Cathy Irvin authored well over 50 Devotions for CBN over three decades where she served the Lord Jesus Christ at the Christian Broadcasting Network. Cathy loved telling stories and glorifying God in all that she did. On December 16, 2011, Cathy left this earthly dwelling to take up residence in the dwelling prepared for her in Heaven. Her Devotions minister with love and truth.
There is a lot of talk about faith. Do we really understand it? Let's think about the story of the Jericho walls. The people marched around, blew the trumpets, and raised a great shout. (Joshua 6) What happened then? The walls came down. Was it because there was an earthquake? No, it was their faith in believing what the Lord said to do. They put action with their faith and were obedient. At the right moment, they SHOUTED.
Faith does not wait for the walls to fall down. Faith shouts them down.
When we least feel like proclaiming a shout of praise and victory about our trials and circumstances, that is the time to do it. We must say what God has said and speak to that wall or mountain in our lives and watch it crumble. SPEAKING and SHOUTING are the actions we need to do. It is our response to what we believe in our hearts to be true. It is the key to seeing the walls fall.
God told Joshua that he had given him the city and how long it would take to possess it. Do we give up too soon when we are waiting on a situation to change? We need to remember to keep on believing. When God reveals the time for your victory, you can shout. His timing is perfect.
We march to the orders of the Lord. We blow the trumpet once we hear the sound of urgency for a situation. The Lord speaks to our spirits and gives us faith. Then we will know our victory is right around the bend. Let us hold fast to the profession of our faith and not lose hope.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ( OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) KJV)
The Amplified version says it best.
Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
Also in , it reads:
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (NIV)
Joshua's wall was a literal, physical wall, but it can be any wall. Our walls can be the need for healing, a financial breakthrough, relationships restored, etc. We must exercise our faith by seeing beyond the walls. The wall that looks so incredibly difficult will come down with the SHOUT (action on our part) of faith. We can know that our victory will be on the other side.
Recently, I had an opportunity to put this into action. My new great-granddaughter became ill with a cold and fever. I felt I should go and pray for her, even though I was sick myself. Within hours after arriving home, her fever had come down and was normal by morning. This is where faith couldn't wait. Like shouting the walls down, I acted on what God's Word tells us to do. Even though I didn't have an abundance of faith at that moment, I knew I needed to believe and leave the end result in God's hands.
So, if in your life you find a wall that needs to come down, begin to SPEAK and SHOUT because faith won't wait.
Copyright © Cathy Irvin. Used by permission.
If you read the story of St. Patrick, you will find that at age 16 he was kidnapped and taken to a land he did not know - Ireland. Now he could have been angry, despondent and eventually given in to defeat; but Patrick did not do this. He became an overcomer as he persevered in his trials and tribulations.
He was taken and told to tend the sheep. It was there that he prayed, grew in his faith, and walked in love. What do we do when we find ourselves in captivity? We can stay in it or choose the latter.
The history of St.Patrick goes on to tell us that he did get away on a ship to return once again to his homeland, but he was different then. He had found Christ in Ireland through his prayers. Later, he heard the voice of God to return to the very place of evil where he was held captive. Patrick went on to become a Bishop. While he was living in Ireland he taught about the Trinity by using the three-leaf clover.
There is a lost and dying world wherever we are planted. Do we hear the call of their captivity? Can we enter that place of darkness from which we too were once enslaved? Can we hear the lost crying out for help?
We are not all called to be in the five-fold ministry or to be a missionary to a foreign land, but we are all called to be witnesses and to evangelize. The Lord puts people in our paths every day if we are looking, or we can pray and ask Him to place someone in our sphere of influence.
I may like to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day, but more than that I want to know the history of why we celebrate this holiday. This man was a hero; he changed a nation. He lived out his faith. He had a message; and like Patrick, maybe we can tell his testimony to our family and friends and spark a new meaning in that holiday for them.
If we think about it, most of us would either be angry or depressed if we found ourselves having been kidnapped and never knowing if we would see our loved ones again. Patrick, even though he was a teenager when he was captured, had allowed Christ to change his heart so completely, that he felt compassion for the people who made him a slave. Once he had gotten away from them, he could have stayed away, but God had a different plan for him.
Obedience is better than sacrifice, the Bible says in OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) (NLT):
"But Samuel replied, 'What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.'"
Patrick heard the call and he knew these people were without hope. Freedom in Christ means we find our place of ministry and pass on the good news to someone whether young or old.
St. Patrick ministered in Ireland for 29 years, baptized over 100,000 people and built 300 churches. If we can get it in our minds that we can be world-changers too, by ministering to others, either bringing them to the Lord or helping others grow in their faith, then we will also have a legacy to pass on.
"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (NIV)
Copyright © Cathy Irvin, used with permission.
Have you ever thought that something was so terrible, that it could never be the same again? Let me tell you a true story.
Last year there were four big, old, oak trees that had to be removed from my backyard. Their limbs were breaking from each storm we encountered. During the last hurricane, one of those branches fell straight through a small shed in the yard and the roof had to be replaced.
It was wonderful to see those branches finally down. However, the only problem was they were not removed from the yard as soon as I would have liked.
It was a very long time that they lay there. I made a deliberate choice to not go out in the yard for months. My son cut the trees up into smaller sections to clear them and found a small snake. I could not even enjoy sitting out there.
Finally, the day arrived when the men came to remove the fallen trees. When I arrived home, I was excited. I ran to my window and flung open the curtains. I thought of the poem, “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore.
As the poem says: “Away to the window I flew like a flash, tore open the shutter, and threw up the sash.”
What do you think I saw? No, there were no reindeer. My once beautiful backyard had been dug up by a tractor with big clamps.
The whole yard had been tilled, and all I could think about is the prospect of one gigantic mud hole by the next rainfall. I did not feel like we should rake the yard to get it level, nor did I think that we should buy grass seed to plant because I had more important matters to heed to, such as preparing for my daughter's wedding.
Sometimes you just have to let go. The Bible says we aren’t to worry or be anxious. I decided right then and there to forget about it, like the kids always say, “It’s not that serious,” and it isn’t.
I think I had forgotten I had a yard until one morning, I opened the bathroom window to look out at the weather. I was totally taken back. There was beautiful, green grass all over the yard, and only one small, sunken place in the middle of the yard where there had been a pond years ago.
Now it was full of muddy water, but it seemed so small in comparison to the once giant mud hole that covered the whole yard. It was now fixable.
It seemed as if angels literally came and poured new grass seed overnight, perhaps heavenly seeds since it looked so different!
Doesn’t the Lord promise to take care of things in our life when we just give it to Him? I had a hard time believing that the original disaster which seemed so devastating could now be something so delightful. The amazing thing to me is that I did nothing to make the change. The Lord created the earth, so He surely knows how to put it back together.
He used all the rain in my muddy yard to speed up the process for new grass to grow. I thought it was ruined, and so did the neighbors.
Next time that you think something is too big of a mess in your life, it really isn’t. It may take some time to get corrected, but it will. Believe God, cast your burdens on Him, and let Him see you through it.
"Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) (NASB)
"And Jesus said to him, 'If you can?' All things are possible to him who believes." (NASB)
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (NAS)
Copyright © Cathy Irvin. Used by permission.
CBN.com --Facing Tropical Storm Ernesto during a wedding ceremony on the beach this past Saturday, Sept. 2 was challenging to my faith. My daughter, granddaughter, the matron of honor (my daughter's aunt) and I ventured out to Fort Story to decorate the Club for the reception.
The torrential rain was beating down hard upon us. The winds were blowing, and the weather forecast for the next day called for a clearing, but another newscaster mentioned possible thunderstorms in the late afternoon.
“Lord, I am asking you for at least an open window in the afternoon at 5:30 (the ceremony time) and I trust You to show my daughter what to do,” I prayed.
The people who were catering from the Club told my daughter that she had until 2:30 pm the following afternoon to make the call on her decision to have the wedding inside or on the beach.
My daughter preferred that the wedding be held on the beach, yet hadn't anticipated the storm and sand blowing. I felt in my heart that the best decision was to have it inside since the Club was such a beautiful place to decorate for the ceremony. I held this in my heart in prayer and never said a word.
Don’t all mothers want their daughter’s weddings to be perfect? Are they all? Well, of course not, there are always problems with or without a wedding co-coordinator. There are always last minute changes, and sometimes weather conditions.
I left my corsage home and lost an earring. I walked down the runner with a borrowed pair of earrings that matched my necklace perfectly and used the throw away bouquet in place of my corsage. One of my closest friends of over 20 years helped me with final touches that afternoon, and she and I have both been a mistress of ceremony before, so things fell into place because God provides!
The ceremony was flawless, yet the wedding started late. Friends and family patiently and graciously waited. Patience is a virtue, so I guess God gave them all an extra dose that day.
Due to the delay, the groom made a decision to forfeit the pictures so the guests could eat. My son-in-law had intentionally planned to pass out disposable cameras, and there was also a video of the entire wedding ceremony.
I thought about two things that day. I thought about Christ and His bride, the church at the marriage supper feast in heaven. On that day it will really be the only perfect wedding. Secondly, I thought about how God answered my prayer. The wedding was held inside, although the weather was perfect. The guests were seated and, God was in control of it all. He alone gave my daughter and son-in-law wisdom in their decisions, and He gave them a beautiful day.
says,
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (NIV).
He calms seas, holds back storms and gives peace to those who pray and ask. As the mother of the bride, I am grateful for His guidance towards His children. My daughter was a beautiful bride. She matched the beauty of the landscape. I glanced through the Bay windows and observed the pretty beach. It was a celebration and I will always remember the good times we all had, as the children laughed, when we danced and blew bubbles on the bride and groom.
is a picture of what God had done that day:,
"He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed" (NIV).
I prayed for God to have complete control, because He is the best wedding planner. In God’s word He says that He calmed the raging storms. He brought peace to troubled hearts, and so all we have to do is trust Him, and then we will find solitude in the everyday storms of life.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" ( , NIV).
Well it is almost time for the bewitching hour, the day called Halloween. The children wait by their front doors ready to run out into the night as soon as the sky darkens.
The porch lights are on for a welcome sign for those who invite the children, For those not wishing to participate or who are out at the malls with their children, they have all their lights off.
There are so many thoughts about this night (which by the way is the second favorite of children, Christmas taking the number one slot). Is it safe? Should Christians celebrate it?
I am in favor of children going to an alternative, church harvest party where they can dress up and get candy, punch, cookies, etc.
But what do we do if we don’t have any little ones of our own? Do we go help out at those churches or stay home and hide from them? Or do we open the door and be a light in the darkness?
Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men that they might see your good works." The people need to see the love of God. These children are innocent. They also need our protection. I have dressed up and gone to a children’s hospital before and gave out candy ... diet candy to the diabetic children. I also have gone to a church to help, and I also have hid in the dark in my home not answering the door. I have done it all.
Last year my daughter and granddaughter asked me to go out with them. So into the dark night with my two great-grandchildren with their mother and grandmother, I went. We checked their candy and talked to them about not going inside anybody’s house. An old man was sitting in a rocking chair in his living room with the door open telling children to come on inside. I told him, "Sir please bring your chair on the porch because we instruct children, and our own especially, not to enter a stranger’s home." He listened as he bowed his head. I hoped he might have thought about what I said as we left never going inside. I told the children they would get plenty of candy in my daughter’s neighborhood.
It didn't take me long to wonder, Why did I even go out with them? I went to pray over all the children that night as we went up and down the streets. I prayed for the people who lived in those homes and found some other Christians who had a light on but no jack-o-lanterns, creepy critters or sounds were to be seen. I noticed they would say, "God bless you" to the children and told them to be safe and hold hands.
We never dress the children up in anything representing evil, and they don’t even want to go up to those scary houses, but they like seeing the costumes, getting candy and riding back home in a wagon.
Do I believe in celebrating Halloween? Absolutely not! Do I want to use this night as an opportunity to show Jesus? You bet I do.
I will expose my good deeds to this dark world, and I will choose to go out into the darkness, where I will let my light shine for Jesus. I may just give something from the Christian bookstore, a message of God’s love on a tract or information about Halloween and some candy on my own front porch; but whatever I do, I will not hide in the dark.
The decision to go out, stay home, to take the children out into the streets, mall or to church is a personal conviction. Each year you can do something different, but be a light in the darkness whatever you decide to do.
"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." ( "> OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) , NIV)
"Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed." ( "> OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) , NIV)
Valentine's Day has come and gone but this scene will always be in my mind. I saw a man buying flowers. He bought three big beautiful roses: one pink, one red, and one white. They were wrapped in a clear bag. When I went out of the store I saw him again, bending down in the snow to gather some up; and he was putting it in the bag so the roses wouldn’t wilt before he got them to their destination.
This was a wonderful idea and he was so thoughtful; I knew it represented his love for someone to take special care of his gift.
I thought about Jesus like the man who didn’t want his flowers to wilt and die. Jesus came that we might have life abundantly here and to give us eternal life so we really never have to die either. Yes, we will leave this earth one day in the physical, but our spirit man will live forever. Our earthly body (like a rose) dies, but our spirit is renewed day by day.
Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) (American Standard Version)
The three roses reminded me of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The Father God loved us so much that he gave us His only Son, Jesus, to love and protect us, to heal us and to guide us every day. And He gave us the Holy Spirit to comfort us and empower us to be His witnesses while we are here on earth. Oh, what Love that is ours! He is the best Valentine I could ever have. How about you? There is a song that says “Like a rose trampled on the ground, He took the fall ... ” Yes, He paid the price for you and me to have eternal life and an abundant life now.
The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. (American Standard Version)
I almost wanted to stop and tell that man how thoughtful I thought he was, but I had a short lunch hour and had to be back to work. But then I thought I could write about the experience and hopefully bless others with the story.
I want to tell others of God’s love and say that perhaps you didn’t have someone that gave you a Valentine rose, candy, or a stuffed animal. It is OK, just take Jesus as your Valentine; love on Him and let Him love on you. Remember He will be your Valentine every day! By the way, you can always buy yourself a rose anytime; and when you look at it think about Jesus - one of His names is “The Rose of Sharon” and He will be with you to brighten up your day.
I am a rose of Sharon, A lily of the valleys. Song of Solomon 2:1 (American Standard Version)
I heard a song titled Ten Thousand Angels Cried, sung by LeAnn Rimes. I could picture heaven the day our Savior was crucified. Those angels were looking at the torture He endured for the salvation of mankind. They must have pondered this senseless way to die. They saw people mocking Him and spitting on Him, lashing at Him with a whip repeatedly, until He was disfigured beyond recognition.
Why would He choose to leave Heaven’s splendor to die in our place, when we were the sinful ones? We cannot understand this. The fact remains that He chose to lay aside his crown and royalty to take on the form of humanity for you and me.
On Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, people attend services in churches around the world. There is the celebration of Resurrection Sunday, better known as Easter.
We rejoice that Jesus was raised from the tomb and lives, forever making intercession for us. He did this so that one day those who have accepted his death, burial, and resurrection will live in Heaven with Him. For those who have invited the Lord into their hearts, those special services remind us of His supreme sacrifice. We rejoice that Jesus loves us so much He went to the cross, as painful and humiliating as it was for Him. When we think about how the sky became pitch black and the curtain in the sanctuary immediately tore in two that day ( OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) , ), the song about the ten thousand angels crying will seem very real. I imagine there may have been a huge display of lightning, thunder, and a downpour of rain. It will be as if those angels were weeping so profusely their tears resonated Heaven's intense response.
Sometimes I still weep and I am so thankful He did not come down from the cross, because I know He purchased eternal life for me. It helps me know that my tears are a language God understands. The angels must have wondered if there could have been another way. It is in those moments it makes me appreciate that although He was God, He removed His divinity to put on the flesh of man.
Now, whenever thunder roars, the wind blows, and the lightning flashes across the sky, I look out my window. As the raindrops become stronger and louder on the rooftop, I think about the day my Savior was crucified and how the angels cried!
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. (NIV)
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (NIV)
For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. (NIV)
Copyright © Cathy Irvin. Used by permission.
In a few weeks my four-year-old great-granddaughter, Destiny and I will go on our first camping trip together to Norfolk Botanical Gardens. At the Gardens, there is an area where families can stay overnight. It's called the "Enchanted Forest."
I would like to go to the Rose Garden to camp out, but camping is prohibited there. If I were to go there, I would probably get in trouble. Secondly, it is wrong to disobey, and I wouldn't want to be a poor example to my little Destiny. Thirdly, we would be unprotected. And, if we stayed in the Rose Garden, we could risk an encounter with thorns, and that is not good!
All in all, it's reason enough pitch our tents in the right place. It is always a good idea to obey the rules and get our minds settled on the fact that following instructions is good. Then we will have success and a safer journey.
Recently my pastor preached a message about obeying the road signs in life because they are there for a purpose. If we heed the warnings, we will avoid defeat, destruction, and failure. I have been mediating on his message and considering how it applies to our thought lives.
The most important thing is that we must refuse to dwell on negative thoughts. I gave myself a pep talk and said, "Hey girl, you can't camp on this thought because it will drag you into failure."
A coach tells his team, "We are going to succeed because we are winners." That positive thought becomes the focus.
This verse from the Word of God can replace a negative thought:
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." ( "> OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) , KJV)
We all want to succeed. No one sets himself up to fail. At times, I felt I could not do something, but when I asked the Lord for help, He shows up. This scripture has helped me think positively.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) a says,
"The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever." (NKJV)
God has great plans for our lives. We are not destined to be quitters, no matter how difficult the task before us. God will not forsake us. If everything in life were easy, we would not see the value of being stretched. When difficulties arise, we must rely on God and not ourselves.
If you're like me, and you think negatively about something that you want to accomplish, remember the sign. It says "No Camping." We are not intended to stay in a place of defeat.
It's time to develop a new way of thinking. The Lord is making a way in your situation. He is perfecting everything that concerns you. Let your mind camp out in God's Word. Put on the mind of Christ.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) says,
"For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ." (NKJV)
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Cathy Irvin authored well over 50 Devotions for CBN over three decades where she served the Lord Jesus Christ at the Christian Broadcasting Network. Cathy loved telling stories and glorifying God in all that she did. On December 16, 2011, Cathy left this earthly dwelling to take up residence in the dwelling prepared for her in Heaven. Her Devotions minister with love and truth.
