Devotionals

Real Love
Jamie Epure

I hate to admit it, but I am a typical girl when it comes to this kind of stuff — What do you think of when you hear the word, ‘love?’

Do you think of that boy or girl that you like? (And boys don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about; you are just as bad as the girls sometimes!) Or do you think about love between you and your family?
Either way, I want to challenge you: Do you know what true love is, and do you demonstrate it?
I thought I knew what true love was. When I was 15, I was “in love.” I dated a guy for about nine months. He was 6 feet tall, had short and wavy dark brown hair, brown eyes, and an awesome smile. He was a Christian, too, and we shared a lot of common interests — especially basketball and skiing.
We never did anything physically, but I was very emotionally attached to him. We were so close. We talked all the time and hung out a lot, because he was best friends with my older brother.
When we broke up – not really by my own decision, but my parents – my heart was broken. My parents decided that our relationship was too close, especially since I was only 15.
It was so weird because I was so used to talking to this guy everyday, and it was like I lost my best friend.
The relationship itself was not a good one, and we were consumed with each other so much to the point where neither of us grew in our walk with God.
But this guy made me feel so good, and it was great to know that someone liked me. It was all about the way I felt. Nothing else mattered.
My family didn’t matter or my friends. Because I felt so good around him, he was all I wanted to be around. To tell you the truth, I never really cared about the way that he felt during this whole time.
I was too worried about my own feelings. God started revealing to me how selfish I was in the whole situation, and it took me a long time to really understand this.
Even today, God is revealing to me more about what real love is. He reveals Himself to me through Jesus Christ and the way He selflessly came down to die for all of us. He did it to be in a relationship with us.
Look at the way He died on the cross. He didn’t care about His own feelings. He died so painfully. He cared totally about you and what was going to happen in your life.
He truly meant what He said in John 15:12-13:

 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you, Greater love has no one than this; that he lay down his life for his friends.

Shortly after that, He died on the cross. How great is this love?

Questions
Read 1 Cor. 13:3 –13. How do you love your friends and family with this love?
Write down some of the characteristics of love that you need to work on.

I’m 21 years old (I know I don’t look it, but whatevs). My newfound love is the sport of wiffle ball. Besides Jesus, I live for thrift store shopping (for kids t-shirts), sports and laughing. I come from a crazy family of four siblings, and my parents are just as nuts — I love ‘em! I sleep talk too … YAY!

Obeying The Voice Of God
Luke Bailey

When I did my Discipleship Training School, obedience was almost a new concept for me. I knew when God asked you to do something, you did it, but I didn’t know that He asked us daily.
There was a time in my outreach that God asked me to take a leap of faith and pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I didn’t know exactly what that was, and that scared me so much. While I was deciding whether or not to obey God, He gave me a vision.
I was sitting in a white room with a door and single light. The room was safe, and I knew its every detail. I felt comfortable. Then I heard God call me to the door. I opened it and saw nothing. He told me that if I wanted to know Him more, then I would have to walk through that door.
My first reaction: pure horror. I was petrified of that door, and I had no idea what was beyond it. I didn’t want to know. But still I heard God say that this is where I needed to go to find Him.
In the end, I trusted God and walked through the door. I prayed for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I felt the awesome presence of God like I never before. He told me that He’d protect and bring me through.
When God gives us a command, we are to follow Him. John 14:15 says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
I think that says it best. If we are truly in love with God and have a relationship with Him, then when He calls, we obey.
Sometimes what God commands may sound ridiculous, but I heard a quote from a man named Glen Sheppard who said, “I would rather fall on my face toward God than away from Him.”
This is amazing because I thought that some things that I heard from God where not God and were just my own desires.
Now when God tells me that I should do something, there are no if, ands or buts. I just do what He commands.

Questions
What is God telling you to do, but you aren’t listening?
What is keeping you from obeying God?

I have three different hair colors — yes, they’re all natural. I have more poop stories than anyone I know, and I have accidentally pooped my self more than anyone I have ever met. I have a dead man’s ACL in my knee, right now!

A Step Ahead
Emily Brager

I like to run. Most of the time, I like to run or jog with other people because I enjoy having someone there to talk to. I think it makes it more exciting – not that running in itself isn’t thrilling! I’m not sure if you guys really like running, but I actually do.
When I was in high school I had this friend who liked to run with me a lot. Although I like running with people, it was different with her.
She was one of those people who always ran ahead of me just a little bit! I’m not sure if you have ever experienced that yourself, but it is really annoying.
However fast I ran, she was always a foot ahead of me! Many times I would adjust my speed to see if she would adjust as well.
I would speed up to be in step with her, but she would also speed up, so that she’d still be a foot in front of me. Then I would slow down to see if she would also slow down. She did, and she still stayed a foot ahead.
So as you can see, my run that is supposed to be social – or at least relaxing – had become a hilarious struggle!
When I think about this story, it reminds me of our relationship with God. I think God wants to spend time with us and socialize with us on our run.
He wants to communicate with us and tell us what is going on in His mind and heart. He wants the run to be exciting because of the communication that we have with Him.
Often, we forget that God speaks and wants us to hear Him. When we forget this, we become the person who tries to run ahead of God. We don’t get to enjoy the run because we’re constantly running ahead.

Questions
Has there ever been a time when you feel like you’ve run ahead of God when He just wanted to tell you something?
Is there anything that God wants to tell you now?

My name’s Emily, and I’m at the wonderful age of 20! Other than running, I spend most of my time picking my split ends. Honestly, I find it fascinating!

Where Do You Want Me, God?
Angela Gideons

The one question that we all ask God is, “What is Your will for my life?”
Sometimes we want to know every detail about the next step God wants us to take. It’s good that we look to God for direction, but we can’t let the future become our focus. God has to remain our focal point. It took me a while to get that.
   Before working with YWAM, I worked a lot of retail jobs. Without a college degree, it’s kind of hard to get a job outside of this field. I knew that managing a fast food restaurant was not what God had planned for my future – not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it wasn’t for me.
So I began to seek God, and I asked Him to show me His desire for my life. I was willing to continue on the path I was on, but I reminded God that I was not passionate as a fast food manager. He would have to ignite the fire in my heart to fulfill His purpose while I was there.
   As I was pursuing God’s will, I went to a conference for young adults called Passion 06. During the three days of this conference, God spoke a scripture over me seven different times. He brought it up in different ways, one of which was on my roommate’s t-shirt. By the sixth time, I was sharing with my small group – of people I had never met before – how God continued to speak Jeremiah 29:11 to me. My small group consisted of about 10 people in a room of 2,000 people. The leader got up right after I shared with my small group about this scripture and read Jeremiah 29:11.
   Crazy, right?! I finally told God that I got it, that I understood. He don’t have to keep beating me over the head with it. I was able to see that God was telling me, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, but to give you a future and a hope.’” In other words, don’t worry about the details, I will lead you and show you the way to go, so just trust Me and know that I have amazing plans for you!
   So here I am now, a year later in a place I would have never imagined! God led me every step of the way, and all I did was be obedient and follow His lead. He removed every obstacle and has brought me to a place where I can see the future and the hope that God has for me! Praise God, who holds true to His promises!

Questions
Have you been obedient in the small things so that God will bless you with the big things? (Matt 25:21)
Have you reached a place where you have relinquished control to God and have allowed Him to show you the way? (Prov. 3:5-6)
Pray to God, thanking Him for what He is going to do in your life and where He is going to take you. Trusting that He will have amazing things awaiting you!

I enjoy frolicking through the woods marveling at God’s creation, especially the sky, it’s crazy to think that it’s never the same at any moment!

I aspire to one day pet a cow as you would a dog, right under the chin. This is one of my to do’s before I die!

Trusting God
Beckie Trevivian

“Be still and know that I am God.”
Psalms 46:10

I come from a small family compared to the average American-sized families. I have one brother and one sister, both younger than myself.
When I was a little girl, we used to live in an old Victorian house in England. The house had three floors with an old staircase that wound its way all the way up. And being a Victorian house made everything inside very dark – including the hallway.

I loved this house because playing hide and seek was like an adventure. I had so many places to hide, and I was pretty good at getting into small cupboards. It would drive my mother crazy when she needed me, and I wouldn’t give up my hiding place until I had won the game. It was so much fun waiting to see who would find me first.
At night, however, this house was not a fun place. It was creepy, and I’d always freak out if I didn’t have the hall light on so that I could feel safe falling asleep.

I don’t know if you’ve ever heard a creaky house at night, but it’s as if it’s coming alive. I also wouldn’t go to sleep unless my father had read to me and stayed until I could no longer keep my eyes open.
During my childhood I also had one other problem: I would sleepwalk. I don’t know why this would happen to me, but every night around a certain time, I would climb out of bed and venture out around the house. However, I would always feel safe because my father would always check on me to see where I was.
One night my father had a meeting at the church and was unable to read to me, so after some tossing and turning, I fell asleep.

A few hours later, I got up out of my bed and started to sleepwalk to the banister. Usually I would walk down the stairs, but on this night, I climbed onto the top of the banister. I slowly stood up and looked down.
In my dream, I think I dreamed I was on the edge of a sidewalk or something small, but if I had been awake I would have seen that there were another two flights of stairs below me. I slowly stood up and balanced myself before leaping off of the banister and falling. I don’t know how far I fell, but it was pretty far.

Now you’re probably asking yourself what happened. Well as I balanced myself on the banister, my father came in from his meeting and headed up the stairs. As he began to climb he heard a creaking noise and looked up.
As he saw me, he panicked and realized what I was about to do. Without another thought he ran up as far as he could and managed to catch me in his arms.

We always wait for those we trust to catch us when we fall, just like my father did. However sometimes we face things in our lives that others cannot save us from.
God places people in our lives at times when we need it the most, but when the problem is so great sometimes it’s only God that can help us.

God will answer you, and He is someone you can truly trust, He created you and loves you unconditionally no matter what the circumstance is. All you have to do is not be afraid to hear what God has to say and act on it. You’ll be amazed at what happens.
“I want to lean on God so much that when He moves I fall over.”
    Loren Cunningham
 
Questions
What are some things that are overwhelming your life?
Can you trust God with that? Write Him how much you have struggled with these things.

Beckie Trevivian comes from the United Kingdom and is currently staff at YWAM Orlando. Beckie has the superhuman ability to fit her entire fist in her mouth. She finds it incredibly funny when Americans try to imitate British accents … and fail.

We Are At War!

Jesse Anderson

“No soldier in active service entangles his ways with the worries of everyday life, so that he might please the one that enlisted him to be such a soldier.”
2 Tim. 2:4

What do you think Paul meant when he wrote this to Timothy?
Have we Christians forgotten the necessity and power in talking to God? What would happen in the battlefield if the troops stopped communicating with their headquarters?
How would they overcome obstacles or know the location of their enemy? Then how much more important is our war than those being fought or fought in the past? Why do we lack communication when our enemy is invisible?
We as Christians must be deeply rooted in “unceasing conversation” (1 Th. 5:17) with our Commander in Chief. How often do we get distracted with what´s going on and simply forget to pray? We must remember that God’s desire is to communicate with us. Jesus even said it Himself:

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
John 10:27

One of the ways that we can communicate with God is through the Bible. Paul describes the word of the Lord as a sword (Eph. 6:17). Have you ever sat back and thought why Paul described the Bible as a sword? It’s because the sword is designed as an offensive weapon! Although the Bible – similar to a sword – can be used as a defensive one as well, its primary use definitely is offensive.
Go back and think of some difficult time in your life when you thought you were done for. Now, what if you had prayed? Maybe you did, but then why did you stop? Something like this happened to Daniel as well.
Daniel is mourning due to his circumstances, and he begins a 21-day fast. On the 21st day, the angel Gabriel comes to him and says this:

Fear not, Daniel, from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me.
Dan. 10:12-13

Did you catch that? Daniel prayed and every word was heard, and a huge battle in the spiritual realm stopped Gabriel from answering Daniel’s prayer! It was actually so big that the Archangel Michael had to come and assist Gabriel.
Remember to pray and don’t stop! You never know what battle you may be involved in because you are following Christ.

 Questions

Read Matt. 4:1-11. What was Jesus’ response to Satan? What did He use? Why?
Reach Eph. 6:12. What do you think that means? Do you believe it?
Do you think this causes you to change the way you pray, or look at prayer?

Jessie Anderson is 25 and is happily married to the best looking woman in the world — Kristen Anderson! He is an avid Guitar Hero 2 player, loves sports of all kinds, the outdoors and tearing up the slopes on his snowboard.

He had his first taste of mission work in his DTS with YWAM Orlando back in Jan 2004, when he went to Spain and Morocco. He has a heart for the lost and desire to see them all get “rocked” for Jesus.

What Goes Around…?
Andreas Grönlund

Have you ever thought about this statement: “What goes around, comes around.”
I have. A lot – And not just in the context of Justin Timberlake’s song.
My name is Andreas Grönlund. You pronounce it like this: gr•œ•n•l•u•n•d. Well, I guess you really don’t understand how to pronounce it. Anyways, it doesn’t really matter.
I had a really hard time trying to pronounce my friends’ names here in Orlando when I first came in the fall of 2005. I often mixed up the “y” and “j” sounds, and my friends would laugh so hard. They thought it was so funny. But what went around eventually came back around.  Since I was around people who always spoke English, it slowly became more natural to me. 

After living in America for the last year and a half, I now speak English more naturally. And my pronunciation – especially for names – has improved drastically.
The environment I lived in helped develop my language and my thoughts.
After being in full-time ministry and discipleship schools since September of 2005, my mindset changed radically from what it was before.
If my mindset and language can change simply I am around it all the time, could my beliefs also be influenced by what I surround myself with? Jesus said this in Matt 6:21:

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

When I grew up, I didn’t listen to Christian music at all.
I grew up with heavy metal, rock and all kinds of secular music. I ended up living a very selfish life, filled with pleasures of the world. It was exactly what many worldly  musicians were singing about.
I was listening to all the secular music – and the environment that I was in at the time – finally spoke so much into my life that it became my life. I know that it can feel really weird, but this is how you can grow closer to God: Give up the things that are hindering your relationship with Him. It hurts to break some old habits, but it is worth it in the end. To remove hindrances between you and God will only make it easier in your daily relationship with Him.

Questions
What are some areas of your life that are influencing you?
How are these things affecting you?
What can you do about it? How can you change those situations?

Andreas Grönlund is not a Native American or an American at all. He is from the great Scandinavian country of Sweden. However, he is becoming more and more Americanized, except of course for his Swedish accent.

Cool In The Eyes of Who?

Amy Brandsen

I used to be a nerd. Hard to believe, right? But it’s very true.  I went to public school for most of my life.  My parents were afraid that my brother and I would succumb to the “evils of the public school system,” and did all they could to instill godly morals and behaviors in us.  Beside the supposed “sinful atmosphere,” they were convinced that perverts, bums and sickos lurked at all the exits.  But my mom and dad did do a great job teaching me to be a strong Christian and to be unwavering in my faith at all costs.

I was teased in sixth grade as my goody-two-shoes attitude became a noticeable trademark to my classmates.  “Just say the b-word once, Amy,” my classmates would say.  “I’ll give you a dollar!”  It became their goal to get me to swear or do anything bad. I was dubbed many nicknames like Angel Girl, The Soldier of Light, Amy Christ — the list went on.  But I proudly donned my Christian t-shirts and decided to start a Bible club.  I made posters and announcements as well as prepared teachings for anyone who decided to show up, but my posters were ripped up and vandalized.  Pentagrams, cuss words and “Satan hates you” messages defaced my work..

In junior high and high school, I was known for my faith. But was I always perfect?
For the last years of high school, I definitely compromised a bit. It was nothing major, but God wasn’t pleased.  Junior high was brutal, but as we grew, the students who once tormented me began to change their tune.  I had the opportunity to pray with many of my classmates and openly talk to them about Jesus and their lives. A few kids even started relationships with Him.
A few days ago, I was reading over my old yearbooks and wondered where all those kids are now.  For all their mocking and making my life miserable, I was pleasantly surprised re-reading those old notes.  In addition to the “Have a great summer” notes, students in sixth grade wrote me messages asking that I pray for them.

One girl who had been especially cruel wrote, “I may not agree with your beliefs or the way you choose to live your life, but I respect you for being a strong enough person to stand up for what you believe in.”  Wow.  I’m not saying that my junior high and high school years were easy ones.  Was it enjoyable to be made fun of and mocked?  Let me think … No!  But the important thing was that I stayed true to my God in the face of adversity.  I completely rooted myself in Christ and stood firm in my faith.  That way, although storms and challenges raged around me, my feet would remain firmly planted.

I am convinced that I made a difference in my school, and it was not because of any great thing I did. It was the light of Christ in me.  Be bold!  Let your light shine before all men so they may see your works and praise your Father in Heaven.

It became their goal to get me to swear or do anything bad. I was dubbed many nicknames like Angel Girl, The Soldier of Light, Amy Christ — the list went on.
But I proudly donned my Christian t-shirts and decided to start a Bible club.
I made posters and announcements as well as prepared teachings for anyone who decided to show up, but my posters were ripped up and vandalized. Pentagrams, cuss words and “Satan hates you” messages defaced my work..
In junior high and high school, I was known for my faith. But was I always perfect?
For the last years of high school, I definitely compromised a bit. It was nothing major, but God wasn’t pleased.
Junior high was brutal, but as we grew, the students who once tormented me began to change their tune.
I had the opportunity to pray with many of my classmates and openly talk to them about Jesus and their lives. A few kids even started relationships with Him.
A few days ago, I was reading over my old yearbooks and wondered where all those kids are now.
For all their mocking and making my life miserable, I was pleasantly surprised re-reading those old notes.
In addition to the “Have a great summer” notes, students in sixth grade wrote me messages asking that I pray for them.
One girl who had been especially cruel wrote, “I may not agree with your beliefs or the way you choose to live your life, but I respect you for being a strong enough person to stand up for what you believe in.”
Wow.
I’m not saying that my junior high and high school years were easy ones. Was it enjoyable to be made fun of and mocked? Let me think … No!
But the important thing was that I stayed true to my God in the face of adversity. I completely rooted myself in Christ and stood firm in my faith. That way, although storms and challenges raged around me, my feet would remain firmly planted.
I am convinced that I made a difference in my school, and it was not because of any great thing I did. It was the light of Christ in me.
Be bold! Let your light shine before all men so they may see your works and praise your Father in Heaven.

Questions:

Do the kids in your school know you’re a Christian? Why?
Have you made the choice to stand firm in your faith even when it’s not the popular thing to do? Why?

Amy Brandsen has been out of high school for 6 years now. She loves Jesus; her super cute husband, Grant; grocery shopping; and mint mojito gum. She is pictured above in Jamaica, with the best drink ever: Tropical Rhythm. Yeah, mon.

The Well, The Tree and The Deepness of God
Taylor Maxwell

I remember what it was like to swim to the bottom of the deep end of the pool and touch it with my fingertips.
There was no greater sensation than swimming back up to the surface full of pride, anticipating my parents greeting my smile with cheers, applause and approval. I conquered eight feet of water. I was king, and I owned the deep end.

Just like preparing to dive into the deep end of a pool, I’ve come across situations where I find myself standing toes curled over the edge of something deep, in limbo between plunging and safely walking away. Many times, I dove into a mess. But why do we take chances to blindly and fearfully dive into situations without trusting God?
What does it look like to desire God intimately – to know him better and deeper? I believe it looks a lot like diving into a pool, only He is both the water and that cheering parent.
God gave me a vision about a year ago of this unforgettable personal revelation:

As I peered over the rim of the well I saw a deep wonder of jewels. Shimmering at the brim of the well were small jewels; beautiful jewels of great worth, but small jewels the same.
Deeper and deeper the well went and all the way jewels consisting of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and beautiful sapphires began to grow larger in size and even still grew in worth and value. 

I saw myself being drawn to the depth and beauty of the contents in the well, and before I knew it I was head first into the well. Diving deeper and swimming further into the depths of the well, I immersed myself into the worth of all the jewels on the way down, grabbing from them their worth. 

Deep down in the well, I realized the beauty and worth of those jewels weren’t of natural or physical value, but rather of wisdom and knowledge from God. 

Each stone held eternal value. They were valuable parts of God’s character that were of valiant worth to my soul. After gathering each wonderful part of who Christ is, I began to feel more and more hunger for the things of God. I had to have more of God.

Isaiah 12:3 says: “Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation.”
Then again in Daniel we see that, “He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light.”

These verses speak truth to our lives. Trees draw their roots deep into the ground searching for life-giving nutrients. Flowers yearn for strength within the soil and simultaneously draw from the sun for their illumination.
It’s like when we swim to the top to see our cheering parents. It’s like God is both soil and sunlight. Nutrients and life.

What happens when we aren’t deeply rooted in God? Jesus says in Mark 4:6 that “’… because it had no root, it withered away.’ Jesus explains, ‘…they have no firm root themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arise because of the word, immediately they fall away.’”

To withstand trials, we must understand the principles of the tree and the vision of the well. We mustn’t only be outwardly strong in communication, but also in how we react to situations.
But like the tree that withstands tornadoes, hurricanes and floods, we must grasp the desire to wholeheartedly stretch deep into God’s nutrient-rich soil.
We must dive headfirst into the shimmering jewels of God’s wonderful love and indulge in all that He has promised us from the beginning. We must finally reject fear and take Him up on His offer.


Questions:

What are some things in your own life that keep you from going in deep with God?
What do you think the world would look like if we all understood and took God seriously when He asks us to be deep with Him?
How have you been personally challenged from today’s devotional?

Taylor Maxwell is married to the beautiful Brittany Maxwell. He enjoys reading books, watching the Chicago Cubs play baseball and leading worship.

A Preface For Those Who Read Prefaces
(Except No One Reads Prefaces)

Where are you while you’re reading this? Are you in Orlando still learning your dances and dramas — as well as everyone else’s names?

Are you at your outreach destination, simmering under the Panamanian, Spanish or Mongolian sun, while you do your quiet time?

Or are you back at home, reminiscing about your summer? It may have been days, months or even years, but you’re still trying to remember what it like to be sleeping on hard floors, waiting for meal seconds or talking to strangers on the streets about Jesus?

No matter where or when you are, I hope this devotional becomes more than just a book for you. I hope this becomes a memory book, a journal and comfort for you during this summer and afterwards.

After every devotional, there will be space for you to write your thoughts, prayers and conversations with God. But don’t let the last line be the limit. If you need more space, keep writing on every available white space you can find. Recording your thoughts and God’s words will last you more than just this summer.

Whether you’re on outreach or at home or school — no matter where it is — take a moment right now to just quickly look around, breathe in your surroundings and whisper a prayer to God:
    “Thank you.”
                    - Tony Kim

Where are you while you’re reading this? Are you in Orlando still learning your dances and dramas — as well as everyone else’s names?

Are you at your outreach destination, simmering under the Panamanian, Spanish or Mongolian sun, while you do your quiet time?

Or are you back at home, reminiscing about your summer? It may have been days, months or even years, but you’re still trying to remember what it like to be sleeping on hard floors, waiting for meal seconds or talking to strangers on the streets about Jesus?

No matter where or when you are, I hope this devotional becomes more than just a book for you. I hope this becomes a memory book, a journal and comfort for you during this summer and afterwards.

After every devotional, there will be space for you to write your thoughts, prayers and conversations with God. But don’t let the last line be the limit. If you need more space, keep writing on every available white space you can find. Recording your thoughts and God’s words will last you more than just this summer.

Whether you’re on outreach or at home or school — no matter where it is — take a moment right now to just quickly look around, breathe in your surroundings and whisper a prayer to God:

“Thank you.”

- Tony Kim