The Power of a Good Exhale - Beloved Women - March 17, 2023
READ: “Inside I am like bottled-up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst.” (Job 32:19 NIV)
TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: I’m no wine aficionado, but I know fresh wine needs to breathe. Uncorked it builds up pressure waiting for oxygen to infuse its flavor. Through life’s circumstances, you and I can feel the effects of pressure building too. And just like fresh wine, we need to breathe. Here’s what I mean. As I recovered from an illness years ago, I was given a test. I had to breathe into a tube -- as hard as I could for as long as I could. I was told it would remove toxins while expanding my capacity to inhale.
Likewise, if we're holding in hurt, fear, or unforgiveness, it’s easy to forget the power of a good exhale. On the brink of bursting from the pressure, we can release the toxic feelings and thoughts that hinder us from entering the Presence of the God who loves us. As we exhale in faith, we can inhale His grace. Go ahead and release whatever hinders you at this moment. A better flavor awaits. It's time to breathe.
PRAY: Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for the “fresh wine” You’ve placed inside of me. It waits for the oxygen of your grace, so I can know You and make You known. Whenever the pressures of life begin to build, please help me to remember to breathe. I choose to exhale every care in Your presence and inhale your grace and strength. In Jesus’s Name, I pray. Amen.
REFLECT: Compare the power of a good exhale to the pressures of refusing to let go of our cares in God’s presence.
CONNECT: Connect with Joy A. Williams at www.joyawilliams.com or on Instagram @Joy.to.the.Soul.
MORE BELOVED: Join Beloved Women for our current online Bible Study “Worth More Than Rubies: A Bible Study on the 7 Virtues of the Proverbs 31 Woman.” If you’re tired of feeling like you are not enough and you can’t measure up, this study offers a graceful approach to learning about the heart of the Proverbs 31 woman. Learn more and join at https://www.belovedwomen.org/rubies.
© 2021 by Joy A. Williams. All rights reserved.
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