When we go sailing, it may be necessary to get our sea legs under us. Having “sea legs” means we have made a bodily adjustment to the motion of the ship indicated especially by the ability to walk steadily and by freedom from seasickness. In other words, no matter what havoc the sea decides to throw at our boat, we will be able to function securely.

Now think of the sea as life’s vicissitudes. The wave of financial reversal may wash across the deck. The wind of the unexpected death of a family member or close friend may threaten to blow you off course. And the lightning strike of a failed relationship might blind you momentarily and come menacingly close to burning down your main mast. In the midst of the storm, when there’s nothing else you can do, trust God to supply you with sea legs.

Habakkuk 3:19 says, “The LORD God is my strength; he will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills” (NKJ). Certain types of deer inhabit rocky hillsides. The only way they can climb up and down and survive in their habitat is because God has formed them with specially-designed feet. No matter what they face, they are able to function and walk effortlessly among stony obstacles.

Those deer’s feet are like sea legs. Look to God as your source of strength. Today, let Him give you the feet you need to walk effortlessly among your obstacles and the sea legs you need to stand steadily until you reach a friendly port.

____________________________

©2015 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. Also, periodically check in at www.LifeThatMatters.net to see what’s going on in the ministry.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Watch The Holy Spirit Broadcasting Network’s new internet TV show Life That Matters with Sharon Norris Elliott from any internet-connected device at www.HSBN.tv. (Stream current show or view past episodes anytime!)

Pick up a copy of Sharon’s newest release,

Why I Get Into Trouble as well as other favorites, Boomerangs to Arrows, and Power Suit

Why I Get Into Trouble link to our eStore: https://www.createspace.com/5131814

Boomerangs to Arrows: A Godly Guide for Launching Young Adult Children available from Judson Press (http://www.judsonpress.com/product.cfm?product_id=17387),

(Boomerangs Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2JH_gbinMk )

Power Suit: The Armor of God Fit for the Feminine Frame from New Hope Publishers (http://www.newhopedigital.com/2010/08/power-suit/)

In the sixteenth chapter of The Revelation, seven angels are allowed to pour the wrath of God upon the earth and all kinds of bad stuff starts happening:

• foul and loathsome sores break out on those who have taken the mark of the beast upon themselves,
• the sea becomes blood and all the sea creatures die,
• the rivers and springs become blood so there’s no water to drink,
• the sun is affected so that it scorches people with its heat,
• etc.

God is obviously perturbed and you would think the people on earth would get the message; yet, not so. Read their reaction, “They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds” Revelation 16:11 (NKJ).

Not much had changed in hundreds of years. Just a few generations after Adam and Eve plundered mankind into sin, humans had gotten so rotten that we hear God saying, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh…” And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart” Genesis 6:3 and 6 (NKJ). God’s next thought was to just wipe everybody out. After all, He was well capable to start all over again. “So the LORD said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them’” Genesis 6:7 (NKJ).

To what lengths do we push God before we decide to confess and repent? And by extension, to what lengths do we push our family and friends before we tell them we are sorry for something we’ve done that has hurt them? You see, confession is not only about us. Confession and repentance have to do with the person we have wronged. Yes, we ought feel bad about our wrongdoing, but a true confession has to do with the fact that we have hurt the other person, we feel his or her pain, and repentance comes in when we will make every effort to keep from doing that same thing again. It is not an apology to say, “I’m sorry you feel bad.” It is an apology to say, “I know I hurt you when I…, I did a wrong thing when I…, and I will not do it again.”

Our maturity as children of God can be measured by the length of time it takes us from the recognition of our sin to our confession and repentance. The shorter the time, the more mature we are becoming. Rather than going through levels of denial and arguments of justification, once we become aware we have sinned — that means we’ve hurt God or our fellow-man — our commitment to Christ ought to compel us to immediately confess it before God and turn from it. And if God is trying to get our attention through some form of discipline He’s sent, it’s a great idea to submit to His chastening quickly.

Why are we okay with hurting our spouses, children, other family members, and friends? Can we really blame people for having the thought like God had, I’m sorry I’m in this relationship.? Let’s not be the ones who fall under God’s wrath or move Him to say He’s sorry He made us.

____________________________

©2015 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. Also, periodically check in at www.LifeThatMatters.net to see what’s going on in the ministry.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Watch The Holy Spirit Broadcasting Network’s new internet TV show Life That Matters with Sharon Norris Elliott from any internet-connected device at www.HSBN.tv. (Stream current show Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; or view past episodes anytime!)

Pick up a copy of Sharon’s newest release,

Why I Get Into Trouble as well as other favorites, Boomerangs to Arrows, and Power Suit

Why I Get Into Trouble link to our eStore: https://www.createspace.com/5131814

Boomerangs to Arrows: A Godly Guide for Launching Young Adult Children available from Judson Press (http://www.judsonpress.com/product.cfm?product_id=17387),

(Boomerangs Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2JH_gbinMk )

Power Suit: The Armor of God Fit for the Feminine Frame from New Hope Publishers (http://www.newhopedigital.com/2010/08/power-suit/)

Mary’s pregnancy ended in that stable because there was no room for the little family in the inn. After some moves, they ended up settling in the little town of Nazareth where it is said Jesus “…grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him” Luke 2:40 (NKJ). But Jesus had also grown in Mary’s womb. Like with all pregnancies, I’m sure that the larger He grew, the more she could feel Him move in her. Also toward the end of her pregnancy, others could probably see Him moving within her as well.

My wish for you today is that you allow Jesus to grow big in you. The larger you allow Him to grow in you, the more you will feel Him when He moves, and the more others will see Him moving in you.

Merry Christmas.

____________________________

©2015 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. Also, periodically check in at www.LifeThatMatters.net to see what’s going on in the ministry.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Watch The Holy Spirit Broadcasting Network’s new internet TV show Life That Matters with Sharon Norris Elliott from any internet-connected device at www.HSBN.tv. (Stream current show or view past episodes anytime!)

Pick up a copy of Sharon’s newest release,

Why I Get Into Trouble as well as other favorites, Boomerangs to Arrows, and Power Suit

Why I Get Into Trouble link to our eStore: https://www.createspace.com/5131814

Boomerangs to Arrows: A Godly Guide for Launching Young Adult Children available from Judson Press (http://www.judsonpress.com/product.cfm?product_id=17387),

(Boomerangs Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2JH_gbinMk )

Power Suit: The Armor of God Fit for the Feminine Frame from New Hope Publishers (http://www.newhopedigital.com/2010/08/power-suit/)

As we approach another Christmas, many of us are in the throes of preparation. We’re preparing for Christmas morning by decorating the house and trimming the tree. We’re preparing for Christmas dinner by standing in long grocery store lines for just the right Butterball® turkey, Honey Baked® ham, and all the trimmings. We’re preparing for the arrival of out-of-town guests by vacuuming, dusting, and shining up the special dinnerware. And of course, we’re preparing to put smiles on the faces of our friends and loved ones by purchasing or creating and then lovingly wrapping just the right, special gift.

God did quite a bit of preparation too as He put everything in place for the first Christmas, getting that special Gift ready for us. He actually started working on that day way back in the Garden of Eden. Speaking to the serpent who had seduced Eve into eating the forbidden fruit, God said, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” Genesis 3:15 (NKJ). This sentence is called the Proto-evangelim. On the Truth for Today website, this verse is clearly explained:

• In one cryptic sentence, addressed to the Serpent, God divulges the plan of salvation… An individual from among the woman’s seed, namely Christ, shall deal a death blow and utter defeat to Satan at the cross, while Satan would bruise Christ’s heel, that is, cause Him to suffer.[1]

From that time on, God was working history to prepare for the first Christmas. Jesus Christ would be a descendent of Abraham, but Abraham had to be born and called, and then had to have a child. (That’s a long and interesting story in and of itself!) Jesus would be of the tribe of Judah, but Jacob (Judah’s daddy) had to be born and grow to have a “tribe.” Jesus would be a descendent of King David, but David had to first be born, have kids, and ascend to the throne when as yet – back in the beginning – the children of Israel (who also weren’t born yet) were not even ruled by a king.

God also dropped hints throughout Scripture of other first-Christmas preparatory details:

• Jesus would be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14
• He would be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2
• He would be from Nazareth. Isaiah 9:1-2

God went to a lot of trouble to give us our first Christmas gift – to come to us in the person of His Son. He put Himself in the womb of a young girl, Mary; and in the care of a young carpenter, Joseph. He restricted Himself to a small time and place with no cars, airplanes, telephones, or computers. So as we run around getting our last-minute details together for this Christmas, think of all the preparation that went into that first Christmas. Let’s not get so flustered in the “trouble” we have to go through to prepare for the day. It’s worth it to prepare in big ways for big events. God did it for us.

____________________________

©2009, 2015 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. Also, periodically check in at www.LifeThatMatters.net to see what’s going on in the ministry.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Watch The Holy Spirit Broadcasting Network’s new internet TV show Life That Matters with Sharon Norris Elliott from any internet-connected device at www.HSBN.tv. (Stream current show or view past episodes anytime!)

Pick up a copy of Sharon’s newest release,

Why I Get Into Trouble as well as other favorites, Boomerangs to Arrows, and Power Suit

Why I Get Into Trouble link to our eStore: https://www.createspace.com/5131814

Boomerangs to Arrows: A Godly Guide for Launching Young Adult Children available from Judson Press (http://www.judsonpress.com/product.cfm?product_id=17387),

(Boomerangs Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2JH_gbinMk )

Power Suit: The Armor of God Fit for the Feminine Frame from New Hope Publishers (http://www.newhopedigital.com/2010/08/power-suit/)

Hello Blog Followers,

Here’s something new for you today! Below is a link to a webinar I recorded entitled “Six Essentials for Parents to Leaving a Strong Legacy.” (Some computers will have the webinar screen right here in the blog.) The webinar is based upon part of my book Boomerangs to Arrows: A Godly Guide for Launching Young Adult Children (Judson Press). The introduction just shows a blue screen, but the webinar is accompanied by a power point.

Please share this webinar with parents of children of all ages. Parents of young children can set the groundwork early, and parents of young adults can either right the ship, add to the foundation they have started, or just be encouraged.

So copy and paste this link into your search bar (or just click the arrow) and enjoy! Merry Christmas!

On the journey, Sharon

P.S. The introduction to the webinar is correct in that my husband and I have 5 children between us, but I did not have the pleasure of raising my “bonus” children. I’ve worked at being a positive influence — their bonus mom — in their lives as they navigate their adulthood.

www.LifeThatMatters.net