Debbie Griffith-Everyday Matters

Everyone Mom's Cook Stove Love
Monday Matters

The enemy will never leave us alone, but we don’t have to let him bother us.  That means we don’t react to unkind or bad behavior of others by hitting back or seeking revenge.

Love is our highest calling, but some people are so annoying who continue with bad behavior with no sign or willingness to change.  Well, it is not loving to ignore that behavior either.

1 Peter 4:8 tells us to above all things have intense love--to have a “fervent love” for one another.  The Greek verb form of “fervent” when translated means "to be hot, to boil."  

For eight of my growing-up years my mom cooked and baked food on an old-fashioned blue enamel cook stove and even a fly knew not to land on the stove when it was hot.  

When our love is “HOT” or “boiling over” for those around us, it is also too hot for the devil to destroy.  

To fervently love someone means we are intent on giving out love to others from the love God’s given us. Only by His love and strength Is it possible to give grace, which is undeserved kindness, which is the perfect love He gives to us…everyday.

(Happy 84th Birthday to my loving and lovely Mama yesterday, June 14)

Everyday Identity
Wednesday Matters

Our identity is grounded in who and what we choose to identify with.

If we identify with people and what they say about us, we will end up in trouble, but if we identify with Jesus and His opinion of us, we will not have an identity crisis.  

Jesus addressed the religious leaders in John 8:14; “I know where I came from and where I am going.” Knowing who you are in Christ is so vital to your confidence and the freedom to be you.  
    
I was in a disagreement with someone who chose to personally attack me and rather than argue back I simply said; “I don’t identity with that." Because I thought, "That’s not who God says I am.”

It doesn't take away the need to be personably responsible for a wrong and the need for me to apologize but it also doesn't mean I let someone label me unfairly and harshly because they're angry and hurt.

There are some religious organizations who spend a lot of time telling people what they need to do and not enough time telling them who they are in Christ.  

Trust who God says you are. You are His creation. He loves You no matter who you are or what you've done.

God doesn't love you because you're good, He loves you because He is good. Jesus longs for you to turn to Him to receive His grace and hope.

Let your identity be in Christ and walk forward each day in a peace that passes understanding to guard your heart and mind.

It's gonna be okay. You got this because God's got you.

The Fruit and Nuts Podcast
Season One Episode 1 The Fruit of Peace

At this point in life there are more podcasts than actual people.

Everyone has one but I am thankful in the way this podcast came about because it clearly is a gift from God and an opportunity to share through audio and video the fruits of the spirit with a nutty story to go with them.

I'd like to make a longer post at some point to share the challenges of being in ministry 20 years and all the changes that the internet has brought. I miss the connection with an audience more than anything and hope to get back to that in the near future.

But my hope is, with everything that I've shared, for people to know the love and grace of God
He loves us right where we're at and not where we should be because we'll never be where we should be.

This is the very first episode of the fruit and nuts podcast where I share how God allowed me to know His peace by the nutty circumstance of having scoliosis back surgery as a wife and mom to four small boys more 25 years ago.

Debbie Griffith – The Fruit & Nuts Podcast | Fruit of Peace | Ep 1 Episode 1 | The Fruit of PeaceDebbie shares the fruit of peace an...

Everyday No Sin Recall
Wednesday Matters

Listen! God not only forgives your sins completely, but He chooses not to recall or remember your sins. And it’s not memory failure on His part because HE’S GOD!

Because sin is a barrier in having a relationship with Him, He chooses not to ever recall your sins, EVER. His promise in Isaiah 43:25 says, “I am God who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins."

In the Bible, in Hebrews 11, there's a listing of great men of faith, Abraham, Moses, and David have none of their sins listed even though they were great sinners.

God chose not to recall their sins. I know that others, including myself, like to recall my own past but God wants us to let go and receive His forgiveness.

He also asks us to forgive others as He does, which means not recalling the sins of others who’ve hurt us. It’s a challenge. Yet, by God’s grace working in and through us, it is possible…everyday.

Everyday Marriage
Tuesday Matters

Unfortunately, I hear from a lot of people sharing how their marriage is breaking up due to a spouse finding someone new. “I wish my spouse would give up this other person and want to reconcile, but they have no desire for me anymore. I’m trying to focus on God, but I want deliverance from this pit,” someone wrote me.

I ache for this person, but I told them; “With Jesus there is always hope.” The enemy wants us to believe lies and fall into despair.

Proverbs 1:31 is also pretty clear about the person who continues in sin; “Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes.”

But if we choose to trust what we know of God Proverbs 1:33 is pretty clear; “But all who listen to Me will live in peace, untroubled by fear or harm.”

It doesn't mean that you won't feel fear or have real troubles that are crazy making and wound you deeply. God sees. He's on your side.

Go to the Bible for comfort because He is the Word. God wants to comfort you.

Dan and I will have been married 35 years June 1. We have covered a lot of ground in our relationship with parenting, jobs, dreams, extended family relationships, loss, disappointments and health.

We love each other in a very committed way but certainly we have not always liked each other. And the things that we love about each other are also the things that make us crazy about each other.

I find a lot of comfort in reading the Psalms through a lot of life's trials. Try reading one aloud, lament, cry out to God, share your angee with him or get angry at Him, He's God. He can take it and He understand.

He knows and cares about hurting your heart and He knows how to give you hope nd bring others to walk along side of you in your grief…everyday.

Everyday Feeding
Friday Matters

A friend told me the story of a woman in Austria whose father locked her in the basement for over 20 years and in that time, she had children who had never seen the sun or even breathed fresh air.

To them the basement was a normal world. When the police found them, the air was so vile they had to tear down walls and bring in fans just to breathe.

But it’s like we too are living in a basement, a world not perfect, one infected with sin. We don’t even realize we’re breathing putrid air because this is our “normal.”

But through the acceptance of God’s love and forgiveness we can believe He’s a Redeemer, working all things for the good with a purpose for us to serve eternally… breathing pure air forever.

Look to 1 Corinthians 2:9 with anticipation because “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him”…everyday.

(Photo of a robin with a worm in her mouth and her babies in a nest taken at my friend's home in Indiana on May 11th).