Author: Kristi Wilson

Posted on

Think Big!

Have you ever heard of “grasshoppers syndrome”? Grasshopper Syndrome was first diagnosed in Numbers 13.

Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt . God said He would give them the Promised Land. All they had to do was go in and possess it. Moses chose twelve men to spy out the land and bring back a report. Ten men came back with Grasshopper Syndrome and two men, Joshua and Caleb, came back only seeing the good that God had revealed to them.

“Caleb told the people near Moses to be quiet. Then Caleb said, “We should go up and take that land for ourselves. We can easily take that land.” Numbers 13:30 ERV

“We saw the giant Nephilim people there! (The descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim.) We felt like little grasshoppers. Yes, we were like grasshoppers to them!” Numbers 13:33 ERV

The problem wasn’t the giants. It’s that they saw themselves as grasshoppers, small and insignificant. Joshua and Caleb chose to focus on God and not themselves. However, the majority were affected by grasshopper thinking and didn’t move forward.

Years later there was another outbreak of grasshopper syndrome. Recently, we discussed the army of Israel’s fear of Goliath. Only David saw past the fear and focused on the greatness of God.

“Today the Lord will let me defeat you. I will kill you. I will cut off your head and feed your body to the birds and wild animals. And we will do the same thing to all the other Philistines too. Then all the world will know there is a God in Israel. 47 All the people gathered here will know that the Lord doesn’t need swords or spears to save people. The battle belongs to the Lord, and he will help us defeat all of you.”” I Samuel 17:45-47 ERV

What giants are you facing today – unemployment, illness, personal relationships, financial hardship, high gas prices, inflation? Don’t fall prey to grasshopper syndrome.

“Children, you belong to God, and you have defeated these enemies. God’s Spirit is in you and is more powerful than the one that is in the world.” I John 4:4 CEV

“A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” John 10:10 CEV

Take God’s word and destroy Grasshopper Syndrome. Let God’s word have final authority in your life. You are and will be victorious in this life.

Posted on

Spring Into Life

First Day of Spring!

Half the nation is still covered in snow and many places temperatures are below freezing but signs of Spring are popping up every where. When we lived in Washington State I became familiar with “bulbed” plants; tulips, hyacinth, crocus, daffodils.

The scent of the hyacinths is so fragrant. Yet, it’s the determination of the crocus that made them my favorite. When we moved to Idaho, unbeknown to me, I had some purple crocus right off the front porch. I still remember that first Spring morning when I went out and found them pushing up through the snow-covered ground.

Such determination. Such strength.

Imagine it. Lying dormant all winter, and then waking up with the urge to push up through the cap of soil and snow into the sunlight. Nature is wonderful. The Creator is amazing!

“Everything was made through him, and nothing was made without him. 4 In him there was life, and that life was a light for the people of the world. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not defeated it.” John 1:3-5 ERV

The same Creator who made the crocus and the hyacinths, made us. We are created in His image and have received our life through Him. He is the Son-light that warms the soil and sparks life in our hearts.

He is the light of the world – He replaces the darkness with His life-giving light that He places within us.

“We don’t tell people about ourselves. But we tell people that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we tell them that we are your servants for Jesus. 6 God once said, ‘Let light shine out of the darkness!’ And this is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts to let us know that his own divine greatness is seen in the face of Christ. 7 We have this treasure from God, but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This is to show that the amazing power we have is from God, not from us.” II Corinthians 4:5-7 ERV

We receive our life and power from the transforming light of God’s unconditional, unending love.

It could be that it’s been a while since you felt truly alive. Anxiety may have been crushing you under its weight. Be like that little crocus, let the Son strengthen you, then the world we see that this amazing power we have comes from Him. It’s not of our own making.

Spring into life!

Posted on

Fast And Dumb

With a title like this, I know you’re probably wondering what this morning’s blog is all about!

Ostriches.

We are taking two of the grandkids, Sam and Kristine, to the Ostrich Ranch today. It’s a fascinating place, a petty zoo of sorts. They have miniature donkeys and deer, chickens, rabbits, goats, lorikeets, ducks, sting rays and ostriches, of course.

On their Q&A page it says, “Can you ride an ostrich? Not here! They are really fast and really dumb… that’s a bad combination!”

I whole-heartedly agree. God said the same thing about ostriches in the book of Job.

“That’s because I did not give wisdom to the ostrich. She is foolish, and I made her that way.
18 But when the ostrich gets up to run, she laughs at the horse and its rider, because she can run faster than any horse.” Job 39:17-18 ERV

Being void of wisdom can be dangerous so it’s good, in that case, to be fast.

I think we have all had times that we have made “dumb” mistakes. We were too quick in choosing a course of action that got us into trouble. I know I have. Those mistakes can be quite costly.

Solomon has much to say about wisdom. In fact, the whole book of Proverbs is written to help us make wise choices.

“These are the proverbs of Solomon,…2 They will help you learn to be wise, to accept correction, and to understand wise sayings. 3 They will teach you to develop your mind in the right way. You will learn to do what is right and to be honest and fair. 4 These proverbs will make even those without education smart. They will teach young people what they need to know and how to use what they have learned. 5 Even the wise could become wiser by listening to these proverbs. They will gain understanding and learn to solve difficult problems.” Proverbs 1:1-5 ERV

Today will be a fun day with the kids but it will also be a day to share with them about wisdom and not being foolish in a way that a 4-year old and 6-year old can understand. As parents and grandparents we need to take the opportunities we have to share the teachings of God’s word with our littles.

They need the guidance.

“My son, pay attention to what I say. Remember my commands…4 Look for wisdom like silver. Search for it like hidden treasure. 5 If you do this, you will understand what it means to respect the Lord, and you will come to know God. 6 The Lord is the source of wisdom; knowledge and understanding come from his mouth. 7 He gives good advice to honest people and shields those who do what is right.” Proverbs 2:1-7 ERV

It’s never too late to gain wisdom. Maybe we all need to slow down a bit, seek the treasure of wisdom and do right!

Posted on

Looking For…

What did you search for and find yesterday? Did you have something particular – maybe an old photograph or a recipe? Were you looking for a tool in the shed or a bolt and nut that dropped on the ground? Did your search take you to the computer and a new website that you were completely unfamiliar with?

You see, I was looking for all those things. Things I needed or knew I had and when I searched long enough I found them.

This morning, while waiting on my coffee, a question came to mind. “Were you looking for Jesus”? With that question in my heart, I immediately thought of some people who did: the shepherds, the wisemen, Zacchaeus, the woman who had been bleeding twelve years, Jairus who had a sick daughter, the military leader with a sick soldier and the women who went to the tomb.

They all went looking for Jesus and they found Him!

Each of these searchers found Who they were looking for and their lives were changed.

“Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will search for me, and when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me. 14 I will let you find me.” This message is from the Lord…” Jeremiah 29:12-14 ERV

I didn’t always look for Jesus in each day. Oh, I had given Him my heart when I was a child and had Jesus as my Savior but I had the impression that in the day-to-day stuff I was on my own.

Now, there’s not a day goes by that I don’t see the power of God working in my little world. Some days the things I see and experience border on the miraculous and other times it’s the simple ways.

The verses above are our promise that if we search for Him, we WILL find Him.

“In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had gone to many doctors, and they had not done anything except cause her a lot of pain. She had paid them all the money she had. But instead of getting better, she only got worse.

27 The woman had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him in the crowd and barely touched his clothes. 28 She had said to herself, ‘If I can just touch his clothes, I will get well.’” Mark 25:28 CEV

This woman searched for Jesus in her desperation, and she was not disappointed when she found Him. We won’t be either.

Looking for Jesus is the first step. Once we find Him, we need to follow Him.

“The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. 2 He gives me green pastures to lie in. He leads me by calm pools of water. 3 He restores my strength. He leads me on right paths to show that he is good.” Psalm 23:1-3 ERV

I don’t know what you are looking for today, but may I suggest you start with Jesus? He will lead you to all that is good!

Posted on

Crazy Temperatures

I don’t want to make you all jealous but this is the reason so many people come to Arizona in the winter. In the RV circles, I’ve heard it referred to as chasing 70.

70 degrees, that is.

I’m not asking for your sympathy, but this kind of weather puts me in a weird predicament. It’s warm all day, need to run a fan and occasionally turn on the A/C for a few hours and at night, I find myself pulling the covers up under my chin and turning the heat on first thing in the morning.

Shorts during the day and sweaters at night. Finding the right temperature for a constant comfort level can be challenging.

That’s how it is with many of the things we enjoy in life. I like my coffee, soup, french fries and bath water hot. My ice cream, salad, soda, fruit and cheeses cold. None of the things l listed above would be good lukewarm.

I guess that’s why these verses create such a vivid picture in my mind.

“’I know what you do. You are not hot or cold. I wish that you were hot or cold! 16 But you are only warm—not hot, not cold. So I am ready to spit you out of my mouth…So show that nothing is more important to you than living right. Change your hearts and lives. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you. And you will eat with me.” Revelation 3:15-20 ERV

Jesus was saying this to Christians. They had lost their zeal for the things of God and were wishy-washy about their commitment to Christ, lukewarm. He was admonishing them to “turn up the heat” on their spiritual lives. Christ knows we can’t do it alone, so he said, “if you invite me in, we’ll have breakfast, lunch and dinner together”. It will change your life!

Sad to say but I was a lukewarm Christian for many years. Just going through the routine of saying prayers over meals, praying occasionally (complaining) and reading my Bible from time to time. No warmth.

And then, through a series of events, the Lord showed me how much He loved me. He always had and He always will!

“You accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, so continue to live following him. 7 You must depend on Christ only, drawing life and strength from him. Just as you were taught the truth, continue to grow stronger in your understanding of it. And never stop giving thanks to God.” Colossians 2:6-7 ERV

This was my turning point – drawing my strength, my very life, from Him. My spiritual temperature began to rise and I can honestly say it’s better to be hot than lukewarm.

Posted on

Wash Day

Do you remember the kitchen towels that had different chores for each day of the week? Maybe your Mom had them or maybe you remember them fondly from your grandmother’s kitchen.

I found them in both those homes and in fact, those towels provided me with my first lessons in embroidery. According to the towels, Monday is wash day but since we were moving back from the racetrack on Monday, Wednesday became laundry day and so will today.

Too many loads to handle in one day so I divided it up.

A week or so ago I was telling Dave one of my memories from our early years of marriage. We were poor and money for groceries was often scarce. I told him I talked to the Lord about this and knew in my heart that one day I would no longer have to shop with my calculator in one hand and my grocery list in the other. Every purchase had to be considered because I only had so much that I could spend.

But…I didn’t tell him the rest of the story. The other part of my conversation with the Lord was about our clothing. It was necessary to do laundry several times a week so that we would have clean clothes to wear. To say our wardrobe was limited would be an understatement.

For years now, I thank the Father for prospering us. I no longer take a calculator to the grocery store and the only reason I have to do laundry more than once a week is because the hamper it full.

The Lord has taught me many lessons on wash day.

Hanging clothes on the line in those early days were some of my favorite times with the Lord. He taught me the meaning of so many Scriptures as I would reach in the basket of wet laundry and take the clothes pins from the bag. Yesterday’s lesson was a different one with no clothes line, this time there’s a dryer, but there was still a teaching to be learned.

“After Jesus said this, he spit on the dirt, made some mud and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 Jesus told him, “Go and wash in Siloam pool.” (Siloam means “Sent.”) So the man went to the pool, washed and came back. He was now able to see.” John 9:6-7 ERV

Washing was important in the Bible. It was an action of promise. For the blind man it was an act of faith and obedience that gave him his sight.

For a man named Naaman II Kings 5), obediently washing brought cleansing from leprosy. But the washing that stands out most in my mind was when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.

“When Jesus finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and went back to the table. He asked, “Do you understand what I did for you?…14 I am your Lord and Teacher. But I washed your feet. So you also should wash each other’s feet. 15 I did this as an example for you. So you should serve each other just as I served you.” John 13:12-15 ERV

Washing was an act of serving, an act of love. I hope this gives you a whole new outlook for Wash Day.

Posted on

Thank You!

It’s been a while since I told you how much I appreciate each and every one of you who join me each day by reading my blog.

Writing the blog is the highlight of my day. I know I am getting to share God’s word with you and “His word never returns void, it accomplishes what its been sent to do”.

There is not a day that passes that I don’t depend on God’s word for answers and it is my hope that you have that same confidence.

“ We can come to God with no doubts. This means that when we ask God for things (and those things agree with what God wants for us), God cares about what we say. 15 He listens to us every time we ask him. So we know that he gives us whatever we ask from him.” I John 5:14-15 ERV

I have a personal request. I don’t know how long Facebook will continue to let us boldly proclaim the Gospel on their forum. I will continue to do daily posts as long as I am allowed. There is a way to make sure that you will always continue to receive it each morning.

Go to the web page by clicking on this ling, Contact | Kristi’s Morning Devotional (arizonakristi.com), and SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG VIA EMAIL, the blog will be sent directly to you each morning. And please share the blog and the website with others who you feel would benefit from it and enjoy it.

“Let the teaching of Christ live inside you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Everything you say and everything you do should be done for Jesus your Lord. And in all you do, give thanks to God the Father through Jesus.” Colossians 3:16-17 ERV

I will continue to keep you all in my prayers each day. Hearing how God is working in your lives is such a blessing.

Posted on

Stick To Your Story

Last night Dave and I were watching the Sunday service from Gateway Church in Dallas, Tx. Pastor Robert Morris is our TV preacher. He always has a good word to encourage the body of Christ.

The last several weeks he has been teaching on the building up of the body of Christ. Some are given to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip and build up the body of Christ.

That’s us!

This evening we listened to Sunday’s teaching on the evangelist. An evangelist is one who tells the good news. The good news means gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is that He came to bring salvation to all who believe in Him.

An evangelist is one who tells a story. We don’t have to be a seminary graduate or part of the religious elite to be an evangelist. Each one of us has a story of how the Lord has touched and changed our lives. When we share our story we are evangelizing.

I was raised in a church that said women shouldn’t be teaching men. In fact, I had a large number of men who felt it was their job to tell me I couldn’t teach. But God put it in my heart and gifted me to share so I couldn’t do anything less.

However, last night the memory that came to mind was when Dave shared his story.

The picture that precedes today’s blog is a belt buckle that Dave wore for years. It is the logo of our ministry, Christian Cowboys Assn. The ministry was to working cowboys and ranchers, taking the love of Jesus to their ranches and arenas.

“So he came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me. 19 So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to obey everything that I have told you to do. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of time.” Matthew 28:18-20 ERV

Go tell them your story!

Back to Dave’s story. We were on our way to a mule show in Gridley, CA. We stopped at a coffee shop somewhere north of Sacramento. We were with another couple who were going to minister with us at the event.

As we walked into the restaurant, Janet and I walked ahead of Dave and Brent. When Dave came through the door, a man sitting at the counter saw this buckle. He came off his seat and dropped to his knees right there.

Dave and Brent stopped to talked to the man and then took him outside to talk with him at greater length. The man told them he had been running from God and told the Lord he needed Him to prove that He was real. Just a few hours later, Dave walked through the door with his buckle declaring “Jesus Is Lord”.

It was as simple as that. Telling your story. Dave had been timid about sharing so God did it for him. That day that man recommitted his life to Christ.

If we look for opportunities, the Father will give us an opportunity to share our story!

Posted on

Nap Time

As I was searching for an image to use on this morning’s blog, I came across a picture of a napping child and the caption read “When is a child too old for a nap?”. My answer, never!

Yesterday day was busy. Not the crazy, hectic, week-before-Christmas busy but busy. Getting everything ready to travel safely and then setting up again once we were back to our permanent site.

Dave does the hard work; my jobs are little and detailed. After we were settled, I made lunch and we sat down to relax. About an hour and a half later, I woke up. Dave smiled and asked, “did you have a good nap”? Oh yes, wonderful.

If we listen, our bodies will tell us what we need and when we need it. We get thirsty and so we get a drink. We get hungry and we eat. (The trick to weight loss is to eat only when we are hungry). We rest when we are tired.

“O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 NLT

Our bodies have these internal signals that are God-given and we need to listen to them so we don’t damage our health. If we push past these warnings it can be detrimental. Oh yes, I know this project MUST get done – the kids NEED to be at this activity. Just a couple more hours and I can rest. But if we keep that pace harm ourselves with physical and mental burnout.

“Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest.” Matthew 11:28-29 ERV

I was reminded of a time when Jesus took a nap. He was in a boat, in a storm, with his disciples and he laid down and went to sleep. He wasn’t up fretting or helping them row. He was resting. We need to learn from Jesus.

“Jesus was inside the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The followers went and woke him. They said, “Teacher, don’t you care about us? We are going to drown!” 39 Jesus stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” Mark 4:38-39 ERV

Sounds like good advice when we are in life’s storms. We can fret and worry and it will change nothing. But when we come to Jesus with those problems, He will speak to our storms and give us rest.

Trusting Him gives us a spiritual nap!

Posted on

Moving On

Today is a moving day. We’ve been at the racetrack campground for the last week and we’ll head home this morning.

When your home is on wheels there is a lot of planning and coordinated effort that goes into pulling out for the next location. Inside and outside. Things have to be stowed away to keep them from shifting or getting damaged in the move. Outside the tires must be checked, lights, leveling systems, propane, etc. The list goes on.

But don’t think I’m complaining. I’m not, I love our lifestyle. After you’ve done it a while it becomes routine, and you follow the list so nothing is forgotten. You take some new things with you like memories, smiles and suntans.

Some things you leave behind – the trash.

Isn’t that just like life?

Each day gives an opportunity to move on. We can leave behind those things that would hold us back – temper, bitterness, low self-esteem, heart ache. One of the verses I used yesterday said:

“…We should remove from our lives anything that would slow us down and the sin that so often makes us fall.” Hebrews 12:1 ERV

Move on past those things, put them out in the trash. The Lord promises to direct our steps, we just need to listen.

“ Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. 6 With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way.” Proverbs 3:5-6 ERV

Today, you might be like me – making a move. Leave the trash behind and move forward with excitement and anticipation of where the Lord is leading and what will happen next.

Happy Trails!

Privacy Policy Proudly powered by WordPress