Me:  How is the carving going?

Prodigal:  It’s harder than pushin’ a boiled noodle through a keyhole.

Me:  I’m sure after practice it will get better.

Prodigal:  I hope so.

This comes from the book How to Be Filled with the Holy Spirit by A.W. Tozer

Instead of looking at the mighty resurrection power of the Lord Jesus, people go back to looking at themselves–and that’s why they lose hope and give in so easily to defeat and discouragement.

We are actually dealing here with Christ’s supernatural power–not with just our human hope and resolutions!

The world encourages us to look at ourselves.  They think this is wisdom.  But wisdom starts with the fear of the Lord. That means we are obedient in the way God calls us.  That means we are not able to see what God is really doing by having us take this step but we do it anyway.  Looking to ourselves, we will end up in a dead end, always.

Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them:  otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 6:1

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Prodigal: Fear can come to your mind in middle of day sometimes.

Me: The Lord is with us though.

This is from the book Finding Peace for Your Heart by Stormie Omartian

Don’t let the word deliverance frighten you or put you off. It’s not scary or strange. Explained as simply as possible, deliverance is the severing of anything that holds you other than God. It could be a spirit of fear, of anger, or lying, or depression, or of lust. It could be a behavior you’ve acquired for self-defense, like compulsive overeating or a habitual withdrawal from people. Being born again delivers us from death, but we need to be delivered from dead places in our lives as well.

God does not want you to fear. That is what He is telling you at this time.

And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.

2 Timothy 4:18

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Prodigal: We were drawn together like a bee to a clover.

Me: I can see why.

This is a short video devotion on Proverbs.

Click here to watch the video

Proverbs 9:4 “Who ever is simple, let him turn in here!” As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, (NKJV)

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

 

Prodigal: I am glad that you are here today.

Me:  Thank you, me too!

 

This is from the book Men of Faith:  Jonathan Edwards by David J. Vaughan

 

Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

 

Can we know if it is the last hour of our death.  I think most of us would have to answer no.  Because even it is was the last hour, we would hope that maybe we would last another by God’s grace.  I think though if we lived hour by hour with the focus of this resolve it would change a lot of things that we would do.

 

Be sober, vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.  1 Peter 5:8

 

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

 

Me:  Where to?

Prodigal:  To the ends of the earth!  haha

Me:  I wonder what God sees to the ends of the earth.

 

This is from the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan

 

Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to.  They don’t have to trust God if something unexpected happens—they have their savings account.  They don’t need God to help them–they have their retirement plan in place.  They don’t genuinely seek out what life God would have them live–they have life figured and mapped out.  They don’t depend on God on a daily basis—their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health.  The truth is, their lives wouldn’t look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God.

“And he told them this parable:  The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  He thought to himself, “What shall I do?  I have no place to store my crops.”  Then he said, “This is what I’ll do.  I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years.  Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry,”  But God said to him, “You fool!  This very night your life will be demanded from you.  Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”  This is how it will be with anyone who store up things for himself but is not rich toward God”  (Luke 12:16-21) also Hebrews 11.

 

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Prodigal: What a day that will be, When my Jesus I shall see. And I look upon His face,

Me: Love your singing!

Prodigal: Yes, this is a good one!

This is a short video devotion on Proverbs.

click here to watch the video

Proverbs 9:3 She has sent out her servants, and she calls from the highest point of the city. (NIV)

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Me: That hymn is right as rain.

Prodigal: The Lord put it on my spirit this morning.

God moves in a mysterious way,

His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea,

And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines

Of never failing skill,

He treasures up His bright designs,

And works His sovereign will.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust Him for His grace,

Behind a frowning providence,

He hides a smiling face.

William Cowper

Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,

And look now, and take. And seek in her open squares,

If you can find a man, If there is one who does justice, who seeks truth,

Then I will pardon her. Jeremiah 5:1

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

 

Prodigal:  I am just finishing my project.

Me:  It looks perfect you do not need to add anything else.

Prodigal:  Yes, but I don’t think it is perfect.

Me:  It doesn’t have to be perfect in order to be useful.

 

This is from the book All of Grace by C.H. Spurgeon

 

Do not attempt to touch yourself up and make yourself something other than what you really are.  Come as you are to Him who justifies the ungodly.  Some time ago, a great artist had painted a picture of a part of the city in which he lived.  He wanted, for historic purposes, to include in his picture certain characters well known in the town.  A street sweeper, who was unkempt, ragged, and filthy, was known to everybody, and there was a suitable place for him in the picture.  The artist said to this ragged and rugged individual, “I will pay you well if you will come down to my studio and let me paint you.”  He came around in the morning but was soon sent away for he had washed his face, combed his hair, and donned a respectable suit of clothes.  He was needed as a beggar and was not invited in any other capacity.  In the same way, the Gospel will receive you into its halls if you come as a sinner, not otherwise.  Do not wait for reformation, but come at once for salvation.  God justifies the ungodly, and that takes you up where you are now.  It meets you in your worst state.

Come in your disorder.  I mean, come to your heavenly Father in all your sin and sinfulness.  Come to Jesus just as you are:  leprous, filthy, naked, neither fit to live nor fit to die.  Come, you who are the very sweepings of creation.  Come, though you hardly dare to hope for anything but death.  Come, though despair is brooding over you, pressing your heart like a horrible nightmare.  Come and ask the Lord to justify another ungodly one.  Why should He not?  Come, for this great mercy of God is meant for such as you.  I put it in the language of the text, and I cannot put it more strongly.  The Lord God Himself takes to Himself this gracious title, “Him that justifieth the ungodly.”  He makes just, and causes to be treated as just, those who by nature are ungodly.   Is that not a wonderful word for you?  Do not delay in considering this matter well.

 

Proverbs 11:2

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

 

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Me: In order to understand God, you must stand under God.

Prodigal: Amen to that!

This is a video devotion on Proverbs.

Click here to watch the video

She has slaughtered her meat, She has mixed her wine, She has also furnished her table. Proverbs 9:2 (NKJV)

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Prodigal: I’m dragging like a sad old hound dog.

Me: God’s word may give us that extra that we need.

This is from the book Joy in Christ’s Presence by Charles Spurgeon

All providence works for our good. Nothing can harm us. The Lord is our shield and our “exceeding great reward” (Gen. 15:1). Why, then, should we fear? “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psalm 46:7). To the believer, peace is no presumption. He is given the full privilege of enjoying “perfect peace” (Isa. 26:3) –a quiet that is deep and founded on a truth, a calmness that encompasses all things and is not broken by any of the ten thousand disturbing causes that otherwise might prevent our rest. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed thee: because he trusteth in thee” (v.3). Oh, to get into that calm and remain in it until we come to that world where there is no more ragging sea!

Matthew 22:37

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org