Today if you are walking through fire, these ten Scriptures are for you. If you are restless and irritated, overworked and overwhelmed with the everyday, these ten Scriptures are for you. Or if you are marvelously content with a full, joyous life, these ten Scriptures are for you too. No matter what we are experiencing or feeling, God's promises are to us. Like water to the thirsty or air to the drowning, the Word of God is LIFE-GIVING.
L is for Love
"The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you." – Jeremiah 31:3
One of the heart cries of every woman is to be loved, and we do all sorts of things trying to find and keep that faithful love we crave. God is not only the author of our desire; He is the answer. Having ransomed us from sin and death by His blood, He adopted us into His family, calls us to follow Him, and walks with us daily. All because God loves us with an unfailing love. Our Lord's love is based on His unchanging character. Therefore, we can be assured that it is always at work in our lives and will never be withheld from us.
I is for Invitation
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." – Matthew 11:28
Christ's offer of rest goes beyond physical sleep or a simple vacation. His invitation is to come to Him as our Savior and give up our attempts to save ourselves. Jesus asks us to trust Him as the Good Shepherd and release our pain, worries, and control to Him. In this submission to Jesus, our spirits are restored, and we have supreme rest for our souls.
F is for Family
"God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land." – Psalm 68:6
As God's daughters, He has prepared families for each of us – which may sometimes be frustrating. But both our physical and spiritual families are His design. No human family is perfect; some are irreparably scarred. And yet even while people anger, irritate, disappoint, and sometimes deeply wound us, God created families because He is good. Within our family, especially our spiritual one, we belong. Here we gain (and give) counsel, instruction, accountability, love, and support.
E if for Eternal Purpose
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." – Ephesians 2:10
All of us have asked, some of us aloud, "Does this even matter?" Does changing another diaper matter? Does this dead-end job serve any purpose? Does teaching Sunday School or math make any difference at all? God's answer is: Yes – it matters. In His love and grace, the good works He has prepared for us follow us into heaven. We change eternity as we choose to lovingly clean up yet another spill, invite our co-worker to church, or patiently work with that student.
G is for Grace and Glory
"For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly." – Psalm 81:11
As we walk with Christ, God withholds from us no good thing. He gives us grace. Grace to overcome sin, temptation, and the world. Grace to go one more hour, bite back one more angry word, and listen calmly to one more tattling child or employee: grace to forgive ourselves, our spouse, and our neighbor. And in the end, God promises glory, His approval, and reward for our self-sacrifice and patience.
I is for Inheritance
"Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing." – 1 Peter 3:9
Take a moment and think about this: God commands and calls us for our good. Not His. Christ died so we may be saved, have peace, live in joy, and gain eternity. He instructs and empowers us to love Him and others so we may gain the reward and inherit the blessing. That is His goal, our blessing.
V is for Victory
"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." – 1 John 5:4
Many soldiers have charged into battle with a human promise of victory. Few have had God's promise of success. But we have God's promise. No matter how hopeless circumstances appear, His assurance is that our faith will triumph over this world and its sorrows and sin. We walk in victory and toward victory!
I is for Insight
"This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life." – Psalm 119:150
Who among us has not come to the end of our ropes, whits, and ability? God knows this and has provided His Word to uphold us in our pain, restore our souls in dry seasons, and guide us into abundant life. Those sweet words of life are there for God's women to immerse themselves in and reap our Savior's counsel, correction, and comfort.
N is for Nothing Withheld
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing." – Psalm 34:8, 10
Sometimes, in the back of our minds, we think, "God is holding out on me. If I did life my way, I would get a better outcome." It seems like if we lied like everyone else – we'd get that job. If we didn't invest so much in our children, our bodies would be nicer. If we slept with our boyfriend – we'd keep him. If, if, if... And then we try our "if" and painfully experience what God has told us all along: The Lord is good, and we lack no good thing. Our Father knows what is best for us, and His death on the cross ensured we will always have what is best as long as we trust in Him.
G is for Guarantee
"Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee." – 2 Corinthians 5:5
The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives results from Jesus' victory and promises and God's provision. His guiding, teaching, and conviction are a guarantee of "this very thing" – eternal life. Jesus will return. We will go to heaven when we die. It will be a perfect paradise, joy-filled and fulfilling. We will live forever with our King and have complete fellowship together. We will because God Himself has already come down to live in and through and beside us every day as the insurance that God – who has never lied, will never lie, and cannot lie – will keep the rest of His promises.
Dearest Lord,
We praise You, a just God and our Savior. Every word You speak is infallibly true. Every promise You make, You keep. Thank you for upholding us in our struggles. Thank you for remembering our work and labor of love. Thank You for loving us, enabling us, and using us daily to do Your will. In Christ's name, Amen.
Learn more about Alisha's newest book, Confessions of a Christian Spinster:
Being single in today's church often feels like a waiting game. You're put on hold in ministry, service, even spiritual growth until you say "I do," and you're either pitied or not seen at all. Unlike today's church, God is not mystified by the presence of unmarried Christ-followers in the pews. In fact, he has masterful plans for those without a ring on their finger. Alisha Plummer points out how God is eager to empower them with purpose and passion.
In Confessions of a Christian Spinster, Alisha explores God's design specifically for Christian singlehood through amusing tales and scripturally based truths. She tackles the difficult questions the church often ignores, like: Where do I fit in? Does the church even want me? Has God forgotten about me? What happens if I never get married? Further, she confronts the church, calling for an adjustment to its couple-centric culture, and asking Christians to understand that their single brothers and sisters are not only valued by God but integral to his kingdom.
Singles will feel seen through Alisha's words; they'll be encouraged to seize their role in the church and inspire their pastoral staff to reinvent their culture on singleness. is a powerful resource for those seeking to live and thrive in a perplexed church--and a way forward for the church itself.
Photo credit: ©Kregel Publications/AlishaPlummer
Photo credit:@kellysikkema
Alisha Plummer is the author of the new book Confessions of a Christian Spinster, as well as an emergency department physician assistant and writer in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. A self-described "perpetual Christian single," she is also a church leader in women's and children's ministries. While this is her first book, Alisha writes for multiple periodical and online publications and regularly blogs at her devotional site, pandorasporch.com.