Promises Are Meant to be Broken Well, that is not actually true, but it is a folklore statement that helps people shrug off the guilt when they decide to break the promise or not keep their word. Whether making a promise or a vow is a sin, is a strong NO. We too easily lose track of some details in our words and in our intentions, but it is the 'breaking of the vow' where the sin lies. Jephthah's Daughter The infamous story of Jephthah is one of a vow that made is too lengthy to include here, but please read the entirety with this link; Jephthah's Vow . Essentially though, it all boils down to this one verse where he makes his vow, " And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. " ( Judges 11:30-31 ) Well... God did honor Jephthah's plea to deliver the children of Ammon into his hands, but he was so arrogant and sure of himself, he never considered just HOW his vow could play out. Jephthah was a man of his word, even to the point of losing his only daughter. He was NOT about to break a vow to God. Promises and Vows Can Be Good Jacob made a very good and very wise vow; to trust in God. Genesis 28:20 tells us, " And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on... " Later as the people of Israel were facing yet another enemy, they made a vow. Numbers 21:2 reads, " And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. " Deuteronomy 23:22 reads; " But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee ." Should a Christian make a promise? This article on GotQuestions.org helps clear that up, and essentially "A Christian should make a promise only if he or she fully intends to keep it." The Gotcha About Vows Vows or promises in and of themselves are not a sin. It is the breaking of the vow or promise where God warns us about the calamity to follow. Deuteronomy 23:21 reads; " When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. " Then, getting over to Ecclesiastes 5:4 we can see, " When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed ." We are not doomed when we break a vow, though. Vows are not an unforgivable sin but be very careful if you approach a vow thinking "Oh, I can always be forgiven for this" in your heart. There is another great article here on GotQuestions.org regarding forgiveness for broken vows to God. This article concludes with, "Breaking a vow is serious, but it is not an unforgivable sin. God forgives believers when we come to Him with a contrite heart. God’s love, grace, and mercy do not end. No failure, including breaking a vow, can separate us from God’s love in Christ" Now-To the How-To Another saying that seems to parallel the one I opened with is; "Never make a promise you cannot keep". Ecclesiastes 5:5 reads; " Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. " Here are a few hurdles we face when it comes to making a promise or a vow; The Future: we cannot see the future, so making a promise or a vow is your way of ensuring or guaranteeing that a 'thing' will come to pass. We make a marriage vow to our spouse, but all too often cannot fulfill it whether by choice or fate. Regarding a promise or vow, make every effort to give yourself time to think about it, time to ruminate over it, and time for the Lord to lead you, too. Many times, the urgency of a matter may not allow you to take the time you need. Be very careful in these times and instead of making an actual promise or vow, use the "I will do the best that I can" or the "...with every fiber of my being" approach. These may help you recognize that we are walking fallibility and there are things that can be out of our control. But, we are also reliable, dependable, and certainly faithful to follow through in our commitments. James 4:13 - 4:17 reminds us; " Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin ". God's Will: we do not know God's will for us. Many times, we use a vow or a promise to provide assurance to others that we 'will' complete a task, or follow through with our intentions. Romans 12:2 reminds us, " And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. " Paul even reminded the Ephesians of going to great lengths to add more assurance of our word or our intentions. In James 5:12 he tells them, " But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation ." Good Intentions: we do not always have the best of intentions. Many times, we can schmooze someone, we can offer assurance, we can sound hopeful and honest to others, but deep in our hearts we know we 'can' get away with not fulfilling a vow. It is deception in the purest form and while it hurts others, it damages us even more. We become callous and our conscious gets desensitized to the guilt, the shame and the sin of this trait in our lives. In 1 Timothy 4:2 we read; "... Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; " We must be careful to be honest, to be forthright, and certainly to be true to our own conscious, too. 2 Corinthians 1:12 reminds us, " For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward. "

I have an opinion, but I don't have a microphone. I have a perspective, but I don't have a microphone. I have a solution, but I don't have a microphone. I have a voice, but I don't have a microphone. I have a plan, but I don't have a microphone. I have a way, but I don't have a microphone. I have a strategy, but I don't have a microphone. I have encouragement, but I don't have a microphone. I have an answer, but I don't have a microphone. I have an alert, but I don't have a microphone. I have a joke, but I don't have a microphone. I come with hope, joy and love, but I don't have a microphone. It is rather sobering and more-so rather humbling to look around me and realize that I am not even in the right place on this stage of my life; the microphone is way over there.

Psalm 40:2-3, Psalm 42:5, Psalm 147:11 Today's devotional encourages us to avoid falling into pitying ourselves and getting lost in 'our demise'. Lingering there leads to an ugly darkness and ultimately hopeless depression, separation, and even death. The key component begins with getting stuck thinking of yourself and your woes, which is a trait of selfishness. Our Father is our only hope for getting and staying out of this deep, ugly place. Especially because we are then focused on Him, and potentially those around us... And selflessness can begin. His ray-of-hope can reach any depth, so rest in knowing His peace will touch you. But, don't get trapped resorting to that knowledge and going ahead and allowing yourself to sink deeper! Even thinking, since He can find me anywhere, I'll just keep sinking and give my sorrow more time ' work itself out ' See... When you are sinking, you are not looking up with hope, but down with despair. Looking up is not enough though, even though His light reaches the deepest depth. It is your act of reaching up to Him to take His hand, your action of trust that He will ' draw near to you ', too. Also, notice that we are not 'instantly' out of the depth, so our trust (and grip) must remain focused. He will gently pull us back out of that mire, that place of anguish, guilt, and shame. As we are coming out into His light, our sin (the anguish, guilt, and shame) are gently cleansed from our lives, and He covers us with His righteousness... and sets us back on the path of His will, the path of His leading, which is the path of His life itself. Restoration is such a wonderful and completing process.

Song of Solomon 2:13 (KJV) The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. Sure, who doesn't like a break? Who doesn't want some 'time away' from the pressures, the tension, the bustling anxiety presented to us in modern society? Usually, there are two reasons we are so busy; our obligations have piled on, and we like keeping busy to avoid boredom and the awkward quiet in our souls. Seems contrary to be avoiding your own quiet-time, but it is that quiet that can be unsettling and fearful, actually. Deep in the core of our lives (heart and soul) is an innate awareness of God's presence. Fear or even disbelief that God is actually that close can subconsciously cause us to overbook our time, and we end up making a half-hearted promise that 'some day we'll get more time for God'. Regrettably, the longer we push Him into the background, the harder it can be to reach out to Him, later. We trained our spirit to 'keep God quiet', and when a circumstance arises, He 'seems so distant' to us, and we can even 'blame' Him for being that far apart from us. Learn NOW to keep God close in your life, to remain fresh and current with your fellowship with Him. Even spiritual organizations can get wrapped up in schedules, planning, and even just over-coordinating their programs, outreaches, and congregation well being. Being directly involved in a group ministry can have a glorious impact on your personal life. Dedicated and isolated time alone with the Lord is your sole key to a deeper, richer fellowship. Starting or ending your day with the Lord is one of the best ways to ensure He gets quality time with you. When you commit to this time in your day with a quiet-time for Him, it will set your life on His solitary path. Through consistency, this time will evolve into a #1 priority in your life. Luke 10:42 reads; " But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. ", which is a culminating scripture where Jesus was admonishing Martha to slow down, to settle her busyness, to even take time like Mary to commit solely TO the Lord, not FOR the Lord. Then, your day is influenced by this dedicated time and your walk will naturally be closer with Him. Once you are regularly in close fellowship with the Lord, He can bless others through your witness, your relationship with Him. In many ways, it is like when we spend time tracking a sport, or the coming weather, or even just business trends and gas prices. Rather passively, we exchange this information and our passion for it with others (say, a particular baseball team's progress). The insights, the peace, the trust and hope we gather from our dedicated time with the Lord, will also be passed along to those around us, whether directly (verbal exchange) or indirectly (act of kindness or forgiveness).

Acts 17:27-18, Hebrews 11:1 God claims He is close (closer than a brother), and His spirit lives within us. But all too often there are predicaments wherein it feels and seems as though He saw something horrible coming, and took off! Our devotional today is a wonderful reminder just how close He was, is, and will always be. Now, the keyword in my opening sentence is 'feels', right? We enjoy a spiritual fellowship with our Lord because our connection to Him is invisible, it is intangible, it relies on our faith and trust to keep our heart keen to His presence. Still, our life here on this planet (horizontal relationships) can interfere and misrepresent (even misinterpret) how His spirit is right there in our moment... in our hearts... in our very being and waiting for us to call on Him. Now, that does NOT means He is a bell-hop, a butler, or some 'just in time' savior. He IS your closest friend, your confidant, and even better, your nurturing Father in heaven. Can't see Him? Can't feel Him? Can't hear Him rustling there so close to your heart and mind? Ask Him to open the eyes of your heart, and start to see Him everywhere; daily chores, work or sport events, even there in that moment where you are weakest and faltering with a sin or character short-coming... He's there to guide you in that moment (avoid calamity), not just comfort you after the moment (restoration). Regardless of how long you have known the Lord, His 'still small voice' is still, still. It is still small. Though He IS so close to you, the other noise in your heart, mind, and life will be louder, will drown out, and will keep you from that closer fellowship and guidance you need and want, and even asked for. His patience is great, so rest on His mercy.

Our devotional today gets right into the middle of our feelings. Not in a hurtful or exciting way, but to help us expose how they directly impact our lives with the Lord. See, feelings are such a grey-area gateway between our spiritual lives and physical lives, and therein tend to provide confusing signals and perceptions to the world around us (our horizontal experiences) and the leading of the Lord Himself (our vertical experiences). One of the clearest descriptions for 'feelings', is; " an emotional state or reaction" (as in, 'a kindly feeling toward the boy')... something of a susceptibility to impression (as in, 'that remark hurt her feelings' ). Essentially, our feelings help to express the attitude of our spirit, as well as influence our spirit, too. Since we are sensual beings, we can be so easily influenced by 'things that we see' or 'things that we experience' (a hotdog at the ball game, a great ballet, a glorious sunset), but we know that these are temporal things (from the outside). There are many horrible things that can also influence our feelings, and hence our spirit, such as; a job lose, witnessing a crime, or even just disappointment. The bible reads; “ Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. ” (Ephesians 6:16 KJV), which is to say that our Lord can and will lead us through the myriad of "feelings influencing" events we face in our day. He can and will provide the strength and stamina to fight off these 'darts' that shoot through our lives; causing us to doubt, to falter, and even to get off of His path of righteousness. We can accomplish this by letting these fears and feelings be exposed, let them 'come to light' and be not afraid of the vulnerability and/or even pending condemnation (another fear). He is 'faithful and just to forgive us of our sins'. Once you are able and willing to let the fear that these feelings cause for you to be exposed, the Lord will show you that you are no longer held hostage (chains drop away) and now have that little bit more freedom to love Him, to worship Him, but even better... be a witness and testimony for Him. Expose your feelings, and enjoy His love. Isaiah 12:2 (KJV) reads; “ Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. ”

The devotion for today may seem like a 'been there, done that' expression, but we are encouraged to seek the face of the Lord for all our longings. Two things; We are to seek His 'face', not His hands, not His hair, not even His strong arms... His face. We are to seek Him for our 'longings', not flippant desires, not shallow burdens (money, weather, even traffic)... our longings. In fact, Psalm 42: 1 & 2 read, " As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? ” It is these longings that should get our attention, for they are much more than casual desires or the day-to-day toils we face. These longings are sometimes hard to describe and even identify in our lives. They are critical parts of our character, be it; giving, caring, even something less obvious as prayer or nurturing. They are yearnings of our heart and soul, and are God's little 'divine tugs' on our hearts... His spiritual link within us to keep us close to Him and aware of His presence. So, back to seeking His face. He has planted these longings (traits, burdens, yearnings) and wants to fellowship with us and nurture them through their fulfillment... to see 'the longings of our heart' satisfied and put into action (say, rearing children, or helping the homeless) - in essence, He is guiding us toward and through our calling! We can accomplish this by remaining focused on Him (seeking His face), but also by not being afraid to be different from others around us. His will is FOR us (you) exclusively and varies for each of us. So, work to 'do as unto the Lord' and not 'as unto man' and He will develop and hone our gifts, our skills and our passion... and we will soon be seeing how He IS providing a means to give us the longings of our heart! And, the core benefit to those around us is summed up in Philippians 2:15, with; " That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. "

I, for one, am a huge fan of resting, of taking breaks, and even 'time off' time. Longer ones are certainly fulfilling, but even short spontaneous breaks can be so refreshing... they are kind of little gifts or presents to ourselves. Time with our Lord is identical in that, the longer breaks are deeply restoring and enriching, but the short spontaneous "be in His presence" moments throughout our day help to keep the contact and association fresh, intimate, but especially consistent. Right in the bustle, the hassle, and the anxieties of this life, when we set aside and dedicate time with the Lord, we are essentially demonstrating a deep trust with Him. As in; “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 (KJV). In turn, His presence in our lives leaves us with 'presents' of blessings, peace, and insight to His will and leading. Sure, the tendency is to shy away from the Lord until we 'have it worked out', but our time with Him actually blesses Him right back. Hiding from Him, or neglecting time in His presence surely saddens Him. In fact, Isaiah 30:15-16 reads; “For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.” which is to say, choosing to 'not' set aside time with the Lord because we are too busy can actually cause more calamity, heartbreak, and an even greater loss of time. Accept the presents of His presence, starting now!

I know, 'commitment' does not seem like it has anything to do with freedom. Rather, it denotes the exact opposite. With things of the world, with temporal goals, with tangible life this is certainly true. It is not about freedom 'from' commitment, it is the freedom we obtain 'of' the commitment. Today's devotional however reminds us we must lift the eyes of our heart above the noise, above the things that pass-away, above the tangible pieces in our daily activities and consider devoting, committing, and obligating our every move to the Lord instead. I know, seems like we are still losing our freedom (our own will) by committing ourselves to the Lord and His ways, His will. But, the critical difference is... The Lord accepts your devotion to Him and gives your life RIGHT BACK to you! But now with divine leadership, righteous nurturing, and most certainly His gentle will for you! See that? Ephesians 5:8-10 helps to clarify as it states; " For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light... Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord ." This is to say that He 'will' shed light on that darkness of confusion we have, and gently lead us and even better, 'prove' what is acceptable to Him. Besides, we can only serve one master; the Lord and His will, or ourselves (a career, a hobby, a lofty goal) and our inner strength. We are 'held captive' as the expectations of others drive us to succeed and accomplish. As I noted at the beginning though, handing our devotion to the Lord actually results in His freedom of our spirits, our hearts, our minds as He begins to 'work a work' in us, to fulfill the core desires of our hearts (not squash them), to empower our lives with His blessed touch. THAT is freedom, defined. Let's give the Lord our dreams, our desires, our very will, and He will hand it right back to us wrapped in the loving hands of His Spirit to guide us unto His good works, will, and life.

How can Jesus be 'the light of the world', yet there is so much gloom, confusion and spiritual uncertainty (darkness)? Seems as though, like our physical sun, His glory would just illuminate everywhere, huh. Odd that He doesn't force us to live in His light, in His leadership, and in His 'no hidden agenda' will for us. One of the scriptures for our devotional today is, John 8:12, which reads; " ...I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. " That is the key; following Him. So His light only illuminates the path of His followers, not those right next to you/us. No WONDER they stumble, falter, and wander aimlessly in life. If only they could see their path as well as we do, if only they could taste of His comforting assurance we receive through trusting Him. Then, I remembered the simple physics itself, light needs something on which to reflect for us to actually 'see' anything. Like the moon out there in space, there us 'not' a solid stream of light coming from the sun. There is nothing in space that the light hits, until it reaches the moon, and we see the reflection, the illumination, the brightness 'from' the sun. Likewise, those around us never actually see God's spirit shedding His light on us, only His impact 'on' our lives... essentially reflecting on our faces, our hearts, and our actions. So, we are to 'stand tall' and let His glory shine 'for the world to see'... a beacon calling in their hearts that will guide them to the Lord. As Matthew 5:14-16 reads, " ... Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. "

Our devotional today encourages us to be thankful in all things. Me? I've heard that phrase so much, it's kind of lost its meaning and influence, but actually, the Lord is admonishing us to take an appreciative path through our day. In fact, 1Thessalonians 5:18, reads; " In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you ". But why? God gives us choices in our lives, He never forces us through 'doorways' or transitions in our faith and trust with Him. He's patient though, and so ready for us to walk more intimately and closely with Him; He IS after-all always with us. Closed doors in our lives does not always mean 'keep out'; rather, it means He is challenging you to trust Him and have faith in His leading. Thankfulness changes your perspective of these closed doors. When we learn to 'give thanks in all things', we actually change a negative circumstance (the door is closed) into a positive one (an opportunity of trust/faith in His will). I know... it seems and feels very odd, at first. But, with time this approach will actually soften the fear or dread of facing challenges and possible trials. Like the Psalmist said in chapter 100:4, " Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name ". When/as thankfulness flows freely from our heart, mouth, and very lives, He naturally draws closer to us and even better... those closed doors are no longer a discouragement or even a problem. By faith, we just grab the knob, give it a strong and determined twist, and by the strength this new faith has given us, we walk right through and into a closer fellowship with the Lord. Today, try (genuinely) expressing heartfelt gratitude for something not-so-nice that happens to you (you don't make it through a traffic light, that special shipment doesn't arrive as scheduled, even a difference in the predicted weather). Watch those thankful openings the Lord 'does' give you!

Today's devotional reminds us to pay more attention to the details of our lives, because in the scope of things it really is the finer moments of our day in which God is speaking to us, working on us, and even working through us. Sure, it is easy to see God or hear God when some larger calamity occurs, but watching and listening for His leading in otherwise insignificant events throughout or day shows that YOU are engaged, YOU are invested, and YOU are ready/willing to be led. I know, it may seem odd to be SO attentive to 'finding God' throughout your day, but once you make it a habit, or a regular occurrence, you will find that He is actually whispering to you and leading you. John 10:27 even reads; " My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me ”, but the key word is 'hear'. Now, too often we take that to mean we will be getting audible messages. But, we have to hear with the ears-of-our-heart. Really though, the Lord and His leading can be found in SO many places throughout your day, whether it is sights, various sounds, impressions on peoples face, and most importantly, the scriptures themselves. Look on your entire day as though you are on a treasure hunt. No, God is not hiding from you, in fact, Jeremiah 29:13 reads; “ And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. ”, which is to say that we should NOT wait and hope the Lord will "slap us up-side the head" with some divine message or some spiritually wrapped event. Rather, we are to devote our whole being into watching, listening, seeking His face, His grace, and His leading... even in tragedy, hard as it may seem. He loves us and provides constant guidance for us even in troubling times. Romans 8:28 states; “ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ”. This alone is such an important confirmation that regardless of how accepting or approving you are of your predicament, He has a plan, a purpose, and certainly a blessing in store for you... your only requirement is to watch for it, to seek it out, and to expect it to happen... but, not with Halfhearted Hope!