Elizabeth George - A Young Woman After Gods Own Heart--A Devotional

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Material for devotions adapted from:

A Young Womans Walk with God by Elizabeth George, Copyright 2006

A Young Womans Call to Prayer by Elizabeth George, Copyright 2005

A Young Woman After Gods Own Heart by Elizabeth George, Copyright 2003

Every effort has been made to give proper credit for all stories, poems, and quotations. If for any reason proper credit has not been given, please notify the author or publisher and proper notation will be given on future printing.

Italics in scriptures indicate authors emphasis.

Cover photos Blend Images, astrosystem / Fotolia; bowdenimages, knape / iStock

Cover by Harvest House Publishers, Inc., Eugene, Oregon

A YOUNG WOMAN AFTER GODS OWN HEARTA DEVOTIONAL

Copyright 2008 by Elizabeth George

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

George, Elizabeth

A young woman after Gods own heart : a devotional / Elizabeth George.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-7369-5976-6 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-7369-5977-3 (eBook)

1. Teenage girlsPrayers and devotions. 2. Christian teenagersPrayers and devotions. 3. Devotional calendars. I. Title.

BV4551.3.G462 2008

242.633dc22

2007034932

All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of authors and publishers rights is strictly prohibited.

Contents

As you begin this practical and fun book of devotions, I want to thank you. Because of you, and the many letters Ive received from other young women who want to meet with God regularly, this book was born. Although it is small in size, its message is a big onekeep on seeking the Lord and loving Him with all your heart. These devotions are for you. On each page youll find

life-changing truths from Gods Word to your heart

something to do each day to grow more like Jesus

a prayer to help you talk to God about your life

Enjoy your journey into loving God even more!

With all my heart,

Have you ever felt nervousfidgetyon edgecranky? And even though you didnt want to act the way you were, you kept on stomping through your day, lashing out at everybody who crossed your path? Well, take heart! Youre not alone! This happened to Martha, a woman in the Bible. She got too involved in the activities of her life. In all her busyness, Martha didnt take time to enjoy Jesus and worship Him when He came to visit.

Are you thinking, I would never ignore Jesus if He came to my house! But imagine how easy it is to go about your day without lifting up a prayer, without doing devotions, without serving Jesus, without thanking Him. Youre missing out! Put aside the busyness and chaos of school, pressures, and worries. Totally enjoy time with the Lord.

What can you say no to today so you can say yes to time with God?

Lord, I love You. I want to hang out with You. Life gets crazy sometimes. I want the peace of Your love. I want the joy of being in Your presence. Amen.

God is always looking for a heart that will obey Him, that will do His will. Do these words describe your heart? Is Gods desire your desire? Do you follow hard after Godclose to Him, on His heels, clinging to Him? If any behavior is keeping you from pursuing God with your whole heart, confess it, cast it off, and step right back onto Gods path of peace and joy. Spend time in Gods Word every day so youll grow to better understand His character. Are there people in your life who have this kind of passion for God? Ask them how they keep their hearts focused on God.

As you desire all that God desires, love all that He loves, and humble yourself before Him, your heart will indeed become a heart after His. What a terrific thought! What a terrific life!

Jesus, I want a heart that abides in You. Help me embrace Your desires rather than my own. When I walk forward, I want to be headed in the direction of Your heart. Amen.

Attitude has to do with your moods. And your moods can be right and godly or they can be sinful. Is your attitude generally cheerful, helpful, vibrant, pleasant, positive, giving, respectful? Or do you tend to mope around, grunt and grumble, resent your parents, your family, your responsibilitieseven your life as a teenager? Do you bring others down? Do you let others change your good mood into boredom, anger, or jealousy?

An upbeat, positive attitude is born, grown, and cared for in your quiet time as Gods Word fills your heart and sets the path for your day. God points the way, and your prayer joins your heart with His. If you fail to have this all-important time with God, youre starting your day in weakness. Prayer changes all pitiful moods. It also changes a day with no plan to one of purpose.

God, my moods shift quite a bit during a day. I let the words and actions of others affect how I think and feel. Give me Your heart and perspective and attitude! Amen.

In Galatians 6:10 the apostle Paul said, As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Begin working on goodness and then stand back as God grows in you a heart that serves. The instructions are simple. However, doing it takes a lifetime! John Wesley said,

Do all the good you can,

by all the means you can,

in all the ways you can,

in all the places you can,

at all the times you can,

to all the people you can,

as long as ever you can.

There is so much good to be done. Once you start serving God by serving others, life gets exciting! Discover your heart of goodness and put it into action.

Lord, help me see the need for goodness all around me. I want my heart, hands, words, and deeds to serve You. Show me how, and give me a heart of true compassion. Amen.

If you arent careful you can spend all dayand all nightdoing less-important tasksanything!to put off the most difficult, but most rewarding task of allpraying. Why is it so hard to pray? Well, for one thingyou live in the world. The world affects you more than you think. It bombards you with encouragement to sin or distracts you from the things of God. Do you ever become so busy you forget to pray? To reflect? To take time to consider the decisions you are making?

Very few voices in the world encourage you to take care of spiritual things. And prayer is a spiritual exercise. It cuts through the busyness and refocuses your eyes, heart, mind, and full attention back on God. So take charge and pray!

God, the world can be pretty interesting and enticing. When my thoughts are more about clothes, friends, music, movies, and money than about faith, help me get my eyes back on You through prayer. Amen.