I am ecstatic to share a devotion with you today! I have missed blogging, but our team at Everyday Women Ministries has been absolutely swamped due to the impact of the Coronavirus.

It was necessary that our priorities shift to feeding families, shipping resources to depleted food banks, helping seniors and remaining active in communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The work has been all-consuming, but thanks be to God, I am able to write to you today.

Know that I am praying for you as you pray for me and my team. A very close ministry colleague is in ICU fighting for their life due to complications from Coronavirus. I have lost several co-laborers in ministry to COVID-19 as well. Nevertheless, in all things, I trust God who remains ever-faithful and a present help in our time of need.

Let me also say, like many others, I have been grieved in my soul over the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and most recently, George Floyd. Take a moment to listen to my latest podcast titled, “Stay Woke,” where I share my views through the lens of the gospel.

In tumultuous times and at all times, Daily Cup family, it is vital to pay attention to what God’s word says about things.

Incidentally, this is a lesson I recently shared with the Hobbs children when my 16-year-old son Kedar brought up a circulating news story about a high-profile person who lost their job and sponsorships because of something they said. Kedar, who expressed how he personally felt about the controversy, told me, “I think that when people make mistakes and they are sorry, they should be given another chance and not canceled.”

He added, “I do think there should be consequences for wrong actions, but I don’t agree with how quick the public is to cancel people. I believe in forgiveness and second chances.”

That afternoon, the Holy Spirit impressed it upon my heart to validate Kedar’s perspective, because what Kedar said actually aligns with the teaching of Scripture. So, in response to the Holy Spirit’s urging, I told my eldest daughter Kyla to read Galatians 6:1 in the hearing of all the Hobbs children, which says, “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”

Then, I explained that Christians aren’t supposed to condemn and cancel people. Rather, we are commanded to forgive and restore the fallen, with the understanding that we, too, could err and need forgiveness. I was sure to mention to Kedar how proud I was of him for viewing news stories and issues through a biblical lens which is what God wants each of us to do.

In John 3, Jesus was on a mission to help a Pharisee named Nicodemus, one of the elite teachers of Jewish law, to do this very thing also. One night, after Nicodemus came to Jesus, the Savior told him in verse 3, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Understandably, such a claim seemed absolutely absurd to Nicodemus, who rebutted, “How can a grown man reenter his mother’s womb?”

Naturally speaking, being born again is impossible, but Jesus was not speaking naturally, was He? No, He was discussing the miraculous work of the Spirit. To bring Jesus’ point into focus, think for a moment about being in your mother’s womb. What did you do to give yourself life? What role did you play in your own birth? What power did you exercise to make sure you came into the world alive and breathing? You had nothing to do with that, right?

Exactly.

Jesus was explaining to Nicodemus that, just as humans don’t have power over their own natural birth, humans don’t have power over their spiritual rebirth. Being born again is a work of the Holy Spirit – a principle that runs counter to what Nicodemus believed. Judaism teaches that a person obtains righteousness by works. But Ephesians 2:8 NLT explains, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”

As you see from Nicodemus’s example, we wind up being so off base – however elite, educated, devout, or intelligent we think we are – when we try to comprehend the things of the spirit through a natural lens. Friend, it is imperative that you examine every single issue of life through God’s word which is a lamp to our feet and a light to our pathway (Psalm 119:105).

Despite what’s happening in our nation and what is occurring in your life personally, there is an invisible, spiritual, driving force behind what is happening. If you base your perceptions, assumptions and interpretations of the world on what you see in the natural, you’ll miss out on the truth. The only way to know the truth is to reference God’s word that’s there to guide and direct you.

John 8:32 reminds us that the truth brings freedom. Then, Jesus says in John 14:6 that He is truth. And the truth tells us, according to John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

That’s why I’m stirring all three of the above Scriptures into your cup of inspiration to help you see the truth which is this: You have the victory no matter what it looks like, because Christ has already overcome the world!

That’s good news right there.

As you drink down the contents of your cup, remember to let the gospel shape your perspective. When you do that, all you will ever see is victory. In the midst of tragedy, you’ll see triumph. In the midst of sorrow, you’ll have joy. In the midst of chaos, you’ll have peace.

You are a victorious overcomer through Christ in every season.

Now, let’s pray.

God, thank You for reminding me that I have the victory through You despite the evils in the world or the troubles I face personally. Please help me stand on what Your word declares, for it tells me that in all things, I am more than a conqueror through You. I receive it, and I walk in that assurance today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you desire prayer, please allow me, along with my intercessory prayer team, to stand in faith with you for breakthrough. We would be so honored. We have seen God work over and over again. There is power in agreement. Click here to request prayer now.

As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!