Bodily Exercise (Thin Enough)
“For bodily exercise is of a little profit, but holiness is profitable for everything,
holding the promise of the present life and of the one coming.”
1 Timothy 4:8
(Book Excerpt From Thin Enough)…
It was twelve o’ clock midnight, and the alarm blared.
“Get up! You must do this!” yelled a voice from somewhere deep within me. Slowly rising from my bed, I avoided the light-headed dizziness and concentrated on every movement.
Already exhausted, I began this day as I did most others, with a collapsing spell. Thud! “How many calories are burned in a drop thud anyway?” I thought to myself as I accepted the collapse as a part of my routine. It was merely the price I had to pay to be nineteen years old, 5’4” and 80 pounds. That kind of thinness wouldn’t happen unless I made it happen!
I obeyed my inner drill sergeant and stumbled in the dark to my exercise equipment. In the beginning, I had enjoyed the sense of accomplishment, the toned body, and the natural endorphin-high that exercise brought me. Somehow that had morphed into the morning installment of my daily punishment.
Driven by fear, I believed my critical inner voice when it told me things such as:
“No one will ever want you unless you’re thin, beautiful, and perfect, you know!”
“You’re not good enough! Who do you think you’re kidding by doing this? But you’d better not stop!”
“You have to finish this. You won’t be able to live with yourself if you don’t.”
The next six punishing hours were a thud fest. I tried to find the emotional strength to deal with my inner commandant’s orders and enough physical strength to keep from fainting again. Collapsing was inevitable, though. I saw it as the price I needed to pay to have perfection and worth.
Each morning, I dreaded and feared the fainting. I knew it would happen. Would I be out for three seconds, thirty seconds, or thirty minutes this morning? I tried to control where I fainted. When I couldn’t, I’d collapse on the equipment, hitting my head on a barbell or bike pedal. Would my mother discover me lying on the floor? I didn’t want to face her “I’m surprised you’re still alive” comments. I prayed not to get caught.
I was fortunate this morning. I was only out for a few seconds. “Okay, now,” I’d coach myself, “come up slowly from the floor.” I tried to make no sudden movements as I’d crawl from the family room into the kitchen…
… I felt myself falling to the floor as my vision turned black. Fainting was a welcome escape. Unconscious, I didn’t have to think about how fat I was, how much I wanted food, how much God hated me, or how much I wanted it all to end. Each time I woke up, I wanted to just lie there on the floor instead. Life was too difficult and too painful…
… Diary Entry…
Got up, sit-ups, weights… worked on the trampoline for 2 hours, 50 minutes—great—did extra sit-ups… I want to lose more weight, though. Before history class, I saw Stacy, and she said I looked different—thinner. Yeah!’”…
Don’t Lean, Squirrel!
“Trust in Elohim with all your heart. And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:6
What Does He Look Like?
“It is the glory of (YAH) God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.”
Proverbs 25:2
There’s more to Him than meets our eye.
“His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire.”
Revelation 1:14
“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.”
Revelation 2:18
Ask Him about Who He is.
What does He look like?
If You Know?: Cruse, Sheryle: 9798272042019: Amazon.com: Books
The Great Physician
“Who forgives all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases;”
Psalm 103:3
As a cancer survivor, I am used to doctor’s appointments. I spend enough time in exam and waiting rooms.
Those of us who are people of faith are familiar with this scripture…
“But when Yahshua heard that, He said unto them, ‘They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.’”
Matthew 9:12; Luke 5:31
Doctors.
“Being sick.”
“Getting well.”
“Getting healed.”
I spend my time, as I wait for appointments and go about my “survivorship,” such as it is, thinking about these words.
I now can relate to “the woman with the issue of blood,” for all the doctors, appointments, blood draws, tests, procedures, and the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual pain and exhaustion I have experienced.
“And a woman was there who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. She had borne much agony under the care of many physicians and had spent all she had, but to no avail. Instead, her condition had only grown worse.
When the woman heard about Yahshua, she came up through the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she kept saying, ‘If only I touch His garments, I will be healed.’ Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
At once Yahshua was aware that power had gone out from Him. Turning to the crowd, He asked, ‘Who touched My garments?’
His disciples answered, “You can see the crowd pressing in on You, and yet You ask, ‘Who touched Me?’”
But He kept looking around to see who had done this. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him trembling in fear, and she told Him the whole truth.
‘Daughter,’ said Yahshua, ‘your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction.’”
Mark 5:25-34
Affliction.
I’ve had more than one. How about you?
I have a special soft spot in my heart for Mark 5.
It first exploded into my life thirty-one years ago.
My rededication experience, which was heavily influenced through my eating disorders.
As I was seeking The Most High, as I was reading more about my Savior, I, inevitably, came across “Jairus’ Daughter (Mark 5:35-43).
“And besought Him greatly, saying, ‘My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray you, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.”
Mark 5:23
That account confronted the hopelessness of my eating disorders. And the shame and the fear I had dealing with it at the time.
I saw my hopeless self, in Jairus’ daughter.
I saw my Savior telling me, “Talitha Cumi.”(“Damsel, I say to you, arise”).
I have written, spoken, and thought about Jairus’ daughter a lot over the years.
Scripture really has a way of sticking with you.
Now, however, yes, I think about the other “damsel,” the woman with the issue of blood.
I consider her to be just as much of a “damsel in distress” as that of Jairus’ Daughter.
She is just as in need of The Great Physician as that of that young girl.
Both females’ lives look hopeless.
One is dead. The other has no quality of life.
And now, being a cancer survivor, I spend time, thought, and energy on “quality of life.”
I prefer to keep my interaction with physicians to a “bare necessity.”
And yeah, that “bare necessity” still feels like it is too much.
In all my cancer-related experiences, it is not lost on me how “the woman with the issue of blood” showed up on the scene FIRST before Jairus’ Daughter.
I dealt with eating disorder stuff before cancer.
But, through “the woman with the issue of blood,” FAITH was central and active.
Jairus’ Daughter, let’s face it, before Our Messiah showed up, looked to be only taking a forever dirt nap. We don’t see the twelve-year old girl’s faith.
Maybe we weren’t supposed to…
“When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.”
1 Corinthians 13:11
I confess that I get fidgety and itchy about this scripture.
What, exactly, constitutes, “a grown up?”
Has my faith in The Great Physician “grown up?”
To be determined.
But The Great Physician means something else to me than He did through Jairus’ Daughter.
Is it just mortality thoughts at work?
Aging?
Or is it more?
I hope and pray it’s more.
How about you?
Are you waiting for a doctor’s appointment, or for a slew of them?
How many physicians have you had to endure?
Were any of them “great?”
“Heal me, O Elohim, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for You are my praise.”
Jeremiah 17:14
I have faith that He is still at work. He’s healing me in unusual ways, that maybe don’t seem obvious.
But healing is happening.
It is for you as well.
Let’s pray.
Abba-
I come to You, in The Name of The Master, My Savior, Yahshua.
I come to You, with my issue.
You know what it is.Doctors maybe have not been able to fix it.
Maybe they were not supposed to.
Maybe I am a case for “The Great Physician.”
I seek Him now.
Heal me.
Only You know exactly what that means.
Forgive me and help me.
You know the struggle has been long.
I need You.
Thank You for Your Healing.
I accept and glorify You for it.
I receive it, by faith.
In The Name of Yahshua, I pray.
Amen
Copyright © 2026 by Sheryle Cruse
Examine Yourself (Communion)
IF We Examine Ourselves.
Communion is about more than bread and wine/grape juice.
How many of us bypass “the exam?”
1 Corinthians 11:26-32…
“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim The Master’s death until He comes.”
Verse 26
“So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of The Master in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the Body and Blood of The Master”
Verse 27
“Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.”
Verse 28
“For those who eat and drink without discerning the Body of The Master eat and drink judgment on themselves.”
Verse 29
“That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.”
Verse 30
“But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.”
Verse 31
“Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by (Elohim) the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.”
Verse 32
www.whatishisname.com/name-the-issue/poured-out-for-many
Good Gifts
“…how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!”
Matthew 7:11
Eyes To and Fro (Ms. Googly Eyes)…
“Searching to and fro…”
“For the eyes of Elohim run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him…”
2 Chronicles 16:9
Can you imagine The Most High, The Creator of Everything, doing that for you right now?
Wanting to help you out THAT much?
Recently, my husband and I adopted two kittens.
Here are the baby pictures…
And, of course, in adopting kittens, toys need to also be bought.
Playtime will not be denied.
So, with some of their, “starter toys,” there was this thing.
I call it, “Ms. Googly Eyes,” because I don’t know how to describe it.
It is not mouse or fish-shaped, like so many of her other toys.
It’s pink and furry, with those two eyeballs. Exactly, what kind of creature, in nature, is that supposed to resemble?
Anyway, the girls love it. It has wound up in and behind a lot of furniture.
It took some searching and reaching for it WAAAAY out of reach to get it, to take pics of it, to illustrate my point.
In all the seeking to find this toy, lodged in and behind places that are hard to get to, I thought about Him searching for us. Right now. How does He want to help us? Right now.
“For the eyes of Elohim run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him…”
2 Chronicles 16:9
That concerns you. Do you need help?
He wants to help you with whatever you’re facing.
And ANOTHER THING about Eyes…
“But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which Elohim has prepared for those who love Him.’”
1 Corinthians 2:9
How can He blow your mind AND your eyesight?
Find out.
Let’s Ask Him!
Abba-
We come to You now, in The Name of Your Son, Our Savior, Yahshua.
We know that You see us. You see our lives, everything that is going on with them.
You want to help us. And we want Your Help.
Do what only You can do for us.
You know EXACTLY what’s going on.
Forgive us for any sins that have gotten in the way of the help You want to give us.
You know where we are.
In this moment, we search for and ask for You to reveal Yourself TO us!
Thank You for helping us.
Amen.
Copyright © 2026 by Sheryle Cruse
Whose Mind Is Stayed Upon Him
Whose Mind Is Stayed on Him
“You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You.”
Isaiah 26:3
What’s on our mind?
And more importantly, WHO is on our minds?
George Harrison, Of Beatles’ fame, had a song out, in the later 1980s.
And yeah, it’s secular.
“All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.”
John 1:3
But the point CAN be made and turned towards Him Fully!
Turn now! Be Blessed and at Peace!
Butterfly Needles (Cancerventures)
Butterfly Needles (Cancerventures)
Just ask for butterfly needles. Go easy on your veins.
“You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.”
James 4:2
(Cancerventures Book Excerpt)
…Just Ask:
First, a tip about the lab, the place where all dreaded blood draws are done.
In a conversation with Joy a couple of weeks before my appointment, I asked if it were possible to have a certain nurse draw my blood for this scary CA 27.29 test.
Yes, it is! The art of the ask!
So, I requested that a note be made in my chart, summoning my angel nurse of butterfly needles to do those early 7:30 a.m. honors.
This angel gets it on the first stick. A 25- gauge butterfly needle (because of my teeny, squirmy veins), administered to the top of my left hand, in the vein right above my wrist bone, and voilà! In and out, little pain, no pin cushion.
But I initially thought this request of mine was too fussy, even by my standards.
(In a British accent) “Yes, Alfred, please bring me my personal bloodwork nurse. Have her meet me on the terrace.”
But no, clinics do comply with such a request.
The lesson here: when, in doubt, ask. Just ask. You never know what is possible. Maybe you could get your preferred individual instead of being at the mercy of a potential hatchet person. Just ask…”
Amazon.com: Cancerventures: Tales of a Diagnosed Woman eBook : Cruse, Sheryle: Kindle Store
Let The Word Do The Work
Let the Word Do the Work.
Isaiah 55:8-11:
8“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
11So 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.”
“Work The Word.”
www.whatishisname.com/name-the-issue/let-the-word-do-the-work
“Gripes Go Up.”
The Word, “Gripe” means to complain or protest.
Human beings are notorious for doing that.
We complain… a lot.
I did more than enough of that this morning.
Most of it was laid out in my prayers.
The ideal is that there is nothing, but praise, worship, thanksgiving, and beautiful music sung and proclaimed as we focus on The Most High.
Maybe, like Disney’s Snow White, we even have woodland animals following us around, for further impact.
The scenery is beautiful. And furry.
Yep, that is not me.
I know myself too well.
The film, “Saving Private Ryan” has a scene that always stuck with me.
So much so, it’s what I’m writing about now.
The soldiers, under their Commanding Officer’s orders, ask why he doesn’t complain to them about what’s going on.
The Commanding Officer’s response?
“Gripes go up.”
And it immediately reminded me of the following scripture…
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is Mine and everything in it.”
Psalm 50:12
That is the ULTIMATE COMMANDING OFFICER’S response.
Now, this can make us scratch our heads. The Almighty? The Most High?
Isn’t He supposed to be completely omniscient?
He has no needs because He is The Most High?
It’s hard for us to think that He would even be hungry.
He’s above human needs, right?
It doesn’t affect Him, right?
I mean, the second part of Psalm 50:12…
“…for all the world is Mine and everything in it.”
With that being the case, The Most High, then, is more than capable of making Himself a snack.
But it goes beyond just food and appetite.
If we look closer at the scripture, we see that it’s about something deeper: relationship and connection, yes, WITH The Most High, The Creator of all that is in the world.
The Most High loves.
That means that He can be hurt?
Yes, He’s all-powerful. Yes, He loves.
And if we don’t return that love?
He becomes hurt?
Does that sound ridiculous?
Why would it be seen that way?
Scripture, again, shows us part of the answer…
“We love because He first loved us.”
1 John 4:19
He started it.
He started the whole ball rolling with this relationship thing.
And John 3:16 gives further fuel to that love- desire- for- connection-relationship thing.
“For The Most High so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
He loves. He gave.
It sounds “relational” to me.
And He knows all about us, even if we are completely clueless about Him.
“You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.”
Psalm 139:2
“But as for me, Elohim, You know my heart. You see me and test my thoughts.”
Jeremiah 12:3
He knows us. He loves us.
He loved us FIRST.
Scripture tells us that we are made in His Image (Genesis 1:27).
So, why would He not get hurt, like we get hurt, when love and thoughtfulness are not reciprocated?
He loves. He gives.
He has constant mercy extended to us…
“The faithful love of Elohim never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.”
Lamentations 3:22-23
To me, it looks and sounds like He really wants a relationship with us.
So, it would be obvious to presume we’d gravitate right towards Him, right?
Well…
“As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks Elohim. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.’”
Romans 3:10-12
Yeah, that’s not looking great for us, is it?
We suck, in fact, at this relationship with The Most High.
It’s no wonder why He wouldn’t tell us that He’s hungry.
And He CERTAINLY wouldn’t tell us about the things weighing on His heart, right?
Still...
“For He knows how weak we are; He remembers we are only dust.”
Psalm 103:14
He knows that we need so much help.
Therefore, Yahshua.
Our Savior is the much-needed Bridge to even come close to The Father…
“…‘I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
John 14:6
Relationships. They are challenging. Many of us struggle WITH them.
Yet Our Father wants connection with us.
He knows about our relationship issues, all our issues.
He still loves.
He still desires connection.
He may not “gripe” to us, even as we communicate so many complaints in our prayers, if we seek Him at all.
But He wants our hearts turned to and connected with Him, nonetheless.
Relationships often start with talking.
Let’s keep it simple.
Many of us get tripped up by the word, “prayer.”
Just talk to Him.
Let’s “talk” to Him now.
ABBA-
I come to You right now, in The Name of Your Son, My Savior, Yahshua.
You know how I interact with You, if I even do at all.
You know how “one-sided” it may be.
I know that You desire to love, to know, and to connect with me deeply.
I do not reciprocate that back to You.
Forgive me.
Forgive me for only “griping,” for only complaining.
I need a lot of help to connect with You, in a relationship WITH You.
Help me with that now.
Help me to know, to understand you, to communicate with You.
Forgive me for all my sins.
I turn to You. I accept the price Your Son, Yahshua, My Savior paid for me.
It wasn’t just to forgive my sins.
It was to be in relationship with You.
Help me, right now, to get better at doing that.
To not just “gripe,” but to love You and connect with You.
Thank You for loving me, and for wanting a relationship with me. It is a High Honor.
I, by faith, come to You now, desiring a close relationship with You.
Thank You for responding to me.
I receive it, by faith, in The Name of Yahshua,
Amen.
Copyright © 2026 by Sheryle Cruse
Sorry, Body
I recently caught a podcast, in which an eating disorder therapist mentioned how her young son bumped into some furniture, and made the comment, “Sorry Body.”
Out of the mouth of babes, huh?
“No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as (Yahshua Ha-Mashiach) Christ cares for the church.”
Ephesians 5:29
In all the forgiveness issues we are challenged by, in forgiving others, and forgiving ourselves, have we realized just how much we need to apologize to our very beings?
We were created intentionally.
I’m providing the following Psalm, in its entirety, because it screams loudly OF His intention concerning EACH ONE OF US.
“1 O Elohim, You have searched me
and known me.
2You know when I sit and when I rise;
You understand my thoughts from afar.
3You search out my path and my lying down;
You are aware of all my ways.
4Even before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, O Elohim.
5You hem me in behind and before;
You have laid Your hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
8If I ascend to the heavens, You are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
9If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle by the farthest sea,
10even there Your hand will guide me;
Your right hand will hold me fast.
11If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light become night around me’—
12even the darkness is not dark to You,
but the night shines like the day,
for darkness is as light to You.
13For You formed my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14I praise You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Marvelous are Your works,
and I know this very well.
15My frame was not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,
when I was woven together
in the depths of the earth.
16Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all my days were written in Your book
and ordained for me
before one of them came to be.
17How precious to me are Your thoughts, O Elohim,
how vast is their sum!
18If I were to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand;
and when I awake,
I am still with You.
19O Elohim, that You would slay the wicked—
away from me, you bloodthirsty men—
20who speak of You deceitfully;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21Do I not hate those who hate You, O Elohim,
and detest those who rise against You?
22I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them as my enemies.
23Search me, O Elohim, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
24See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139
NONE of that Psalm was apologetic. None of that Psalm minimized our value, of how it is unique, inherent, and unable to be duplicated.
We are so loved and valued by The Almighty.
“Since you were precious in my sight… I have loved you…”
Isaiah 43:4
“I have chosen you and have not cast you away.”
Isaiah 41:9
Our Father. Creator of Everything.
He IS that intentional about us, in His Love, Design, and Purpose for us.
He does not apologize for who He made, including you, right now, no matter how harshly you regard yourself.
Yeah, I’d say, at least, we owe our bodies an apology, but, more than that.
“Sorry, Body.”
We owe our very beings an apology as well. Spirit, Soul, Mind, AND Body.
We owe The Most High an apology, also.
Let’s Pray.
Abba-
We come to You now, in The Name of Yahshua, Your Son, Our Savior.
You know how we have thought of and spoken about ourselves.
Your Creation.
Your Child.
You know how dishonoring and harmful that has been.
Forgive us.
We need Your Help to see ourselves accurately, the way that You do.
We have not done that in our lives.
You know the consequences which have arisen from that choice.
Help us to know, love, and understand You better, to accept ourselves through Your Sight of us.
We need so much help in that area.
Lead, love, and guide us, right where we are right now.
Thank You, that we are the embodiment of Psalm 139. Help us to live that victorious declaration in our lives.
Thank You.
In The Name of Yahshua, we pray.
Amen.
Copyright © 2026 by Sheryle Cruse
He is Not Here
He is not here.
“He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay.”
Matthew 28:6
Memories are tricky things, aren’t they?
This is my second Resurrection Sunday without my mother being alive.
And I’m not sure where I’m at.
Where are you?
“…‘Where are you?’”
Genesis 3:9
The Most High asks the question then. He asks it now.
When it comes to Resurrection Sunday, which was her favorite holiday, I often associate my mother with Easter Lilies.
She had to have one of those potted floral configurations each year. The maximum number of bulbs, preferably, unopened until the big Sunday.
Then, I guess, they had better bloom like crazy, screaming Spring!
Last year, and this year, yes, I got an Easter Lily. There are six bulbs on this year’s version. Only one is starting to bloom right now as I type.
But this year, another memory hits me. Mom and I, many years ago, had matching gold cross necklaces. The feature that was prominent about this jewelry was that the silhouette of Our Savior was “cut out.”
It was kind of like this image I found online…
“He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay.”
Matthew 28:6
Mom always raved about it. That encouraged her, because it was a literal symbol of Him “not being there.”
He was “elsewhere.”
He was “arisen.”
That’s a powerful place to be.
“Here, There, Where, Elsewhere…”
Where are we?
How many of us feel lost, somehow?
Big lost?
Little lost?
Sorta lost?
Lost can cover a lot of territory.
“…‘Where are you?’”
Genesis 3:9
He knows EXACTLY where we are.
John 3:16 highlights how Our Savior is Our GPS Locator.
He is precise in tracking our whereabouts.
“For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Luke 19:10
As you may be trying to locate Him, He is already locating you.
I don’t know where you are, how lost you feel, who or what you have lost, but He knows your location, in every way.
“You know...”
“O Elohim, You have searched me
and known me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
You understand my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down;
You are aware of all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, O LORD.
You hem me in behind and before;
You have laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend to the heavens, You are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle by the farthest sea,
even there Your hand will guide me;
Your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light become night around me”—
even the darkness is not dark to You,
but the night shines like the day,
for darkness is as light to You.
For You formed my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Marvelous are Your works,
and I know this very well.
My frame was not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,
when I was woven together
in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all my days were written in Your book
and ordained for me
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are Your thoughts, O Elohim,
how vast is their sum!
If I were to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand;
and when I awake,
I am still with You.
Psalm 139:1-18
You may hear the scripture repeated a lot today:
“He is not here. He is arisen.”
What does that mean to you?
He is “cut out” of the very death trap that tried to permanently kill Him. And failed.
Look again…
What do you see?
Where are you?
Let’s pray.
ABBA-
I come to You right now, in The Name of Your Son, My Savior, Yahshua.
You know where I am.
And You know how I feel like I have stumbled or fallen, not arisen.
You know how lost I feel right now.
Forgive me of my sins.
Locate me. Help me. Love me. Comfort me.
You know how to reach me.
Come find me.
Thank You that yes, “He is arisen.”
Show me what that means for my life right now.
Do what I cannot do for myself.
I need You.
I need Your Help in my life.
Help me. Guide me.
Thank You.
Amen.
Have a blessed, life-changing, miraculous Resurrection Sunday!
Copyright © 2026 by Sheryle Cruse
Attention Getting
Blue Eyes That Don’t Blink? (Thin Enough and IF You Know?)
“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”
John 16:24
Yahshua is attention getting.
Undeniable.
He uses whatever He wants to get our attention.
Jairus’ Daughter…
A donkey…
A British actor with nonblinking blue eyes…
“While He yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, ‘Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?’ As soon as Yahshua heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’ And He suffered no man to follow Him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And He cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when He was come in, He saith unto them, ‘Why make ye this ado, and weep? The damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.’ And they laughed Him to scorn. But when He had put them all out, He taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with Him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And He took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, ‘Talitha cumi;’ which is, being interpreted, ‘Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.’ And straightway the damsel arose and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And He charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.”
Mark 5:35-43
28After Yahshua had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
29As He approached Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, He sent out two of His disciples, 30saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’
32So those who were sent went out and found it just as Jesus had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’
34 ‘The Lord needs it,’ they answered 35Then they led the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks over it, and put Yahshua on it.
Luke 19:28-35
He wants our attention. And He will make sure to get it!
What’s getting your attention now?
www.whatishisname.com/name-the-issue/whatever-works
Jairus’ Daughter (Thin Enough)
It’s not hopeless. You are not hopeless.
He’s telling you to arise today!
Mark 5:35-43:
“While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, ‘Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?’ As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’ And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them, ‘Why make ye this ado, and weep? The damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.’ And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, ‘Talitha cumi;’ which is, being interpreted, ‘Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.’ And straightway the damsel arose and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.”
Half-Wolf
“I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.”
Acts 20:29
When I was a kid, my uncle had a dog that was half-wolf as a pet. His name was Apollo.
Apollo was a beautiful, white creature, with baby blue eyes and a sweet demeanor.
He was sweet, loveable, and an animal of size, even as a “pup.”
His paws were the size of a man’s hand.
And his enthusiasm?
Well, that was the level of a young child, filled with caffeine and sugar.
So, how that translated were numerous situations of him bounding up to me, knocking me down, whenever we visited my uncle’s place. It kept happening.
Kinda like that.
I was only eleven. I was a kid.
And, if Apollo stood on his hind legs, he was taller than me. About a foot taller.
How do I know this?
Because his sweet, loveable enthusiasm came at me at two hundred miles an hour, charging the car door. I couldn’t even get out of the car, and I saw his enormous front paws leaning on the window.
He couldn’t wait to get at me.
Was I his playmate?
I don’t believe he meant any harm towards me.
Apollo was-uh- not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Dumb as a bag of hammers, more accurate.
Again, I don’t believe he meant any harm.
And that had me thinking about cluelessness, motives, and wolves.
Scripture has stuff to say about them, mainly about how they are the deadly enemy to the sheep.
Us.
Followers of The Good Shepherd, Yahshua.
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”
Matthew 10:16
It’s not a comforting thought, us being the helpless, and, let’s face it, the stupid sheep, at the mercy of strong, cunning wolves that can tear us apart.
But what is equally, if not more disturbing?
What if we become a wolf, attacking the sheep?
What if we are the ones causing harm?
Yeah.
Are you shifting uncomfortable in your seat right now?
I am.
Because you and I have that capability.
We can be predators.
It doesn’t take much to turn into that creature, to “turn against” the flock.
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
1 Timothy 6:10
It’s not always about money, but, yeah, money can be the root of a lot of the less-than-noble reasons why we behave like a wolf, especially amongst the innocent, the sheep.
Greed is about more than money.
“He who is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble on his household, but he who hates bribes will live.”
Proverbs 15:27
It has to do with coveting. Something has captured our hearts and our attention.
What is that?
It is about motives. And none of us get past His assessment of them.
“All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by Elohim.”
Proverbs 16:2
We need to think of ourselves accurately.
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith Elohim has distributed to each of you.”
Romans 12:3
Again, you and I are capable of being “wolf-like.”
You and I are capable of being… a “false prophet?”
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”
Matthew 7:15
Gulp. A-hem. (And the sound of nervous fidgeting).
Yeah, it can really go there for us.
No one likes to think we are villains in the story.
Especially, if we are people of faith, wanting to seek, love, and serve “The Master,” Yahshua.
But The Most High knows our hearts; He tries them…
“I, Elohim, search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”
Jeremiah 17:10
That means, then, that it can be a slippery slope, from Shepherd to wolf.
It can be subtle. Quiet. These wicked hearts or ours can beat quietly.
Unnoticed. Undetected.
Except by Him. He sees. He knows.
Therefore, we can harm the sheep.
And our Shepherd takes that seriously.
“…‘I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down…I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.’”
Ezekiel 34:15-16
We may have bounded with enthusiasm, like the Half-wolf dog, Apollo, getting in there, excited about what we are doing.
And then, our hearts start thinking, feeling, and wanting things.
And maybe, these things are harmful to the sheep. Maybe they put the flock at risk.
So, if we are not turning into a full-on wolf predator, tearing apart the wooly creatures, then, atthe very least, we are a hired hand.
Which harms the sheep as well…
“He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.”
John 10:12
It causes harm because we don’t possess love and concern for the sheep. Things like greed supersede it.
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Philippians 2:3-4
Interests.
What are we interested in?
Self-interest?
Self-ambition.
Again, we are all capable of experiencing those things.
And, like Apollo, we are not smart enough to recognize behavior. We are clueless.
We may not intend to “knock someone over.”
But we do.
An uncomfortable caution.
Do we heed it?
Prayer can help us, in the cautionary heeding.
Let’s pray, right now.
ABBA-
I come to You, in The Name of Your Son, My Savior, Yahshua.
You know my heart right now.
You know what’s going on within it.
You know my motives.
Forgive me for my sins.
You know how predatory I am in my behaviors and intentions.
I don’t want to be a predator, a villain, someone who causes harm.
You know what has captured my heart.
Help me. You know how to reach me.
Come find me.
I invite you to search my heart. Help me with it.
Help me to operate from it in ways that do not harm, kill, and destroy.
Thank You for hearing my prayer, and for answering it with Your Help now.
Help me. Guide me.
Thank You.
I receive it all, in The Name of Yahshua,
Amen.
Copyright © 2026 by Sheryle Cruse
Work Woman: Worth More Than Rubies
