Speak Truth - Tina Givens

“Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbors,
for we are members of one another.” Ephesians 4:25

She turned three years old that day and I stopped by to drop off a gift. My niece, Jordan, like most birthday girls her age, was happy and exuberant. Fueled by excitement, she leaped and twirled in the middle of the living room floor as she told me all about her day.

Her verbal skills always impressed me. Her infectious enthusiasm caused her words to dance as they came out. We talked about everything from her pretty pink outfit to her birthday lunch earlier at a local kids’ center. The conversation flowed when out of nowhere she blurted, “Mommy is tall.”

Eager to keep the conversation going I asked, “Well, what is Auntie? Am I tall too?” Her mother and I are about the same height, so I never expected her response.

“No,” she said. “You’re big.”

Ouch! I laughed at her innocent candor, but I have to admit that it stung a little because it was true. My weight had inched up over the last year. I knew the time had come to make some changes, but hearing it out loud gave me brutal confirmation.

The truth, even when spoken without malice, sometimes hurts. But, like alcohol poured on an open wound – the pain means it’s working.

Has anyone stung you lately with the truth? Maybe your spouse confronted you about your time commitment to the family. Perhaps it was your boss addressing the quality of your work or a fellow believer expressing concern about sin in your life. I know it hurt you but, if you receive it, it can help you grow and change.

On the other hand, maybe it’s you who needs to speak truth to someone in your life but you are afraid of hurting their feelings. Before you speak, pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the right words and to prepare the person’s heart to receive them.

God used two innocent, truth-filled words from a three-year-old to make me take a hard look at my diet. How will He use your words in the life of your loved ones?



Tina Givens has a passion for encouraging people through her writing and singing. In addition to writing devotional pieces, Tina writes articles and advertising copy as marketing manager for NRB Network, a Christian educational and informational television channel seen nationwide on DIRECTV. Tina lives in Jacksonville, Florida, where she sings with the group Deliberate Praise and is a member of First Coast Christian Writers.

What to Do in a Drought - Tina Givens

“And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.” I Kings 17:7 KJV

My resources were evaporating and it seemed like the job market had completely dried up.

Two years ago I found myself unemployed for nine months and experiencing tremendous financial pressure. I trusted God, but there were moments when I felt drained and helpless.

Little did I know that God was about to unlatch the floodgates of heaven. After months of rejection, I received an unsolicited phone call from a past employer. We’d lost touch over the years, but he’d tracked me down through a mutual friend and called to offer me a job. That is, ‘if I was interested’. If I was interested? It was all I could do, not to run outside and turn cartwheels in the street!

As difficult as it was, I kept my eyes focused on the promises of God. He would provide for me in His own time. The Lord was faithful and His timing perfect. A little while longer and I would have been in financial ruins.

The brook providing drinking water for the prophet Elijah dried up because of drought. But God miraculously provided another source. When finances are tight for me, I wonder what Elijah must have thought as he watched the water dry up. Did he worry in his crisis like I sometimes do? Or did he have confident trust that the Lord would provide?

What about you? Perhaps your brook has dried up and you are in need. Maybe you are alternating between fear and faith as you watch the forecast and see a zero percent chance of rain.

God has not forgotten you. His plan provides in spite of how helpless you feel or how hopeless the situation looks. Keep praying. Remember the countless examples in the Bible and in your life of the Lord’s faithfulness. Dwell on them and build your faith.

God will sustain you during the dry times and, in His perfect timing, He will send the rain.



Tina Givens has a passion for encouraging people through her writing and singing. In addition to writing devotional pieces, Tina writes articles and advertising copy as marketing manager for NRB Network, a Christian educational and informational television channel seen nationwide on DIRECTV. Tina lives in Jacksonville, Florida, where she sings with the group Deliberate Praise and is a member of First Coast Christian Writers.