Author Archives: JoAnn Alo

I’m no risk taker. And putting your faith in God, is risky business. Putting faith in a decent wage comes naturally, a healthy diet—piece of cake. But faith in a God who made everything out of nothing always seems to be too much of a stretch for me. Why is that? When I stand backContinueContinue reading ““Faith apart from works is dead.” James 2:26″

“Be safe,” we hear all over the place, and it makes me laugh when I think of the way the children of God are called to live. Wholly trusting the Holy Spirit’s leading, offering ourselves, a living sacrifice. Does that sound safe to you? Oh, but wait. After Paul and Silas were drug to prison and locked inContinueContinue reading ““Whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” Proverbs 29:25″

The Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean.2 Chronicles 30:17 “Why so much blood, God?” I questioned this morning. One-thousand bulls, seven-thousand sheep, sacrificed and splattered across the altar of the Lord. I just don’t get it. And when all was burnt up, they sang for days, bursting withContinueContinue reading “The Horror of Sin”

In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the Lord.2 Chronicles 28:2 When your conscience bothers you, what do you do? When you realize you’ve blown it, do you stay faithful to your poor decision, determined to stay hidden and preserve your reputation? The Bible calls this, bondage. Jesus came to freeContinueContinue reading “Leave the Sin that Leaves You Empty”

The king listened to them.2 Chronicles 24:17 It’s often a gradual, seductive turn. We come to a crossroad, a challenge, a loss and start listening to people’s advice. We can feel desperate to realign the course we are on when the future suddenly looks different. This is not the time to abandon God. This isContinueContinue reading “Trouble & Testing”

I didn’t know what to do. Feeling pulled in a thousand directions, I started cursing, yelling at the tiniest details of every-day life. All the inessentials, niceties, trivial stuff that won’t mean a hill’a beans in the end. Is anyone going to notice dried rosemary in their soup as opposed to fresh? Must every flowerContinueContinue reading ““When they began to sing and praise.” 2 Chronicles 20:22″

Inquire first for the word of the Lord.2 Chronicles 18:4 I can’t count the decisions I’ve made in haste. Choices to go, stay, do, take, give without a single inquiry of what God—who alone is wise—would have me do. As if I haven’t made a million wrong moves! I’m tired of me, friends—because I’ve doneContinueContinue reading “Stop & Pray”

Distress is a warning signal that we need God. Better communication skills, a change of scenery, a tighter budget, increased exercise, refocused goals, diet changes will not bring the peace we so desperately seek. These may be a result of our turning to God—but they are not the true God. This morning I need toContinueContinue reading ““Without the true God.” 2 Chronicles 15:3″

What a grave eternity awaits those who hold in highest regard numbers of years, friends, income, efforts, abilities—shrugging off the inner treasure of everlasting wisdom the Author of life offers to those who love Him. Let us not forget the words of 130-year-old Jacob, whom God renamed Israel. A deceitful man he was until theContinueContinue reading ““Teach us to number our days.” Psalm 90:12″

Do you need to see Jesus with your own eyes? You’ve heard the stories, witnessed the change in people’s faces, felt the pull to see for yourself if what they’ve said is true. But you’ve refused. For whatever reason; fear, apathy, stubbornness, pride—you’re holding fast past convictions that what they spread is too good toContinueContinue reading ““My own eyes had seen it.” 2 Chronicles 9:6″

I think these the saddest, most frightening words in scripture. I remember the days before the Lord saved my hopeless, helpless self. My life like a roller coaster—thinking highs and lows were all there was to live for, terrified of what waited at the end of the ride. But I could never have articulated thisContinueContinue reading ““They abandoned the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 7:22″

There is a misconception that God hears everyone who prays. That’s not what the bible says. The devil deceives us into imagining, as I have imagined, God some sort of naive father figure able to be suckered by any manipulating kid for ten more minutes at the park. Other unrepentant souls think, as I haveContinueContinue reading “Pray, Seek, Turn 2 Chronicles 7:14”