You Are Not the Only One
A Devotional
by
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Introduction: What Love Is This?
It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. We want to follow man because it is easier to do that than it is to follow God.
—Deuteronomy 13:4
We allow circumstances and personalities to consume us, and before we know it, we are on the outside looking in, wondering what in the world happened to us. I know what happened to me personally. I forgot whom my Lord was and whom I should really fear. After listening to one of my pastor’s sermons, which convicted me of my sins, I came to the point where I realized that even my thoughts will condemn me. No one is free from sin.
God reminds us in His Word that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28). Praise God for His saving grace, His undying love, and His unconditional forgiveness. Why do we consider it unconditional? It is unconditional because He knows that I am human and that as a human being, I will sin. He sent Jesus to intercede for me. Me? I am making this personal, so you should as well. He can look into my future and see the very sin that I am about to commit, yet as much as He hates sin and the sin in me, He still loves me and calls me special! What an example of ultimate love!
Song: “How He Loves Us” by David Crowder Band
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About the Book
This book is a devotional that came from my devotional blog. It has devotionals based on personal situations and or circumstances, and it came from a need that the Lord placed on my heart as I prayed for individuals. The main theme is "living theology."
About the Author
My name is Joyce Gerald. I am the only child of Stanford Alexander French, who has gone home to Jesus. I have lived on two continents and in four countries. I gave my life to Jesus Christ when I was fourteen years old—right after my grandmother died of cancer. Since then, I have served the Lord using the gifts that He has given me, worshipping Him as a member of praise teams or choirs.
I have suffered from fibromyalgia for the last twenty years. I was hospitalized on September 27, 2013. I left the hospital barely able to walk. I could not comb my hair or cook for myself. I could not drive my car. I developed additional side effects from the disease that I did not have before I was hospitalized—fibro fog, memory loss, and intense pain in my fingers and legs. I had to retire from education.
I am the mother of two daughters, who are a blessing to me. I attended Grace Community Church on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, for many years. My pastor at Grace was Roy Graves. He wrote an introduction for this book, and he remains my dear and close friend. Church has always been one of the main focuses of my life. I am currently going back to school to get a MCM degree in theology with a focus on pastoral counseling. This journey was inspired by the people I counsel online through the You are Not the Only One online ministry. I started the ministry in 2009. It has been a challenging five years, but it has also been worth every second. The ministry receives no funds from anyone; I have a small team of prayer warriors, and we pray for anyone who submits a request to the blog. The blog is located here: http://urnottheonlyone.com/.