The Devil Thought He’d Found the Perfect Weapon

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment
Jesus seated on a cross holding keys, symbolizing victory over death and Satan, with golden light breaking through clouds

What was meant for destruction became the symbol of ultimate victory.

Satan’s plan looked genius. Don’t just kill the Son of God. Kill Him in the most brutal, agonizing, publicly humiliating way possible, branded as a criminal. Make a public spectacle of Him so that all who follow Him will be shamed and run for cover.

As far as the devil was concerned, there could be no better weapon than a Roman cross.

Except…

The devil knows the Word of God and knows it well. He’s been twisting it since the beginning as he’s tried to lead astray everyone he possibly can—including Jesus. (That attempt failed gloriously.)

But knowing the Word isn’t the same as understanding it. He missed a world of clues. Let’s take a look.

The Bronze Serpent — Lifted Up

The Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake
and attach it to a pole.
All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!
Numbers 21:8 (NLT)

Jesus directly connects this to Himself:

And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake
on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man
must be lifted up, so that everyone who
believes in him will have eternal life.
John 3:14–15 (NLT)

This imagery? Being lifted up on a pole—that’s crucifixion. And Jesus told everyone it was going to happen.

Cursed Is Everyone Hung on a Tree

Anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse.
Deuteronomy 21:22–23

Paul makes the connection explicit:

But Christ has rescued us from the curse
pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross,
he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing.
For it is written in the Scriptures,
“Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
Galatians 3:13 (NLT)

Jesus going to the Cross for us was all about taking the curse. He had to be hung on a tree in order to take our place.

Pierced Hands and Feet

…They have pierced my hands and feet.
Psalm 22:16 (NLT)

David wrote this psalm long before crucifixion like this was practiced. Beheading was more common in his day, and that doesn’t involve pierced hands and feet.

Public Exposure and Mocking

Everyone who sees me mocks me.
They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
“Is this the one who relies on the LORD?
Then let the LORD save him!
If the LORD loves him so much,
let the LORD rescue him!”
Psalm 22:7–8 (NLT)

Public ridicule was part of the plan, and the cross fit it perfectly.

Bones Not Broken

For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous;
not one of them is broken!
Psalm 34:20 (NLT)

This was fulfilled in:

When they came to Jesus,
they saw that he was already dead,
so they didn’t break his legs.
John 19:33 (NLT)

In Roman crucifixions, the criminals’ legs were often broken to speed death. But they did not break Jesus’ bones, and this connects to the Passover Lamb from Exodus 12:46 (NLT) where they were commanded, “…and do not break any of its bones.”

Jesus IS the Passover Lamb, the Final Sacrifice. (1 Corinthians 5:7)

Dividing Garments / Casting Lots

They divide my garments among themselves
and throw dice for my clothing.
Psalm 22:18 (NLT)

This is an oddly specific crucifixion detail that was fulfilled in John 19:23–24.

“Lifted Up” = The Means of Drawing All People

“And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I will draw everyone to myself.“
He said this to indicate how He was going to die.
John 12:32–33 (NLT)

He made it clear how he was going to die.

Yes, the Roman cross seemed to be the perfect weapon. But the devil was, as Shakespeare so elegantly put it, “Hoist with his own petard.” Satan’s plan blew up in his face—and Jesus was left holding all the keys.

And now the Cross is a beautiful thing, which brings me to the picture you see above. It’s an image that has lived as a concept in my head for a very long time, one in which our triumphant Savior uses what was meant to destroy Him as a place of rest—and a reminder of His ultimate victory.

It wasn’t just that Jesus had to die.
He had to be lifted up.

As my Resurrection Sunday gift to you, here are two versions of this image:

Download The Perfect Weapon Web Header

Download The Perfect Weapon Wallpaper

They are AI creations (Thank you ChatGPT), so I claim no copyright, but I would appreciate it if you would keep my watermark should you choose to use or share them.

Sunday is on the way!

And remember, Jesus is too. If you haven’t already, now is the time to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. He died so that you could truly live, and at some point in the (I believe) very near future He will return to catch us away to be with Him forever.

The other option—choosing Hell over Him—is unthinkable. Don’t go there.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

The Dating App I Never Wanted… and What God Showed Me Through It

Tammy M Cardwell4 Comments
Woman sitting on a rock overlooking water at sunset, reflecting quietly

This piece is even more transparent than what I usually write, but sometimes it’s the things written in the trenches that God uses most. And, frankly, I felt God leaning on me to share. So let’s go.

After a few years of widowhood, I’ve reached the point where I’m seriously considering the possibility of getting married again. Getting here has taken time and many counseling sessions with God as my therapist.

He’s even told me I’m ready to meet someone, which is remarkable. Marriage to a narcissist leaves you carrying a lot of baggage that can be very hard to get rid of. It feels like it’s taken a piece of forever to get where I am today.

So, on a random day not long ago, God decided it was time to take a step.

He told me to set up a profile on a specific dating site.

His instructions made no sense to me. This dating app is so expensive there was no way—even for Him—that I would willingly consider that kind of commitment.

Judge me if you will, but I have an aversion to the whole idea of dating sites—for me. Still utterly confused by His insistence, I signed up for the free plan and determined to cautiously dip my toes in the water.

The extensive profile questions proved truly educational. They forced me to consider how I really feel about certain things. I had to ask myself, “Am I answering based on who I’ve always been, or who I’m becoming?”

But the real education came when I started getting matches. All I could do with the free site was look at their profiles, which I did. I rejected one after another, only “liking” one because I wanted to see what happened when you liked someone—and he was safely located several states away. Why was I rejecting these men? Honestly, for stupid reasons. Except… 

God called another counseling session in which He showed me just how much fear still hid in my heart, and it wasn’t fear of the men.

I wasn’t rejecting them; I was rejecting me.

Bottom Line: I was afraid of hurting someone. The thought of potentially holding someone else’s heart in my hand, not knowing if I had what it took to make him happy, doubting that I would be enough…

Frankly, it scared me—and I hadn’t even realized it until God made it clear.

I felt such shame. I’ve really thought I was trusting God completely where potential relationships are concerned. I have faith in God!

But, as He’s reminded me a few times through the years (because I need reminders), when I fail to have faith in myself, when I let that fear settle in, it affects my ability to trust Him. Fear pulls the rug out from under our faith, so we must seek it out and cast it away.

I repented of course; I’ve learned that much for sure! I started actively casting down those doubts when they arise and have renewed my commitment to trust Him without reservation.

If God wants me to get married again, He will bring the right man and we’ll be blessed. It’s inevitable. Never in my life has He failed me, and He won’t fail me now. And if I’m not meant to marry again? That’s cool too. I love the life I’m living.

Getting back to the counseling session, in the end God told me to cancel my membership, that the app had served its purpose. Being who I am, I asked Him to clarify what He meant.

His answer didn’t surprise me. He knew what was hidden in my heart and chose to use the dating app like a mirror so I could see it for myself.

Psalm 139:23–24 (NLT) says:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
     test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
     and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

I want this. I pray this prayer with the psalmist because only when my heart is cleansed and my anxious thoughts are conquered can I truly stop doing things that offend Him. 

Walking the path God has laid out for me is vitally important to me. I never want to risk veering from it even a little bit, and certainly not because of anxious thoughts.

And the beautiful thing? God is always faithful to answer this prayer! When I’m not quite right, He lets me know.

It’s generally God’s own Word that He uses as a mirror, to help me see where I’m missing it. Honestly, this is one of the best reasons for reading the Bible; it has unique power to open our eyes to see things in ourselves we may prefer to ignore.

God also speaks to me personally, gently showing me where I’ve disappointed Him or when I could have behaved in a more godly way.

And then there are the surprising times, like this one, when He tells me to do something that seems utterly ridiculous or follow a path I find completely incomprehensible. I’ve learned to obey anyway, because I know He doesn’t do anything without a purpose.

In this case, that purpose wasn’t meeting someone.

It was revealing something.

God knew exactly what was hidden in my heart. He simply used the dating app as a mirror so I could see it too.

God will use the most unexpected things to help us see what’s hiding in our hearts.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

PS: If you, too, are recovering from a narcissistic relationship, you are enough! Even if you’re carrying baggage like I have been, God can help you deal with it, unpack it, and kick it to the curb.

If Only I’d Known: 25 Lessons from the Homeschool Years

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment
Collage of homeschool learning moments with text “If Only I’d Known – 25 Lessons from the Homeschool Years.”

It was one of the last workshops I gave as a homeschool speaker in the late 2000s.

The workshop title was, “If Only I’d Known.” Today I found the envelope containing my old workshop cards.

My kids were already graduated. This workshop distilled some of the most important lessons I’d learned the hard way through our homeschool journey, and it seems appropriate to share them before I slip them back into my archive file.

1. Be careful what you say.

  • Kids remember both the positive and negative things that come out of your mouth. And they will hold you accountable.
  • Kids, especially young children, parrot. Don’t say anything you don’t want to hear coming out of their mouths.

2. Have a support system

  • Regardless of how independent you are, you need a tribe of likeminded homeschoolers—”real world” or online, you need them.

3. Involve family members (especially older family members)

  • They have lived history and can share it
  • They can teach sewing, cooking, woodshop, auto mechanics…
  • It builds relationships and lets older family members know they still have a lot to offer.

4. Don’t buy it until you need it

  • You may never need that widget
  • You probably don’t need a school room

5. It is the system-schooled kids who are being protected from the real world!

  • Yours are actively learning how to live in it!

6. Worry and fear are destructive

  • Concern can motivate
  • Worry paralyzes and destroys
  • Jesus said, “Fear Not!” That means we can choose to stop worrying

7. Field trips, games, etc., are invaluable

  • The very things system schools don’t have time for are the things that often teach the most

8. Teach proper scheduling

  • Extra-curricular activities can be both a blessing and a curse.
  • Overscheduling causes stress
  • Stress causes health issues
  • Stress also causes strife, and the Bible says that where there is strife there is every evil thing

9. “Why?” is a reasonable question

  • If I, as an adult, understand why a thing is a certain way, I better understand the thing
  • Why should they do what you’re asking?
  • Strive for significance
  • If it matters to them they will put more into it

10. Know what you believe about education

  • And know why you believe it

11. Know thyself

  • Know what you will and will not do (being realistic)
  • This saves you from buying things you’ll never use

12. God designed each person specifically

  • Each has his own passions, strengths, talents, skills…
  • Bring each child up in the way he should go
  • Allow time, and provide resources

13. Every child is different

  • Prime Example: Learning styles
  • Strengths & Weaknesses
  • Don’t expect your child to be strong in every area

14. It is not a crime to toss non-working curriculum

  • Let me say it again, it is OK to toss curriculum that isn’t working for your child or family

15. Change is a fact of life

  • Don’t feel guilty about changing curriculum, approaches, schedules..
  • Where are things written in stone? In the graveyard

16. There are many ways to teach and learn

  • Use what works for you and yours
  • Don’t assume that what works for you is the only way

17. Few teachers ever finish a book

  • Typical Curriculum Book Structure:
  • Beginning—refreshes the end of the previous year
  • Middle—teaches new material
  • End—introduces next year

18. Teach them how to learn and you need never worry about what you missed

  • A man who knows how to learn can teach himself almost anything

19. Moments will be remembered

  • Don’t be so focused on “doing school” that you miss those moments—Moments that teach special lessons, build character, strengthen relationships…

20. Learning Happens

  • You can stop it, but it’s hard

     Life Teaches

  • Use life’s lessons, work with them rather than trying to force academics to overcome life’s lessons.

21. Even little guys can do laundry

  • Life skills are vital
  • Teach them how to help carry the load

22. Think REALLY long term

  • What will matter 1,000 years from now?
  • Relationship with God is paramount

23. Your responsibility is to prepare them for their whole life

  • Spiritual walk
  • Relationships
  • Life skills
  • How to learn
  • Academics

24. Homeschooling doesn’t need to be expensive

  • Get online and do your research. There are many ways to homeschool that don’t require expensive curriculum and supplies

25. “They say” is often proved a great liar

  • They say you need to do things a certain way
  • They say you must purchase _____
  • They say children must read by age _____
  • They say everything must be learned in a specific order
  • They say you can’t let a child “get ahead” of his peers
  • They say you can’t do this. BUT YOU CAN.

Homeschooling was one of the greatest adventures of our family life. Looking back, there are plenty of things I might have done differently—but I wouldn’t trade the journey for anything.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

But Even If He Doesn’t: Faith That Refuses to Bow

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment
Silhouette of three men standing before a fiery background with the words “But Even If He Doesn’t,” representing unwavering faith during trials.

Have you ever struggled with God after losing someone you love? Many have—especially when they’ve prayed, believed, and stood for healing. And yet, Scripture says something that often goes unnoticed.

Good people pass away;
the godly often die before their time.
But no one seems to care or wonder why.
No one seems to understand
that God is protecting them from the evil to come.
For those who follow godly paths
will rest in peace when they die.
Isaiah 57:1-2 (NLT, emphasis mine)

“No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come.”

One day, the Holy Spirit lit up this verse for me. Given how evil the world has become since my mother passed, I’ve wondered if, in His mercy, He spared her from the horrific shift in culture that was coming.

Then there’s my husband, whose on-again-off-again relationship with God was “on” when he passed away. I believe God, in His kindness, let Jack go home at a time when his heart was right with Him.

These are my theories anyway.

But what about the rest of those who go before their time? I don’t know.

What I do know is that, while God can certainly handle our anger when we lose someone, being angry with God wounds our own hearts and strains our fellowship with Him. I’ve found a better way to handle the battles we fight, not just things like cancer and death, but everything. And that way requires being proactive.

The way the three Hebrew boys were proactive in Daniel 3:16-18 (NLT):

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar,
we do not need to defend ourselves before you.
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace,
the God whom we serve is able to save us.
He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.
But even if he doesn’t,
we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty,
that we will never serve your gods
or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Here, In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego declared, “But even if He doesn’t…”

For years, these five words confused me. I’ve tried to watch what I say because I know our words have power—power for good and power for evil—and the last thing I want to do is empower the enemy. But I’ve realized something.

These words? They don’t empower the enemy at all. They strip him of his power.

Think about it.

But even if He doesn’t.

These three young men weren’t telling Nebuchadnezzar they doubted their God’s ability or willingness to save them. They were informing him that they would continue to serve their own God faithfully—unconditionally. There was zero chance that they would worship the king’s gods or bow before his idol.

Nebuchadnezzar had used the only threat he had, and it had proven worthless.

I assume you know this part of Israel’s history but if not, I encourage you to open the book of Daniel and read it—especially to see how their experience changed things for everyone. These three boys were, indeed, sent into the furnace. But instead of being incinerated like the soldiers that threw them in, these three were set free to hang out in the furnace with Jesus.

With Jesus.

When they finally came out, which didn’t happen until Nebuchadnezzar called them, they didn’t even smell of smoke.

But even if He doesn’t.

We can, and should, use these words in all our battles.

But even if He doesn’t heal our friend, we will not bow to you, Anger!
But even if our baby doesn’t make it, we will not bow to you, Doubt!
But even if we lose everything, we will not bow to you, Despair!

Devil, no matter what, you will not win!

When we choose ahead of time to hold fast to our faith in God no matter what, the situation may not seem to change, but we do.

  • Rather than being weakened victims, we become victorious warriors.
  • Instead of reacting to our situations, we hold our ground and actively fight the devil on a whole new level.
  • Even when we don’t get the answers we want, we stand strong.

Whatever we face, no matter how dire it is, having the attitude, “Our God is able, but even if He doesn’t…” puts the enemy on notice from the start.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Learning the Bible Like a Second Language

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment
Open Bible on a dark table with the quote “Fluency doesn’t happen by accident—not in language, and not in Scripture.”

Learning Spanish has been a wish…desire…of mine for many years. I live in southeast Texas and have many bi-lingual Hispanic friends. They’ve learned my language, and I want to understand theirs. This would help me communicate with others too, of course. About a year ago, I set learning Spanish as a goal, and I started studying.

It’s been a struggle, guys! In fact, I grew so frustrated at the end of last year that I stopped everything for two or three months. When I picked it back up recently, I figured I’d have forgotten all I’d learned and would have to start over.

I was delightfully surprised by what I recalled, and I’m slowly progressing again, praise God. I’m nowhere near ready to carry on even the most basic conversation, but I occasionally pick up on things my friends say and it’s encouraging.

Just this morning, I had an epiphany about something seemingly unrelated—the Bible.

I’ve known many Christians who said they wanted to read the Bible, but when they picked it up they didn’t understand it or get anything out of it. Is this you?

If so, consider this.

Well, I have more than one thing for you to consider and the first may seem confrontational, but I promise it’s not. Stick with me.

So, first, are you a Christian? By that, I mean do you believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived without sin so He would be an acceptable sacrifice for your sin, died on the cross to be that sacrifice, and rose again on the third day? Have you accepted Him as your Savior, the One who died for you, and your Lord, the One to whom you owe allegiance and obedience in every part of life?

I ask this question because, as I heard a minister say once, if you’re not a Christian, attempting to read the Bible is like trying to read someone else’s mail. Frankly, the Bible was written for God’s covenant people, and without the Holy Spirit you’ll have a hard time grasping much of it.

Or, to return to my history with Spanish, it’s like it would be if I were to pick up a textbook written in Spanish. I wouldn’t understand it, not because I’m stupid, but because my lack of fluency means I would only be able to grasp a word or phrase here or there.

If you answered that no, you are not a Christian, but you’re ready to accept Jesus, let’s pause a sec. If you believe this and are willing to accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord, it’s as easy as saying a simple prayer. You can pray this right now. 

God, I come to you ready. I believe that Jesus was born of a virgin and lived without sin so that He could die for me, so He could pay the price for my sins. I accept that sacrifice! I also believe He rose again on the third day, was taken up into Heaven, and sits at Your side now. Jesus, I accept You as my Savior and my Lord, and I commit to live for You. In Your name, Amen!

If you just prayed that prayer, welcome to the family of God! Now let’s keep going.

When you receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, you also receive the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is the best Teacher of all. As Jesus said in John 14:26 (NET): “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and will cause you to remember everything I said to you.”

Now let’s return to the very first thing I said. “Learning Spanish has been a wish…desire…of mine for many years.” It was a wish for many years but stayed a wish. Then it progressed to being a desire but stayed a desire. Nothing changed. I wanted to learn Spanish, but I didn’t learn Spanish. Why?

If wishes were fishes, no one would ever go hungry.
(But they’d get terribly tired of fish.)

Yes, it’s a silly expression, but I think you get my point? I hadn’t learned Spanish because I hadn’t decided to learn Spanish. I didn’t follow through until I changed my mindset and made it a goal. For years, I’d consciously picked up words here and there, like many Christians pick up a Bible verse here and there. And, just like those random Bible verses, the words were tucked away in my brain, but without any context attached.

My point is that learning the Bible takes studying the Bible. It can start with “simply” reading the Bible, but as you read you should be listening for the voice of your Teacher, the Holy Spirit. As you do, you’ll see things you simply can’t catch on your own. Before you start to read, pray. As Him to teach you. He will!

And as you grow in your relationship with the Bible and with the Holy Spirit, you’ll grasp even more. But learning doesn’t happen without effort on your part. It takes an investment, just like learning anything else does.

And that investment is worth it. 

Me learning Spanish can greatly help me and every Spanish speaker I meet, but that cannot even remotely compare to the value of me making God’s Word a part of my very being.

Fluency doesn’t happen by accident—not in language, and not in Scripture.

As I’ve heard it said, a man will invest years in becoming a lawyer, mechanic, accountant…whatever. And these are only careers that will help him in this life. The Word of God would help him in this life too, more than career training ever could, and…more importantly…it would prepare him for eternity.

But his Bible sits, unread, on the shelf.

Don’t be that man.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Ten Minutes in Light of Forever

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment

“When God gave me a revelation of forever,
of eternity, everything changed.”

After sending this message to a group of friends, I sat back and thanked God, for perhaps the thousandth time, for giving me a revelation of forever, for helping me grasp eternity. That moment of thankfulness led to a conversation about the difference between understanding and revelation.

You can have both.

We gain understanding in many ways— through study, through logic and reason… We gain understanding of God’s Word through spending time with it, meditating on it, digging into it, leaning on the Holy Spirit as our teacher…

Revelation is something different: It comes directly from God, and it bypasses the requirement for understanding. Where understanding acquaints you with truth, revelation confronts you with it.

One day at church camp I was in chapel listening to the minister and came to that moment. I’d heard enough about salvation that I knew the basics, but I didn’t really understand it. Nonetheless, in an instant the conviction settled in my soul.

Without a doubt, I knew I needed to be saved so I stepped into the aisle. It wasn’t an emotional thing; it was more a logical reaction to sudden knowledge. I didn’t even comprehend the magnitude of my decision until I saw my camp counselor crying.

Much later, I came to the realization that what I’d experienced was revelation knowledge. It was communication straight from God that convinced me of my need for salvation. I didn’t have to understand it. I didn’t even have to feel anything. I simply knew the truth, acted on the truth, and my life changed in an instant. There have been several times in my walk with God that He has given me such revelation and changed things instantly.

There have also been at least two times I specifically asked God for revelation on things I was desperate to comprehend. The first was the Rapture of the Church. Witnessing was hard for me and I felt that if I could just grasp the truth of the Rapture, and the reality of people missing it, I would be more driven to witness.

After a time, God gave me that revelation. And after the revelation, as I studied, I also gained understanding.

The same happened with forever. I’d had my blog “Eternally Planted” for years. The title is based off part of Ecclesiastes 3:11 in the NLT: “…He has planted eternity in the human heart…” Eternity is planted inside us even if we fail to recognize it. I think that’s why so many believe in reincarnation—because man has an instinctive knowledge that this life isn’t everything.

When I named my blog what I did, I had some understanding of forever, but at some point I realized I needed revelation. So I asked God for it. It didn’t come instantly, but one day God dropped it into my spirit in a way that lit up my world—and it changed everything about the way I saw my life.

I’d been married to my narcissistic husband for decades and was now responsible for keeping him alive and healthy, or as healthy as I could when he seemed intent on destroying his body. Every day was a struggle and my stress level stayed dangerously high. So this wasn’t a theoretical lesson. It came in the middle of a very real, very heavy season.

But then there was that day. In an instant, I suddenly had it. I knew in my innermost being that this life is nothing compared to the life I will have in eternity. That very hour, I told God that, if I had to live the rest of my life as I had been, it was ok. Because in light of eternity, this life is only ten minutes—and I can do anything for ten minutes.

Life didn’t get easier, but my focused changed. I was no longer looking at what was directly in front of me, but at what is waiting down the road. When you suddenly see a broad, beautiful vista ahead, walking becomes less frustrating and more of a challenge you’re willing to face.

We need understanding, obviously. But we also need revelation, and the beautiful thing is that God is ready and willing to give it. For me, it normally comes after He’s highlighted something I’m reading in the Word, after I’ve taken time to meditate on it, mull it over, and spend time talking to Him about it as I grow increasingly hungry for answers.

And sometimes I just ask.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Potiphar’s Trust: Proof that Letting Go is Possible

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment
An open hand symbolizing trust and release, paired with the words “Learn from Potiphar,” reflecting the lesson of letting go and trusting God.

Have you ever considered looking to Potiphar as an example of how you should walk as a Christian?

Neither had I—until recently.

I’ve been reading The Master’s Indwelling, by Andrew Murray, and in one of the essays he pointed out something I’ve seen probably a hundred times, but never really SAW.

Genesis 39:1-6 NET
“Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard, purchased him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. The LORD was with Joseph. He was successful and lived in the household of his Egyptian master. His master observed that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made everything he was doing successful. So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar appointed Joseph overseer of his household and put him in charge of everything he owned. From the time Potiphar appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The blessing of the LORD was on everything that he had, both in his house and in his fields. So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; he gave no thought to anything except the food he ate.”

Potiphar saw the evidence of God’s hand on Joseph’s life, and as a result…

“Potiphar appointed Joseph overseer of his household and put him in charge of everything he owned.”
“So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care”

AND

“he gave no thought to anything except the food he ate”

Even though I’ve been thinking about this for days, meditating on it, mulling it over, I’m still sitting here with my mind blown. Potiphar was a heathen. As far as we know, he knew nothing about Joseph’s God beyond the evidence of his own eyes.

But he had enough trust in Joseph and the God Joseph served that he literally trusted Joseph to take care of everything. As Joseph later explained to Potiphar’s wife, she was the only thing Joseph didn’t have access to and power over.

Take a minute to really think about this. I’m serious. I’m encouraging you right now to pause your reading and actually consider what we’re seeing here. This article will still be here when you get back.

[pause]

I’m honestly hoping you’re coming back to this with your own thoughts as I type mine.

This man was almost surely a heathen. He couldn’t have known anything about Joseph’s God. Who would have taught him? Yet he had enough faith in Joseph that he totally stopped worrying about what surely had to be significant wealth?

No wealthy man I know of has ever handed the entirety of his estate over to the care of someone else, to live the rest of his days not worrying about any of it.

I look at Potiphar and I think about how much worry Christians tend to live in. We know intellectually that God has promised to take care of us as long as we follow His lead, doing as He says, but how often do we instinctively try to take back control from the very God we claim to trust?

We’re not alone. Abram did the same thing; he and Sarai ran ahead of God and, by having Ishmael, made things a lot harder on themselves.

So we might be tempted to give ourselves an out. After all, if Abram/Abraham and so many other heroes of the Bible failed to truly trust God then surely God knows I’m just as weak as they were. Right?

But then I look at Potiphar and I have to answer, “Wrong.”

It’s been staring me in the face all this time and I’ve only just seen it. If Potiphar, who knew nothing of the God I serve, was able to fully put everything into Joseph’s hands, then I am capable of putting everything into the hands of the God I know and love. And leave it there!

And not worry about anything except what I want to eat for dinner.

Potiphar is proof.
It can be done.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Why the Word? Light for the Next Step

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Open Bible with ribbon bookmark, titled “Why the Word? Light for the Next Step,” representing a Christian teaching series on staying in Scripture.

Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105 (NASB2020)

I live on my sister and brother-in-law’s property and spend a lot of evenings in their home. If I forget to turn the porch light on when I head out the back door, I’m left either cautiously feeling my way or turning on my phone’s flashlight. It’s either that or risk a nosedive I don’t need.

Becoming a student of the Bible is like me turning on my phone’s light. If I didn’t realize my phone even had a light, I’d be stumbling around in the dark. If I know my phone has a flashlight and I choose not to turn it on, I may still be stumbling around in the dark!

It occurs to me that I may be “preaching to the choir” here, that you may love the Word of God and, like me, can’t get enough. Sadly, if that is the case, we’re in the minority. While over two thirds of American homes have a Bible, a little over half of America’s Christians hardly ever read it—if they read it at all. 

Which, of course, is why I’m doing this series.

Back to the point. If you’re not getting into the Word, you don’t know what you’re missing. I mean that literally. Going back to my phone as an example, there is a lot on that thing that I don’t know about, and I don’t care about what I don’t know about. But, every once in a while someone will point out something amazing that I’ve been missing and I get excited.

God’s Word is very much like that, except that it has worlds more to offer than my technological toy. This is one book that no one will ever fully grasp. Why? Because, as Hebrews 4:12 says:

For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

The Word is alive, so every time I read through it (which I’ve done fifteen times if I remember correctly) I see things I’ve never seen before. This may mean I literally don’t remember having read them, or it may mean I see them differently, apply them to my life differently, find a deeper meaning than I was able to before. As I read, I grow, and as I grow, the light grows brighter.

And the brighter the light, the easier it is to see the right path.

I have no idea how many times God has used Scripture, either by reminding me of it or leading me to it, to help me navigate this life. He’s given me direction through the Word. He’s shown me clearly why I don’t need to see what’s lying in wait down the road and just need to trust Him. He’s constantly using the Word to help me grow closer to being the woman of God he has called me to be.

Have you heard the idiom about “seeing the light”?
Pull out your Bible. That’s where you’ll find it.

Stay in the Word—and let the Word stay in you.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Mindful Offerings

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Empty church sanctuary with wooden pews and an altar at the front

Photo by Oscar Ivan Esquivel Arteaga

As you enter the house of God,
keep your ears open and your mouth shut.
It is evil to make mindless offerings to God.
Ecclesiastes 5:1 (NLT)

A question has been burning in my spirit for some time: How mindful are we as Christians? And yes, I mean we. I mean me.

I discovered this verse a few years back after I’d begun supporting a ministry with an automated monthly gift. Now, there is nothing at all wrong with automated offerings, so don’t think I’m going there. What was wrong with my automated offering—and I realized it the instant I read this verse and really heard what it had to say—was that I’d literally put this offering on autopilot and hardly ever thought about it again.

Yes, I took it out of my checkbook when it came through, but that was it. I never thanked God for prospering me so that I could give it. I never consciously counted it as seed and prayed that God would bless it and bring increase. I never used that monthly gift as a reminder to pray for that ministry.

Nothing.

I did nothing.

And as loving and gracious and merciful as my God is, I could not ignore the import of these words: “It is evil to make mindless offerings to God.”

My approach to giving changed that day. Be it tithes, offerings, support for a missionary—whatever it is—I give it mindfully now. I thank God that I have it to give. I pray over it. I often ask God for souls to be saved directly as a result of my giving. I choose to bring my offering, to bring my worship, mindfully.

I’ve lived with this knowledge for a while and have been grateful that God opened my eyes to my inattentive giving. Then, some months back, He showed me more.

It wasn’t me this time, though I know it had been me many times in the past—so know that I’m not pointing fingers.

Worship had been amazing. I was at the altar with many others, and you could feel God’s presence. It was as if He was right there and preparing to move. And then the music stopped.

There was nothing wrong with the music stopping. The song had come to an end, but many of us continued to worship for a few seconds before…

Everyone started clapping.

I felt like I’d been on a mountaintop and was suddenly yanked back down into a valley. It was abrupt. It was spiritually painful. God and I talked about it a lot after that service—okay… during that service, even. I can’t guarantee how much of Pastor’s message I caught because I couldn’t let go of what had occurred.

God pointed out to me that we do it “all the time.” Not literally all the time, of course, but enough of the time that once He’d opened my eyes, it became glaringly obvious.

The problem, as He explained it to me, is that too often during worship we fall back on habit rather than worshipping intentionally—bringing that offering mindfully. We may even make it through the worship service without realizing what we’ve been singing. And the instinctive thing to do at the end is clap.

So we clap.

Clapping is not bad, but it’s out of place when God is drawing us into stillness.

The problem is that our worship prepares the atmosphere. Psalm 22:3 (NLT) says, “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” Our praise provides a resting place for God, an invitation for Him to be right there in our midst.

And if we go back to Solomon’s Temple, in 2 Chronicles 5:13–14, we get this glorious picture:

“The trumpeters and singers performed together in unison to praise and give thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they raised their voices and praised the LORD with these words: ‘He is good! His faithful love endures forever!’ At that moment a thick cloud filled the Temple of the LORD. The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple of God.”

The priests couldn’t continue their service because of God’s holy presence.

I’ve heard many pray that we be able to experience this today, and I’ve heard reports of such things happening—but it can’t if we don’t worship mindfully. When we stop being mindful and fall back on going through the motions, worship can become reflexive instead of intentional. We respond out of habit rather than out of an awareness of God’s presence.

When we fail to be aware of God’s presence, and that lack of awareness leads us to rush past a holy moment, changing the atmosphere…

We experience what I did that night at the altar.

I’ve wondered, ever since, what God had been preparing to do. I’ve never actually asked Him because, to be honest, I’d rather not know what we missed out on. And yes, it’s happened many times since then—but at least I am aware of my own mindfulness now. There is that.

What would happen if we all consciously focused on bringing our offerings mindfully?

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Scripture Focus:
Ecclesiastes 5:1 (NLT)
Psalm 22:3 (NLT)
2 Chronicles 5:13–14 (NLT)

Why the Word? It Restores the Soul

Tammy M Cardwell1 Comment
Open Bible with ribbon bookmark, titled “Why the Word? It Restores the Soul,” representing a Christian teaching series on staying in Scripture.

The Law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
Psalm 19:7 (NASB2020)

Your soul is what makes you you. Generally referred to as the “mind, will, and emotions,” your soul is one third of who you are: Spirit, Soul, and Body.

And I have a true example to share that illustrates just how well the Word of God restores the soul.

There is a man I’ve known about 40 years. I met him at church, and it became quickly apparent that he was quick witted and highly intelligent. In conversation, he once explained that this hadn’t always been the case.

According to him, when he got saved he’d been so destroyed by drugs that he didn’t have two brain cells to rub together. But he heard that the Word of God has the power to restore the soul and he took that promise literally. He dove headfirst into the Bible and has never left it.

The Word of God restored—repaired, revived, converted, refreshed, renewed (depending on your translation)—his soul. It also “made wise the simple,” as it declares at the end of Psalm 19:7.

His is a dramatic account, but yours can be too. If you feel like you’re not smart enough or don’t have the brainpower to read the Bible, remember that he didn’t either. Sometimes you simply have to step out in faith and ask God to teach you as you read.

It does help to find a translation you can relate to. I have sixteen Bibles in eleven different translations, and each of those translations serves a purpose.

  • Most of the scriptures I have memorized are from the King James Version, because its poetic nature makes memorization easier—for me anyway.
  • If I’m doing a straight readthrough, my go-to is the New Living Translation, because it’s the closest to the way I think and talk.
  • If I want a better grasp of how an Israelite would have read a passage, I grab either my Complete Jewish Study Bible or The One New Man Bible.

Intimidated yet?
Don’t be.

My first Bible, or the first one I really used, was a New American Standard, and I can tell you that the 2020 edition of that Bible (NASB2020) is one of the best. That might be the prime choice for you. 

My point is that, if you’re new to the Bible, you’ll find it easier to understand if you choose the right translation. With internet access, that’s a piece of cake. All you need to do is head to blueletterbible.org and use their tools to start comparing Bible translations.

It seems almost too simple to say the Bible restores your ability to think and reason, but I’ve seen proof of this truth time and time again. And it does a lot more, as we’ll see while working through this series.

Truly getting into God’s Word is a life-changing experience. The more time I spend with my Bible, the more I grow in every way—and the hungrier I get.

Stay in the Word—and let the Word stay in you.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C