Tabetha’s Devotions

Romans 12:12

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart (where?)

Down in my heart (where?)

Down in my heart

I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart (where?)

Down in my heart to stay

If this song is now stuck in your head today, you are welcome! I will admit sometimes I have to sing it with gritted teeth. However, I still sing it!

Actually, it is amazing what this little song can do to your heart and mood; much like Romans 12:12. It is simply a reminder that with God we can get through anything. We just have to keep our focus up. With God, we are filled with joy, hope, patience, and faith no matter what affliction we face today. 

Yes, as I said early sometimes we face them with gritted teeth, but we are still facing them. They have not beaten us. They can’t keep us down. When they do knock us down, we get knocked to our knees. What better place to be? That is when we look up and pray. So sing this little song loud and proud today. Find that joy in your heart!

Lord, today I choose joy! ~amen

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 Copyright © 2023 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved

Isaiah 25:1

Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.

Nothing surprises God! You can’t pull a fast one on Him. He never says. “Well, I didn’t see that one coming.” Satan can’t just hit Him out of the blue. He sees what is around the corner. He can see the forest AND the tree. The puzzle falls out of the box all put together. Oh, and don’t ever challenge Him to a game of Tetris. . . LOL! How comforting are all of these statements?

I can be a rather anxious person. OK to all my family members and friends, stop laughing! The truth is patience is most defiantly NOT my middle name. I like to know everything! I hate being left out of the loop. I feel overwhelmed when I have to make decisions and don’t have all the information. As a matter of fact, I am always on the search for the facts. I love to read and watch mysteries. I love being a teacher and trying to figure out how a student learns or why they behave the way they do. So when God sets me in a sensory deprivation spot, I go crazy!

So, when my world starts spinning out of control, I have to rely on Isaiah 25:1. I have to remember God knows it all. He has plans for it all. I have to let go and let God. He has all the facts He needs to make any decision that is best for me.

Lord, thank You for always having the facts and making the right decisions for me. ~amen

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Copyright © 2023 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved

Psalm 34:18

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

I am feeling emotionally exhausted today. As many of you may know, we are moving to another state because my husband got a new job. It is only about 5 hours away, but right now it may as well be halfway around the world. Everything has gone so fast and my head is spinning. The job came as a complete shock to both of us. We then had to renovate the house to get it on the market. Then we sold the house in a matter of hours. Now we are in that waiting period. Everything has to wrap up here before we can move on there. So, yes I am feeling a little crushed today.

So what do you do when you are feeling crushed? You rely on the Lord. I know I make it sounds so easy. Believe me, it is everything but easy! To get myself through I remind myself of all the things He has seen me through in the past. All those times I was sitting in this exact same spot and yet miraculously He came through. OK, occasionally it was pull me through kicking and screaming, but I got through. . . LOL!

God has perfect timing for everything. You can’t rush it. You will get through it and you will be all the better for it. So when you are feeling crushed, take a breath. You have been there before and God will rescue you!

Lord, You have gotten me through the past, You are getting me through today, and You will get me through the future whatever it holds. ~amen

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Copyright © 2023 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved

Hebrews 11:6

And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Faith is something you use every single day. You woke up today and had faith that you could get out of bed. You had faith that your hot water was going to work so you could take a shower. You had faith your car was going to start. You had faith you would make it through your day and come home eat dinner, watch a little tv, and then go back to bed. Faith is just believing in something you can’t see. So, having faith in God isn’t hard at all.

I would also like to ask what does it hurt to believe in God? What is so bad about having faith that after you die you will go to heaven? Why is it so wrong to have faith that your prayers will be heard and answered? I once heard a story about an atheist and a Christian. The atheist tried to tell the Christian he was wrong and stupid for believing in God. The Christian simply stated came back with something like this, “If you are right and I am wrong, then no harm done. If I am right and you are wrong, then you will be well done.”

Faith is nothing new or hard. It is a part of everyday life. If you can have faith that the airplane over your head is not going to crash on your head, then you can have faith in a God that keeps that plane in the air.

Lord my faith is in You! ~amen

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Copyright © 2023 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved

Philippians 2:5-8

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

How do you be the best friend, child, sibling, parent, spouse, co-worker, employee, or any other relationship you can come up with? I have the perfect answer for this question. Just read Philippians 2:5-8. Jesus answered it all for you! You want to make the best out of any relationship you simply follow the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do.)

Walking in His steps means never hoarding anything over anyone else. I mean think about this if anyone could have walked around with the ‘I am better than you attitude’ it would have been Jesus. If Jesus never held that attitude, what gives you the right?

We need to take this one step further. Notice Jesus was made in human likeness. No, I don’t mean you need to see a plastic surgeon. However, you can change your attitude to become approachable by others. Making others feel comfortable around you and even safe.

Here is the magic word among all others in this passage. Be H-U-M-B-L-E! Humble yourselves. That is the key to being the best you can be in any relationship. Remember, Jesus came and humbled Himself, forgoing all of His majestic pedigree to die on a cross for you!

Lord, thank You for humbling Yourself. Help me to follow in Your footsteps every day. ~amen

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Copyright © 2023 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved

Matthew 7:24

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Today’s verse had me singing “The Wise and Foolish Man” song.

The wise man built his house upon the rock, (X3)
And the rain came tumbling down.
The rain came down and the floods came up, (X3)
And the house on the rock stood firm.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand, (X3)
And the rain came tumbling down.
The rain came down and the floods came up, (X3)
And the house on the sand went “SPLAT!”
So, build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ, (X3)
And the blessings will come down.
The blessings will come down as the prayers go up, (X3)
So, build your life on the Rock.

If you know the song and it is stuck in your head now, you are welcome! The moral of the story is to not just be a listener, be a doer. I don’t know how many times I have told my children or my students OK even my spouse something and it went in one ear and out the other. Truth be known I have done the same thing to others in my life. Let’s confess we all have. One person we need to never do this to is God. Don’t be a pew sitter, build that house on a rock. Be a doer!

Lord, thank You for giving me a stable place to build my house. I want to be a doer of Your word and not just a listener. ~amen

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Copyright © 2023 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved

2 Corinthians 9:6

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

I sat down and turned on the TV and Touched By An Angel was on this morning. I hadn’t seen that in years! I use to love watching that show. Anyways, I watched the episode and this verse hit me hard.

The wife in the show was complaining about how her husband didn’t love her anymore. He never wrote her love letters or did any other little romantic things for her anymore. One of the angels looked at her and asked when was the last time you did any of that for him? Love is a two-way street, so why not start with cleaning up yours because that is all you can do.

If you want to build a strong relationship with God, you need to pour yourself into Him. He is waiting to shower you with everything you could ever need. He is waiting to hold you and make you feel like you are enough and so much more. All He is asking is you make him feel the same way too.

You will never be able to out love God. You do not deserve the love He has for you and you will never do anything to actually gain that love. The love is already yours. However, if you want to build a relationship with Him, be prepared to show Him you love Him too!

Lord, I want You to know just how much I love You. ~amen

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Copyright © 2023 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved

1 Peter 1:18-19

18 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 ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

You can’t buy your way into Heaven. Sorry, if you have been saving up for it. The good news is you can go spend that money now. Jesus already paid the price. Your salvation is FREE! Well, it is free just like your freedoms guaranteed to you in the constitution. Many people have paid with their lives to keep those freedoms for you as well. I guess what I am saying is nothing is ever really free.

We can be so very happy and leap for joy that we have been given the choice to live happier ever after with God in Heaven forever and ever and ever. However, while we are relishing in that fact, we need to take a moment to remember what it took to get that gift. Please remember the pain, physically and emotionally Jesus placed himself in so that you could live.

Your freedom may be free to you, but it was not free. A price had to be paid. Your spot was meant to be on that cross. Your death was demanded for your payment. Blood had to be shed. Jesus stepped up to take that price on His head. He marked your debt paid in full. You don’t have to pay for your life anymore. It is a gift to you. However, don’t ever forget that gift was paid for a long time ago. Your freedom did not come for free.

Thank You for paying for my freedom! ~amen

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Copyright © 2023 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved

Romans 14:11

It is written: “’As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’”

Romans 13:11 has one five-letter word that stands out above all the others, ‘EVERY’! This is not a catch-all phrase like we try to use today, or our kids like to use. “Mom, everyone is going to the party.” It isn’t even like the peer pressure we have all been subjected to at one time in our life. “Come on, everybody is doing it.” You know they use that assumed one in commercials and advertisements all the time.

No the use of “every” in the Bible is quite literal. Every knee will bow and every tongue will acknowledge God. You will bow and acknowledge. Your family members, your friends, and yes even your enemies. Satan himself will bow and acknowledge God. It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow. However, I can promise you that everyone will bow before the Lord, and every tongue will acknowledge God.

If you are going through a problem today, remember these words. Remind Satan of these words. Keep them hidden in your heart. Every single person you see today, yes even that guy who just cut you off in traffic, will someday bow before God. Instead of yelling, start praying for them all. Oh, and pray for me because I am praying for you. We will all bow before God someday.

Lord, I already bow and acknowledge You every single day. I pray for all of those who will someday but choose not to right now.

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Copyright © 2023 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved

1 Chronicles 16:34

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

We often find ourselves on our knees asking God for things. Our prayers go out for noble things like healing for others around us. We pray for ourselves to find jobs, houses, and spouses. We even might pray for that perfect parking spot. God wants to hear it all. No request is too big or too small. I promise He loves to hear from you. That is all good, but do you remember to just thank Him?

I will admit I have never been one for writing thank you notes. I try my very best to always tell someone thank you. My momma raised me to say please and thank you. I am ashamed to say that I sometimes get wrapped up in my day and forget to thank God. Oh, I am good about thanking Him for the “BIG” prayers. Believe me, those miracles don’t go unnoticed by me. It is those everyday little things I let slip past me.

I am working on it though. I am trying to recognize those moments like the good parking spot on a rainy day. God does so much without us ever knowing it. I mean how many traffic accidents have we missed out on in our lives? I want to spend time every day just thanking God for being a part of my life. Loving me is the best gift of all!

Lord, thank You for loving me. ~amen

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Copyright © 2023 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved