Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

The Greater One {No Matter What Monday}

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He who is in you is greater. Biblical encouragement, Scripture, and devotionals for women.

Have you ever seen the Who Would Win book series? These children’s books depict a hypothetical battle between two animals and predict the outcome. Could a giant squid defeat a whale? What if a tiger and a lion dueled to the death? What about a tarantula vs. a scorpion? That’s a match I hope I never have to see!

Some days, the world around us might make us wonder, “Who’s gonna win? Will God really come out on top here, or are the forces of evil too great?” It seems like sin, wickedness, and death are winning. We watch violence rage around the world, disease threaten those we love, and sin rips families apart.

The Bible is the ultimate Who Would Win book, and the outcome is not hypothetical. Spoiler alert: Jesus wins. And because we are united to Him by faith, His victory is our victory.

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

He who is in you (God the Spirit) is greater than he who is in the world (the devil and the forces of evil). God’s victory has already taken place. Jesus Christ sits at the Father’s right hand and reigns over all powers and dominions (Eph. 1:19-21). His Spirit dwells in us, reminding us to not lose heart because glory is coming (2 Cor. 4:16-18).

If your heart is discouraged today, remember that the One who loves you and gave Himself for you is the same One who has overcome the world. The middle of your story might be messy and hard, but you know how this one ends.

And as you wade through the muck of sin, evil, and life in this fallen world, the One who is in you – the One who will never leave you or forsake you – is greater than your most threatening enemy. You have overcome, because He has overcome.

No matter what you face this week, He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

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Past, Present, and Future Faithfulness {No Matter What Monday}

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God's past, present, and future faithfulness. Biblical encouragement, Scripture, and devotionals for women.

Fifteen times in the past six years, a machine has taken photos of my insides, and a radiologist has scoured the images for evidence of cancer recurrence. Scan Days cause me to swing on a pendulum between complete confidence that everything will be fine and dreadful certainty that nothing will be fine.

One tactic I use during those stressful weeks is to remind myself that, no matter how worked up I get each time, all my other scans have been clear. Remembering past experiences brings some peace when I face uncertainty, but it’s a shaky, tentative peace. Statistically speaking, the years of good results makes future good results more likely. But there is no guarantee. 

When contemplating past medical success doesn’t quiet my soul, I’m thankful there’s something better. 

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:21-23)

Calling to mind the Lord’s faithfulness and steadfast love brings hope and peace to my anxious soul. Remembering His past faithfulness to His people in general and in my life specifically gives me confidence as I face uncertainty and doubts. Because God never changes, His past faithfulness absolutely guarantees His present and future faithfulness to us. 

I don’t know if everything will be fine. But I do know the Lord will be faithful.

Because He was faithful yesterday, I can confidently depend on Him to be faithful today and expect Him to be faithful tomorrow. 

No matter what we face this week, we can remember God’s past faithfulness, depend on His present faithfulness, and expect His future faithfulness.

(This week’s devotional is a flashback adapted from a post which first appeared here on May 30, 2016.)

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Wait Patiently – The Lord is Faithful {No Matter What Monday}

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God's faithfulness is worth the wait. Biblical encouragement, Scripture, and devotionals for women.

Last year, I let my kids stay up to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve. They were bursting with anticipation and constantly kept an eye on the clock as they waited for the big moment to arrive. We turned on the tv just in time to watch the sparkling ball descend and usher in the start of 2017. Then my kids turned to me with disappointed faces and whined, “Was that it?! That was the big ball??” I don’t know what they were waiting for, but the reality didn’t live up to the expectation.

Maybe you can relate. Maybe you waited for something you thought would be wonderful, and it turned out to be mediocre. Maybe you’re still waiting, and you wonder if your waiting will be worth it.

We’ve been talking about God’s faithfulness for the past few weeks. We’ve seen that God keeps His promises. We’ve learned that we can hold on to our hope and entrust our souls to our faithful Creator. Today we ask the question, “If we are convinced of God’s faithfulness, how should we respond?”

We find a clue in Romans 8:25:

“But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Are you still hoping for what you don’t yet see? Wait for it with patience.

We wait patiently with confidence because we know our hope will not put us to shame (Romans 5:5).

We wait patiently with peace because God knows what we need (Philippians 4:19).

We wait patiently with expectation because there will be a glorious end to our waiting (1 Peter 5:10).

We won’t get to the end of our wait and find disappointment. We won’t frown and ask, “Is that it?!” When we see the Father’s glory and His faithfulness to His children, we’ll find it was worth every second of our faith-filled wait.

No matter what you face this week, wait patiently because the Lord is faithful.

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Trust the Faithful Creator to Perfectly Guard Your Soul {No Matter What Monday}

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You can trust the faithful Creator to perfectly guard your soul. Biblical encouragement, Scripture, and devotionals for women.

Confession time: I am a control freak. This admission is no big surprise to those who know me! One annoying side effect of my control-freak condition is that I stink at delegating. I love the idea of it—I’d like you to do some of the work. But in the back of my mind, I’m wondering if you’ll do a good job. Will you get busy and forget? Will you hand it off to someone else? Will I need to fix your mistakes?

But what if you were perfect? What if you could show me a flawless record of always doing exactly what you said you would do? What if I knew you would excel in every task I handed you? If I believed these things were true, I’d trust you with anything!

We’ve been looking at God’s faithfulness for the past two weeks. This week’s Scripture tells us that we can trust our faithful God with the most important task—the security of our souls.

“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” (1 Peter 4:19)

In this passage, Peter is encouraging his readers to persevere through persecution. He tells them there’s something for them to do, and there’s something for them to leave in God’s hands.

It’s God’s job to guard our souls. We don’t need to fear persecution, suffering, or even death – because our faithful Creator can be trusted with the eternal care of our souls. The One who made us has also redeemed us and will guard our souls. Because He is faithful, He can be trusted to do so perfectly and completely.

While we delegate our soul-security to our faithful Creator, we are to do good works, even in hard times. It seems like a tall order! But when the responsibility for protecting ourselves is given to the Lord, we can focus on living out our faith in the midst of suffering.

No matter what you face this week, you can entrust your soul to your faithful Creator.

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