Milk and Honey for a Woman's Soul by Carey Scott by Barbour Books

Especially for From Date

MILK & HONEY for a Woman’s Soul

Nourishing

Devotions and Prayers

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Scripture quotations marked msg are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

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INTRODUCTION

Many of us are challenged by trust. We’ve all experienced moments when someone we relied on didn’t keep a promise. We’ve counted on processes and procedures that fell short. We’ve placed our hope in institutions, governments, companies, technology, and trendy gadgets that have failed us time and time again—and it’s left us bewildered and unsure of whom we can trust.

Knowing that God is a promise keeper in a world full of upsets and letdowns is a game changer! Based on the Bible, we can be conﬁdent that He will keep His word and prove His faithfulness. The Lord has kept every pledge He’s made and is ﬂawlessly dependable—always has been, always will be. He is trustworthy; you can always count on that.

As you spend time with the devotions in this book, your faith will become more anchored in God’s promises. Your conﬁdence in His dependability will grow and you’ll ﬁnd comfort in knowing that your trust is safe and secure in the Lord. Your heavenly Father will do what He says He will do.

Go ahead and grab hold of the “milk and honey” promises mentioned in scripture. Let them encourage you as you live out your faith daily.

YOU CAN BE SURE

You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes.

Philippians 4:19–20 msg

As believers, we’re not left to flounder and navigate life on our own. We don’t have to figure everything out for ourselves, work our fingers to the bone, and strive until we’re exhausted. Scripture says we can be sure that God knows and will meet our needs. While He may not answer in our timing or in the ways we’d hoped, we can trust that our Father’s generosity will bless us according to His perfect will.

What needs untangling in your life right now? Where are you falling short? What fears are creeping in and stealing your peace? Keep asking for what you need with an expectant heart. Be conﬁdent that you are seen and loved. God will take care of everything you need. Trust His goodness as you wait for divine provision.

Dear Lord, my trust has been broken so many times by people in my life. I confess that I struggle to trust now. Give me the courage to trust You will meet my needs. In Jesus’ name, amen.

HE KNOWS IT ALL

The truth is this: You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised and bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:10–11 tlb

Take heart in realizing there’s nothing God doesn’t know. He can’t learn anything new. There aren’t any circumstances that might catch Him o guard. Nothing can happen behind His back. God is all-knowing, and that is a huge blessing to those who love Him. That wasn’t only true in biblical times; it’s also true here and now. The Lord has full knowledge and understanding of everything that was, that is, and that is yet to come. We can rest in that beautiful promise. Your Father was part of every plan He created for you. From your appearance to your gifts to your calling to when you’d come onto the kingdom calendar, God did it all. He gave you a future and a hope, and He is with you every step of the way. Let this comfort you today.

Dear Lord, what a blessing that You know it all! In Jesus’ name, amen.

GOD’S PRESENCE

So don’t be afraid. I am here, with you; don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, help you. I am here with My right hand to make right and to hold you up.

Isaiah 41:10 voice

Anxiety unsettles us when it creeps into our lives. It stirs up our spirits and causes us to worry. We become fearful of the what-ifs. It shuts us down, making us feel overwhelmed and hopeless. As we look down the road, all we see are terrible outcomes and endings. Sound familiar?

What do you do in those moments? Who do you go to for comfort, and what do you reach for to ease your pain and distract yourself? God wants you to know that He promises to be with you in these times. He will strengthen your resolve to weather the storm. The Lord will hold you up so you can hold on to hope. His presence will calm the storm raging inside you.

Go right to God when life gets messy. There’s no worldly remedy that’s better. A worldly ﬁx may make promises, but it can’t deliver. Only He can, and He will.

Dear Lord, You are the solution to my fear and worry. You’re the one who can comfort and calm me. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

GOD IS NOT HIDING

“At that time, you will call out for Me, and I will hear. You will pray, and I will listen. You will look for Me intently, and you will ﬁnd Me. Yes, I will be found by you,” says the Eternal, “and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations where you’ve been scattered—all the places where I have driven you. I will bring you back to the land that is your rightful home.”

Jeremiah 29:12–14 voice

God isn’t hiding from you. He’s not turning away and ignoring your cries. It may feel like your prayers are falling ﬂat while you’re waiting for answers, but God promises that when you pray in earnest, He will listen.

If your marriage is failing or you’re tired of being single, call out to the Lord. As you battle to parent a tough teenager or are struggling to get pregnant, bow your head. If your ﬁnances are a mess or you receive a scary diagnosis, tell God all about it. When you’re overwhelmed by grief or feeling rejected, pray with passion. As you seek Him wholeheartedly, you will be heard and restored.

Dear Lord, help me remember Your promise to hear me and heal me. I will pray and wait with confidence and in expectation. In Jesus’ name, amen.

PRECEDENT SET

When the poor and needy seek water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I will answer when they cry to me. I, Israel’s God, will never forsake them. I will open up rivers for them on high plateaus! I will give them fountains of water in the valleys! In the deserts will be pools of water, and rivers fed by springs shall ﬂow across the dry, parched ground.

Isaiah 41:17–18 tlb

Have you ever felt like you were at the end of your rope? All your best e orts to stabilize have failed and you’re left feeling defeated. You’ve tried to ﬁgure things out on your own but couldn’t. It’s in those times, needy and parched, that you cry out to God for help. There’s a precedent set in the Bible. God heard Israel in this condition and answered their prayers. In His great love for them, the Lord provided for their needs with abundance and generosity. If He’s done it once, He’ll do it again. You can count on it.

As you pray, remind God of instances of His goodness throughout the Bible and ask Him to replicate them in your circumstances.

Dear Lord, I read of Your goodness and am asking You to do it again. In Jesus’ name, amen.

GOD’S PROMISES

His divine power has given us everything we need to experience life and to reﬂect God’s true nature through the knowledge of the One who called us by His glory and virtue. Through these things, we have received God’s great and valuable promises, so we might escape the corruption of worldly desires and share in the divine nature.

2 Peter 1:3–4 voice

God’s promises are for those who have a saving faith through Jesus, and He’s made them because of His unmatched glory and virtue. They hold great value and worth to believers, reminding us we are free from the lasting e ects of this corrupt world. We’ve been redeemed, and He will transform us through sanctiﬁcation.

Access to God’s Word and the work of the Holy Spirit in us give us everything we need to live a righteous life.

What exactly are God’s promises? You will ﬁnd them from Genesis to Revelation as you read the Bible. They include the gift of eternal life (Psalm 23:6), the forgiveness of sins (Acts 10:43), a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26), and rest in your weariness (Matthew 11:28-29). You can trust in every single promise because God is forever faithful. Every divine vow is available to you.

Dear Lord, I know You’re trustworthy. You always do as You say. In Jesus’ name, amen.

THE PROMISE OF EVERLASTING LIFE

For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life.

John 3:16 voice

God loves us so deeply that He couldn’t imagine an eternity without His creation. When sin entered the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, it brought with it a separation between man and God. His compassion and desire for a restored relationship compelled Jesus, God’s one and only Son, to step out of heaven and into the world. His death on the cross paid the price for our sin and forever bridged the gap it caused. It redeemed us. Now, God doesn’t see the stains of our transgressions—He only sees the cleansing blood of Jesus that covers us when we ask for forgiveness. The promise is clear, not only in today’s verse but all throughout the Bible. Whoever believes this wonderful truth and accepts this remarkable gift will have everlasting life in heaven. We can be washed clean by Jesus’ sacriﬁce and escape everlasting destruction and eternal separation.

Dear Lord, thank You for making a way and securing my eternal life in heaven. In Jesus’ name, amen.

GODLY WISDOM

For in God’s deep wisdom, He made it so that the world could not even begin to comprehend Him through its own style of wisdom; in fact, God took immense pleasure in rescuing people of faith through the foolishness of the message we preach.

1 Corinthians 1:21 voice

The world is wise in its own eyes. It is quick to o er ideas and solutions that promise short-lived relief. It peddles remedies that look good from a distance but will ultimately disappoint. We know this, yet we still often go to the world ﬁrst with our problems and put our faith in its pledges.

God o ers us His wisdom, and the world can’t understand or compete with that. Many of His commands may seem counterintuitive and even sound silly to earthly ears. Remember that the Lord rescued believers from foolishness by opening our eyes to see His truth. Now we walk by faith and choose to trust that God’s way is best. We pray for His direction and guidance. We can capitalize on the promise in James 1:5 that says He will give wisdom to those who ask.

Dear Lord, please share Your wisdom with me today. Help me live with an eternal perspective instead of an earthly one. In Jesus’ name, amen.

PROMISED PRAYER ADVOCATE

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

Romans 8:26–28 msg

Have you struggled to talk to God, unsure what to ask for? We can’t always see the full scope of what we’re facing, so we get confused. Our anger or hurt shuts us down. Other times, all we can do is weep in His presence, creating liquid prayers void of words. We’re promised an advocate in prayer, especially when we don’t know what to pray for or can’t ﬁnd the words.

The Holy Spirit knows exactly what’s happening in our lives and hearts. Scripture says He knows us better than we know ourselves. We can trust that when praying doesn’t come easy, no matter the reason, the Spirit will speak to God on our behalf.

Dear Lord, thank You for my prayer advocate. In Jesus’ name, amen.

THE PROMISE TO PURIFY

But if we own up to our sins, God shows that He is faithful and just by forgiving us of our sins and purifying us from the pollution of all the bad things we have done. If we say, “We have not sinned,” then we depict God as a liar and show that we have not let His word ﬁnd its way into our hearts.

1 John 1:9–10 voice

Sometimes it’s hard to take responsibility for our missteps and wrongdoing. We don’t like to focus on our failings and would rather sweep them under the rug. We may disagree when we’re called out for mistakes, feeling conﬁdent that we are in the right. But we’re not perfect, not even close. And while God doesn’t expect perfection, He does expect us to own up to our sins.

We are fully forgiven because of Jesus’ sacriﬁce on the cross. His death paid the price for our sins once and for all. But as believers, we still need to confess our sins to God so that nothing stands in the way of our relationship with Him. When we do, God promises to remove the lingering e ects of our mistakes, like shame and guilt, and purify us again.

Dear Lord, thank You for the promise of purification from my sins. In Jesus’ name, amen.

THE PROMISE OF NO CONDEMNATION

Therefore, now no condemnation awaits those who are living in Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King, because when you live in the Anointed One, Jesus, a new law takes e ect. The law of the Spirit of life breathes into you and liberates you from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:1–2 voice

In this letter, Paul tells the Romans about the good news of Jesus and the gift of salvation. He shares God’s promise that no condemnation exists for those in Christ Jesus. Living for Christ brings a new way of living that is liberated from sin by the Holy Spirit and leads into righteous living. As believers, this promise is for us too.

Remember that while God doesn’t bring condemnation, He does bring conviction through the Spirit. The ﬁrst leaves you feeling shameful and guilty, while the second prompts you to make changes so your life will align with His will and ways. One leaves you feeling hopeless, while the other ﬁlls you with hope for good things to come. Embrace the correction God will bring to those who love Him, trusting that your relationship with Him is forever secure.

Dear Lord, I appreciate how You can correct without leaving me feeling worthless. Thank You for loving me enough to bring holy conviction. In Jesus’ name, amen.

WE WILL PREVAIL

When you face stormy seas I will be there with you with endurance and calm; you will not be engulfed in raging rivers. If it seems like you’re walking through ﬁre with ﬂames licking at your limbs, keep going; you won’t be burned.

Isaiah 43:2 voice

We don’t have to navigate the choppy waters of life alone. God promises that when we ﬁnd ourselves there, He is with us. The Lord will bring calm and strengthen us for that speciﬁc storm. While it may seem like we’re about to go under, our heads will stay above water when we trust Him. Our situations will be manageable when our anchor is God. The key for believers is to press into Him and persist.

Too often, we allow life to overwhelm us. Instead of standing in faith, we sink in fear and worry. Life is hard, and it only seems to get harder. The world is falling into place for Jesus’ return, so we should expect more chaos to ensue. But God promises to be our buoy. With Him, we can endure with hope and expectation.

Dear Lord, it’s a relief to know You are always with me and will provide what I need to endure the hard moments. I trust You! In Jesus’ name, amen.

A COMPLETE PEACE

A mind focused on the flesh is doomed to death, but a mind focused on the Spirit will find full life and complete peace. You see, a mind focused on the flesh is declaring war against God; it defies the authority of God’s law and is incapable of following His path. So it is clear that God takes no pleasure in those who live oriented to the flesh.

Romans 8:6–8 voice

When we train our thoughts on eternal things, we’re promised complete peace and a full life. Focusing on God’s goodness and the transformative work of the Holy Spirit will calm us. So, when we receive a di cult phone call, discover a betrayal, or our medical tests show something of concern, we need to go right to the Lord. When temptation overwhelms us, we need to open our Bibles and let the scriptures realign us with God’s heart. When our minds wander into places they shouldn’t, our next step should be prayer. The heavenly Father ﬁnds delight in those who keep His commands. This is called active faith, and the Lord will honor our choice to live righteously. Ask Him for the strength and wisdom to live out this faith so that the promise of peace is realized.

Dear Lord, keep my mind and eyes trained on You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

PROMISES OF MAGNIFICENCE

I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a path right through the sea. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses, to lie beneath the waves, dead, their lives snu ed out like candlewicks. But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I’m going to do!

Isaiah 43:16–18 tlb

God reminds us of His might and power, and what was accomplished in the wilderness. The Israelites couldn’t imagine the miracle of the Red Sea splitting and allowing them to cross through on dry ground. They just saw the sea before them and an enemy behind. But the Lord miraculously made a way, bringing the Israelites to safety and closing the waters on the Egyptians. This is representative of what He can do! We are promised that this magniﬁcent act of God is nothing compared to what’s next.

As believers, our takeaway is that we should expect big things. God promises them! There’s nothing impossible for Him. So, don’t be afraid to ask for something grandiose. Be bold in your requests and pray with expectation.

Dear Lord, I am encouraged to ask for big things and will trust that You’ll answer according to Your perfect plan and timing. In Jesus’ name, amen.

SAY GOODBYE TO THE FLESH

If the Spirit of the One who resurrected Jesus from the dead lives inside of you, then you can be sure that He who raised Him will cast the light of life into your mortal bodies through the life-giving power of the Spirit residing in you. So, my brothers and sisters, you owe the ﬂesh nothing! You do not need to live according to its ways, so abandon its oppressive regime.

Romans 8:11–12 voice

You owe the ﬂesh nothing! This is a powerful encouragement to be more eternally focused rather than feeding your earthly desires. This is often a di cult choice to make.

It means you forgive instead of holding a grudge, even when you’re in the right. You stop engaging with entertainment that pulls you away from God. You don’t gossip or boast. When jealousy creeps in, you step away from social media. You exhibit self-control over your tongue when someone makes you mad. And you show love and compassion rather than having a critical spirit.

Now that the Spirit is living in you, God promises He will guide and lead you to live in holy ways that are good for you and will glorify Him. Say goodbye to the oppressive regime of your ﬂesh

Dear Lord, I will choose faith over flesh!

In Jesus’ name, amen.

THE PROMISE OF FORGIVENESS

I, yes, I alone am he who blots away your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again. Oh, remind me of this promise of forgiveness, for we must talk about your sins. Plead your case for my forgiving you. From the very ﬁrst your ancestors sinned against me—all your forebears transgressed my law.

Isaiah 43:25–27 tlb

When God promises to blot away your sins and never think of them again, He means it. You are washed clean by the blood of Jesus, and every transgression you have made or will ever commit has been removed from your record. Without the Lord’s forgiveness, that record would be miles long—and we, in our own strength, could never overcome it.

Sit with God in gratitude today. Thank Him for making a way through Jesus’ work on the cross and for desiring reconciliation with you. Be grateful that once you come into a saving faith and you’ve been forgiven for all sins, you are always and forever forgiven. Thank God for His unshakable Word and ensuring every promise made is a promise kept.

Dear Lord, You are a good, good Father! My heart is full of thanksgiving as I think of how You’ve blessed me. Thank You especially for the promise of forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, amen.

THE PROMISED INHERITANCE

Through that prayer, God’s Spirit conﬁrms in our spirits that we are His children. If we are God’s children, that means we are His heirs along with the Anointed, set to inherit everything that is His. If we share His su erings, we know that we will ultimately share in His glory.

Romans 8:16–17 voice

In today’s verses, Paul sets our expectations as believers. John 1:12 explains that we are God’s children; therefore, we will share in Christ's su erings now and will share in His glory later. We are co-heirs with Jesus, so what belongs to Him will also belong to us. Galatians 4:7 says, “You no longer have to live as a slave because you are a child of God. And since you are His child, God guarantees an inheritance is waiting for you.” That is a solid and irrevocable promise.

We were once far away and adrift in our sins, but Jesus changed that. Through His blood shed on the cross, we're secured in His family once and for all. Today, we are blessed to experience God’s goodness here on earth, knowing that the promise of an eternal inheritance is to come.

Dear Lord, I’m humbled to be considered a co-heir with Jesus. Thank You for including me in both Your sufferings and glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.