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The Great Flip Easter

“The Deep Magic will be Appeased” and Three Lenten Devotions

The season of Lent, for me, is a time to remember God’s amazing grace, mercy and sacrifice for me. I know a lot of people give up things like food, drinks, activities, etc. to create time to pursue more of God. There is nothing wrong with fasting during this season. Those activities are meant to help us return to the Lord in a spirit of repentance.

But consider “the great flip” in this way of thinking. Instead of “doing more for God” try remembering all that God has done for you. Put yourself in a position to recognize all the gifts the Lord continues to give you every day. Consider that even the act of repentance is a gift.  Remember, the top priority of the Lenten Season is the cross. Christ crucified for you.  Then the joy of forgiveness and Easter morning will be all the more spectacular!

Here are three devotions to share with your children for the season of Lent:

The Deep Magic will be Appeased.

But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice. 

{ Hebrews 9:26 }

Have you read Narnia’s “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe?” There’s a difficult scene where the lion, Aslan, appears to be defeated by the white witch. All because the boy, Edmond, was selfish, stubborn, and made a terrible mistake. The boy should have paid the price for his sin. Instead, Aslan sacrifices himself and saves Edmond. What appears to be a terrible defeat turns out to be a great victory. (Spoiler Alert! Read the book for the full story!)

“Narnia” written by C. S. Lewis, is also a story of the sacrifice of Jesus. We are selfish, stubborn people. We make horrible mistakes. We deserve punishment for our wrongdoings. But God in his great love for you, sent his son Jesus, to pay the price for your sins. It’s a difficult scene to watch Jesus die on the cross. But his great sacrifice is now your greatest victory. 

Action Point: Write a letter or say a prayer to Jesus and confess your sins. Say you are sorry to him. Spoiler Alert! He is faithful to forgive your sins because of His sacrifice for you!

if it's not good news, it's not the gospel

Restore me, and I will be restored.

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. 

{ Psalm 51:17}

Have you ever done something so terrible you thought it was unforgivable? 

King David did. He had committed a terrible sin. David was crushed for the bad thing he had done. He saw no way to make himself right before God. 

When your heart is broken, God will not reject you. You are experiencing a beautiful gift from God. It’s called repentance. To repent is to turn away from the bad and to turn toward the good. In Lamentations 5:21, the people realized only God can turn them back to him. 

“Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had!”

And when God restores your broken heart, he also restores assurance of His forgiveness.

“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” 1 John 1:9

Action Point: How is God turning you back to him? Repent and read Psalm 51.

girl reading Bible

How to sit at Jesus’ feet.

Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.

{ Luke 10:17 }

How do you like to worship? Do you like to sing songs? Do you enjoy praying and reading the Bible, Or how about serving as an act of worship?

If your worship is more about what you do, then you might like the Bible story about two sisters who worshiped Jesus. One worshiped by focusing her attention on what she was doing for him. One worshiped by focusing her attention on what Jesus was doing for her. 

There is nothing wrong with singing, praying, reading, and serving as acts of worship. Jesus instructs us to do those things, not to earn God’s love, but because we already have it. 

The kind of worship Jesus seeks is the acknowledgment of his gifts to you, not our gifts to him. Jesus was so sweet to both sisters when he explained the simple truth that worship is more about receiving from him than doing something for him. 

Action Point: Next time you are in church, pretend to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to all the ways you receive God’s gifts as an act of worship.

Jody Token is the creator and coach of The Great Flip, online martial arts for ages six and up. She writes devotions for True Girl, a ministry of Dannah Gresh. The Great Flip is a national program alliance for American Heritage Girls. 

 

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Coach Jody’s True Girl Devotions

There’s nothing better than proclaiming the good news of Jesus’ love … for you! The Gospel (the good news) is my primary concern in every devotion I write. It’s the upside down or “the great flip” of scripture. He took all your sin and gave you his perfection. Martin Luther called it the great exchange, but I call it The Great Flip.

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

When God sees you through the lens of Christ crucified, he sees you restored, redeemed and perfect.  No amount of good work earns this salvation. It is on Christ alone that you are free. It is my hope that from this good news you are compelled to tell your friends and family about God’s great love for them too, thus extending the kingdom of God. Not “for” your freedom, but “from” your freedom.

I was privileged to write devotions for my friends at True Girl, a ministry of Dannah Gresh. True Girl ministers to mothers and daughters to create opportunities to discover deep Biblical truths together, so they grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus. Because once you know the Truth, it will set you free.

Share these devotions with your girls. Participate in the “Action Point” at the end of each devotion to create personal application to each Biblical truth.

 

Health for Your Body and Bones! girl power vs God's power

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. { Proverbs 3:5–8 } 

It’s important to take good care of your body. Eating whole foods like fruits and veggies, drinking water instead of soda, spending more time being active than you spend on screens, and getting enough sleep are four awesome ways you can do that! But the Bible says there’s something else that brings health and nourishment to you. When you trust in the Lord, you have less stress. When you have less stress, you worry less. When you worry less, your body becomes healthy and your bones grow strong. Why trust God? Because He loves you! “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). That is a promise you can trust! Let it sink into your body and bones! 

ACTION POINT: What do you worry about? Write about it in your prayer diary and ask God to help you trust Him with that part of your life. 

 

Rest Is a Gift

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” { Exodus 20:8 } ukulele

When it comes to taking care of your body, mind, and spirit, it’s important to remember the Sabbath day. That’s what the Bible calls a day of rest. Rest matters just as much as being active does. After riding your bike or playing soccer, your body needs rest to recover. The same goes for everyday life.

My daughter, Megan, is a senior in college. She struggles with perfectionism and anxiety. But she’s discovered the joy of Sabbath rest. It has changed her life and helped her be more peaceful. She now sees Sabbath as a gift. It provides the motivation she needs to work hard all week, so on Sunday morning, she can enjoy church with her friends, grow spiritually as she hears God’s Word, take communion and celebrate her baptism. Megan doesn’t think about homework or her “to-do” list. Instead, she gives it to God, and He gives her rest and joy. Not every week is perfect, but it’s a pattern of living that’s brought order to her routine. Sunday afternoons, she takes time to hang out with friends, lay on the couch, do art projects, plays her ukulele, or go for a hike. This commandment is now a beautiful gift she enjoys every Sunday. You can enjoy it too! 

ACTION POINT: Talk to your mom about Sabbath. What activities do you need to prioritize during the week to give your family the gift of Sabbath rest? What would you do if that day was free of “to-do” lists? 

 

Motivation 101 jump for joy

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” { Ephesians 2:8–9 }

I’m not a math whiz at all. Far from it. But there’s one math equation that motivates me to take care of my body, eat healthy foods, work hard, love God, and serve my neighbor.

It’s this simple equation: Jesus + nothing = everything.

Let me show you the opposite, false equation: Jesus + something = nothing.

The world teaches us to do more to get more. But God’s math is different. When we do good things like show kindness to others or memorize Scripture verses, we aren’t trying to earn God’s love. We already have it! And we cannot take credit for it. Sometimes our bad math even shows up when we think about our salvation story. Anything good we have or do is because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross. That includes God’s gift of salvation. Sometimes it’s hard to understand this and just accept Christ’s death on the cross as a gift. But that’s just what it is: a free gift! 

ACTION POINT: In your diary, write today’s verse. Under it, list a few reasons you are grateful for God’s grace to you. Then, thank God for all of His finished work on the cross. 

 

Receive New Strength

“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” { Isaiah 40:29–31 }

My husband and I wanted our daughters to learn self-defense skills. We chose a martial art called Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The training method says a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend themselves against a bigger, stronger, heavier opponent. It trains the body and mind to outsmart the opponent, overcome the situation, and not grow weary.

God’s people felt weak and powerless when they were in exile. That means they’d been taken from their home and forced to live in a foreign land. They’d rebelled against God and were overcome by a stronger adversary because of their sin. Yet God, in His mercy, promised to rescue and redeem them not because of their strength or ability, but because of His power, mercy, and love toward them.

When you feel weak, powerless, and exhausted, God has good news for you. Romans 5:6 says, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Wow! His resurrection power gives you new strength to overcome your toughest battles. Remember, your identity and power come from Jesus! 

ACTION POINT: Pretend to fly around the room like a soaring eagle and thank God for new strength through Jesus! To learn more about your identity and power in Christ, read Colossians 2. 

 

Girl Power Vs. God Power online self-defense for girls

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” { Philippians 4:13 } 

When my daughter first saw this verse, she was excited by the possibilities! She could win first place in her cross country meet or ace her math test. But no matter how hard she tried, she didn’t get first place, and that math test was harder than she expected. She felt exhausted and defeated.

Who is the source of your strength? Your own girl power or God’s power? Girl power is driven by results. The promise is conditional. If you work hard enough and win, you get credit. If you work hard and fail, then you feel like a failure. Girl power is fake power. But God’s power is unconditional, never-ending, and a gift from Jesus.

This Bible verse, penned by the Apostle Paul, promises Christ-followers the power of Jesus in all circumstances. That means on bad days, you can be OK. Christ’s strength empowers you in any situation, whether it’s good or bad. If you win, He celebrates with you. If you lose, God strengthens you with His comfort and peace. God’s power is real power. A girl can do anything not because of who she is or how hard she tries. A girl can do anything because of whose she is, and His name is Jesus! 

ACTION POINT: Write “girl power” on a piece of paper. Now rip it up and throw it in the trash. Next, write today’s verse and things you need strength for today. Thank God for His power in your life!

Coach Jody

Your Coach

 Jody Token, a certified Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor and national girl-ministry influencer, intends to empower girls (age six and up)  to overcome fear with faith and sneak in a few super-power ninja skills.

The Great Flip empowers girls with online self-defense, safety and faith-filled resources. Girls learn simple self-defense skills at home, at school and after-school.

Jody’s daughters inspired her to develop an online self-defense experience to gain a basic understanding of the martial arts, avoid the germy gym, and improve overall health and wellness. The Great Flip is a national program alliance for American Heritage Girls, a Christ-centered character and leadership development program for girls five to 18 years of age. Coach Jody intends to counter the culture by exposing the lies of girl power and proclaiming the gospel of God’s power.

Jody Token, Press Sheet

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