We are Safe, God is Good: Devotions to Soothe your Soul

By Gail L Stoltzfoos

Striking out from my familiar path of poetry writing, this devotional continues my walk of openly sharing the challenges of mental disease. "My Treasured Gifts from God" and "The View from My Window" both explored, through poetry, the diagnoses I received over twenty years ago. This book goes a step further with daily devotions that are meant to uplift and encourage others who suffer from clinical depression, bipolar disorder, and other maladies. It may also help caretakers or family members to understand the challenges of mental disease.

I've included devotions dedicated to those who are living in abusive circumstances. My own escape from such a situation has laid it upon my heart to "send out a lifeline" of hope and faith to others who are struggling with that particular darkness. Please call the National Domestic Hotline 24/7 @ 800-799-SAFE (7233) if you need assistance.

My God is a strong, powerful, mighty, and awesome god who can lift you up by his love, mercy, and grace. walk with me through a year of his revelations!

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Aug 6, 2019
• ISBN: 9781400325658

Gail L Stoltzfoos

Gail L Stoltzfoos has published two poetry books, gearing her writing toward those who suffer from mental illness. Her own struggles with clinical depression and bipolar disorder have inspired her to share the challenges of her battle and provide glimpses of her devotional writing. Her newest book showcases her poetry as well. Her hope and prayer is that someone else be blessed by her raw truthfulness and God-inspired verses. She dedicates her books to those who suffer in silence.  

Book preview

WE ARE SAFE,

GOD IS GOOD

WE ARE SAFE,

GOD IS GOOD

Devotions to Soothe Your Soul

Gail Louise Wise

© 2019 Gail Louise Wise

We Are Safe, God Is Good

Devotions to Soothe Your Soul

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version®. © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019939775

ISBN 978-1-400325641 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-400325658 (eBook)

Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebook

Please note that footnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.

DEAR READER,

This book began as a devotional for those who suffer from mental diseases. Along the way it has evolved into one for emotionally or physically abused wives as well. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you who suffer in silence from any of these horrific circumstances.

You can utilize this devotional one of two ways. You can read one devotion per day throughout the entire year. Or you can choose to dig deeper into the monthly theme that is listed in the Table of Contents. Either way I pray that you will

blessed by what you read.

At the end of each month you’ll also find what I call a

Myth Buster. These devotions confront some of the inane

comments and attitudes I’ve dealt with over the years.

Hopefully they will uplift and comfort you as they have me.

I dedicate this book to all my readers, but I have to make a special mention of my dear friend. Valerie Langston has been my earthly mentor, guide, mainstay, and strength. Without her clearing the way for me, this book would never have been completed.

INTENTIONAL WORSHIP

We all have our own approach to worshipping God.

Towering cathedrals attract many believers;

while mountainside meadows are best for some.

I don’t think the Lord cares how we give him a nod.

He can see our hearts and looks past the deceivers

to those who simply, contritely, and honestly come.

I’ve never believed he only meets us in a church.

That just seems too limited for an almighty Father.

God joins us wherever we may choose to pray.

To the heights of the world we may search

as our conscience begins to pinch and bother.

It’s desirous to be on our knees at the end of day.

Whether surrounded by colorful stained glass

or sitting upon some humble outside porch;

all he asks is for our loving and caring heart.

No need for instruments of bright shining brass;

no ritual where we maim, whip, or scorch.

Just ourselves and Dear Father as the start.

Nothing good will be withheld from those who

come with a humble and deeply caring mind.

God is too good to ever turn and walk away

when intentional worship is what we plan to do.

Come before him today and you will happily find

he is the Truth, the Life, and the Way.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

January Yesterday Is Gone

February Putting on the Future

March It Matters Not

April I Faced My Fears Today

May Early Morn

June As the Mourning Dove Calls

July Joy

August The Lord’s Hush Falls O’er the Land

September Pieces of Nothing

October The Start of Day

November This Season of Life

December Hidden

YESTERDAY IS GONE

All the trials of yesterday are gone

and it is history;

not a place to go wandering on any given day.

The tribulations that seemed so difficult to face

have lost potency as you slept the night away.

God desires that we look forward,

forgetting what’s behind.

Choose to live quite differently and

praise him all day long.

Realize that what has gone before

does not your destiny set.

Know that, with him by your side,

you are so very strong.

Let go of your past mistakes, my friends.

Stop focusing on what has gone before.

Allow the Father to rattle your world

down to its very core.

Just imagine what your life could look like if you

stopped focusing on the events of yesterday.

Envision the years ahead as filled with God

and the dreams for you he did already lay.

Wake up, arise with confidence

that today will be better by far.

Know that it will be the day

on which you’ll reach that shining star.

JANUARY 1

A NEW THING

Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth.

ISAIAH 43:19, NKJV

Happy New Year! How many hopes and dreams do we pin on the incoming year? We imagine ourselves following through with every resolution. If we’ve had a particularly difficult year, we pray for a better one.

God’s favors are new every morning. We need not wait for a new year to begin to start afresh with the Lord. "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare" (Isaiah 42:9, NKJV). We could, if we desire, shout, Happy New Year! every day of our lives. For we have the promises of God to remind us of his great mercy, grace, and salvation. Hallelujah!

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17, KJV).

JANUARY 2

I WILL CALL UPON THE LORD

I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised.

PSALM 18:3, NKJV

We harbor so many hopes and dreams when we head into a new year. This year will be better! we tell our friends and acquaintances. We tear into our resolutions with fervor, as if they’ll save us from impending doom. We strive to change our behaviors, our weights, and our directions. We place a lot of stress upon ourselves in the name of a new year.

May I propose a calmer and more peaceful entry into the new year? Can I offer a suggestion that may relieve you of your stress? Start your year by calling upon the Lord. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live (Psalm 116:2, KJV).

Happy New Year! Come, Lord Jesus!

JANUARY 3

FORGET NOT HIS BENEFITS

Praise the Lord, my soul…and forget not all his benefits.

PSALM 103:1, NIV

Why put the pressure of resolutions upon ourselves if we feel unprepared to handle them? Who says we have to follow through with this New Year’s tradition? There’s no shame in admitting that it’s too much for us.

Perhaps in their place we can begin a new tradition. Take time to recount all his benefits and blessings that he’s rained down upon us over the years. Write them down. Place sticky notes on our mirrors. Do whatever it takes to remind ourselves that God has been active and attentive in our lives. I bet we’ll be amazed at how many we can recall.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11, KJV).

JANUARY 4

THE LORD YOUR GOD IS WITH YOU

Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid,

nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God

is with you wherever you go.

JOSHUA 1:9, NKJV

We think of God as going with us to a physical place: to church or on vacation. We can also think of him as going with us into the next year. As you consider the incoming year, know that God is already there.

As the Israelites were to go occupy lands, we are to go occupy the new year. We must claim it in his name. We must recognize that he is already preparing a place for us. We can cry with King David, I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13, NKJV).

JANUARY 5

WE ARE SAFE, GOD IS GOOD

Get out of your country, from your family

and your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.

GENESIS 12:1, NKJV

I recently packed up my belongings and moved one thousand miles away from the place that had been my home for over thirty years. I found it a bit frightening and was glad for my companion: two-year-old Peaches, the Labrador.

Finding motels that would accept her as a guest was challenging, and the rundown appearance of them was off-putting. Not feeling very safe in my room, I started repeating my trip’s mantra: We are safe, God is good.

Along with my prayers, I found myself repeating these words as I tried to fall asleep, as I drove in heavy city traffic, and when I felt vulnerably alone. They became my reminder that I had another traveling Companion: the Holy Spirit of God.

JANUARY 6

YESTERDAY IS GONE

The world and its desires pass away,

but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

1 JOHN 2:17, NIV

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them (1 John 2:15, NIV). To what lengths do we go to cling to the things of this world? I recently had reason to let go of many possessions when I moved. It is heart-wrenching to discover things that were left behind. It’s also irritating, as I have needed to purchase replacement items I cannot afford.

If I wish to do the will of God, I have to stop my obsessive thoughts and start thanking God for the things I do have: my computer, printer, desk, books, family pictures, and other precious and necessary things. I must allow the old desires to pass away.

JANUARY 7

A NEW RESOLUTION

I beseech you therefore, brethren…that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.

ROMANS 12:1, KJV

I’m going on a diet, I’m going to quit smoking, and I’m giving up chocolate. We come up with all sorts of resolutions when the new year rolls around. We deny ourselves and become strict individuals. Almost everyone you meet will have at least one resolution that they’re working on.

How often do we bring God into the resolution mix? Do we stop and think of what he might be wanting from us? Do we hold ourselves accountable to how we did or didn’t act the past year?

Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way (Proverbs 23:19, KJV). As we guide our bodies and minds at the start of the new year, perhaps we might consider guiding our hearts as well.

JANUARY 8

THE SAME FOREVER

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

HEBREWS 13:8, NIV

Many who suffer from mental diseases dislike change. I can be this way. A shifting of the living room furniture can be very upsetting. I find myself saying things like, What was wrong with how it was? I want things to be the same forever.

Jesus is the same forever. He neither moves nor changes. Of that we are assured. Philippians 4:5 (NIV) tells us that the Lord is near. No matter where we go, we can know that Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me (Psalm 139:10, NKJV). God is with us.

The next time you’re faced with the challenges and difficulties of a major change in your life, go to the One who knows you. Seek his comfort and he will guide you through the changes.

JANUARY 9

UNCERTAINTIES

And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ,

the Son of the living God.

JOHN 6:69, KJV

Those suffering from mental diseases can be certain of one thing: uncertainty. Will I sleep well tonight? Is this going to be a crash and burn day? Can I accomplish anything besides sleeping on the couch? Each day brings a new set of challenging circumstances.

What is certain, however, is my love for, belief in, and devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Rock I live upon. My mental and physical health issues can crash mightily against this shore. No matter, for I am secure and safe.

I pray that you will join me on this Rock. Life will assail, storms will gather, people will disappoint, and pain may be your constant companion. Simply say, Lord, I believe (John 9:38, NKJV) and you will certainly be firmly established.

JANUARY 10

YOU DO NOT KNOW

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know

what a day may bring forth.

PROVERBS 27:1, NKJV

Monday, October 13, 2015, was a day like any other. I had an afternoon stress-test appointment and was not very concerned about it. I suppose by then I was getting used to not feeling well and I wasn’t thinking I had heart problems. Boy, was I wrong.

I failed the test miserably, was admitted to the hospital, and had quadruple bypass surgery performed the following morning. Talk about not knowing what a day may bring forth.

My life was completely changed: diet, exercise, activities, and restrictions. It was surreal.

We finally discovered the why behind my having felt poorly for over two years. A dear friend, not a doctor, sent me to that appointment, and I thank God that she did!

JANUARY 11

HIS FAITHFULNESS

Because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

LAMENTATIONS 3:22–23, KJV

My eyes were recently opened to the narcissistic person I was married to for over twenty years. I felt so much shame and regret for my wrong decision to fix the marriage. I now know that the entire relationship was a lie.

I allowed myself to be crushed by this knowledge for a few days. God has, thankfully, come to my rescue, and I feel more powerful than ever. I have his armor to protect me from any and all future dealings with this cruel and unkind person.

What made the difference? The bad days, the upset stomach, and the oversleeping were my human reactions to horrific news. My new power and appetite are the godly reactions of a woman who has placed herself in the Lord’s capable hands.

JANUARY 12

DIRECT MY STEPS

A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

PROVERBS 16:9, NKJV

I have a tendency to visit the past and it destroys my emotional well-being. It’s an ill-advised habit, I know. Sometimes I can’t seem to help myself. Exactly what I expect to glean during these forays into yesterday, I can’t say. Perhaps the past seems comforting when compared to an unknown future.

Jeremiah provided wisdom in handling this bad habit of mine. People’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps. Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure—not in your anger (Jeremiah 10:23–24a, NIV). I need to ask my loving Father to point my steps in the right direction. I desire his gentle chastisement as I strive to break this lifelong habit.

If you struggle with this problem, walk alongside me!

JANUARY 13

THIS HOPE

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

HEBREWS 6:19, NIV

As we leave another year behind us, we leave many things in the past: memories, sorrows, and old injuries. What we don’t leave behind is our hope in the Lord God. Think of an anchor on a large ship. I’ve been amazed by the sheer size of them, but even the largest one seems inadequate for holding a huge ship in place.

What holds you in place? During the storms of life, what secures your soul? You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you (Isaiah 26:3, NIV).

Let us take forward with us our hope in God. Let us rely upon his knowledge and wisdom to take us safely into the future. Let us know we have an adequate anchor.

JANUARY 14

DON’T LOOK BACK!

He said,