The city dump, the local landfill, the diaper pail…. What comes to your mind? Stinky. Dirty. Rotten. Contaminated (especially the diaper pail).

Have you ever thought about what contaminates the body and spirit? Drug abuse, alcoholism, expired food, chemical inhalants, chemical ingestion—all contaminate the body. Things that can contaminate the spirit may be the television programs we watch, the books or magazines we read, the songs we listen to, or the Internet sites we view.

Please understand, I don’t mean that every television program, magazine, song, or site on the Internet is contaminated. What I do want you to recognize is this: What we put in… is what comes out. Just as bad food sickens the body, bad media sicken the soul. Scripture commands us to “purify ourselves from everything that contaminates the body and spirit…,” (2 Corinthians 7:1).

How do you purify yourself? The first thing you must do is have a relationship with Christ. You must accept Him as your Lord and Savior. Then choose to grow in your relationship with God. Make time to study His Word regularly and pray. Finally, you must confess your sin and repent… turning away from temptations that would draw you further from God.

“… Perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” I believe that a heart of purity is born out of a total reverence for God and who He is. When we have a clear understanding of just how holy and righteous God is, the decontamination process becomes a lot easier. A woman with a pure heart is beautiful, rare, and extraordinary!

I love spending time with family and friends. It’s so much fun to get together with those you love. Eating… laughing… eating… sharing… and eating!

The ultimate blessing comes when you are able to give to someone who’s in need. It often turns out that you are the one who receives the greater blessing. That is God’s gift to those who give!

Watching an elderly lady beam with joy because someone decided to clean her home… a young family is able to pay off a debt due to an anonymous financial gift… a single mom gets a night off because someone offered to watch her kids… these are definitions of true hospitality. The kind of giving that touches the heart of God.

Who can you share with today? Look around your neighborhood. Talk with the leaders of your church about needs within the congregation. Visit a local nursing facility or homeless shelter. Serve as a volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center. There are millions of ways to practice hospitality. You’ll be glad you did!

I know I’m getting older, but most of you can probably hum with me a few lines from the hit song in Grease called “Hopelessly Devoted”—“Hold on to the end, that’s what I intend to do… I’m hopelessly devoted to you.”

Ah, love songs. One love-stricken person pouring out his or her heart to another. It’s what most of us desire—to be madly in love. Loyal. Faithful. Devoted. So smitten, at times, by the concept or idea of love that we’ll even give of ourselves to something… anything… hopeless. Hanging on to the idea of love trumps the reality of no relationship at all.

I find it sad to watch people give themselves to relationships that have no hope… just to be known and loved. But the God of the universe “knows the secrets of [your] heart (Psalm 44:21).” He knows the motives behind your thoughts. And He tells you that if you seek Him, you will find Him. He is good to those whose hope is in Him (Lamentations 3:25).

Are you hopefully devoted to Jesus?

Close your eyes and go on a mini vacation with me right now. Picture yourself sitting on a beautiful, white sandy beach… the warm sun shining down on you… the crystal clear, blue ocean waves lapping slowly into the small cove of uncharted land you have discovered. Your toes are dipping into the sea and you are feeling the perfect temperature of the water. All is right with the world and you are feeling completely sheltered from the busyness and trials of life.

Now, remember that warm and fuzzy feeling when you re-read the key verse for today. Psalm 91:1, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Dwelling in the shelter of the Most High is a lot like the shelter of your little cove. At any time of the day, we have the opportunity to commune with a loving God who can provide us with the shelter we need from anything we face. We can commune with Him through prayer and Bible reading. The whole book of Psalms is filled with “sheltering” verses!

I encourage you to rest in the shadow of your Almighty Savior. Spend time with Him… commune with Him… allow Him to be your cove of shelter today!

A lighthouse stands at the top of a cliff overlooking a stormy sea… its light shines bright into the midnight sky and offers a ray of guidance to sailors in search of land. It provides hope that they might dock their vessel in a safe and secure spot until dawn’s light breaks.

A breast cancer survivor laces her tennis shoes before the big run, determined to raise awareness of this horrible disease—a run she never thought she would live to see. She offers hope to those struggling with the same pain.

Hope! It’s what our world needs… even if it is just a glimmer. It’s what you may need right now. I don’t know what you are currently facing, but I know a God who does. And He can give eternal hope. He is your rock and salvation. He loves you and sees what you are going through. He is in the midst of us all. It is my prayer that you find rest and hope in God, your fortress. My beloved sister, He is all you need!

Hands are an interesting addition to the body. They come in all different shapes, sizes and even colors. Hands have many uses as well. They can be used for picking things up, for cleaning (yes, the “C” word), for cooking, for comfort and also for discipline, just to name a few. Hands can also have many misuses as well, like in cases of abuse and violence. There are young hands and old hands. Smooth hands and wrinkled hands. Calloused hands and bony hands.

When we look to Jesus in the Bible, His hands are always bringing about good. In His ministry on Earth, Jesus used His hands to heal the sick, to comfort those who needed comforting, to work in His father’s carpentry shop, to hold and teach children, and to confront sin present in the moneychangers at the temple gates. In Isaiah 49, Jesus makes it clear that He loves and cares for each of us by reminding us that He will never forget us. We have been engraved on His precious hands! In the engraving process, the desired figure or artwork is burned into the product in order to make a lasting impression that cannot be removed. He… remembers… us… always! I love that about God.

We are on His hands! Notice I said, “on,” and not just “in.” We so often hear that we are in His hands but, today, claim His promise that you cannot be removed!

Of the five senses God created in us, the sense of smell is one of the best! Don’t you just love walking into a flower shop to smell a fresh rose? Or, how about a bakery when an apple pie has been pulled from the oven?

Many designers such as Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior, Georgio Armani, and more have significantly benefitted from the sense of smell. Their perfumes have grossed millions of dollars each year. People are attracted to a nice, sweet smell. That’s the way God made us!

I love this passage in 2 Corinthians because it reminds me that we are the fragrance of God in the lives of others. Eugene Peterson writes, “In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life.” (2 Corinthians 2:14-15, The Message)

Because of Jesus Christ, you are a pleasant scent to those you meet! Through you, if you are ready, God will bring the knowledge of Himself to your circle of friends. So, take a moment today to smell a sweet scent and be reminded of God’s dream for you!

Can you imagine going through life without sleep? We capture a glimpse of what life without sleep is like when our children are first born and have not yet adapted to this world. However, the sleep deprivation experienced at first is usually reconciled when our children are about three to four months old, or for some unfortunate parents, when their children are 18 years of age. Psalm 121:3-5, “He will not let your foot slip, He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you; the LORD is your shade at your right hand….”

But imagine a God who constantly watches over us and sees what is happening in our lives—that’s who He is! “He will not let your foot slip… He is your shade at your right hand.” Wow! A God who cares about what happens to us… to you. It is such a relief to know that even when we do finally get the sleep we need at night, or that wonderful Sunday afternoon nap, God is still awake… taking complete and total care of all our needs. What a wonderful God we serve!

“Dream, Dream, Dream… All I have to do is Dream.”

Yes, admit it. Upon reading this, you probably began singing or humming that familiar tune by the Everly Brothers, “All I have to do is Dream.”

When you were a young girl, did you ever dream of making your own record or becoming some other kind of celebrity superstar? Most every person has had some sort of dream of stardom in their lifetime. The “Dream Record” that I’m referring to here though is not the normal recording type of album or CD, but a personal record of the God-given dreams that have been laid upon your heart.

It has often been said that in order to make something a reality in your life, you must write it down and review it often. The Bible has made it clear the importance of writing—from the recording of the Ten Commandments to the instruction the Lord gave to Moses in Exodus 34:26-28 when He said, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” In Deuteronomy 27, the Lord instructs Moses by saying, “Write on them (large stones covered with plaster) all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you.”

So, from these Scriptures and many more throughout God’s Word, it’s of utmost importance to clearly record the things that the Lord speaks to us. If you haven’t already started a “Dream Record,” let me encourage you to start one today! You will be amazed at how much of a blessing this record will be in your life for generations to come. So grab a pen and journal and begin your very own “dream record!”

Have you ever looked in the mirror at crazy hair? Frustrated. Aggravated. Tense. You swear you’re not going to resign to the bad hair day; instead, you put on a hat.

Or, as you looked out the window you glare into gloomy, cold weather and realize you need some kind of protection for your head and decide—it’s a hat day.

In the past, the “hat” was used by women as an indicator of social status. In biblical times, the hat was worn in the synagogues by the Scribes and the Pharisees and other religious personnel in accordance to their laws. Often the word “hat” is used as a metaphor referring to the different roles we have as women, like the “hat” of motherhood or the “hat” of being a wife. In this devotional, I want you to view the hat as a covering used to hide what you do not want others to see.

Many times, we as women feel the need to cover up our imperfections and flaws in order to be accepted by others and succeed in life. God says the exact opposite in His Word! Just listen to His unconditional love, “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart’” (1 Samuel 16:7). God simply wants us to come to Him, just as we are… broken, sinful, and imperfect. So celebrate ladies, and take those HATS OFF!