God Calling: Women's Edition

GOD

CALLING

WOMEN’S EDITION

Edited By

A. J. Russell

God Calling © John Hunt Publishing, Ltd., New Alresford, Hants, UK

Additional material compiled by Carol Smith, © 2014 Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Print ISBN 978-1-63058-383-5

eBook Edition:

Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-63058-388-0

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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Cover design by Kirk DouPonce, DogEared Design.

Published by Barbour Books, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.barbourbooks.com

Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.

Table of Contents

January

1. Between the Years

2. Arm of Love

3. The Way Will Open

4. Do Not Plan

5. Hoard Nothing

6. Sharp and Ready

7. The Secret Pearl

8. Love Bangs the Door

9. No Strain

10. Influence

11. The Ache of Love

12. Thanks for Trials

13. Friends Unseen

14. Mighty and Marvelous

15. Relax

16. Friend in Drudgery

17. God’s Rush to Give

18. Faith–Works

19. Love Anticipates

20. At One with God

21. A Crowded Day

22. Gray Days

23. How Power Comes

24. Your Great Reward

25. Way of Happiness

26. Keep Calm

27. Height of the Storm

28. Low Ambitions

29. I Clear the Path

30. The Soul at War

31. Suffering Redeems

February

1. Another Start

2. Practice Love

3. If Men Oppose

4. Drop Your Crutch

5. You Shall Know

6. Drop Your Crutch

7. Light Ahead

8. On Me Alone

9. The Voice Divine

10. The Lifeline

11. The Difficult Path

12. Meet Me Everywhere

13. Near the Goal

14. In My Presence

15. Inspiration—Not Aspiration

16. Never Ruffled

17. Psychic Powers

18. Let Me Do It

19. Endure

20. Claim Your Rights

21. Nothing Can Hurt

22. You Must Trust

23. Se2cret of Healing

24. Share Everything

25. How to Conquer

26. Swift Help

27. Spirit Sounds

28. Perfect Work

29. Draw Near

March

1. Shower Love

2. Spirit Words

3. Grow Like Me

4. Key to Holiness

5. Fear Is Evil

6. Love and Laugh

7. Surprises

8. Heaven–Life

9. Nothing Is Small

10. Fruit of Joy

11. Seek Beauty

12. Simplicity

13. Spiritualism

14. God’s Touch

15. Your Cross Is You

16. Reflect Me

17. No Greater Joy

18. Your Resolutions

19. Courage

20. Help from Everywhere

21. All Is Well

22. A Bud Opened

23. Until Your Heart Sings

24. Know Me

25. Wonders Will Unfold

26. Follow Your Guide

27. Go Forward

28. Evil Mountains

29. A Life Apart

30. Deliverance

31. Love’s Offering

April

1. Shut Out from God

2. The Priceless Blessing

3. Greatness Is Service

4. Divine Efficiency

5. Heart’s Interpreter

6. Easter Joy

7. Calvary

8. Marks of the Kingdom

9. Risen Life

10. Pride Bars the Way

11. Hold Your Fort

12. Golden Opportunity

13. Gentle with All

14. Equally Yoked

15. Never Feel Inadequate

16. Love Your Servants

17. The Two Joys

18. No Dark Days

19. Life Is a Love Story

20. Heart’s Agony

21. You Will Conquer

22. Complain Not—Laugh

23. Too Much Talk

24. I Go Before

25. Bless Your Enemies

26. I Make the Opportunities

27. Seeing Christ

28. The Roundabout Way

29. Disharmony

30. Springtime

May

1. Delay Is Not Denial

2. Souls That Smile

3. Kill Self Now

4. Share with Me

5. Let Me Choose

6. Sublime Audacity

7. Against the Tide

8. The Rest of God

9. Harmony Within

10. Calm—Not Speed

11. The Divine Third

12. Thrill of Protection

13. Never Judge

14. The Love of a Lover

15. First the Spiritual

16. Pray and Praise

17. Sorrow to Joy

18. New and Vital Power

19. Rescued and Guided

20. Win Me—Win All

21. Fling It at My Feet

22. Command Your Lord

23. Little Frets

24. Abundance

25. Accomplish Anything

26. Claim More

27. Roots and Fruits

28. Test Your Love

29. Forget

30. The Devil’s Death Knell

31. Prayer Without Words

June

1. Companionship

2. My Image

3. Eject Sin with Love

4. Divine Patience

5. That Tender Voice

6. How Men See Me

7. True Beauty

8. The Only Way

9. An Obstacle Race

10. The Day of Trouble

11. My Mark!

12. House on a Rock

13. God-Inspired

14. Face Today with Me

15. Glory, Glory Dawneth

16. Seek Me Early

17. Dear Name

18. Wait

19. The Success You Covet

20. Miracles Again

21. See As I See

22. Your Red Sea

23. Cling to Me

24. When Guidance Tarries

25. God’s Friendship

26. Do Not Rush

27. No Self-Reproach

28. Table of Delights

29. My Will—Your Joy

30. Understand Them

July

1. Attack Fear

2. The Child-Spirit

3. Spiritual Fullness

4. Friend of Mine

5. You Are Invincible

6. Riches

7. Painful Preparation

8. My Secret

9. Why Doubt?

10. Expect Many Miracles

11. Guardian Angels

12. Savior and Savior

13. Expect the Good

14. True Success

15. Songs on the Way

16. Refuge

17. Peace Be Still

18. Walk Humbly

19. Marvelous Happenings

20. My Standard

21. The Way of Praise

22. Miracle of the Ages

23. Stop All Work Until—

24. Keep Close

25. Wonderful Life

26. Forget—Forgive

27. My Consolation

28. Mistakes

29. Sunlit Glades

30. Faith Rewarded

31. Gratitude

August

1. Blessed Bond

2. Harvest

3. Give Every Moment

4. Eternal Life

5. Hour of Need

6. Dwell Apart

7. All Is Well

8. Empty Yourself

9. Effort and Rest

10. Stray Sheep

11. You Are Mine

12. Rule the World

13. Perfection

14. My Richest Gift

15. Not Punishment

16. No Tired Work

17. Nature Laughs

18. Stones of the Way

19. A Human Temple

20. Shame and Remorse

21. Broken Voices

22. Gleams of Sunlight

23. The Summit

24. Sublime Heights

25. Exhaustion

26. Accept Trials

27. Tangled Skeins

28. Continuous Service

29. Breathe My Name

30. Give, Give, Give

31. Pray and Deny

September

1. How Rich You Are

2. I Must Provide

3. Live in the Unseen

4. Drop Those Burdens

5. Progress

6. Your Loved Ones

7. Everlasting Arms

8. Walk in My Love

9. Cultivate—Yourself

10. God or Mammon?

11. A Generous Giver

12. Money Values

13. No Other Name

14. When Faith Fails

15. Quiet Strength

16. Assurance

17. Faltering Steps

18. Dwell There

19. Full Joy

20. Taste and Trust

21. See the Father

22. Joy—Tribute

23. Turn Again

24. Learn of Me

25. Come and Stay

26. Serve All

27. Divine Restraint

28. The Secret Path

29. I Touch Your Arm

30. Wisdom

October

1. Secret of Prosperity

2. True Meekness

3. Blessed Assurance

4. All You Desire

5. No Chance Meetings

6. A Child’s Hand

7. Rejoice at Weakness

8. The Dark Places

9. Love Me More

10. Extra Work

11. Shame and Distress

12. You Are My Joy

13. The Sculptor’s Skill

14. The Sacrifice

15. Feel Plenty

16. The Imprisoned God

17. Faith-Vision

18. Loneliness

19. Hear My Answer

20. No Burden Irks

21. A Love Feast

22. Home-Building

23. Hill of Sacrifice

24. Salt of the Earth

25. No Unemployment

26. Deserters

27. Days of Conquest

28. Glad Surprises

29. Discount Money

30. The Hardest Lesson

31. The Voice Again

November

1. Prayer of Joy

2. Spend

3. No Limit

4. I Am Beside You

5. Second Advent

6. God in Action

7. Self Kills Power

8. Wipe the Slate

9. Wonderful Friendship

10. New Forces

11. Heaven’s Colors

12. The Voiceless Cry

13. Every Problem Solved

14. Devious Ways

15. By My Spirit

16. Union Is Power

17. Quiet Lives

18. Dazzling Glory

19. Hills of the Lord

20. Mysteries

21. Radiate Joy

22. Only Love Lasts

23. Earth’s Furies

24. Suffer to Save

25. The Heavenly Beggar

26. My Beauty

27. Not Thwarted

28. The Way of the Spirit

29. When Two Agree

30. From Self to God

December

1. Responsibility

2. The Ideal Man

3. A Journey with Me

4. Man of Sorrows

5. Law of Supply

6. Expect Temptation

7. Food of Life

8. My Kingdom

9. Your Search Rewarded

10. The Quiet Time

11. A Sunrise Gift

12. Carefree

13. Perpetual Guidance

14. Storms

15. My Shadow

16. What Joy Is

17. Conditions of Blessing

18. See Wonders

19. Perfect Love

20. Depression

21. Smile Indulgently

22. Practice Protection

23. The World’s Song

24. He Is Coming

25. Babe of Bethlehem

26. Health and Wealth

27. Glorious Work

28. Signs and Feelings

29. Work and Prayer

30. Fishers of Men

31. Jesus the Conqueror

Scripture Index

Introduction

Very few books, even number-one bestsellers, are read with much passion a decade after their release. In twenty or thirty years, most are largely forgotten.

So there must be something special about a book that is not only read but revered more than seventy years after its first publication. God Calling is such a volume.

It began in the fall of 1932 when two British women met to pray and share fellowship with each other, and to write down what they thought God was saying to them through His Son, Jesus Christ. Ultimately, they generated a year’s worth of writings, which were then edited for publication by A. J. Russell, a London newspaperman.

The two women, who have always remained anonymous, were poor, brave [and] courageously fighting against sickness and penury, in Russell’s words. They were facing a hopeless future and one of them even longed to be quit of this hard world for good, he wrote in his original introduction. But then God spoke to their hearts, and God Calling was born.

Over the decades, the anonymous friends’ work has become one of the most read and beloved daily devotionals of all time. Millions of copies have been printed and sold, read personally and given as gifts, in Great Britain and the United States. The book has also been translated for use around the world.

Its literary approach—God Calling is written as if Jesus Himself is speaking to the reader—resonates with both men and women, of varying ages and cultures. Open this book at any page and taste its beauty, Russell wrote. Dwell lovingly on its tender phrases. Let its wonderful quality sink deep into your spirit.

Those tender phrases and wonderful qualities are reproduced completely and without change in this new edition. Everything that makes God Calling so powerful will be found in these pages, along with exciting new expanded edition features especially for women presented in colored type. For example, a carefully selected scripture has been added to every entry. Throughout the book, you’ll also find:

beautiful, relevant hymn lyrics,

helpful prayer starters,

consider questions for further thought.

We hope this expanded edition of God Calling will provide challenge, encouragement, and inspiration for your Christian walk. Read on to meet your loving Savior.

THE PUBLISHER

JANUARY 1

Between the Years

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

MATTHEW 6:34

Our Lord and our God. We joy in Thee. Without Thy Help we could not face unafraid the year before us.

Istand between the years. The Light of My Presence is flung across the year to come—the radiance of the Sun of Righteousness. Backward, over the past year, is My Shadow thrown, hiding trouble and sorrow and disappointment.

Dwell not on the past—only on the present. Only use the past as the trees use My Sunlight to absorb it, to make from it in after days the warming fire-rays. So store only the blessings from Me, the Light of the World. Encourage yourselves by the thought of these.

Bury every fear of the future, of poverty for those dear to you, of suffering, of loss. Bury all thought of unkindness and bitterness, all your dislikes, your resentments, your sense of failure, your disappointment in others and in yourselves, your gloom, your despondency, and let us leave them all, buried, and go forward to a new and risen life.

Remember that you must not see as the world sees. I hold the year in My Hands—in trust for you. But I shall guide you one day at a time.

Leave the rest with Me. You must not anticipate the gift by fears or thoughts of the days ahead.

And for each day I shall supply the wisdom and the strength.

JANUARY 2

Arm of Love

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

GALATIANS 6:2

You are to help to save others. Never let one day pass when you have not reached out an arm of Love to someone outside your home—a note, a letter, a visit, help in some way.

Be full of Joy. Joy saves. Joy cures. Joy in Me. In every ray of sunlight, every smile, every act of kindness, or love, every trifling service—joy.

Each day do something to lift another soul out of the sea of sin, or disease or doubt into which man has fallen. I still walk today by the lakeside and call My Disciples to follow Me and to become fishers of men.

The helping hand is needed that raises the helpless to courage, to struggle, to faith, to health. Love. Laugh. Love and laughter are the beckoners to faith and courage. Trust on, love on, joy on.

Refuse to be downcast. Refuse to be checked in your upward climb. Love and laugh. I am with you. I bear your burdens. Cast your burden upon Me and I will sustain thee. And then in very lightheartedness you turn and help another with the burden that is pressing too heavily upon him or her.

How many burdens can you lighten this year? How many hearts can you cheer? How many souls can you help?

And in giving you gain: Good measure, pressed down, and running over. I your Lord have said it.

JANUARY 3

The Way Will Open

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength.

ISAIAH 40:31 KJV

You must be renewed, remade. Christ, Christ, Christ. Everything must rest on Me. Force is born of rest. Only Love is a conquering force. Be not afraid, I will help you.

Be channels both of you. My Spirit shall flow through and My Spirit shall, in flowing through, sweep away all the bitter past.

Take heart. God loves, God helps, God fights, God wins. You shall see. You shall know. The way will open. All My Love has ever planned, all My Love has ever thought, you shall see each day unfold. Only be taught. Just be a child. A child never questions plans. It accepts gladly.

My Father is rich in houses and lands,

He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!

Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,

His coffers are full, He has riches untold.

I’m a child of the King,

A child of the King:

With Jesus my Savior,

I’m a child aof the King.

HARRIET EUGENIA PECK BUELL

A CHILD OF THE KING

PRAY:

Give me the heart of a daughter, never questioning Your love and grace, so abundantly sent my way. Give me the heart of a daughter, never doubting Your goodness I’m moving toward.

JANUARY 4

Do Not Plan

A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.

PROVERBS 16:9

Shew us Thy Way, O Lord, and let us walk in Thy Paths.

Lead us in Thy Truth and teach us.

All is well. Wonderful things are happening. Do not limit God at all. He cares and provides.

Uproot self—the channel-blocker. Do not plan ahead; the way will unfold step by step. Leave tomorrow’s burden. Christ is the Great Burden-bearer. You cannot bear His load and He only expects you to carry a little day-share.

Our days are in God’s hands.

He is all-sufficient to meet our needs, and the Savior is with us every step of the way.

ELIZABETH GEORGE

GOD’S GARDEN OF GRACE

JANUARY 5

Hoard Nothing

And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things."

LUKE 12:29–30

Love Me and do My Will. No evil shall befall you. Take no thought for tomorrow. Rest in My Presence brings Peace. God will help you. Desire brings fulfillment. Peace like a quiet flowing river cleanses, sweeps all irritants away.

You shall be taught, continue these prayer times, even if they seem fruitless. The devil will try by any means to stop them. Heed him not. He will say evil spirits may enter in. Heed him not.

Rest your nerves. Tired nerves are a reflection on, not of, God’s Power. Hope all the time.

Do not be afraid of poverty. Let money flow freely. I will let it flow in, but you must let it flow out. I never send money to stagnate—only to those who pass it on. Keep nothing for yourself. Hoard nothing. Only have what you need and use. This is My Law of Discipleship.

The essence of a financial plan is to determine the best way, as a manager, to handle God’s money that He has entrusted to you. The real issue is not how much of your money you plan to give to God, but rather how much of His money you will keep for yourself.

DEBORAH SMITH PEGUES

30 DAYS TO TAMING YOUR FINANCES

JANUARY 6

Sharp and Ready

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 TIMOTHY 2:15

Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah,

Pilgrim through this foreign land.

I am weak but Thou art mighty,

Guide me with Thy powerful Hand.

You must pray. The way will open. God cares and His plans unfold. Just love and wait.

Love is the Key. No door is too difficult for it to open.

What cause have you to fear? Has He not cared for and protected you? Hope on. Hope gladly. Hope with certainty. Be calm, calm in My Power.

Never neglect these times. Pray and read your Bible and train and discipline yourself. That is your work—Mine to use you. But My instruments must be sharp and ready. Then I use them.

Discipline and perfect yourselves at all costs. Do this, for soon every fleeting thought will be answered, every wish gratified, every deed used. It is a fearful Power, a mighty Power. Oh! be careful that you ask nothing amiss—nothing that is not according to My Spirit.

All thoughts harmful must be turned out. See how necessary I have made the purity and goodness of your own lives to you. Soon, you shall ask and at once it will come. Welcome the training. Without it I dare not give you this Power.

Do not worry about others’ lives. You must perfect yourselves first in My Strength.

JANUARY 7

The Secret Pearl

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

2 CORINTHIANS 7:1

Look upon us with Thy favor, O Lord, while we behold the land that is very far off and yet so near to the seeing eye and the listening ear.

Wait. Wonders are unfolding. Tremble with awe. No man can stand upon the threshold of Eternity unshaken. I give unto you Eternal Life. A free gift, a wonderful gift—the Life of the Ages.

Silently comes the Kingdom. No man can judge when It enters the heart of man, only in results. Listen quietly. Sometimes you may get no message. Meet thus all the same. You will absorb an atmosphere.

Cultivate silence. God speaks in silences. A silence, a soft wind. Each can be a message to convey My meaning to the heart, though by no voice, or even word.

Each word or thought of yours can be like a pearl that you drop into the secret place of another heart, and in some hour of need, lo! the recipient finds the treasure and realizes for the first time its value.

Do not be too ready to do, just be. I said, "Be ye therefore perfect not do" perfect things. Try and grasp this. Individual efforts avail nothing. It is only the work of the Universal Spirit—My Spirit—that counts.

Dwell in thought on this more and more; saints have taken a lifetime to grasp it.

JANUARY 8

Love Bangs the Door

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

2 CORINTHIANS 4:16–17

Life with Me is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties. My guidance is often by shut doors. Love bangs as well as opens.

Joy is the result of faithful trusting acceptance of My Will, when it seems not joyous.

St. Paul, my servant, learnt this lesson of the banged doors when he said our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Expect rebuffs until this is learned—it is the only way.

Joy is the daughter of calm.

God is faithful. If He has allowed a trial into your life, you can bank on the fact that He has a reason for having done so. Trust Him with your pain. Trust Him that He has a plan.

REBECCA LUSIGNOLO-MCGLONE

ADVERSITY

JANUARY 9

No Strain

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

MATTHEW 11:28–30

Be calm, no matter what may befall you. Rest in Me. Be patient, and let patience have her perfect work. Never think things overwhelming. How can you be overwhelmed when I am with you?

Do not feel the strain of life. There is no strain for My children. Do you not see I am a Master Instrument-maker? Have I not fashioned each part? Do I not know just what it can bear without a strain? Would I, the maker of so delicate an instrument, ask of it anything that could destroy or strain?

No! The strain is only when you are serving another master, the world, fame, the good opinion of men—or carrying two days’ burden on the one day.

Remember that it must not be.

CONSIDER:

What burdens am I straining under? How can I serve God as the woman he wants me to be, yet not be so overwhelmed with service that I don’t maintain my own connection to my heavenly Father?

JANUARY 10

Influence

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

ISAIAH 55:11

When you come to Me, and I give you that Eternal Life I give to all who believe in Me, it alters your whole existence, the words you speak, the influences you have.

These are all eternal. They must be. They spring from the life within you, My Life, Eternal Life, so that they, too, live forever. Now, you see how vast, how stupendous, is the work of any soul that has Eternal Life. The words, the influence, go on down the ages forever.

You must ponder on these truths I give you. They are not surface facts, but the secrets of My Kingdom, the hidden pearls of rare price.

Meditate upon them. Work at them in your minds and hearts.

Our conduct has a direct influence on how people think about the gospel. The world doesn’t judge us by our theology; the world judges us by our behavior. People don’t necessarily want to know what we believe about the Bible. They want to see if what we believe makes a difference in our lives. Our actions either bring glory to God or misrepresent His truth.

CAROLYN MAHANEY

FEMININE APPEAL

JANUARY 11

The Ache of Love

All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the LORD’s, and He rules over the nations.

PSALM 22:27–28

Cry unto Me, and I will hear you and bless you. Use My unlimited stores for your needs and those of others. Seek My wonderful truths and you shall find.

But there was a time in the Upper Room, after My Ascension, when My disciples had to comfort themselves by saying, Did He not speak to us by the way?

There may come times when you sit in silence, when it seems as if you were left alone. Then, I command—command—you to remember I