Oak Park Church of God BLING Ladies Ministry

09/08/2026

Where Two or More Gather

Scripture:

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” — Matthew 18:20

There is power in gathering in Jesus’ name. When believers unite in prayer, worship, and faith, they make room for God’s presence.

You may feel that your prayer is too small, your voice too weak, or your situation too difficult. But when believers come together, faith rises. One may be weary while another offers strength; one discouraged while another speaks hope; one struggling to pray while another stands in the gap.

There is power in agreement, strength in unity, and comfort in knowing you do not stand alone.

Jesus did not say He would be present only when thousands gathered. He said two or three. Your small gathering matters—your living-room prayer, Bible study, family prayer, and the friends who say, “Let’s pray about it.”

Do not underestimate what can happen when God’s people gather. Chains can break, hearts can heal, hope can return, faith can grow, and impossible situations can begin to shift.

Prayer:
Lord, thank You for godly people who pray, stand, and believe with me. Help me value the power of gathering in Your name. Fill every place where we meet with Your presence. Strengthen the weary, encourage the discouraged, and unite our hearts in faith. May everything we do point to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Remember:
You may see only two or three gathered, but heaven sees an opportunity for God to move. 🙏🏽

Choose carefully who prays with you. Not everyone who offers to pray has the right motives; some may be seeking gossip rather than genuinely seeking God.

09/08/2026

Jacob’s Ladder

“Heaven Is Closer Than You Think”

Scripture: Genesis 28:12–16

'Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’

Jacob was on the run. He was tired, uncertain, and sleeping in the middle of nowhere with a stone for a pillow. He probably didn’t feel like he was in a place where God would meet him.

But that night, Jacob dreamed of a ladder reaching from earth to heaven, with angels ascending and descending on it. And standing above it was the Lord.

God was showing Jacob something powerful: Even when you feel alone, heaven has not lost sight of you.

Jacob thought he was simply trying to survive the night, but God was preparing to reveal His presence and His promise.

Sometimes we find ourselves in our own wilderness—confused about the future, exhausted from the journey, or wondering where God is in the middle of our circumstances. We may feel like we are far from where we are supposed to be.

But Jacob’s ladder reminds us that God can meet you right where you are.

You don’t have to have everything figured out before God shows up. You don’t have to be in a perfect place. You don’t have to understand the journey.

God sees you on the road.

He sees you when you’re tired.

He sees you when you’re uncertain.

And He sees what you cannot yet see.

Jacob woke up and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”

What a reminder for us today: God may already be working in the place you thought was just a setback.

That lonely place may become a place of revelation.
That wilderness may become a place of preparation.
That delay may become a divine appointment.
That difficult season may become the place where you discover just how faithful God really is.

Don’t mistake God’s silence for His absence.

He is closer than you think.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for reminding me that You are with me even when I cannot see You. When I feel lost, tired, or uncertain, help me remember that heaven is still connected to earth and that You are still working on my behalf. Give me faith to trust You in the wilderness and courage to keep walking when I don’t know what lies ahead. Let me recognize Your presence in places I never expected to find You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Declaration

I am not alone. God is with me. Heaven is not silent over my life. Even in my wilderness, God is present, His promises still stand, and my journey is still in His hands.

09/06/2026

God Is Still Writing Your Story

Quit Trying to Steal the Pen—Trust the Author

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV)
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

Have you ever tried to take the pen out of God’s hand because you didn’t like the chapter you were in?

We do it more often than we realize.

We try to rewrite the ending. We rush the process. We make decisions out of fear because we can’t see what God is doing. We look at the blank pages ahead and assume nothing good could possibly be coming.

But God is still writing your story.

That chapter you’re struggling through isn’t the whole book.

Joseph’s story looked like betrayal, slavery, and imprisonment—but God was writing a chapter that would lead him to the palace.

David’s story included caves, rejection, and battles—but God was preparing him for the throne.

The disciples saw the cross and thought the story was over—but God was writing resurrection.

Your current chapter does not determine your final outcome.

Sometimes our greatest struggle isn’t trusting God to write the story; it’s trusting Him when He writes something we wouldn’t have chosen.

We want the promotion now.
The healing now.
The restoration now.
The answer now.

But God sees the entire story while we can only see the page we’re standing on.

Quit trying to steal the pen.

You don’t have to figure out every detail. You don’t have to force every door open. You don’t have to manipulate the outcome.

The Author knows where the story is going.

If God has allowed a chapter you don’t understand, trust Him anyway. If the page looks empty, trust Him anyway. If the plot seems confusing, trust Him anyway.

Because the Author hasn’t finished writing.

Your story may have tears in it, but that doesn’t mean it won’t have triumph.

It may have loss, but that doesn’t mean restoration isn’t coming.

It may have detours, but that doesn’t mean you’ve been forgotten.

God is not finished with you.

Put the pen back in His hand.

Stop trying to control what only God can see.

Trust the Author.

Prayer

Father, forgive me for the times I’ve tried to take control and write my own ending. Help me trust You when I don’t understand the chapter I’m living through. Give me patience while You work, faith when the pages look empty, and courage when the story takes an unexpected turn. Remind me that You see the beginning, the middle, and the end. I surrender my plans, my timing, and my future into Your hands. Keep writing my story, Lord. I trust You with the pen. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Declaration

I will not panic over an unfinished chapter.
I will not force what God has not ordained.
I will not rewrite what God is still working on.
I will trust the Author.
My story is not over.
God is still writing.

09/06/2026

Come to Me and Rest

Matthew 11:28 (KJV)
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

There are times when life feels like too much. The responsibilities keep coming, the burdens feel heavier, and you may find yourself trying to be strong for everyone else while quietly becoming exhausted inside.

But Jesus gives us a beautiful invitation: “Come unto me.”

He doesn’t say, “Figure it all out first.”
He doesn’t say, “Carry it a little longer.”
He doesn’t say, “Come when you have everything together.”

He simply says, Come.

Bring Him the worry. Bring Him the disappointment. Bring Him the unanswered questions. Bring Him the responsibilities that seem too heavy and the things you have been carrying silently.

Jesus never intended for you to carry everything by yourself.

Sometimes we think rest means that the circumstances have changed. But biblical rest can mean having peace while the circumstances are still changing. It is trusting that God is holding what you cannot.

Today, stop for a moment. Take a breath. Release what has been weighing you down and place it into the hands of the One who is strong enough to carry it.

You don’t have to carry what Jesus is asking you to surrender.

Prayer

Lord, I come to You just as I am. I am tired, burdened, and sometimes overwhelmed. Help me to stop carrying what belongs in Your hands. Give me peace where there is worry, strength where there is weakness, and rest where my soul is weary. Teach me to trust You even when I cannot see the way ahead. Thank You for reminding me that I never have to walk through this alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Today’s Reminder

Come to Jesus. Lay it down. Breathe. Trust Him. Rest.

What you cannot carry, Jesus can.

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09/05/2026

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

Scripture: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” — Hebrews 12:2

Life has a way of giving us plenty of things to look at—our problems, our disappointments, our past, the opinions of others, and the storms we are facing. But what we focus on will often determine how we walk through what we are facing.

Peter learned this lesson when he stepped out of the boat and walked on water toward Jesus. As long as his eyes were on Jesus, he walked in the impossible. But when he began looking at the wind and the waves, fear took over, and he began to sink.

Sometimes we do the same thing. We start out trusting God, but then we look at the circumstances. We look at the bills. We look at the diagnosis. We look at the betrayal. We look at what hasn’t changed yet. Before long, what we are looking at becomes bigger than the One we are trusting.

Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Jesus is greater than the storm.
Jesus is greater than your fear.
Jesus is greater than your past.
Jesus is greater than what you are facing today.

You may not be able to control the waves, but you can choose where you look. Don’t let the storm become your focus. Let Jesus be your focus.

When you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed, lift your eyes again. When you don’t understand what God is doing, lift your eyes again. When you feel like you’re sinking, cry out to Jesus again.

The storm may still be raging, but Jesus is still there.

Prayer:
Lord, help me keep my eyes on You when life becomes overwhelming. When distractions, fear, and circumstances try to pull my attention away, remind me that You are greater than anything I face. Give me the faith to keep walking, even when I cannot see the outcome. I choose to look to You, trust You, and follow You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Remember: What you focus on can magnify your fear, but when you focus on Jesus, your faith begins to rise.

If you lose ok at the waves of life instead of Jesus you will find yourself sinking.

09/04/2026

Devotion: The Blind Man at the Gate

Scripture: Acts 3:2–3

“And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple… who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.”

At the gate, there was a man who had been carried to the same place every day.

He was positioned where people could see him, but his circumstances kept him from moving forward. He depended on others to carry him to the place where he hoped someone would give him something.

Sometimes life can make us feel like that.

We keep showing up at the same gate, asking for the same thing, living with the same limitations, wondering if anything will ever change.

But then Peter and John came along.

The man expected money, but God had something greater in store.

Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”

What the man asked for was temporary, but what God gave him was transformational.

He didn’t just receive something to get him through the day. He received strength to change his life.

And notice what happened next: he got up.

Sometimes we pray for God to change our circumstances, while God is preparing to change us within those circumstances. We may ask for a little relief when God wants to give us restoration. We ask for enough to survive when God wants to teach us how to walk in freedom.

Don’t become comfortable at the gate.

You may have been sitting there a long time, but your history does not have to determine your future.

Jesus can meet you at the gate and give you what money cannot buy, people cannot provide, and circumstances cannot take away.

Your waiting season isn’t wasted.

Your struggle isn’t your identity.

And the place where you’ve been sitting may become the place where your testimony begins.

Get ready to rise.

Prayer

Lord, meet me at every place where I have become comfortable with limitation. Give me faith to believe that You can do more than what I am asking or expecting. Strengthen me to rise when You say rise, to walk when You say walk, and to trust You when I cannot see what is ahead. Let my life become a testimony of Your restoring power. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

09/03/2026

Devotion: When We Know Better, But Still Choose Wrong

Romans 1:32 (KJV)

“Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

There is a dangerous place we can reach spiritually—not when we don’t know what is right, but when we know and choose wrong anyway.

Romans 1:32 is a serious warning about becoming comfortable with sin. Paul speaks of people who knew God’s standard but continued in disobedience. Even more concerning, they began to approve of others doing the same.

Sin can become so familiar that we stop being convicted by it. What once bothered our spirit can eventually become something we excuse, defend, or celebrate.

But God’s conviction is not condemnation—it is an invitation to come back.

Maybe today God is putting His finger on something in your life. Don’t ignore that gentle nudge. Don’t make excuses. Don’t compare yourself to someone else. Ask God to search your heart and give you the courage to surrender whatever doesn’t belong there.

You cannot follow God while continually making peace with what He is asking you to release.

The good news is that repentance opens the door to restoration. God’s grace is greater than your failure, and His mercy gives you another opportunity to choose obedience.

Prayer:
Father, search my heart and reveal anything in me that is not pleasing to You. Give me discernment when I am tempted to call wrong right or become comfortable with sin. Help me not only to know Your Word, but to live it. Give me courage to repent, strength to change, and wisdom to surround myself with people who encourage me toward You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

💡 Today’s Reminder:
Knowing what is right means nothing if we refuse to obey it. Stay sensitive to God’s voice, quick to repent, and determined to walk in truth.

As Christians we shouldn’t sit back and support someone who is sinning. If we do we are telling the world that we think that sin is okay.

09/02/2026

09/02/2026

Avoid Temptation

“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” — Matthew 26:41 (NKJV)

There was a man who loved God, but he kept walking too close to the edge.

He knew what tempted him. He knew the places, the people, the conversations, and the situations that could pull him away from God. Yet instead of staying far away, he kept telling himself, “I can handle it.”

One day, he stepped closer than usual—and suddenly found himself struggling with something he thought he had conquered.

That is how temptation works.

The enemy rarely begins with something that looks dangerous. Temptation often starts small. A thought. A conversation. A compromise. A curiosity. A door that seems harmless.

But what begins as a small step can become a stronghold.

Joseph understood this when Potiphar’s wife tried to tempt him. Joseph didn’t stay around to prove how strong his faith was. He ran. He understood that sometimes victory doesn’t come from standing there and fighting—it comes from removing yourself from the situation.

Sometimes you have to unfollow it.
Sometimes you have to walk away.
Sometimes you have to change the conversation.
Sometimes you have to say no before the temptation has a chance to become a decision.

Don’t be ashamed to run from what threatens your relationship with God.

Running isn’t weakness.

Running can be wisdom.

Jesus told His disciples to watch and pray because He knew something we often forget: our spirit may desire to do what is right, but our flesh is still vulnerable.

You don’t have to prove that you can stand next to temptation.

You prove your strength by knowing when to walk away.

Today, ask God to give you discernment to recognize temptation before it becomes a trap. Ask Him for the strength to close doors that need to be closed and the courage to walk away from anything that pulls you away from His will.

Don’t flirt with what God told you to flee from.

Your peace is worth protecting.
Your purpose is worth protecting.
Your relationship with God is worth protecting.

When temptation comes, remember: you don’t have to give in.

God always provides a way of escape.

Prayer

Father, help me recognize temptation before I fall into it. Give me wisdom to know what I need to walk away from and strength to say no when my flesh says yes. Guard my heart, my mind, my eyes, and my decisions. Help me choose obedience over temporary pleasure and Your purpose over my desires. When temptation comes, remind me that I am not powerless. Give me the courage to run toward You and away from anything that separates me from You.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Reflection

What is one temptation or situation God may be asking you to stop getting close to?

Don’t wait until you’re trapped to decide to leave.

Sometimes the greatest victory is simply walking away.

09/01/2026

What a fun night at our BLING THING
Mix it up night!
Cooking class 101, Dancing class 102, and Sharing recipes! Lots of laughter, fun and fellowship and the word!