God's Mess: A Messy Devotional

By Michael T. Dickman

This 365-day devotional can bring out the messes. Some touch on issues not brought up in churches. The significant part about this book is we can start anytime! Day one to 365! I prayed and wrote to get to the deepest parts of us. We realize we are a mess, then surrender it. We allow His Spirit to release the bondages. We become less of a mess.

Whose mess are you? Remember, we can choose to be God’s messes. In His hands, struggles turn into something amazing! I pray this devotional will be a great tool for all of us as we draw closer to the Lord we love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9781664296176

Michael T. Dickman

Michael Dickman has been a son and a leader for over half his life. He came across controversial situations and subjects. Ones that revealed struggles. When he shared them, got met with religious backlash. Michael got told by leaders that we needed to fit a mold. But he studied and prayed, then found the correct solution. We share them. Our messes bring healing. This book is therapeutic. Because we may be a mess, but we are God’s mess.

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Copyright © 2023 Michael T. Dickman.

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-9618-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-9619-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-9617-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023905730

WestBow Press rev. date: 03/24/2023

CONTENTS

Day 0How to Use the Mess

Day 1Surrender

Day 2Awful Gold Stars

Day 3Breaking Amish

Day 4Refining Moments

Day 5The Grand in Grandparent

Day 6My Way

Day 7Bottles, Jars, and Soul

Day 8The Hunted

Day 913 Reasons Why

Day 10Heavenly Minded and Earthly Good

Day 11Keep Them Closed

Day 12Love is a Verb

Day 13Addicted

Day 14The Hidden Enemy

Day 15The Exact Middle

Day 16Half Full

Day 17Numbers

Day 18Hymn Wars!

Day 19Throw Away Marriages

Day 20I Want the Fancy One

Day 21Scratch Our Backs

Day 22You Will Not Lose Me

Day 23Reaching

Day 24Good Things Come

Day 25Remit and Release

Day 26Seasonal Messes

Day 27Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Day 28Old Camel Knees

Day 29All We Need is Love

Day 30The Vicious Triangle!

Day 31Sides

Day 32Hinder

Day 33Connections

Day 34Messy Mouth

Day 35Notions

Day 36Hate Groups

Day 37The other 40%

Day 38All that and a Bag of Chips

Day 39There Before

Day 40Am I Ugly?

Day 41Patterns

Day 42Self-Hogs

Day 43Pushed into Purpose

Day 44Trustaholic

Day 45Hello Mc Fly!

Day 46When a Plan Comes Together

Day 47You Complete Me

Day 48Under Pressure!

Day 49Parts Unknown

Day 50E.F.

Day 51Weird Evangelism

Day 52Just So Happened

Day 53XXX

Day 54After the Rain

Day 55What I Want to Hear

Day 56Throwing Stones

Day 57Furious Fun Waves

Day 58Failure to Communicate

Day 59Get Busy Living, or Get Busy Dying

Day 60Expensive Choices

Day 61Manic Monday

Day 62Ministry Wounds

Day 63Oh, Weaver of Webs

Day 64Out of Reach

Day 65Antagonists

Day 66Letting Go All Over

Day 67What’s Going On?

Day 68Liars

Day 69Underachiever

Day 70You Wouldn’t Like Me When I’m Angry

Day 71Turn the Page

Day 72Nerds!

Day 73Step Out

Day 74King of the Mountain

Day 75Red Flags

Day 76You have a Problem

Day 77Edited Church

Day 78Christianese

Day 79Picking Up Bones

Day 80Nightmares

Day 81More Powerful than a Locomotive

Day 82My Betzel Pretzel

Day 83SHAZAM!

Day 84Unplanned

Day 85Jesus Action Figure

Day 86Where the Life is

Day 87On Display

Day 88Bot Misunderstandings

Day 89Faulty Foundations

Day 90Past 23

Day 91Tssadiq

Day 92Must Be Psychic?

Day 93EF 365

Day 94Warranty Pressures

Day 95Such a Misfit

Day 96Set Apart

Day 97Play Church

Day 98All Alone

Day 99Priorities

Day 100Can’t We All Get Along?

Day 101Form a Committee

Day 102Despite Me

Day 103It’s Yuck Again!

Day 104The Real Great Commission -

Day 105Nothing to Yoke About

Day 106Share a Beautiful Day

Day 107Secret Jesus

Day 108Medicine Lesson

Day 109Loopty Loops

Day 110Never Go Back

Day 111My Way or the Highway

Day 112I Gave Up Lent for Lent

Day 113The Right Master

Day 114The Rona

Day 115Thunder Brother

Day 116I Lost My Shadow

Day 117Temporal

Day 118Engage!

Day 119Pastor Kayfabe

Day 120Significance

Day 121Co-Responders

Day 122The Head Complainer

Day 123Lifesavers

Day 124Extreme Side

Day 125Believing in Miracles One

Day 126Believing in Miracles Two

Day 127Believing in Miracles Three

Day 128Believing in Miracles Four

Day 129You Be Trippin’ People

Day 130Progressing Dangerously

Day 131Politico

Day 132Look Out!

Day 133To Have Jesus

Day 134PDA

Day 135Surrounded

Day 136Less

Day 137Helpless

Day 138Bosom Buddies

Day 139Reliability

Day 140Entrance Denied!

Day 141Toe Stomper

Day 142Why So Surprised?

Day 143A Kuma Matata Means No Worries

Day 144Reminiscing

Day 145Skewed

Day 146Like a Grasshopper

Day 147My Amazing Biker Jacket!

Day 148Why I Love Crackers?

Day 149I Met Elvis

Day 150Go to Hades!

Day 151Miracle on South Street

Day 152Critical Conditioning

Day 153I am Right! Sometimes

Day 154$42 Offenses

Day 155Love or Labels

Day 156For the One

Day 157Echoes of Past Me

Day 158Pass the Buck

Day 159One Day

Day 160Isms

Day 161Always Get Up!

Day 162Les Miserable

Day 163Questionable Times

Day 164Questionable Lies

Day 165Swerve

Day 166Chat Rooms

Day 167Professional Grumbling

Day 168The Right Focus

Day 169Love is Sacrifice

Day 170Prayerful Opportunities

Day 171Take Advantage of Me!

Day 172Inhumans

Day 173Why Be Rich?

Day 174The devil’s Day

Day 175Dig Dug Decisions

Day 176Ride or Die

Day 177Do Not Stab Sleeping Kings

Day 178Public Image

Day 179A Year of No Fear

Day 180It is All About Soul

Day 181Power in Praise

Day 182Good Luck

Day 183How We Fight

Day 184I Hope They Die

Day 185Special

Day 186Lists

Day 187Rick Rolled

Day 188Ten Boom

Day 189No Way!

Day 190Our Enemy

Day 191Bad Gateways

Day 192Real Men

Day 193Straight Up

Day 194Single Ready to Mingle

Day 195Lofty

Day 196Non-Prophet Organizations

Day 197The Guilt Police

Day 198In a Bad Way

Day 199Before the Crash

Day 200Mentors

Day 201It Was Gone

Day 202Scrolling Values

Day 203Heads Drop

Day 204Plastered

Day 205Senseless

Day 206Pull a Blue Card

Day 207How We Die

Day 208Grand Theft!

Day 209Orphan Annie Syndrome

Day 210What’s Your Sign?

Day 211The Other 28th

Day 212Button Pushers

Day 213The Extra Mile

Day 214Corrupt Politicians

Day 215Young at Heart

Day 216Shalom

Day 217Floundered

Day 218Filler Up

Day 219Prayerful Tina

Day 220I’m Vengeance

Day 221Step Up or Cower Down

Day 222New Goshen

Day 223More is Caught Than Taught

Day 224Rep

Day 225Made Men

Day 226Carnality

Day 227Wake Up!

Day 228All My Fault?

Day 229Accused

Day 230Blessed

Day 231The Power of Laughter

Day 232Not Fair!

Day 233The Big D

Day 234Associate

Day 235The Hidden Truth?

Day 236Uncharted Territories

Day 237Second Place

Day 238Jethro Principles

Day 239Happened to Me Too

Day 240All My Needs

Day 241Jesus Loves You

Day 242Removing the Helmet

Day 243Pets After Death

Day 244Young Crushes

Day 245Dumpster Fire

Day 246Changing Mindsets

Day 247Folding Up the Chair

Day 248Norman and Alice

Day 249Sheep Stealers

Day 250Picked On

Day 251Second Chances

Day 252Strike Back

Day 253Bullying Backlash

Day 254No!

Day 255Got Your Back

Day 256Moving On

Day 257My Referee Shirt

Day 258You Are Backwards!

Day 259Don’t Work, Don’t Eat

Day 260Idol Killers

Day 261Who is to Blame?

Day 262Breathe, Just Breathe

Day 263Wrecks

Day 264Breakfast First!

Day 265Lame Excuses

Day 266Flyby Believers

Day 267Determination

Day 268Told Ya So!

Day 269Spectacle for Jesus

Day 270Agendas

Day 271God Does Not Care

Day 272Go Before Me

Day 273Sloppy Agape

Day 274Hold Me Back

Day 275The Blame Game

Day 276Why a Tenth?

Day 277The Rational Response

Day 278Level Up

Day 279Being There

Day 280Raising the Bar

Day 281Worry Warts

Day 282Pushing Against the Goad

Day 283Talking to Dogs

Day 284He Cannot Help Himself

Day 285Burying Our Struggles

Day 286Gambling or Donation?

Day 287I’ll Get By

Day 288Losing Control

Day 289Burning Bridges

Day 290Getting Dumped

Day 291Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours

Day 292Prepare a Place

Day 293Sound the Horn!

Day 294Party Hardy

Day 295A Triumphal Entry!

Day 296Stigmas

Day 297Watered Down Jesus

Day 298Show Yourself Approved

Day 299My Friend Jack

Day 300Trash or Bread?

Day 301Bold as a Rottweiler

Day 302Atheism, why so Mad?

Day 303Dead Fish Go with the Stream

Day 304The Blessings of Enemies

Day 305Losing Our Edge

Day 306Looking Ahead

Day 307Barabbas or Bar-Abbas?

Day 308Balance

Day 309Hurry Up and Wait

Day 310I Experienced Heaven

Day 311Let’s Get Physical

Day 312Anticipation

Day 313Financial Persuasion

Day 314Pitchfork Punk

Day 315The Fast Lane

Day 316But

Day 317He Left

Day 318Hey, Jealousy Part 1

Day 319Hey, Jealousy Part 2

Day 320Honest Prayers

Day 321Nostalgia

Day 322Too Many Cooks

Day 323Precious Prayers

Day 324Out of the Ordinary

Day 325Priceless

Day 326TEST-imoney

Day 327Equipped

Day 328$25 Words

Day 329I Got This!

Day 330Beyond Control

Day 331The Dimmer Switch

Day 332The Wrong Voice

Day 333Entertaining Angels

Day 334Let’s Talk about Sex Baby

Day 335We Need Light

Day 336Playground Restaurants

Day 337Good and Bad Years

Day 338Cluttered

Day 339I’m Just the Messenger

Day 340Stand Up Stand Out

Day 341Town Gossips

Day 342Fooled

Day 343Super or Superior

Day 344Vibrato

Day 345Punching Bag

Day 346Wiretapped

Day 347Bump on a Log

Day 348Wicked Things

Day 349Toxic Revengers

Day 350Elastic People

Day 351Generations

Day 352The Town Coward

Day 353Mid-Life Crisis

Day 354On Hold

Day 355Deliverance

Day 356Soft Side

Day 357Messes to Masterpieces

Day 358More than Meets the Eye

Day 359Who are We?

Day 360Walking Through

Day 361Cookie Cutter Kids

Day 362Not Entering

Day 363Adoption Truly Defined

Day 364Now What?

Day 365Super Powers

ABOUT THE MESS?

I am a son, leader, and disciple who loves His Father in Heaven. I am a mess as well. God loves us despite the messiness. We start a journey to become teachable, surrendered, and following the Lord. We become God’s mess, and He can do amazing feats!

I was a new believer in a Bible study and talked about struggles. I replied, I may be a mess, but I’m God’s mess.

I lined up with Scripture when I came to Christ. My goodness was a filthy rag. I broke the ten commandments. I believed I had no redeemable characteristics or qualities.

But God did! He does!

God loves us the way we are despite the messiness. I always tell people that The Lord scraped the bottom of the barrel when He saved me. He wanted me with my faults and mess-ups.

Twenty-five years later, I am still a mess. I teach the Bible verse by verse. Pray daily and surrender my life to Him, believing He will clean me.

Then, being a Christian is a lifelong adventure. Jesus’ love is unparalleled in this world. What is the best part? After we mess up, surrender, and confess our mistakes, God takes and reverses them. He is making it something beautiful! Jesus took the worst in me and created fantastic life events. He can do that for us!

Compared to a perfect God, we are messes. For example, a little kid helping Dad paint. They drip paint on the floor and streak it. Then leaves satisfied with the belief that they did a phenomenal job! Then God fixes the mess. He allows us to be a part of molding us more into His image and likeness.

We are all messes. But whose are we? We can choose to be God’s mess.

I HOPE WE ENJOY

GETTING MESSY

My friend Reverend Doctor Ronnie Hampton opened his event, Takin’ it to the Streets. An annual event provided free food, jobs, clothes, and opportunities. In the past, religious people had problems. He was firm and told us we needed to leave if we had issues with non-Christian organizations.

This book is only for some. It is a messy book for messy people. I am a messy leader. I want to be holy and pleasing to God, making prayerful decisions. But they get messy.

This devotional is for the individual who understands they are a mess. To be honest, we are. For example, Peter denied Jesus three times. A three-time man, he was a ready, fire-aim guy. He denied Jesus when told to feed God’s people. He was told to eat three times. I can be a four and five-time guy.

Men and women were after God’s own heart in the Bible. When the rubber met the road, they did not run to the local temple of Molech or Baal. They followed God and made mistakes. Then surrendered their messes and became better people.

Men and women of God, this book gets messy. I pray it will touch your heart. Change, mold, and draw us closer. We grow when we surrender. We may be a mess, but we are God’s messes.

DAY 0

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HOW TO USE THE MESS

This messy work is about surrender. We need to give our mess to the Lord.

David committed adultery with someone’s wife. He tried to cover it up, sent her spouse into battle then married her after he died. Later, one of the husband’s relatives, Ahithophel, turned one of David’s children against him, and it was a gigantic mess! God still called David a man after His own heart.

The apostles didn’t use His authority at first. They discovered who they were. They denied, doubted, and ran away from Jesus before they stepped into Christ and His Spirit.

God loved these men, not for their messes, but because they sought Him. They communed with the Father. God loves to spend a life with us. As we read and connect with prayer, I pray we draw closer and love God more.

They messed up a time or two. Peter shook off his religion. He ate pork with the Gentiles. The religious people called him out. He took it back. Paul put Peter in his place. We may get in the mess again; the goal is to move forward into God’s true calling as sons and daughters.

The disciples were like us. They matured and did remarkable things. Growth occurred when they surrendered to Jesus, walked in, and displayed love. Power manifested.

Whatever stage we are in, I pray God reveals our messes. We can surrender them to the Lord as we go through life.

I hope we pray together as we read this devotional, asking God to reveal the messes in our lives. Whatever this book uncovers, we can surrender and lay it on His cross. Remember, God loves us with deep love. He desires us to walk in His power and authority. He wants us to recognize who we are—sons and daughters of a Father who rules a Kingdom.

DAY 1

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SURRENDER

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10 NIV

It was a five-year journey to write this devotional. One night I got approached and asked why I looked so sad. I prayed for that answer. The conclusion was that I wasn’t letting go.

This is a hard devotional with complex subjects. I forgot to surrender as I wrote and got affected. That was why I looked upset. I needed more time to release what I wrote.

This book is a healing tool. Some subjects will make a small impact. I pray some will pull the mess out. Then hope it will release the yuck as we continue to grow.

It is healthy letting go. Please use this devotional as a tool to release messes. To delve further into what caused them. Then heal through His holiness.

That was my five-year prayer. It felt healing to look back. They brought out emotions.

I pray for all of us messy people. I hope we learn to surrender. It is hard, especially for men. I know it was for me. People taught me that men don’t cry. That I must fight to win. In Jesus, the battle belongs to Him. He requires us to surrender what we have, good and bad.

General prayers get offered at the end of each devotional. We all pray in our way. I wanted to show how we could start praying if we never had. Use them as a teaching tool. Prayer is talking to Jesus; there is no wrong way.

Thank you for starting this messy journey, and I hope we all become closer to the Lord we love as He pulls the junk out of our lives.

Thank You for the adventure, Lord. Praise you for what You can do. We pray You will do wonderful works in us as we go through this messy devotional. We surrender to You today and ask You to change us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

DAY 2

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AWFUL GOLD STARS

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation, power, kingdom of our God, and authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God, day and night, has been hurled down. Revelation 12:10-11 NIV

What if I said I’m not religious? I’m not fond of the term at all. What reactions would I get? People don’t know what it means. We work to get to God. We attempt to get good while performing rituals.

I had to attend church until I got confirmed. Then my parents told me I could stay home. I went every week dressed in my suit and loved it. I preached as a teenager, was a lay reader, the youngest on the church council, and an acolyte. These were positions to assist the pastor during the service. We lit candles, read verses, and helped with communion,

People praised me as I read Scripture well. I answered and let them know I knew I did. Because it was about me. I was in the church unsaved. The gold star religious kid! A moral dynamo in my mind. I believed my moral measure won me through the pearly gates if I died at that moment. I was wrong.

We don’t go to heaven with good works. But because we proclaim Jesus as Lord. That is all. People get stuck in religion. Then believe it is due to what we do. That means Jesus rose for nothing after the crucifixion.

Every religion taught how to reach its gods. In ours, God came to us. He rose from the dead because He loves us.

Rituals are beautiful when God-focused. Good works are remarkable for His glory. We need to be careful of awful gold stars.

satan is the accuser of the brethren. The word accuser is (kategoros), where we get categorized from. The devil wants us to put awful gold stars on our refrigerators. Then beat us up when we do not perform. The goal is not religion. It is a relationship and growth in love through Jesus.

We must be careful not to categorize; I know I sometimes do and need forgiveness. Remember, it is about connection, not tradition.

Today help us remember that salvation is in You and what took place at Calvary, Lord. Help us not to avoid getting into gold star works. In Jesus’ name, amen.

DAY 3

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BREAKING AMISH

I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20 NIV

I grew up 90 minutes from Lancaster, PA. Then visited there. I also watched any Amish shows that came on TV. There were a lot, despite the Amish being against filming.

Bad traditions got exposed. The Amish faith is knee-deep in it. This affected those shows’ youth with the Amish religion’s rules. I also learned some of these rituals during my visits to Lancaster.

God’s Word should guide a household. But religion can lead to made-up rules. Amish children had restrictions from traditions. It led to cast members with no freedoms.

There was a ritual called Rumspringa. Amish youth experienced the world. Then could come back and join the church or leave. It led to drugs, partying, and jail time. Stern religion pushed them into the world.

Hypocrisy is honoring the Lord with your mouth but not your heart. Jesus took five loaves and two fish, then fed over five thousand people. The religious answer was that people did not wash their hands before they ate!

I am all for hand washing. I have ministered in healthcare and proper handwashing limits germs. The Pharisees had eighteen manufactured stipulations about proper hand washing. They took simple tasks and turned them into a ritual.

Freedom comes from a relationship with Jesus. Remember not to make a ritual out of our relationships with anyone. We must break traditions.

Help us live in freedom and release those in bondage today, Lord. Then help us remember that the law got fulfilled through Jesus. Let us avoid getting stuck in traditions and rituals. Allow those caught up in these to experience freedom. We love You Jesus, amen.

DAY 4

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REFINING MOMENTS

The proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:7 NIV

I love teenagers and have ministered to them for years. Many were strong-willed. As I write, it reminds me of another mouthy teen—me at 15.

When my children were teenagers, it required a continual filling of God’s Spirit. They cleaned their room and got done five minutes later. They shoved stuff under the bed. Is not clean. Another past reminder of me. I did that.

God forgave everything. We step into His love and are done. He has unconditional love. He opens hearts and changes us. Then accepts us no matter how much of a mess we are.

God sees us as precious gold. It comes out of the ground covered in dirt and rock. When thrown into the fire, impurities rise to the surface, and gold stays down. Superficial issues removed—the more refining, the better the karat. In our case, more refining means more like Jesus. More of His reflection in us, and He shines through. There is one issue. More refining means longer, hotter times in the fire.

I need Him daily. When a teen says, they cleaned after five minutes. When I wash dishes or awaken at 2 am to pray. Like the David P. Vandagriff hymn, I Need Thee Every Hour.

There is fulfillment and healing when we spend time with our Abba. I covet every moment I spend with my kids. Then hope they enjoy spending time with their dad.

The more time we spend with our heavenly Dad, it is the same way. Those defining moments can refine the ones we treasure.

Today I pray for You to refine us, Lord. Reveal and remove all the impurities as we move forward. Could You do that for us today? Thank You, Lord, for the refiner’s fire. In Jesus’ name, amen.

DAY 5

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THE GRAND

IN GRANDPARENT

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, not built by human hands, an eternal house in heaven. Meanwhile, we groan, longing to be in our heavenly bodies. 2 Corinthians 5:1-2 NIV.

I got the call on my way to a church celebration. My Pop Pop passed away. I tried to hold together as best I could as I talked on the phone with family.

As a pastor, I did funerals. I buried friends, young people, and even babies. All difficult. Through God’s strength, I would honor them. This time was different; it was a grandparent.

I caused my Grandparents a few headaches over the years! I constantly asked for juice barrels and Coca-Cola. The bowling alley and fridge were in the basement. Grandmom was quite a bowler!

Pop Pop started his multi-million-dollar business there. One that earned community respect. The kind someone at Normandy in World War II should get. He spoke about it once to me.

Pop Pop was there all my life. We often talked and prayed on the phone before he went home to be with Jesus.

I gave him a Bible, and he read every page. I draw strength from that Word today. We have a soul and dead spirit from birth due to sin. The moment we accept Jesus, He makes dead spirits come alive.

A body comprising one trillion cells. If we took all our DNA out, it could fit into an ice cube. If they lay it end to end, it would stretch from the earth to the moon four hundred times! The seventeen elements make dirt. My Pop Pop’s dirt suit stopped that Sunday, but his spirit continued.

Pop Pop was a GRAND pop. My Grandparents were together forever. He wanted to outlive Grandmom. Money went into her consideration. She had many health issues, and finances helped with her care. Our talks were more valuable than any dollar amount. He taught me to be a better man by placing his wife before himself.

I will see Pop-Pop again. I take the lessons he gave and the wisdom he left. That is the GRAND in Grandparent.

Life is not over with you, thank You, Lord. We move and keep going because of You. I pray we will see those we mourn over one day again. In Jesus’ name, amen.

DAY 6

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MY WAY

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 1 Peter 1:13-14 NIV

A pastor visited me today. I gave him a church tour and then sat down to converse. We talked about people brought up in environments. They lived in the same setting all their lives and knew nothing different. It’s hard to change when you’ve been there a while.

I was born again at age 28, and before that, I had a particular lifestyle, routines, and views based on myself. Then it all changed. I learned to love the hymn written by John H. Sammis, Trust and Obey. Life was not my own anymore. Now everything I am belongs to my Lord and King. God reminded me time after time.

Before that, I learned to fight and win! Surrender is what God calls us to. This wasn’t easy. I wanted it my way. When someone picked a fight, I got good at putting them in their place. I won battles myself. Surrender was not in my makeup. I’m learning that my life is not my own and trusting the Lord who leads me.

This is because we battle with selfishness! To live to gratify ourselves! God calls us to surrender to His Lordship and follow Him in all we do. I am preaching to myself. I want to follow Jesus in everything, be selfless, and allow Him to lead. But that only happens sometimes. Each day, I hope we remember that if we surrender to the Lord, He can teach us.

Help us move past our selfishness, Lord. To fight the feelings that You don’t want us to have. Be with us as we want to please You and not ourselves. In Jesus’ name, amen.

DAY 7

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BOTTLES, JARS, AND SOUL

But the LORD said to Samuel, Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 NIV

People used labels for me. The Bible Banger, Holy Roller, with beliefs in that archaic book! Tonight, labeled as too conservative. Which people labeled me as too liberal too.

I labeled people. I am excellent at marking people when not walking in Christ.

Do we want to be classified? Stamped with a mediocre title. Most do not because labels are wrong. We can see people as souls—sons, and daughters of the Highest Father. The entire universe is worth less than an individual soul. It is beautiful and what makes us who we are.

The religious leaders in Jesus’ day labeled people. They said a woman was an adulterer. They felt glad they were not tax collectors! The Pharisees prayed daily and thanked God they were not dogs, women, or gentiles.

Jesus was not about labeling. We never saw him use a disability or sinful behavior to define an individual. He saw people and loved them. Then made them feel they were the only person. He ministered to them at that moment and called them son or daughter. That is how we need to be. He saw souls—no lifestyles, identities, or genders. The Bible says we are God’s holy possession. Holy, perfect, and wonderful. Our identities are in Him.

Labels are great for can goods, jars, and bottles. But we should never define our beautiful souls.

It is so easy for us to label ourselves and others, Lord. Help us look at each soul and love them. Would You help us do this, Lord? In Jesus’ name, amen.

DAY 8

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THE HUNTED

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6 NIV

I got hunted for a long time. I made people angry and had death threats. Those were fearful times. I felt blessed to survive.

I was in the city one time. People were going to kill me. They looked me in the eye, saw me, and walked past. I never understood why and always chalked it up to being lucky. Luck is not part of my belief system now. The Lord watched out for me then.

God was there before I knew Him. He hunted me too. After salvation, He revealed those times. He protected me in the past. It wasn’t luck when they saw me. It was protection. I always wondered why.

Goodness and mercy will follow us, from a primitive Hebrew meaning to pursue and hunt. His goodness and mercy will hunt us throughout our lives. We are in the shadows of death being chased. Before we know Jesus, He pursues us with goodness and mercy.

We are the hunted. The one He goes after and leaves the ninety-nine. He loves us with deep love. I pray we all understand and allow God to reveal love to us. Love hunts us down and wins our hearts. May His providence be over us.

We thank You for pursuing us, Lord. Even when we don’t understand salvation, you look to oversee our lives. I pray for those who have not known salvation. Protect them until they do. Praise You for that in Jesus’ name, amen.

DAY 9

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13 REASONS WHY

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings, and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. Deuteronomy 30:19 NIV

I watched a series on TV. It’s a show called 13 Reasons Why. It affected my spirit because I dealt with suicide.

I beseeched the Lord about my Sunday school lesson, and suicide kept coming to mind. I shared about a friend I lost. Teens started raising their hands. They asked if I knew what took place on Friday night. The Lord laid the lesson on my heart Monday. Friday, a classmate took their life. We spent the day ministering to those teens.

The hardest suicide was my dear friend. He requested I hold his pistol one day. I was not comfortable with weapons. It remained under my bed for weeks. We talked and prayed over those months. Then he asked for it when he was stronger. He promised if he felt bad again, he would give it back. That promise never happened.

What pushed him? A Christian who made that decision. In our conversations, severe circumstances drove my friend to it. There were reasons. He was a wonderful friend and believer. It still crushes my heart today.

I am still watching 13 Reasons. I also experienced it over and over. The dilemma is thinking we can only escape if we end it. I hope God plants us in a securer place if we go through this. There are thirteen trillion reasons we are beautiful. Please reach out when you go through this. Choose life.

I raise up everyone feeling they are on edge now, Lord. Shower over them with Your Spirit and love. Draw them out of the darkness and into the light. Help them understand they’re worth in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

DAY 10

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HEAVENLY MINDED

AND EARTHLY GOOD

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written, Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.’ Now that no one is justified by the law before God is evident, for, The righteous shall live by faith." Galatians 3:10-11 NIV

Two movies about Jesus are excellent. The first is Jesus of Nazareth. I loved the movie but believe Jesus was not like the character. He was a King James Bible, monotone Messiah.

There was another movie called Matthew. Jesus was serious but genuine. He splashed water on the disciples and laughed in one scene. The Jesus of the Bible has emotions. He is the Son of God, but also the Son of man.

Christians struggle to find a balance between heavenly-mindedness and earthly goodness. We can lose perspective on why we are here.

People take it too far when the Lord wants us to be heavenly-minded. They isolate, become unapproachable, leave churches, and get steeped in religion.

Jesus went to a wedding in Cana. He did not get mad that the music was not synagogue-approved. Our Lord did not yell at drunks. Jesus loved people where they were.

I love my fellow firefighters. I sat with them in the club and drank root beer. We built bonds. I knew the religious church looked at this in a poor light. There were more conversations about Jesus there.

When spending time with sinners, should we feel condemned? We enjoy a song, not on the K-Love top forty. Maybe attending a concert not sponsored by the church? We can care about someone who may not meet the church’s standards. We need to have balance.

If Jesus were walking the earth today, where would he be? Would He be singing hymns in church or outside with sinners? Religious leaders told everyone what they did wrong while Jesus loved people.

My prayer is that we become balanced Christians. That we focus on the things of God, Heaven, and His Word and meditate in His presence. We can hang out with messy people and disciple them.

Help us find the balance to walk in You, Lord, and minister to others. Help us be more like You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Reviews for God's Mess

[Gary Robinson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was pleasantly surprised. I do not know the author, and the book is compelling and challenges me. There are great subjects based on life experience and it helps me know Jesus more. I am glad I tried this book and will continue to read it.