Complete in Him

by Tammy Phillips
January 23, 2020

Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. (Psalms 146:1 KJV)

As a reminder, I originally wrote these devotions to encourage my sister in Christ whose son passed, way too early.   She inspired today’s devotional with the picture above and with a corresponding text, “It is well with my soul.”  Here is the amazing story behind that song.   

Horatio Gates Spattford was a prominent Chicago lawyer and businessman.   He wrote, “It Is Well With My Soul” in 1873. This hymn was written after 3 major traumas in Spafford’s life. His 4year old son died of Scarlett fever in 1871. Then the great Chicago Fire of October 1871, burned his real estate investments which ruined him financially.  Shortly after, while crossing the Atlantic on November 22, 1873 to vacation, all four of Spafford’s daughters died in a collision with another ship.  Spafford’s wife. Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, “Saved alone.” Several weeks later, he sailed to join her.   As Spafford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daughters died, the Holy Spirit inspired the words of the song. They speak to the eternal hope that all believers have, no matter what pain and grief befall them on earth.

Spattford and Anna, his wife, had a consistent history of acting on their faith.  After the great Chicago fire of 1871, and their loss, they devoted countless hours to helping the survivors.  After the ordeal at sea, Anna and Horatio Spafford left their Presbyterian congregation and hosted prayer meetings in their home.  Their study was dubbed “the Overcomers” by the American press.  In 1881, they moved to Jerusalem (taking two daughters born after the shipwreck tragedy) and helped found a group called the American Colony; its mission was to serve the poor.  The colony later became the subject of the Nobel prize winning, Jerusalem, by Swedish novelist Selma Lagerlöf.

Sparkle:

Like you, his wife was conscious of a soft voice speaking to her, “You were saved for a purpose!”

Like you, my strong and mighty sister, Mr. Spattford could have been overwhelmed with grief, pain and the tragedies of his life. BUT GOD!!!

Like you, he chose faith.

Like you, he chose life.

Like you, instead of being overwhelmed, he chose to be an OVERCOMER. His story and faith reflect yours.

Look what he did.   He did not fear.  He kept stepping. And, I can hear him saying:

“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; [but] God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as [it is] this day, to save much people alive.” (Genesis 50:20 KJV)

Out of his extreme pain, he went on to be a blessing to many during his life, and ultimately, generations of people.  He wrote a beautiful song that enCOURAGEd you 146 years later.  Like him, I believe God will use you for great things too, as your mission has always been to bless others.

I enCOURAGE you to keep the faith.  Keep believing.  Keep saying.  Keep singing: “It is well with my soul.”  

 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (3 John 1:2 NKJV)

Remember…

 “It’s easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God.” -Anna Spattford

by Tammy Phillips
January 22, 2021

“Strength and honor are her clothing, And she smiles at the future.” (Proverbs 31:25 NASB)

A woman who follows hard after God is confident and resolute in who she is. She knows that she is daughter of the King.  She is the apple of His eye.  She is clothed in strength and honor and glory, not because of who she is but Whose she is. She walks confidently in Him. She does not fear because she has great faith in her Daddy.  She trusts that His Word is true and faithful.  She is assured that she is never alone. She can always count on him.

Even though life may not have led her down the path she had imagined, and she may have experienced unspeakable disappointments and hardships, she is able to laugh at her future.  She is able to talk to the future fearlessly and say, “I am not afraid of you. I laugh at you because my Father holds my future in his hand.”  She laughs at the future, saying: “No weapon forms against me shall prosper.” She smiles at the days to come and simply says, “nothing is impossible for my God!”

I enCOURAGE you, sister, as you continue to clothe yourself in His strength and His glory to boldly laugh at your future. There is not one thing to fear.

by Tammy Phillips
January 21, 2020

When you cry what happens to all those tears!  Be encouraged.  They are treasured.  The word of God says:

You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? (Psalm 56:8 NKJV)

Every time I read God’s word; I find a new nugget. I am amazed by this verse. 

God has his own GPS on us.  He takes a count of when we are happy, sad, shaken, or moved.  He records when we are so upset that we can do nothing but move to and fro. He also collects our tears in His bottle. He cares so much that He captures everyone and records it in his book. Wow. Just wow.

So, for now, I enCOURAGE you to cry as often as you need.  Cry happy tears or sad tears.  Remember, they both have a God delivered natural pain killer to make you feel better and to relieve stress. Treasure the fact that he captures every one.

by Tammy Phillips
January 20, 2021

LORD, I cry out to You; Make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You. Let my prayer be set before You [as] incense, The lifting up of my hands [as] the evening sacrifice. (Psalm 141:1-2 NKJV)

 When we were younger and experienced pain in body or mind, the very first thing we would do is shriek out loudly for our Dad or Mom.  “I have a boo-boo. Fix it! or He will not play with me.  She will not share her toy.”  We wanted no part in suffering and expected our parent to fix it immediately.  What changed?  As adults we are supposed to be “strong and courageous” in the face of affliction.   This preceding statement is true.  We should face our enemy and not be afraid of the pain.  However, in the presence of God, “we did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but we received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15 NKJV)

Cry in our focus verse is the Hebrew word, qara’. It means to call out; be summoned; to address by name.  It presents the idea of encountering a person with the idea of accosting them.  David’s cry to God was of necessity and faith.  I love his boldness when he says: “Make haste unto me!” Haste is the Hebrew word, chuwsh, which means hurry, come quickly.  David prayed to God: “I need you and I need you now! Hurry!”   Oh my, the boldness. He knew that he could come to God.   He knew God could take whatever he had to say.  He needed God at that moment and was not afraid to tell Him.  If that wasn’t enough, David also said: “Give ear to my voice!” He was implying, “Hey God! It’s me. You there? Listen to me!”

God wants us to come to Him like David, just like a little child: “Hey Dad! Lord God, who always were, you are, and you will always be!  I am talking to you. Hurry! Come to me, Dad.  Listen to me when I call you!”  Doesn’t that sound like a little kid urgently calling his Dad and pulling at his Father’s pant leg?  What a comfort to know that we can so boldly come to God. 

In verse 2, Davis’s prayer was that his words be like the sacrifice of incense and uplifting of hands. He wanted his prayer to be sweet smelling, pleasant and accepted by the Lord.  In Revelation 5:8, we learn that in heaven there are golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of saints.  Like God, we treasure communication from our children, whether it be letters, cards, phone calls or gifts.  God considers our prayers so valuable that he keeps them in golden vials in heaven. Wow! Just, Wow!

 

I enCOURAGE you to call out to God.  Tell Him about your pain and exactly what you need.  He understands your urgency.  You are His child, and He desires to hear from you. He desires your presence.  “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrew 4:16)

by Tammy Phillips
January 19, 2021

As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. (Proverbs 27:17 NKJV)

In the times that Old Testament was written, one iron blade was used to sharpen another blade until both became effective tools.  A piece of iron can sharpen another piece of iron, but it happens through time.  It happens through friction.   Friction creates heat and creates sparks. Sparks change the useless.

We need boosters to lift us up. 
We need champions to push us higher.
We need supporters to encourage us.  
We need a tribe who celebrates with us.
We need companions who mourn with us.  
We need brothers and sisters to come along side us.
We need defenders who support us.
We need advancers who challenge us.
We need interceders to pray for us.
We need friends who sharpen us.

Alone, we can be dull.
Together, we sharpen each other.
Together, sparks are created that change the useless to the useful.

I enCOURAGE you to let the sparks fly!  It is always ok to challenge each other.  After all, being changed into the image of our Father is no easy task. 

by Tammy Phillips
January 18, 2021

“The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak a word in season to [him who is] weary. He awakens Me morning by morning; He awakens My ear to hear as the learned. (Isaiah 50:4 NKJV)

The above verse is speaking about Jesus.  We are to imitate Him.   As disciples on assignment, we should believe and receive this this word today. Like Jesus, the Lord God has given us the tongue of the learned.  The word learned in Hebrew is limmuwd.  It means disciple or taught.  It comes from the root word to be trained; to be exercised. We are the “learnt,” as Madea would say because we are students and disciples of Christ.  We seek him.  He trains us in His word, and we exercise our faith.  He trains us to be His mouthpiece, so we know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary.  Isn’t that what we are doing now? We share His word every day, we encourage each other, and we encourage others. 

Each day, morning by morning, He wakens. The Hebrew word for wakens is uwr.  It means to arouse; to stir; to be excited; to be triumphant; the idea of opening eyes.  All this time we thought we were giddy for God in the early morning hours.  It was Him waking us up.  It’s always Him.  He was stirring us up. He was opening our physical eyes and our spiritual eyes to the day ahead.  If that was not enough, He was waking up our ears to hear, too.   He opens our ears to hear and to listen to others that may be in need of the learned word.  Most importantly, He opens our ears to hear the revelations He wants to share with us about Himself.  I am so glad He wakes us up every day!  

I enCOURAGE you to be awakened with eyes and ears wide open to hear God, His word and complete your assignment in Him today.

 

by Tammy Phillips
January 17, 2021

In loving memory of Gloria Worsham, October 22, 1933 ~ January 17, 2020.  Undoubtably,  when Mrs. Worsham arrived in heaven, she had many rewards waiting on her for the numberless prayers offered up for all of us during our “growing years,”  for the influence that she had on our lives and for opening her home, particularly her couch to me,  like I was her own.  I wrote this tribute to her last year at her passing.  I want to celebrate her life again this year by sharing.  She is a woman who truly lived up to her name.

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes].  (James 1:17 AMP)

I awoke to a text from my lifelong best friend that her sweet Mama, had passed away during the night. Mrs. Worsham was everything good.  She was everything “perfect.” After all, she had her flower shop, “the Perfect Touch” and she was definitely sent down from the Father to all of us.

It was a dark, gray, gloomy morning.  It became darker with the news.  My heart was broken for the loss that my precious friend and her family had experienced.  I quietly or not so quietly did menial house tasks for a couple of hours to avoid the reality of the text. 

I had not spoken to a soul.  I sat down to come to terms with the text.  I was attempting to read it again.  However, in the darkness right before dawn, I had an unusual, three text messages, awaiting.  One message was from my Mom and two others from dear sisters in Christ, Sparkle and Kristi.  Not one of them knew about Mrs. Gloria Worsham.  That dark morning in Clarksville, our God painted the most GLO-rious sky in three different cities across the southeast to remind me of Himself & Mrs. Gloria Worsham.  God then pricked all these women’s heart to send me a predawn picture of God’s masterful work.  What a wonderful hug from our God on that day!  I heard Holy Spirit gently say: “I am here.  I always am.  Pam, Cindy, Jill, Charlie, they are going to be ok.  It is going to be alright and even though it is hard to see, it is a GLO-rius day!”

Although I could not see the sun through the darkness of my morning, it was shining bright, as it always does.  It faithfully rose like it always does.  Not only did it rise, it put on a GLO-rious display.  Do you realize the sun always shines?  It never stops shining.   Simply, the earth turns its back to the sun and darkness appears.

Isn’t the sun a perfect representative of our God, the Father of Lights?  Even though we may not see Him in our darkest hours, when we have lost our loved one.  He is Light.  He is present and we can feel Him, just like the warmth of the sun.  He is always faithful.  He is always with us.  He never leaves us nor forsakes us.  He does not change.  He is always the same, just like the rising of the sun.  And, like the sun and the earth, it is only when we turn from our Father that we enter into darkness.

Glo lived up to her name.  She was like the sun, a beaming reflection of our God.  Her smile and laughter lit up a room brighter than the brightest star.  She was faithful, warm, and always the same loving women to me.  I thank God for her light that welcomed me and so many others lovingly into her life!  I thank God for His Light.  I thank God that the Son and the sun always shines.  I thank you, Father, for the many lights in my life.  I am super thankful for God, Ms. Worsham, Pam, my Mom, Kristi and Sparkle for sending light into the morning on that dark day and every day.

I enCOURAGE to remember that in your darkest days that the sun always shines. 
In our darkest days the SON always shines.  

PS…We should all strive to live up to our name, the name given to us as followers of Christ.   We never know what a difference we can make in someones life.   In the words of David Barton, “Each one, reach one and the world will be completely changed in two years.” 

by Tammy Phillips
January 16, 2020

Then those who feared the Lord talked often one to another; and the Lord listened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who reverenced and worshipfully feared the Lord and who thought on His name.And they shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I publicly recognize and openly declare them to be My jewels (My special possession, My peculiar treasure). And I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him. (Malachi 3:16-17 KJV)

The LORD treasures us.  We are his jewels formed by years of pressure, trials and tribulations.  He says, “’Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth [is] mine.” (Exodus 19:5 KJV)

How do we know we are His treasure?

1. 1. He said we were. So, we believe it.
   2. He, God of the universe, pays attention.
   3. He, King of King’s, stops and hears us.
   4. He is so delighted.  He loves that we are amazed and spend time talking about Him.  He has a book written to record every word that we speak about Him.  It is like how we take pictures to capture the gift of the sunrise and sunset that He often bestows on us in the morning and evening sky.
   5. He says, “They will be mine!” Isn’t that what you say when you pass by the TJMAXX counter and see some sparkly new jewel or pair of shoes? “It’s mine! I have to have it no matter the cost!”  This is exactly what God did for us by giving us Jesus. God the highest price for his jewels.
   6. He promises to declare us openly as His Jewels

My version of these verse

I enCOURAGE you to obey His voice.  Do His word and then Emerald, Sapphire, Ruby or Diamond, you can be assured that YOU ARE HIS.  You are His peculiar treasure, His precious and prized jewel! 

by Tammy Phillips
January 15, 2021

“So be PATIENT, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits expectantly for the precious harvest from the land, being PATIENT about it, until it receives the early and late rains. You too, be PATIENT; strengthen your hearts [keep them energized and firmly committed to God], because the coming of the Lord is near.” (James 5:7-8 AMP)

Let’s be clear.  I do not ask the Lord for patience.  I don’t talk about patience, much.  When my sister sent me the above scripture at 7:00 am in the morning, it was like a big red flashing neon sign…warning….warning…here comes a lesson.  Here comes a trial.  (See text thread that followed the verse  in the above picture.)

Well, of course, Holy Spirit, immediately directed me to Colossians 3:12 for my morning time with Him:

“So as God’s own chosen people, who are holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” 

Really, GOD?

So…I learned that patience by definition means to be steadfast; constant; cheerful and hopeful endurance; to remain; to bear bravely; persevere; to stand; to stay; to wait; to remain as one is and not be another or different.

According to the Greek translation, be patient, means to be of a long spirit; not to lose heart; persevere patiently; bravely enduring misfortunes, troubles, offenses and injury; longsuffering; enduring; slow to anger and or boil over.

It was about four hours into my day when I heard “be patient” arise in my spirit.  After dealing with insurance issues on the phone for two hours, I was blessed to put my word for the day to practice.  I made a conscious decision to exercise patience.  I kept my peace.

Oh, did I mention that my coffee pot did not work correctly  that day? Instead of a steady stream, it went drip, drip, drip, drip…just trying my…wait…be patient.

It is good to have sisters who are led by the spirit who send you the word you need to hear for the day.  It does not matter whether you really want to hear it or not.  What was resolved in three hours on the phone with our insurance company could have taken days.  And, after two unsuccessful attempts to repair the dripping coffeemaker, the enduring, third try, led to streams of flowing coffee.  HALLELUJAH AND PRAISE THE LORD!  

As I was enCOURAGED with a word that I did not want to hear—-right back at you!

I enCOURAGE you to be patient and to “let patience have [its] perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:4 NKJV) For me practicing patience equaled victory, success, and a good cup coffee.  Thanks be to God and my sister Queen for her timely advice.