Category Archives: Abide in Christ

WOW Scripture Reading – Home “No Room for My Word”

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“I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word.” John 8:37 NIV

Dear Princess Warriors,

Last week at WOW we began to learn what it is to have a heart at home in the Word. We learned about the relationship of oneness God desires to have with us. It is man’s true spiritual home where God dwells in man and man dwells in God – attached, connected, united, indivisible, and inseparable. Jesus, the Word made flesh, came to establish this relationship when He came to earth and made His dwelling among us. He died a cruel death on the cross making it possible for the heart of God to once again dwell in the hearts of men as it was in the beginning. God truly desires for us to have our hearts at home in the Word. 

The WOW verse for this week is the words of Jesus that He spoke to a group of Jews who did not desire to live in a deep and intimate relationship with the Word. In fact, Jesus states some of the saddest words in scripture with regards to their spiritual hearts: “…you have no room for my word.” These men did not want to receive, understand, believe, and obey the Word. Their spiritual hearts were hard and black… unreceptive. They did not desire to experience their true spiritual home. 

This semester at WOW we have been learning this truth: the Word of God is the indispensable necessity of our lives. The words Jesus spoke in our verse this week remind me of how important it is for me to make room for His Word. In order to make room for the Word, I must hold the Word, who is Jesus, in the place of highest honor. I must revere Him as my supreme authority, my Lord. I must live my life in total submission to Him. As I make room for the Word in my spiritual heart, I will trust in the Word having complete confidence in Him resting my mind on His integrity and truthfulness. I will live my life in total dependence on Him. When I make room for the Word in my heart, I will allow His Word to transform my mind and influence my conduct. I will live in total obedience to Him. 

As you read the words of our verse this week and reflect upon them, I would encourage you to ask yourself this question: “Am I making room for the Word to be at home in my spiritual heart?”  It is His desire to establish a permanent and lasting relationship of oneness, Home, within our hearts. He wants us to live attached, connected, united, indivisible and inseparable from the Word. May our deepest desire be to make room for the Word in our hearts. 

Our song this week is “Make Room” by Meredith Andrews featuring Sarah Reeves & Chris McClarney 

Love,

Janet
Devoted and Determined in the Word

To grow in knowledge and understanding, please read the verses in context and look up key words. Excellent resources for deeper study include: Biblehub.com, Webstersdictionary1828.com, and gotquestions.org. 

Check out WOW Ministry on our Facebook page, Spotify playlist and our Webpage by clicking above.

“Dwelling Among Us” Devotion Written for WOW Ministry

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Word of the Month: Home

     “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”John 1:14 NIV

When I was engaged to my husband Rich, he lived in a small apartment in St. Charles, Missouri. It held his bed and his clothes. It was a place he landed on occasion after work or school. It really was not his home. Cleaning it, decorating it, and making meals there was not a thing of concern to him. He was too busy with working full time and going to school full time. However, all this changed when we got married and I moved in. I did my best to give the apartment and his new life a woman’s touch. It went from a dirty bachelor pad to a cleaned-up home. It went from plain white walls to decorations and pictures. Rich went from his nightly dinner of McDonald’s cheeseburgers to home cooked meals. He went from sitting alone each night to companionship. I had come and turned a place he used only to sleep in, to a place where he abided with affection and found refuge and rest. With he and I together in that little apartment, we experienced home. 

This month at WOW our verses are about a special relationship of oneness with God – home. Our spiritual hearts experience their true home as we live attached, connected, united, indivisible, and inseparable with God. It is God in man and man in God. As we have faith in Him, loving and obeying His Word, desiring to delight to do His will, we will experience this relationship with God. We will be led home to the heart of God expressed in His Word, knowing Him and all His goodness. 

This week’s WOW verse speaks of this expression of God’s heart. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory…” Jesus is the Word made flesh. He came to dwell with us. Not only did He dwell with us, but He died on the cross so that the heart of God could once again dwell in the hearts of men like it was in the beginning before sin entered our world. This is the relationship of oneness with God that He desires for us to experience with Him.

In a small way, this relationship of oneness is similar to the relationship Rich and I experienced when we were married, and I moved into his apartment. When I came to dwell with Rich, our lives changed for the better as we have experienced home together. Jesus, the Word of God, came to establish a relationship of home with us, a place of intimate relationship. He has come to dwell within us through His Word. When we receive the Word into our lives, understanding what He desires to do within us, and believing every Word He is speaking, we will obey Him. We will truly experience Him and His love. We will know Him as our true spiritual home. 

Perhaps as you read this, you realize that your heart has been empty and void of its true spiritual home? The Word, Jesus, is longing to come and reside inside of you. The Word wants to clean up the mess that sin has left behind in your spiritual heart. He wants to make Himself at home in your heart filling you with His love. He wants to change your heart into His image so that you can experience Him fully. May we receive the Word, understanding and believing Him. May we obey what He says! May our hearts experience this beautiful relationship of oneness, home, – attached, connected, united, indivisible, and inseparable – with Jesus, the Word! 

This week’s song is “Abide” by Aaron Williams. 

Love,

Janet

Devoted and Determined in the Word

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Invitation to Know Him

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“For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.”
‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV

Shortly after Rich and I started dating he went home with me to meet my parents. I had been in college for three years and was 21. He was 19 and had been in college for one. We were driving along and he took off his high school class ring, flipped it up on the dashboard and said, “Here, why don’t you take this so the other boys won’t flirt with you?” This was his way of saying, “Would you like to be in an exclusive relationship? Just me and you?” He had extended an opportunity and expressed a desire for us to know each other better. At that moment, I had a choice. Accept what he offered or deny it.

Jesus offers us an invitation. It is to an exclusive relationship. He wants us to know Him. This is why He has given us His Word. The key is for us to accept His Word. We have to take it in and allow it to work in our lives.

In a small way it is like that high school class ring Rich offered to me. God holds out the invitation for us to receive what He has offered, His Word. When we receive God’s Word into our hearts, we receive an exclusive relationship. We are His. We grow in our knowledge of Him and our love for Him. We will believe Him, because we have accepted His Word.

God help me to always have a heart that is receptive to the Word You have given me. Help me to always take the time and make the time to be with you each and every day engaging with You and Your Word in a deep and intimate relationship.

Room For His Word — John 8

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“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””
‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“If you hold…”. Continue, abide, dwell to Jesus’s teachings/ Word. That is the mark of a true disciple. It is impossible to pattern our lives after, give our lives to, and follow closely someone we do not know or relate to on a moment by moment basis.

Jesus warned that it is possible to encounter Him, but to not allow Him to dwell in our hearts. He told those listening to Him. “…you have no room for my word.” We can fill our lives with all kinds of ideas, passions, and pursuits and yet miss the most important pursuit of all, knowing God and His Word.

There is only one way to true freedom and to fulfillment. It is to make room for Jesus in our lives.

More of Jesus, Less of Me— John 7

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Jesus and God the Father are one. Jesus said that He did what He saw the Father doing. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.” Hebrews 1:3. When we see Jesus, we see God the Father.

Jesus repeatedly spoke about “the one who sent” him. He wanted us to understand that He was not working on His own. He was connected in a real and intimate relationship with His Heavenly Father. Jesus said, “… but I know Him because I am from Him and he sent me.” Jesus had and still has an intimate relationship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. They are one.

Jesus came to show us what our Heavenly Father is like. He revealed God to us. He also came to restore the relationship mankind lost long ago in the Garden of Eden. He came to restore our connection to Him through the Holy Spirit, who we can now receive to live within us.

When the Holy Spirit lives within us, we are able to identify with Jesus in His own words, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.” May this be our desire. That we do nothing from ourselves and for our own ambitions, but that we live for the glory of God. That He is lifted up in our lives, and that we will display God as His visible representation — Image Bearer — to the World around us.

More of Jesus … Less of me!

Bible Book of the Month Club — The Gospel of Mark (Mark 1:1-20)

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Today is the big day, the launch or the “Bible Book of the Month Club — The Gospel of Mark”
Let’s read Mark 1:1-20 ❤️🔥🙌
Here’s what I got out of today’s reading:

What sticks out to me in what we are reading is the lengths God has gone to in order for us to know Him.
First He sends a messenger to announce Jesus’s arrival, John the Baptist. John the Baptist talks about Jesus coming. He describes Jesus as being more powerful than him and able to Baptize with the Holy Spirit. Then God the Father speaks about who Jesus is in front of everyone when Jesus is baptized. Plus Jesus, Himself, tells the ones He is calling to follow Him that He wants to teach them how to fish for people so they will come and follow Him too.
God wants us to know Him! That is awesome news!
What is God showing you? Post it below 👇👇👇

(Tomorrow we will read Mark 1:21-45)

Bible Book of the Month Club — The Gospel of Mark (Mark 1:21-45)

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Today is Mark 1:21-45 ❤️🙌🔥 for the “Bible Book of the Month Club — The Gospel of Mark”

I love verse 22. The people who heard Jesus were amazed because He didn’t teach like their teachers of the law did. He had authority. He testified about what He KNEW! It reminds me of the account of a Jesus explaining the scriptures to a couple of disciples shortly after He had resurrected from the dead as they walked along on the road to Emmaus. The Word says ““They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”” Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There is NOTHING like the voice of God! When God speaks it is authority, it is fire, it is beautiful!
We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us now, speaking to us. Our role is to LISTEN, accept what He says, BELIEVE it and OBEY His Word.
That is good stuff!! 🔥🔥🔥
Happy Sunday! Enjoy church today 🤩

What did God show you today in our reading? Share it below 👇👇👇

Tomorrow we will read Mark 2:1-17.

“Refuge” – Devotion written for WOW Ministries

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“He said: ‘The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent people you save me.’” 2 Samuel‬ ‭22‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV

My childhood home did not have a basement. I can remember being afraid because we had no place to go if a tornado came. That was until our family became acquainted with our neighbors who had a cellar. They told us that we were always welcome to seek shelter there during a storm. 

One day a severe storm rolled in. The skies suddenly became black, and the tornado warning sirens went off. Mom told us to run for the neighbor’s cellar. As we darted across our yard, the wind began to blow, and the rain started to pour. As we quickly entered the safety of that small room, large hail began to fall. After our neighbor closed the door, I breathed a huge sigh of relief knowing I was safe from everything that was going on outside that place of refuge. 

Our focus verses this month are on the word “refuge.” A refuge is defined as a place that shelters and protects from danger, distress, or calamity. It is a place of security and safety. It is a place that is inaccessible to an enemy. 

It is a fact that each of us will experience many storms as we journey through this life. Jesus assured us of this when He said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Storms will come. The enemy will attack and assault again and again. However, just like the cellar I ran to, believers always have a shelter to run to in the midst of the storms and/or the attacks. We have a place of protection that is always safe and secure, inaccessible to the enemy of our souls. Who and where is that place? God’s Word tells us plainly that God is our refuge. It is when we dwell in Him that we are protected from the dangers, the distresses, and the destruction. It is when we remain in Him that we are safe and secure. 

When God is our refuge, we do not have to fear the possibility of danger, distress, or calamity. We do not have to fear the enemy who “comes only to steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10). We do not have to believe the lies that our circumstances will blow us away. When we dwell in God, who is our refuge, we can be assured that there is no circumstance, danger, or distress that can ever harm us. We can say as David did in our verses above, God is “my stronghold, my refuge, and my savior.” 

As I write the words above, the winds are blowing, and the rain is pouring down in my life. I am sitting here at the University of Missouri Medical Center next to my Dad who has multiple fractures in his back. We are waiting to hear what will happen next. The storm of uncertainty rages all around us. The lies of the enemy are falling like hail. However, my dad and I have decided to run to our God and take refuge in Him. Years ago, I experienced the safety and security of our neighbor’s cellar, a physical refuge; and today Dad and I are experiencing the safety and security of God, our spiritual refuge. The door through which we have entered our refuge is faith. We are determined to believe that no matter what God is for us, and we will trust in Him entirely and completely. We know our God will never fail. 

Do you find yourself in a storm today? May I encourage you to run to and dwell in the same refuge my dad and I have found. Like us, you will say with assurance that “God is my rock, in whom I take refuge….” No plan of the enemy to harm you will succeed. Rest safe and secure in your God who is your stronghold, your refuge, and your Savior. 

Our song this week is “Praise You in the Storm” by Natalie Grant.

Love, 

Janet Nelson, Devoted and Determined

https://mailchi.mp/wowjcmo/wow-devotion-john-6227929?e=6c56f70e45

https://www.wowjcmo.com/

“He Hears Us” — Devotion Written for WOW on Prayer

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“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” 1 John 5:14 NIV

Sixteen years ago, my husband and I moved our family to our current home out in the country. We loved everything about where we lived except for one thing. It did not have a swimming pool. My husband and I talked about our desire for a pool often. My oldest daughter Laura had been paying attention to our discussions. So, after a year of listening to us she decided to go ahead and ask. When I wasn’t paying attention, my 11-year-old daughter went to the computer and created a printout that she took and hung on my bedroom door with a piece of tape. It read, “Dear Mom and Dad, the four kids that you brought into the world would like a pool. Please buy one from Walmart. Thank you.” Her request was quickly met. My husband and I went to Walmart and bought the biggest above ground pool that they had. Our kids had nine years of enjoyment in that pool as they grew up. I have treasured that printout she made for several years. Each time that I see it, I smile and think about how our sweet girl, had the confidence to ask Rich and I for her desire.

Our verses this month at WOW have been about prayer. Prayer is communing with God and communicating with Him. It is our lifeline and connection to God through faith. Prayer is our invitation from God into a deep love relationship of oneness – us being closely attached, connected, inseparable, and indivisible with Him. Prayer is a lifestyle not an activity. This lifestyle is a conscious awareness of God’s presence at all times. It is experiencing everything with reference to Him.

This week’s verse is a precious promise that God gives us regarding a lifestyle of prayer. He assures us that we can have “confidence” in “approaching” Him. We can “ask anything according to His will”, and He will hear us. In a small way, it is how my daughter Laura approached my husband and me 15 years ago. As our daughter, she lived with us in a close and intimate relationship. She spent her days with us, listening to our words, and talking to us. She told us about her thoughts, wants, and desires. She knew that we loved her, and she loved us very much. So, confidence to make her request came easily. God desires that kind of relationship with us. He wants us to listen to Him through His Word. He wants us to communicate and commune with Him. As we do this, we will understand what to pray about. As we surrender our will to God and obey Him, we will understand what God desires and we can ask Him in “confidence.” Laura knew that my husband and I wanted to buy a pool. She had heard our conversations. She also knew that it would be our joy for her to ask. It is God’s joy when we come to Him in prayer that is prompted by the Holy Spirit, according to His Word, and born out of our deep love for Him that desires to do His will.

As we have talked about prayer the past few weeks, have you felt a desire to deepen your relationship with your heavenly Father? He desires for us to approach Him in “confidence.” He longs for us to know that He has promised that “He hears us.” He loves it when we come close to Him in prayer. May our days be spent in prayer – conversing and communing with Him!

This week’s song is once again “Draw Me Nearer” by Meredith Andrews. As we listen, may our desire to be closely attached to our heavenly Father in a relationship of oneness grow. We are His and He longs for us to experience Him intimately in a relationship of prayer.

Love,

Janet Nelson, Devoted and Determined

https://www.wowjcmo.com/

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“Be Alert and of Sober Mind” — Prayer (Devotion Written for WOW Ministry)

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“The end of all things is near. Therefore, be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.” 1 Peter 4:7 NIV

When I was little, I was a daddy’s girl. There was nothing that I loved more than spending time with my dad. I have fond memories of sitting out in his garage watching him work on our family’s car while I would sit there and talk away to him telling him all about my 6-year-old life. I LOVED being with my dad. However, time went on and life changes happened. I still loved him, but I became busy with my friends, my activities, and my life. After high school, I moved to a different town. My time with my dad became less and less as well as our conversations. Truth be told I forgot what a joy it was to be with him. The past year things have been different in our relationship. Dad is now 86 and I am 53, our relationship has matured and deepened. Lately, we have engaged in the most wonderful conversations. I’ve asked him questions about his younger years and discovered things about him that I never knew. We’ve talked about memories, both good and bad. We’ve made plans for the future as well. Once again, this daddy’s girl has found what she needed, time with her dad in a close relationship.

This month the verses at WOW are about prayer. Prayer is our connection to God through faith. Prayer is our invitation from God into a deep love relationship of oneness closely attached, connected, inseparable, and indivisible with Him. Prayer develops our relationship with God demonstrating our trust and utter dependence upon Him. You and I are our heavenly Father’s “Daddy’s girl”. God longs for us to spend time with Him, lots of it. Prayer is us spending time with Him engaging in conversation not just occasionally, but throughout our entire day, month, year, and life.

Our WOW verse for this week speaks of the need to “be alert and of sober mind so that you can pray.” Our world around us holds so many distractions that pull us away from relating to God in a life of prayer. Our enemy would like nothing better for us than to focus on all these distractions so that we would not live in a close and intimate relationship with God. His desire is for us to be disconnected from our heavenly Father. He wants to render us useless and to keep us from living fully in that relationship for which we were created. This is why we must be spiritually alert and watchful as we live our daily lives. It is easy to drift away from a close and vibrant relationship with God, as I drifted from the close relationship I had with my earthly dad as a little girl. It is easy to lose focus of why God has invited us to be closely connected with Him in prayer. Especially if we come to God with our thoughts, our wants, our desires, and our ways in mind. If our lives are filled with the self-centeredness of an uncircumcised heart, we will not experience the close relationship of oneness that God desires us to have through prayer. This is why we must “be alert and of sober mind so that ‘we’ may pray.”

As you are reading these words, do you feel the pushing and pulling of the world’s influences trying to keep you from that intimate time of relationship with your heavenly Father as His “Daddy’s girl”? God’s desire is for us to focus attentively on Him and Him alone moment by moment throughout our day. He wants us to experience Him more fully in a living relationship of prayer. May we fix our hearts and our minds on Him so that we can truly be “alert and of sober mind.” May we guard our hearts from anything that would try to influence us and draw us away from God’s life-giving connection to Him, our relationship of oneness with Him through prayer.

This week’s song speaks of a deep and intimate relationship with God that is developed in a lifestyle of prayer. It is “Heart of the Father” by Ryan Ellis. May we know His closeness and love as we experience more and more of Him!

Click here for this week’s song “Heart of the Father” by Ryan Ellis.

Love,

Janet Nelson, Devoted and Determined

https://www.wowjcmo.com/

https://mailchi.mp/wowjcmo/wow-devotion-john-6223293?e=6c56f70e45