Never Ending Praise The Lord

Devotions and short stories that draw me to God.

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Hey! I’m Chelsea and I started this website as a way to get closer to God through devotional time. I thought, why not share it with others? If I have questions, it’s very possible that you have questions as well. Eventually, this website will have short storiesarticles as well as devotions. I would also like to implement prayer requests and a place to share answered prayers and testimonials I can feature. I live in Texas with my mom and our two dogs Twiggy and Bella. I’m a woman who has been through the fire many times, and the only way I came out of it was the love of God. Until things come together, please feel free to comment your need for prayer. You have the option of telling me “Please pray, God knows.” or if you want it to be specific, you’re more than welcome to share. Praying it all comes together soon!
  • Crushed In Spirit

    Crushed In Spirit

    Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit.”

    In my prayer time this week, I found myself quoting this scripture back to God. My prayer time has included a lot of tears and honesty. I’ll be frank here; it’s a rough season. I am struggling with a lot of uncertainty, confusion, overwhelming sadness, and a really low sense of self-worth.

    I’m struggling with all the things I write about, the things I long to help others with.

    For weeks the alarm bells have been ringing, and I have ignored them. “I’m just busy!” I say. “God will work it out!” and “I will eventually get to rest from everything.” Now here I am asking God for a life preserver- the one I should have asked for weeks ago.

    I couldn’t think of anything to say, how to ask for help, but the above verse came to mind, and it left me wondering about our idea of brokenhearted and crushed in spirit versus God’s idea. I also had to question, “Am I really broken hearted and crushed in spirit?” I don’t want to be dramatic because it could always be worse. However, my inability to sleep and my tears leave me to believe that yes, I am crushed in spirit. The downward spiral of questioning my worth and allowing the enemy to be louder than God’s truth led to me being crushed in spirit.

    I know someone else out there feels the same way. So I want to tell you right here and right now- God is near. I think sometimes we forget that when the enemy is loud, we can ask God to be louder. We can also tell the enemy to get behind us and flee. [Matthew 16:23, James 4:7]

    When David wrote Psalm 34, he and his friends were experiencing fear, vulnerability and uncertainty. Yet, David wrote beautifully about God’s faithfulness in the midst of adversity. They were in the wilderness fleeing from King Saul. I would say that definitely left them crushed in spirit.

    As I think about what it means, I think it’s less about how we’re crushed in spirit. There’s no comparison math here. We all have different stories and circumstances in life that feel turbulent. It’s more about God meeting us where we’re at.

    “He saves the crushed in spirit.” the word ‘saves’ indicates that God provides deliverance, restoration and hope in all ways.

    If life feels messy right now, remember God is close and wants to give you rest. It may look like realizing we’re not machines and we can’t live life on autopilot. It may look like stepping back from toxic relationships or learning to say no to things. It may look like crying out to God multiple times a day and then being still. It may even look like asking him to show you what needs to be changed. Sometimes we have to repent and ask for forgiveness, which is what I had to do.

    I realized that a lot of how I’ve been feeling is due in part to my treating worldly circumstances and ‘things’ like idols. Even work for God can become an idol. When we prioritize busy-ness and allow it to distract us, it starts shaping us more than God himself. Truth be told, I want God’s word and his truth to be a mirror that reflects my life. What about you?

    Psalm 34 goes on to say in verse 19-20, “The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”

    I think that is a beautiful follow up to the promise of drawing near to the broken hearted and saving the crushed in spirit.

  • He Is Risen, Indeed

    Good morning!

    I apologize for not posting last week.

    Yesterday was Resurrection Day- or at least what some of us refer to as Easter Sunday. I have to say, this is probably my favorite holiday. Around this time, I always do a lot of reflecting. Perhaps it’s the Holy Spirit working through me. This year, I was able to think about the ways Jesus has brought new life and I wanted to share.

    The thought hit me a couple of weeks ago as I prepared to study John 3. In my prayer time, I always begin by thanking God for different things that he’s done, as well as the things he will do. On this particular day, I happened to think of the symbolism I had missed a year prior.

    In the midst of a rough season, I switched from teaching toddlers, to being surrounded by infants. I had avoided being around babies my entire time at my job. In part, it was due to fear. What if I dropped a baby? I didn’t think I could possibly keep up and stay organized. I didn’t feel qualified to care for these very vulnerable, tiny humans.

    Let me tell you what God did though. He surrounded me with new life. It was in this season that I started to really feel better. My first class of babies witnessed a lot of tears, I’ll be honest. There were days I had a lot of pain and could barely move, but I needed to be at work. Focusing on these babies helped a lot. Interestingly enough, infants know how to show love in the very best way. They show love with snuggles. They show love by laughing when you do something funny or make a funny noise. They show love by smiling when you engage with them. It felt like they saw through my pain and loved me through it. Through them and their innocence, I really felt the love of God.

    God was telling me that he was about to really bring me new life- but it had to come through him. I couldn’t give in to the dark, sad things of this world. There was lot of praying in that classroom, a lot of reflecting and meditating on his word, a lot of frustration while i muddled through health issues, surgeries and even mental anguish.

    After I realized that he had shown me new life in him by surrounding me with new life, I thanked him. I was just simply awestruck by his goodness, his purpose and his intentionality. I finished praying,and opened my bible to John 3.

    John 3 opens with a Pharisee, Nicodemus, approaching Jesus in the night. The discussion following was about being born again. Now, Nicodemus was very confused. At that time, Jews searched for a messiah to bring them a new world in which they would not be oppressed by the Roman empire. However, Jesus came to bring new life.

    Reading this passage with commentary [enduringword.com] was like God saying, “See how I’ve brought you new life?”

    I want to just remind you here, that his suffering on the cross didn’t just end in death, it actually ended with an empty to tomb as he was raised to new life. And that is what he wants to do for you.

    As my pastor asked yesterday, what will you do with it?

  • A little Interruption

    Good morning!

    A small apology for being absent last week! I was recovering from being sick [can you believe I had covid again?] I chose to work on just healing for a couple weeks and did not get an opportunity to work on my next devotion.

    I will be working on it this week, however but I thought I would come write some thoughts. I have still been spending mornings with God, and he has done so many great things in my heart, and I wanted to share.

    I recently finished the book of Job. It was my second time reading it, but this time I actually meditated on it, took notes as I often do, and really studied it. Most of us think of Job as a depressing or boring book of the bible. When I read it in the summer of 2024, I definitely had those same thoughts. It was interesting because I only read Job the first time because I felt prompted daily by the Holy Spirit. What I didn’t know then, was that God was preparing me for a very difficult season. I was really sick and also dealing with some other really scary things at the time.

    I would be lying if I said I handled that period with grace and patience. I didn’t think about what I had read in Job that summer at all. There were times I felt God had abandoned me, much like Job did. Had I truly understood the book of Job, I might have realized that God had simply allowed a very limited amount of opposition in my life to draw me close to him, refine me and build me into the person he intended me to be. Unfortunately, like Job, I was scared, depressed, and a little lost. My faith at the time was a little shaky anyway because of how things had been for the past few years.

    I can tell you now, having studied Job in more depth and detail, I really understand what God did at that time and I am bewildered at his goodness.

    As I came upon Job 23, I was able to really relate to his words in verses 8-10. We look for God in a multitude of ways and think ‘I can’t find him.’ And it leaves us feeling forsaken and abandoned by him. But I want to leave you with this. Verse 10 says, “But he knows the way i take, when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”

    He hasn’t forsaken you. He hasn’t abandoned you. He is moving you in ways you don’t even understand yet. Only precious metals like gold and silver are typically put in the fire. So when you go through it, remember these things.

    1. You are more precious than gold.
    2. The fire refines you
    3. He is carrying you through and you will come forth as gold. You are not forgotten, there is purpose in the crisis, it will come to an end, and something good will come from all of it.

    Sending love and prayers. Stay tuned for the next part of The Armor Of God.

  • Buckle Up, Buttercup

    Ephesians 6:14 NIV Stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…

    I don’t know why, but when I hear ‘belt of truth’, I automatically just see Wonder Woman with her lasso in hand. While I do have a fondness for the princess of the Amazons, the belt of truth goes much deeper.

    In reading about this specific part of God’s armor, I was fascinated to learn that the belt isn’t actually considered armor itself. Instead, it’s what secures the garments underneath. A roman soldier’s belt held his sword, kept his tunic tucked in so he wouldn’t trip, and held it all in place. Without the belt, the rest of the armor falls and becomes ineffective.

    In other words, the belt of truth is essential in securing what’s underneath all that armor and the rest of the armor itself.

    Now maybe you’re asking what the belt of truth actually means. Earlier, I talked about Wonder Woman’s Lasso of truth. The lasso of truth basically forces anyone captured in it to tell the truth. The belt of truth, however, is way cooler than that. It refers to the truth of who God is and what his Word says. If we’re focused on believing lies that we’re told from the enemy and allowing insecurity to define us, we aren’t wearing our belt of truth. Think about it, who we are is found in Christ, but Satan loves to distort that truth. So, when our belt of truth is secure and in place we can rest knowing that our security comes from our identity as children of God.

    Wouldn’t it be great if we knew how exactly to buckle this baby on? I got you. Read scripture regularly, reframe intrusive thoughts with God’s promises, and live out biblical truth by walking obediently.

    Hear me loud and clear here. Next time Satan tells you that you’re not enough, or that you’re disqualified, tighten that belt! Remember, you are made in God’s image, you are chosen, you are loved, and you are his.

  • Dressed For Battle

    Ephesians 6:13 NIV “Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

    Have you ever given thought to what a soldier wears in battle? I never had until recently. Usually, I picture a soldier in the typical army fatigues we see or their formal military uniform. Maybe it’s because I don’t like to think of the battlefield and the devastation it comes with. When I see or hear the word armor, I envision a knight from fairytales. You know, fully armored and faceless, rescuing the princess from whatever mess she’s entangled in.

    Regardless of what comes to mind when we think of soldiers and their armor, the truth is that they have a serious need for protection.

    It seems like military gear has advanced in modern times. Our troops wear things like tactical helmets and vests, radios, boots and eye protection. They even have stealth technology to help avoid detection.

    Even with all that gear, they don’t always come out of battle completely unscathed. We already know that sometimes…they even lose their lives.

    In the same way, Christians also have a serious need for protection. The world is scary for lack of a better word. We don’t just need physical protection though. We also need to be covered spiritually. In fact, Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

    Most of the time, the battles we face are deeply spiritual and they come directly from Satan. Fortunately. God gives us a full set of armor to use. If you take the time to examine Ephesians 6, you’d probably understand that what Paul is saying about putting on the full armor of God is not a mere suggestion, it is a divine mandate. He doesn’t say if the day of evil comes, or if we get attacked by the evil one- he uses the word when. We are guaranteed to face battles from Satan, and we are expected to face these battles with truth and covered by the protection of God.

    So, what does it mean to put on the full armor of God? Stay tuned because over the next few weeks, I’ll be learning with you.

  • Trusting God With The Unforgivable

    Colossians 2:13-14 “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 

    A few months ago, I wrote a devotion about the gospel. (The Best News You’ll EVER Hear – Never Ending Praise The Lord) I’ve known for quite some time now that I would need to write a follow up. As I’ve muddled through life’s curveballs, I realize that the time has come.

    Now that we’ve gone over what sin is a couple of times, I want you to think of the most ‘unforgivable’ sin you can. Go ahead, I’ll wait…

    Now that you’ve pondered that, I want to rewind to a few times in the Bible when some of our favorite people committed truly horrific sins. David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then he conspired to have her husband, Uriah, murdered. Guess what? God said he was forgiven. Paul murdered I don’t even know how many Christians before he was ever redeemed. Let’s take it all the way back to Genesis even. Adam and Eve… they really messed up didn’t they? Everything was perfect until they ate the fruit God specifically told them NOT to eat. They were forgiven…but I’ll get back to that.

    Now I want to tell you two things. First, that sin you deemed ‘unforgivable’? Let’s talk about it. That sin is no more or less than the white lie you told, sex before marriage, or even stealing. I know we could come up with a miles long list of sins and guess what? Second, Jesus covered every. single. one when his blood was shed on the cross. His death and the brutality he suffered beforehand gives all of us hope and the ability to transform our lives.

    Stay with me. I understand that this is a hard pill to swallow- I struggle with this sometimes because I want justice for evil in this world. Justice, however, belongs to God and God alone. Here’s the thing, we want to believe that there’s a scale and that the good outweighs the bad. The bad will be punished and the good will go to heaven… and that thought process nullifies what Christ did at on the cross. How do we even define good? We all have our own thoughts and ideas, but we have to know God has a different view completely, his truth is what matters and none of us live up to that goodness.

    I told you once that if you believe with your hearts and confess with your tongues that Jesus is your savior, you’ve received salvation. This doesn’t give us permission to sin. I know, I just said his death covered all the sins and now I’m tossing more at you. Hear me out though. When Christ died so that we would have redemption, it didn’t mean we suddenly had free reign to do whatever we wanted. It’s truly the opposite. His death saved us from eternal, spiritual death but it also called us to action- a transformed life.

    Romans 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” We don’t want to live in sin, and we don’t want to live in shame so we face consequences of our actions, we ask God for his forgiveness, and we work to be better than we were the day before. David faced consequences, Adam and Eve faced consequences but- they were still covered by grace. Then when wickedness in the world continued to increase, God sent Jesus. So while we may have consequences we have to face, boundaries we have to respect, and new ways of living, we can rest assured that Jesus paid the price and when we truly choose him as our redeemer , and work to transform- we receive that magnificent, beautiful grace.

    I don’t believe there is one person in this world who can’t be redeemed. We may not always understand or like it, but we do need to trust God with the unforgivable.

  • Eyes On The Savior

    Deuteronomy 18:10-12 NIV “Let no one be found among you…who practices divination, or interprets omens… Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.”

    The more I wrote these divination devotions, the more I began to understand why God wanted me to do them. While I don’t fall prey to these things now, I was fascinated by them in the past. I myself thought it was just harmless. I didn’t give thought to the doors I was opening, and how that was a clear invitation for the enemy to swoop in.

    Beyond that, the fascination with anything involved in the occult drew me away from the Lord’s presence and guidance. When that happens, we give power to the enemy to have a stronghold in our lives. This is a small fraction of why we are told to guard our hearts [Proverbs 4:23]. When everything flows from it, you want to be sure it’s in the right place.

    There are probably a lot of things I didn’t actually cover in this series, but I have a couple reminders for you:

    1. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” I find that with Jesus, there is no guess work. If the stars were made to worship him, why would I worship them?
    2. Remember that if it doesn’t glorify the Father- it’s not from him and most likely only leads to harm. When in doubt, pray it out and tell the enemy to flee.

  • When Curiosity Competes with Faith

    Jeremiah 33:3 NIV Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

    I’ve only played with a Ouija board one time in my life. If you don’t know what that is, let me explain. A Ouija board is a flat board marked with letters, numbers and words like ‘yes’, and ‘no.’ It comes with a small moveable pointer called a planchette. Some users believe the spirits guide the planchette but there are scientific studies that attribute the motion to unconscious movement of participants themselves. This is known as the ideomotor effect.

    The night I played with the board is pretty vague. All I remember is being at a park with a couple of people and playing with it. Two things happened. First, I thoroughly creeped myself out. It was dark and quiet. It felt eerie. Second, we were involved in a car accident very shortly after we left. Coincidence? Maybe….probably. I was weary of playing with the board anyway. I believe now that the Holy Spirit had been working to discourage me from playing with it, and I just didn’t realize it.

    So, novelty toy or tool for divination? Does it matter? My short answer is no, it doesn’t matter. Even occultists that use it for divination practices suggest using it ‘carefully.’ That alone tells me that God would find it detestable. You don’t have to believe it holds any power to recognize that it doesn’t belong in a life rooted in faith.

    Another toy worth mentioning is the magic 8 ball. Now, I know this one may seem silly. It definitely felt silly to me at first because the magic 8 ball really does seem harmless. I’m sure I’ve shaken the toy multiple times in my life and rolled my eyes when I didn’t get the answer I wanted. Then, I would set it down and brush the whole thing off as a joke.

    In total transparency, it makes me sad to admit that I only saw it as a silly toy when I didn’t get the answer I desired from it. How many of us would put all of our hope in this plastic ball of blue liquid, if we got our desired answer? Maybe I’m only one of a few people who might have, in the past, seen a ‘yes’ and felt my heart soar with hope. Really examine your heart and ask yourself if that could possibly true of you too.

    Some of the answers in the magic 8 ball are purposefully vague so that the user will make up his or her own mind about what may or may not happen. This takes all the guidance we find in God and throws it right out the window.

    I encourage you to pray for conviction from the Lord, listen for his voice, and stay far away from what doesn’t serve HIM.

  • Better Not Call Saul

    Isaiah 8:19 NIV When someone tells you to consult a medium and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?

    I don’t really remember a time I ever wanted to contact a deceased family member or friend. Sure, I’ve wished many times that heaven had visiting hours but truthfully, seeking out a medium to consult with the dead just doesn’t sound fun to me. A medium is a person who practices communication with spirits. We already know God finds this practice detestable. Now let me tell you about who did this very thing.

    If you’ve ever read 1st and 2nd Samuel, you know all about King Saul’s struggles. He was so disobedient that God stripped him of his title, and God’s spirit actually departed from Saul while Samuel was still alive. Once Samuel was gone, Saul was desperate and afraid, so he consulted the very thing he’d previously driven out of Israel- mediums.

    Now normally, when a medium would contact a deceased person, a demonic force pretending to be them would appear so the witch of Endor was completely shocked when this wasn’t the case.[1 Sam 28:3-25] God actually allowed Samuel’s spirit to appear in order to reaffirm that nothing he’d said to Saul had changed. [1st Sam 15] Saul had sinned, and now he would face judgement.

    Saul did two very detestable things in this story- he sought a medium, and he tried to consult the dead. He didn’t forget God’s commands; but he did try to excuse it and work his way around it by disguising himself. Humanity longs for validation, assurance, and the knowledge that we are valued and loved, so the desire to communicate with those we’ve lost is relatable. Acting on that desire is where we go wrong.

    We have the assurance of God that we are valued and loved. His scripture is full of truth about his love and value for us. When we walk in obedience, and our hearts are postured towards him, we also have the assurance that he will never leave us and unlike Saul, we can call upon him for help. Unfortunately, or maybe luckily, we can’t summon the dead. Only God can. The comfort you seek is found in him alone.

  • A Word On Witchcraft

    Galatians 5:19-21 NIV The acts of the flesh are obvious; sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry, and witchcraft….. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

    When I was a kid, my family had a difficult neighbor who my dad not so kindly referred to as a witch. I’d never seen this neighbor, and true to child nature, I took everything literally. I admit, I had a stereotypical view of how a witch looked so I would fearfully envision our neighbor stirring a cauldron and making rhymes in her black dress, black pointy hat, with glistening green skin and a long nose boasting a wart. I think my perception of a witch most likely came from the wicked witch of the west in The Wizard Of Oz.

    My perception changed a lot when I reached middle school and occult practices and movies that showcased them became popular. For example, the movie, ‘The Craft’ was really fascinating to my circle of friends. I wasn’t all that interested in the movie because it felt creepy but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued by the promise of power, romance and money that Hollywood teased me with. The part I was really into though was the makeup and clothes we tried to imitate. What a look. Dark makeup and revealing, dark clothing. It was appealing for my age group for some reason.

    No matter what you think of when witchcraft comes to mind, it’s not as harmless as you may believe. Some may view it as acceptable because they or someone they know only practices ‘white magic’ and not ‘black magic’. While white and black magic allegedly have different intentions, I want to take this time to define witchcraft. It is the practice of magic, especially for evil purposes. Now, Scripture also lists sorcery as a detestable practice way back in Deuteronomy 18:10. Sorcery is the practice of magic, especially black magic. [Or, evil purposes.] I’m bringing up sorcery because there’s truly no difference in practice.

    Today, I realize that our perception of witchcraft is all Hollywood. It’s still a terrifying and sinful reality. Paul is so clear in Galatians that witchcraft is an act of the flesh and that those who practice it will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Galatians mentions quite a few other sins that we as humans are guilty of and shouldn’t be taking so flippantly. As Christians, it’s imperative that we take all these things seriously, identify them in our own life and work with God on changing our hearts.

    God means what he says. He clearly states that sorcery and witchcraft is wrong and will lead us away from him. He says those who practice magic will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. [Rev 21:8, Rev 22:15] You can’t get much further away from God than that. Don’t take a chance!