you to read through the letters in the New Testament and jot down key messages about God’s grace and peace that comfort and inspire you.

You might want to keep these special love messages from God in a treasure box or journal to recall and share.

I am excited to see how God uses the letters in the Bible to encourage us to live for Him. May our lives exemplify His grace and peace and inspire others to trust Jesus Christ for resurrection life, giving Him glory.

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