You Are Not the Only One: A Devotional

By Joyce Gerald

This book is a devotional that came from my devotional blog. It has devotionals based on personal situations and or circumstances, and it came from a need that the Lord placed on my heart as I prayed for individuals. The main theme is "living theology."

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 11, 2015
• ISBN: 9781512705614

Joyce Gerald

My name is Joyce Gerald. I am the only child of Stanford Alexander French, who has gone home to Jesus. I have lived on two continents and in four countries. I gave my life to Jesus Christ when I was fourteen years old—right after my grandmother died of cancer. Since then, I have served the Lord using the gifts that He has given me, worshipping Him as a member of praise teams or choirs. I have suffered from fibromyalgia for the last twenty years. I was hospitalized on September 27, 2013. I left the hospital barely able to walk. I could not comb my hair or cook for myself. I could not drive my car. I developed additional side effects from the disease that I did not have before I was hospitalized—fibro fog, memory loss, and intense pain in my fingers and legs. I had to retire from education. I am the mother of two daughters, who are a blessing to me. I attended Grace Community Church on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, for many years. My pastor at Grace was Roy Graves. He wrote an introduction for this book, and he remains my dear and close friend. Church has always been one of the main focuses of my life. I am currently going back to school to get a MCM degree in theology with a focus on pastoral counseling. This journey was inspired by the people I counsel online through the You are Not the Only One online ministry. I started the ministry in 2009. It has been a challenging five years, but it has also been worth every second. The ministry receives no funds from anyone; I have a small team of prayer warriors, and we pray for anyone who submits a request to the blog. The blog is located here: http://urnottheonlyone.com/.

Book preview

Introduction: What Love Is This?

It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. We want to follow man because it is easier to do that than it is to follow God.

—Deuteronomy 13:4

W e allow circumstances and personalities to consume us, and before we know it, we are on the outside looking in, wondering what in the world happened to us. I know what happened to me personally. I forgot whom my Lord was and whom I should really fear. After listening to one of my pastor’s sermons, which convicted me of my sins, I came to the point where I realized that even my thoughts will condemn me. No one is free from sin.

God reminds us in His Word that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28). Praise God for His saving grace, His undying love, and His unconditional forgiveness. Why do we consider it unconditional? It is unconditional because He knows that I am human and that as a human being, I will sin. He sent Jesus to intercede for me. Me? I am making this personal, so you should as well. He can look into my future and see the very sin that I am about to commit, yet as much as He hates sin and the sin in me, He still loves me and calls me special! What an example of ultimate love!

Song: How He Loves Us by David Crowder Band

How Will This Story End?

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Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.

—Psalm 32:10

S ometimes things happen over which we have no control. But we determine the end of the story. Why? Because when we decide to [t]rust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal (Isaiah 26:4), it all works out just fine. We must believe that this is the case, because doing so saves us the heartache of acting inappropriately and creating even more of a problem. Trust God even when the darkness has enveloped you. Trust Him!

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:1–3)

Song: Who Am I by Casting Crowns

Sometimes Our Actions Push Him Away

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W hen we feel as if God is far away from us, it is because we have removed ourselves from His sight. Yet He says to us, Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near (Isaiah 55:6–7). Unlike people, who always remember our sins and take every opportunity to destroy us with that knowledge, He forgives and forgets.

If you are feeling far from Him, draw near to Him, for He is with you. Offer this prayer: "Father, I know that although I have stepped away from You, You still love me. I thought I could handle it all by myself and that I had all the answers. I know my skills and abilities have come from You, and that I should be using them to serve You and those of the community of faith first. I know I am not all that and that You and You alone are God. Thank You for loving me anyway. Forgive me for all my issues, and keep me near the cross, in Jesus’ holy and righteous name.