Devotions and Prayers for Strong Girls by Renae Brumbaugh Green by Barbour Books

Devotions & Prayers For

STRONG GIRLS

Renae Brumbaugh Green

Devotions & Prayers For

STRONG GIRLS

Wisdom & Encouragement for Making a Difference

ISBN 979-8-89151-190-3

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Scripture quotations marked nrsv are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked esv are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®). ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

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Our mission is to inspire the world with the life-changing message of the Bible.

Printed in China.

002648 0925 DS

STRONG GIRL,

YOU Can Make a Difference!

Let no one show little respect for you because you are young. Show other Christians how to live by your life. They should be able to follow you in the way you talk and in what you do. Show them how to live in faith and in love and in holy living.

1 TIMOTHY 4:12

With every turn of the page, you’ll discover that even though you’re young, you can make a diﬀerence in the world. Each devotional reading will encourage you to embrace God’s plan for your life, use your God-given gifts and abilities, and share the good news in your neighborhood, community, and beyond. You’ll be challenged to make a positive change in the world around you as you rely on the heavenly Father for courage and strength. Turn the page and get ready to start a new adventure—as you become a courageous world changer!

Creative God

Then the Lord God made man from the dust of the ground. And He breathed into his nose the breath of life. Man became a living being. . . . So the Lord God put the man to sleep as if he were dead. And while he was sleeping, He took one of the bones from his side and closed up the place with ﬂesh. The Lord God made woman from the bone which He had taken from the man. And He brought her to the man.

GenesIs 2:7, 21–22

God took such care in making us! He scooped up some dust and formed Adam, then breathed His very own breath into his lungs. Then He put Adam to sleep and formed Eve from Adam’s rib. God is brilliantly creative, and we are His works of art. We are made in His image, which means He made us to be creative too. Whether we’re working with clay, painting a picture, or helping prepare a meal, we honor God when we use our gifts and talents to create a loving environment for the people around us.

Dear Father, help me create a loving place for my family, friends, and others. Amen.

Righteous

This is the story of Noah and his family. Noah was right with God. He was without blame in his time. Noah walked with God.

GenesIs 6:9

A person who is right with God is sometimes called “righteous.” A righteous person tries to do the right thing and please God even when it’s hard—even when no one is looking. One reason Noah was right with God was because he spent time with Him. Today’s verse from Genesis 6 tells us that Noah walked with God! He spent his days with God—talking to Him, listening to Him, and learning about His ways. The more time we spend with God, the more righteous we become. Sometimes people made fun of Noah for doing the right thing and trying to please God. But God rewarded Noah for being righteous. People haven’t changed much since Noah’s time. Sometimes they still make fun of others for trying to live for God. It can be hard to do the right thing—but God always sees, and He will bless those who live to please Him.

Dear Father, I want to do the right thing and please You even when it’s hard. Amen.

Follow God

Dear friend, do not follow what is sinful, but follow what is good. The person who does what is good belongs to God. The person who does what is sinful has not seen God.

3 JOHn 11

This verse can be confusing at first. We all sin. Does that mean we don’t belong to God?

The key to understanding this verse is the word follow. To follow something shows continued purpose. When we belong to God, His Spirit lives in us. We will mess up, but we will admit our mistakes and get right back to following God as soon as possible. Those who don’t know God will follow after sin without giving it a second thought. They will continue to make choices that go against God’s ways. Even if they seem sorry, they’ll always go right back to their same old bad habits.

Without God’s Holy Spirit in us, that’s where we’d all be. God doesn’t want His children to be overcome by sin and evil things. He wants us to stay focused on Him. He wants us to follow Him all our days.

Dear Father, I know Your ways are good. I want to follow You all my life. Amen.

God Is in Her

God is in the center of her. She will not be moved. God will help her when the morning comes.

PsALM 46:5

This verse isn’t talking about a girl. Instead, it refers to God’s holy city and how God will protect the people in it. But it still makes sense, and sounds pretty cool, when we read it with ourselves in mind.

After all, God lives inside us. He lives in our hearts and gives us strength. Since our power and courage come from Him, we can be just as solid and steadfast as He is! Every minute of every day, God is right there, living and breathing within us. He’s right there to help us when we need help.

Whenever you feel overwhelmed or afraid, remember this: “God is in the center of you. You will not be moved. God will help you.”

Dear Father, thank You for this reminder that You live inside me. You give me strength and courage. You will never, ever leave me, and You’re always there to help when I need it. With Your power, I know I can conquer anything. Amen.

Shouts and Whispers

Then the woman said to the snake, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden. But from the tree which is in the center of the garden, God has said, ‘Do not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” The snake said to the woman, “No, you for sure will not die! For God knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and bad.”

GenesIs 3:2–5

Do you notice how Eve tried to do the right thing? She tried to resist temptation. But Satan doesn’t give up easily. He tries to make us question ourselves and doubt what we know is right. He tries to make us think we’re being silly. Satan likes to shout at us, in our thoughts, until we give in and do what he wants us to do. But God’s Holy Spirit whispers what is right.

When you feel tempted to do something you know goes against God’s ways, be still. Ask God to show you the right thing to do and to give you courage to do it.

Dear Father, help me ignore Satan’s shouts so I can hear Your whispers. Amen.

No Matter What

And the Lord God made clothes of skins for Adam and his wife, and dressed them.

GenesIs 3:21

Adam and Eve had messed up big-time. Eve listened to Satan and ate the fruit God told her not to eat. Then she talked Adam into doing the same thing. Because of what they did, they lost their innocence. They realized they were naked, and they were embarrassed for God to see them without clothes. Even though Adam and Eve disobeyed, God still loved them. He still took care of all their needs. Instead of getting mad at them for making a bad choice, God gave them clothes to wear. We all goof up sometimes. But even when we make mistakes, we don’t have to worry that God will stop loving us. When we come to Him and admit what we did, He holds out His arms and wraps us in His love. There is nothing we can do to make Him take away His love from us. And when our mistakes cause us to need His help, He’s right there taking care of us, just like He always has.

Dear Father, thank You for loving me even when I mess up. Amen.

Safe Place

After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a special dream, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your safe place. Your reward will be very great.”

GenesIs 15:1

Right before this verse, Abram rescued his nephew, Lot, who had been captured. Even though Abram faced some pretty scary things, he kept doing what God told him to do. That’s when God came to Abram in a dream and told him not to be afraid.

We face some pretty scary things today too. Whether it’s a hard test in school or a mean person or an illness we don’t understand, God is there. We can substitute in our own names: “Do not be afraid, (your name). I am your safe place.” When we love God, live for Him, and make choices based on what will please Him, He notices. That’s how Abram lived, and God rewarded him for it. He rewards us when we honor Him too.

Dear Father, thank You for being my safe place. I want to honor and obey You like Abram did. Amen.

Nothing Too Hard

“Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

GenesIs 18:14

Just before this verse, Sarah laughed at God for saying she’d have a baby. She thought she was too old to have children. People who have studied the Bible believe she was around ninety years old when Isaac was born! Most of us probably would have laughed too. But instead of getting angry with Sarah, God just asked her some questions: “Why did you laugh? Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

Sometimes when we face a really big problem, we might secretly think it’s too big or too hard for God. But that’s not true. Nothing is too hard for Him! Instead of worrying about things, we can simply ask ourselves the same question God asked of Sarah. “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” The answer will always be “No.”

Dear Father, thank You for being so big and strong and powerful. I’m glad nothing is too hard for You. When I’m worried or afraid, remind me of this verse. Amen.

Humility

But Jacob said, “No, I ask of you, if I have found favor in your eyes, then receive my gift. For I see your face as one sees the face of God. You have received me with favor. Take my gift that has been brought to you. For God has shown loving-kindness to me, and I have all I need.” So he begged him until he took it.

GenesIs 33:10–11

Many years before this verse, Jacob had tricked his brother, Esau. He stole something precious from Esau. Then Jacob left, and the brothers hadn’t seen each other in a long time. When Jacob returned, he sent expensive gifts ahead so Esau would know he was coming. The gifts softened Esau’s heart. When the brothers finally saw each other, Esau was no longer angry. He tried to give the gifts back, but Jacob insisted Esau keep them. In this situation, Jacob showed humility.

When we have humility, we choose to treat others better than we treat ourselves. We admit when we’ve been wrong and ask others to forgive us.

Dear Father, teach me to have humility. Help me treat others like they’re important, and help me admit when I’m wrong. Amen.

Taking the Credit

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream. But no one can tell me what it means. I have heard it said that you are able to hear a dream and tell what it means.” Joseph answered Pharaoh, “Not by myself. God will give Pharaoh a good answer.”

GenesIs 41:15–16

Joseph had a rough time. First his brothers sold him into slavery. Then his boss’s wife set him up, and Joseph ended up in prison. Then he helped out some fellow prisoners, but they forgot all about Joseph when they were released. But after a long time, one of those prisoners told Pharaoh about Joseph. The pharaoh wanted Joseph to help him interpret a dream, but Joseph made sure Pharaoh knew it was God, not Joseph, who would provide answers. Joseph could have taken the credit for himself, but instead he gave God the credit.

Whenever we do something well, it’s important to remind ourselves and others that God is the one who gave us our abilities, and God is the one who helps us succeed.

Dear Father, thank You for all the abilities You’ve given me. I want to give You the credit for every good thing I do. Amen.

Hang in There

Two sons were born to Joseph before the years without food came. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the religious leader of On, gave birth to them. Joseph gave the ﬁrst-born the name Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all those of my father’s house.” He gave the second son the name of Ephraim. “For,” he said, “God has given me children in the land of my suffering.”

GenesIs 41:50–52

Joseph went through many hard times. For years he probably thought nothing good would ever happen to him again. But time passed and God rewarded Joseph for his faithfulness. Joseph was given an important leadership position, and everyone except Pharaoh had to obey him. He got married and had two healthy sons. When the time of blessing finally came, Joseph kept honoring God and giving Him the credit. When hard times come, hang in there. They won’t last forever. God sees your faithfulness, and blessings are coming your way.

Dear Father, sometimes I feel like giving up. When that happens, give me courage to keep going, and remind me that You have good things in store for my life. Amen.

Choose God

So God was good to the nurses. And the people became many and strong. Because the nurses feared God, He gave them families.

EXODUs 1:20–21

During the time the Hebrews lived in Egypt, they grew in numbers. Pharaoh worried that there were too many Hebrews, so he asked the Hebrew nurses to do a really bad thing. He wanted them to make sure that when a Hebrew boy baby was born, he didn’t live. That way those boys wouldn’t grow to be strong men, and they couldn’t build a powerful army. The Hebrew nurses knew it was more important to obey God than to obey an earthly king, so they ignored Pharaoh’s command and took care of those boy babies. This made God happy, and He blessed the nurses. Whenever we must choose between obeying God and obeying an earthly person, we must always choose God. The Bible tells us to respect our leaders and obey the law. But God is the most important. He will bless us for choosing Him.

Dear Father, please give us godly leaders so I don’t have to choose between their laws and Your commands. If I ever must choose, give me courage to choose You. Amen.

trust and obey

Moses and Aaron did what the Lord had told them. Aaron raised the special stick and hit the water of the Nile in front of Pharaoh and his servants. And all the water in the Nile was turned into blood.

EXODUs 7:20

Moses was a Hebrew, but he was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter. Pharaoh treated Moses like he was family. Moses could talk to Pharaoh whenever he wanted, but the other Hebrews could not. God wanted Pharaoh to let the Hebrew people leave Egypt and become their own free nation again. But Pharaoh didn’t want that, so he refused to let them go. To change Pharaoh’s mind, God asked Moses and Aaron to do some pretty crazy things. If Moses had refused to obey God because he thought the command didn’t make sense, Pharaoh wouldn’t have seen how powerful God is. When we know God is telling us to do something, He wants us to have faith, trust Him, and obey even when it doesn’t make sense.

Dear Father, I want You to say about me what You said about Moses and Aaron: that I did everything You told me to do. Amen.

Hard-Hearted

But when Pharaoh saw that there was rest from the trouble, he made his heart hard. He did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

EXODUs 8:15

Moses did everything God told him to do, but Pharaoh still didn’t change his mind. He wouldn’t let the people go. Some people are hard-hearted, which means they refuse to change in order to please God. When you meet someone who is hard-hearted, you may feel sad and discouraged. You may pray for them and wonder why your prayers aren’t being answered. It’s important to remember that God always has a plan. He can use even hard-hearted people to bring about His purpose. If you know a hard-hearted person, don’t treat them unkindly. Continue to show God’s love to them even when it’s diﬃcult. Keep praying. Keep caring about them. Then wait to see what great things God will do.

Dear Father, it’s not easy to deal with hard-hearted people. Sometimes I don’t understand why they won’t listen to You. It feels like my prayers aren’t working. Help me trust You even when others don’t. I know You’ll use everything that happens for good, to help bring about Your purpose. Amen.

Hard Things

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you. So I will do more powerful works in the land of Egypt.”

EXODUs 11:9

God kept asking Moses to talk to Pharaoh, but Pharaoh wouldn’t listen. He was stubborn and hard-hearted. God sent miraculous signs so Pharaoh would believe, but those signs only made Pharaoh angry. Moses was probably afraid each time he approached Pharaoh. After all, Pharaoh was the king, and he could throw Moses in prison or worse! Why wouldn’t God just change Pharaoh’s heart? Sometimes God allows us to go through diﬃcult things so He can show His power. If Pharaoh had let the Hebrews go easily, a lot of people might have missed seeing God’s miracles. And if our lives were always easy, the people around us might miss seeing the amazing ways God works in our lives. When we go through diﬃcult things, we can trust that God has a plan. He will accomplish His purpose, and the end will be good.

Dear Father, going through hard things isn’t fun. But I know it’s through the hard things in my life that You shine. I trust Your love for me even in diﬃcult times. Amen.

Change of Heart

The people of Israel had done what Moses had said. They had asked the Egyptians for things made of silver and gold and for clothes. And the Lord had given the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. So the Egyptians let them have whatever they asked for. And they took the best things of Egypt.

EXODUs 12:35–36

The Hebrew people, also known as the Israelites, were slaves to the Egyptians. The Egyptians didn’t want the Israelites to leave—they’d lose all their servants. Who would do the work? Even though the Egyptians didn’t want the Israelites to leave, God worked in their hearts. He caused them to give all sorts of valuable things to the Hebrews so they’d have plenty for their journey. When we stay close to God, God can make even those who don’t like us be nice to us. He can cause them to want good things for us.

Dear Father, I don’t like it when people are mean to me. Help me to treat them with kindness and love anyway. Please change their hearts and make them want to be nice to me. Amen.

Get Your Popcorn Ready

“The Lord will ﬁght for you. All you have to do is keep still.”

EXODUs 14:14

Do you like to watch movies or plays? Sometimes it’s fun to eat popcorn while we’re watching a story play out in front of us. When we’re going through hard times, it helps to remember that God is the author of our lives. He doesn’t want our story to be boring, so He allows some hard things to happen. Those hard things are what make our stories interesting! When troubles come, we don’t have to fight on our own. God likes to show His power, so He will fight for us. All He asks is that we stay calm, trust Him, and watch the great things He will do. Next time you face a battle in your life, remember to remain calm. Stay still and let God work. Get your popcorn ready, because He’s about to do something great.

Dear Father, thank You for ﬁghting for me. When troubles come, remind me to be still and trust You. I can’t wait to see the great things You’ll do in my life. Amen.

Water Wall

And when the morning came, the Egyptians ran into the wall of water as the sea returned to the way it was before. The Lord destroyed the Egyptians in the sea.

EXODUs 14:27

After many signs and miracles from God, Pharaoh finally allowed the Israelites to leave. But after they left, he changed his mind again. He and his army set out to follow them and bring them back into slavery. The Israelites were frightened! They had the sea in front of them and the army behind them. How could they escape? God parted that sea right down the middle, and the Israelites crossed through like it was a highway. Pharaoh’s army followed them, but once the Israelites were on the other side, God caused the wall of water to crash back down on top of the army. Never, ever forget how powerful God is. No matter what problem we face, God is bigger. All He expects us to do is trust Him, obey Him, and be patient. He will do amazing things. He still works miracles!

Dear Father, when things get scary and I feel like there’s no way to escape, remind me of how powerful You are. I trust You. Amen.

Obey God

[The Lord] said, “Listen well to the voice of the Lord your God. Do what is right in His eyes. Listen to what He tells you, and obey all His Laws. If you do this, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord Who heals you.”

EXODUs 15:26

When we follow God’s laws, we still feel the eﬀects of sin. But we are less likely to suﬀer the consequences of sin when we obey and stay close to Him. His laws are designed to protect us. His rules are not there to keep us from having fun. Instead, He has given us guidelines to keep us safe from harm.

Think of it this way: If we wash our hands and take our vitamins, we still might catch a cold. But if we don’t do those things, and we eat from the same dish or drink from the same cup of our friend who has a cold, we’re a whole lot more likely to get a cold than if we take precautions. Obeying God doesn’t mean bad things will never happen, but obedience does bring protection.

Dear Father, I trust You. Help me obey You. Amen.