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Jennifer Hayes Yates

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How to Stay Devoted to God

October 2, 2019 By Jennifer H. Yates

2 Oct
How to Stay Devoted to God

I made a promise to the Lord one day that I would not check my phone until after my morning quiet time with Him. I did it because I got up one day and clicked on the weather to see if I wanted to go on the back porch.

Then I clicked on a message I saw from a friend. Next, I tapped the Facebook app because I remembered it was a friend’s birthday, and I wanted to share my birthday wishes before I forgot.

Thirty minutes later, I realized I had not even thought about Jesus.

So, I repented and turned to my journal to begin my time with Him. But it wasn’t quite the same. Already, my heart and mind had been filled with all the hurry and happenings of the day. That sweet connection I usually start my day with seemed to have slipped away.

How to Stay Devoted to God

Oh, for a heart that just seeks the Lord! I so want Him to be the number one priority of my day. Not just because it makes me better; I want Him to know that I treasure our relationship above all else in my life. I want to show Him that through my actions.

Yet, so often my heart is quickly turned aside to the things of the world, the cravings of sin, the lust of the eyes, the boasting of what I have and what I do (1 John 2:16).

When I allow the world to take priority over the God who rescued me, it’s spiritual adultery. Unfaithfulness. I’m basically cheating on God.

That’s what God told the Israelites. He called the prophet Hosea during a time of spiritual apostasy. Hosea lived during the final days of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Because of the unfaithfulness of God’s people, He allowed them to fall to the Assyrian Empire in 722 B.C. but not before He sent many prophets to warn them and urge them to repent.

“When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, ‘Go, take for yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD.'”

Hosea 1:2, NIV 84

We may think that directive was pretty harsh, but God had called the Israelite nation to be a people set apart unto Him. He rescued them from slavery in Egypt, brought them into a land flowing with milk and honey, gave them victory over their enemies, and promised that the Messiah would come through them to save the world.

Spiritual Adultery

For Israel to be God’s people, they had to worship Him alone. He called them to faithfulness. Yet, they had rejected His rule over them in asking for kings. They had rejected His Law by doing what was right in their own eyes. And they had spurned His love by worshiping false gods.

God spoke to the people through Hosea, calling them back from their unfaithfulness. He used Hosea’s family life as an example of His relationship with Israel.

“Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: ‘There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land.'”

Hosea 4:1a

Yet, in His love and covenant faithfulness to Israel, God’s rebuke was to bring about their reform. God still wanted their hearts!

“The LORD said to me, ‘Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods…'”

Hosea 3:1

See, Gomer had left Hosea and their three children and apparently ended up in slavery. So Hosea had to buy her back, even though she was his wife.

Bought with a Price

We, too, have been marred by sin and bound in slavery to it. But Jesus paid the price to redeem us from that life and purchase us as His very own.

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

1 Peter 1:18-19

Just as God showed His heart for Israel by instructing Hosea to buy back his wife, He has shown His love for us in sending Jesus to save us from our sins. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). And He demonstrated that love to us in a tangible, visible form–His Son (Romans 5:8).

Just as Gomer was loved and brought back home to her family, God has called us out of the world of sin and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of our sins (Colossians 1:13).

So what made Gomer stray from her family?

Gomer wasn’t content with the family God had given her. The temptation of the world, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life–all led to her downfall into a life of slavery, separated from those who loved her.

But God.

He loved her too much to leave her there. He still sought her. He still loved her. He still wanted her love and obedience.

Prone to Wander

When our hearts are led astray, God will still pursue us. He loves us as we are, but as Max Lucado once said, He loves us too much to leave us there. He will continue to rebuke, correct, and discipline us in order to draw us back to Him (2 Timothy 3:16).

And as much as we hate discipline, we can take heart in the fact that, just like a good Father, He disciplines those He loves.

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Hebrews 12:11

I’m sure Gomer paid a high price for her adultery. Sin will always cost more than we think. Thank God, if we turn back to Him, He is waiting with open arms for us to come home.

Guard Your Heart

So, maybe checking my phone before my quiet time doesn’t seem like a big deal. Maybe it’s not. But for me personally, it can easily become an idol, something that steals time, mindfulness, and devotion away from my time with God.

If we truly want to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, then we had better guard against those things that would lead our hearts away from Him.

“Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.”

Hosea 10:12

God has done everything in Christ to make a way for us to know Him. Let’s don’t cheat on Him by making anything else a higher priority.

He’s God. He deserves to be first.

Want to learn more from women of the Bible? Get my book, Just Like Us: 7 Ways Biblical Women Were Just Like Us (And Why It Matters).

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Filed Under: Bible Study, Women Tagged With: Bible journaling, Bible studies for Women, Bible study, Biblical Women Just Like Us, Cheating on God: Lessons from Gomer, Christian Bible studies for women, Christian devos for women, Christian devotional, Christian devotional for women, Christian discipleship, Gomer and Hosea, Jennifer H Yates, Jennifer Hayes Yates, spiritual adultery, Why Bible Study Is Important, women in the Bible, women of the Bible, women who love Jesus

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  1. Playing Favorites: Lessons from Rebekah - Jennifer Hayes Yates says:
    October 9, 2019 at 8:12 am

    […] more in our series, Biblical Women Just Like Us, click […]

Hey there, my friend

Hey there, my friend

I want you to know that you don't have to be overwhelmed, confused, or too busy to be fruitful and productive. You can be grounded in the Word and growing in your faith.

Even if you have encountered chaos, hypocrisy, legalism, or suffering. God's Word is the truth we must be grounded in to thrive and bear fruit.

I'm Jen, and I want to encourage you with practical strategies and helpful resources to grow your relationship with Jesus one intentional moment at a time. Even if all you can give right now is 15 minutes, you CAN seek Jesus and grow your faith.

Come hang out with me in my Facebook community, download some free resources, or take the FOCUSED 15 Challenge to get started.

You can get God's Word into your heart so that you can be transformed to live a life that is fruitful for the Kingdom!

Jen

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jenniferhyates

jenniferhyates
I hear from women almost daily who struggle to hav I hear from women almost daily who struggle to have daily time in God's Word.

The biggest challenge is finding the time.
The second is being able to focus.
The third is knowing where to start.

But here's the thing: If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you.

The key to having consistent time in the Word is the desire to be changed by it.

If you KNOW you need God desperately, you will find the time, the focus, and the ability to study the Word. 

It really comes down to priorities.

And if you need a little encouragement and direction to get started, check out my FOCUSED 15 Challenge. #linktree in bio
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👉 Do you doubt your value and identity as a wom 👉 Do you doubt your value and identity as a woman?

👉 Do you long for clarity about your purpose in life?

👉 Do you wrestle to overcome fear, doubt, and insecurity?

You're not alone. In fact, the need for validation, acceptance, and approval dates all the way back to the Garden. In the Bible, we have examples of women who were just like us, who struggled with these very same issues.

Women such as Sarah, Hannah, Rahab, and the woman at the well also faced questions, doubts, and fears. But their stories teach us God's answers to the questions that nag our hearts and leave us restless.

In her new book, Just Like Us, best-selling author Jennifer Hayes Yates takes us on a guided tour through the pages of Scripture, stopping to visit each of these women and what the Lord longs to teach us through them.

In Just Like Us, you'll encounter our God's surpassing love for us. His Word overflows with the answers our hearts hunger for in this life.
Learn how to find your deepest contentment in God. 

❤️ Understand your eternal value in a temporal world.
❤️ Know your purpose in a world of confusion.
❤️ Deepen your faith in God in a world of doubt.
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Join this biblical journey and find your place in the kingdom as a beloved woman of God. 

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#seekingtruth #bedeeplyrooted #growingyourfaith #groundedandgrowing #christianblogger #womenintheword #justlikeus #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #focused15challenge #womenoftheworld #intheword #jesusandwomen #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus #linktree
Do you consider yourself a student of God’s Word Do you consider yourself a student of God’s Word?

The English word disciple comes from the Greek word mathetes, meaning “disciple, student, follower; a committed learner and follower."

Sometimes we shy away from the word disciple (because it sounds too much like discipline) or the word student (because it sounds too much like school), but our hearts should be drawn to know and understand God’s Word.

“Do good to your servant according to your word, O LORD. Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands" (Psalm 119:65-66, NIV).

Women in Jesus’ day were not allowed to go to school or learn under rabbis. They were considered unable to learn or understand the Torah, and so they were taught to take care of the home.

But Jesus countered their cultural traditions. He had many women followers (Luke 8:1-3), and He taught women, considering them capable of learning and understanding His truth (Luke 10:38-42).

Jesus affirmed women’s thirst for truth and encouraged their role as disciples.

Our roles as wives, mothers, and homemakers do not exclude our role as students of the Word. I love being a wife and mother. I love taking care of our home, providing meals (okay, I don’t really love cooking, but I do enjoy choosing healthy foods for our family), and I like decorating our space to make it cozy and inviting.

I also enjoyed many years of teaching and working outside the home. But I have really loved the opportunity to sit at Jesus’ feet as a student, to listen to His Word being preached, to study the Word for myself, to search out its meaning, and to seek to apply it in my life.

We don’t have to wait for others to spoon-feed us the Bible. And as influencers in our homes, we need to know and understand God’s truth so we can teach our children (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

I’ll admit, there are areas of the Bible that are difficult to understand and that can cause confusion. But with a few principles to guide us, we can learn to be students of the Word.

Read the rest at jenniferhyates.com #linktree in bio.

#seekingtruth #bedeeplyrooted #growingyourfaith #groundedandgrowing #christianblogger #womenintheword #justlikeus
"But now a righteousness from God, apart from the "But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:21-24, NIV).
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#seekingtruth #bedeeplyrooted #growingyourfaith #groundedandgrowing #christianblogger #womenintheword #justlikeus #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #focused15challenge #womenoftheworld #intheword #jesusandwomen #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus #linktree
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a c Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

I am rewriting Let's Run, my very first book, a Bible study on Hebrews 11 and the faithful call to endure.

I'm so excited to go back through this study and add things I've learned since then. I pray it will encourage the faithful to endure to the end.
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#seekingtruth #bedeeplyrooted #growingyourfaith #groundedandgrowing #christianblogger #womenintheword #livewithintention #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #focused15challenge #womenoftheworld #intheword #jesusandwomen #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus #linktree
Competition has no place in the kingdom of God. J Competition has no place in the kingdom of God.

Just think how God's kingdom could grow if we rooted for each other and encouraged one another's faith?

Paul said if you want to outdo one another, try outdoing each other in love and honor.

"Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor" (Romans 12:10, ESV).

When you encourage a sister in the Lord, both of your faiths grow. 

Let's root for each other and watch each other grow, 🌿
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#seekingtruth #bedeeplyrooted #growingyourfaith #groundedandgrowing #christianblogger #womenintheword #livewithintention #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #focused15challenge #womenoftheworld #intheword #jesusandwomen #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus #linktree
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