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May 19, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n What Are You Withholding From God?<\/strong><\/span> Lee en espa\u00f1ol<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Don\u2019t lay a hand on the boy!\u2019 the angel said. \u2018Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.\u2019\u201d Genesis 22:12 (NLT)<\/em><\/p>\n Anytime my children come into a cache of candy, an interesting phenomenon occurs: No matter how much they already have, they still ask one another for a sample.<\/p>\n Recently I watched my son ask his sister for a piece of her candy stash. She agreed \u2014 after stealthily sorting her bucket and removing her favorite candies first.<\/p>\n This interaction made me chuckle, yet the Lord impressed upon my heart how often we relate to Him like this. We love Jesus and dedicate our lives to Him, yet we hold back \u201cfavorite pieces,\u201d fearful of what might happen if we entrust everything<\/em> to Him. Perhaps we withhold our jobs, certain relationships, our children, or our deepest dreams.<\/p>\n Sometimes we live most of<\/em> the Christian life \u2026 but inside we\u2019re quietly wondering: Lord, can I truly trust You with every part of me?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n The Old Testament patriarch Abraham demonstrated some of the most phenomenal trust in God recorded anywhere in Scripture. God promised Abraham a son, Isaac, whose descendants would bless the world. And God miraculously fulfilled that promise even though Abraham and his wife, Sarah, were well advanced in years.<\/p>\n But then, in an upside-down twist, God asked Abraham to sacrifice<\/em> Isaac.<\/p>\n If I were Abraham, I admit this command would have given me pause. But Abraham swiftly obeyed.<\/p>\n As Abraham placed Isaac on a wooden altar and raised a knife to take his life, God\u2019s angel intervened:<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Don\u2019t lay a hand on the boy!\u2019 the angel said. \u2018Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/em>(Genesis 22:12).<\/p>\n Abraham willingly opened his hands and gave God everything, even his most precious son. Scripture tells us he was so certain of God\u2019s goodness, so settled in God’s ability to fulfill His promises, \u201cAbraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again\u201d<\/em> (Hebrews 11:19a, NLT).<\/p>\n That\u2019s the kind of faith I desire, and I imagine you do too. Because that\u2019s the rock-solid faith that leads to the abundant and satisfying life Jesus promises (John 10:10)! We won\u2019t experience all God has for us with a holding-back-our-favorites kind of faith.<\/p>\n Jesus asks for all<\/em> of us. Abraham willingly laid his son upon that wood because he knew God \u2014 the One who, centuries later, would lay His own Son on a wooden cross \u2014 would carefully steward his most precious treasure.<\/p>\n The same is true for you and me, sweet sister. The God who withholds nothing from us can be trusted with every<\/em> part of our lives.<\/p>\n God, I\u2019m sorry for withholding parts of my life from You. Help me entrust everything to You, resting in Your goodness and provision. In Jesus\u2019 Name, Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n Can we be honest for a second? There\u2019s the version of you that shows up strong and capable \u2026 and then there\u2019s the version who wonders at 10 p.m. if she\u2019s actually ready for what God is stirring. Unpolished<\/em> was created for her. Not the curated version. Not the confident one. The real one. This free reflection journal helps you slow down, name what\u2019s been holding you back, and notice where God has already been working in your story \u2014 even in the unfinished places. No pressure to perform. No need to impress. Just space to tell the truth and let Him meet you there. If something in you has been shifting lately, don\u2019t ignore it. Download your free copy of Unpolished<\/em>, and begin the process here.<\/strong><\/p>\n Find out more about Meredith here, and connect with her on social media for more encouragement. You can also download a copy of her free, five-day devotional, \u201cStanding on the Rock,\u201d on her website.<\/p>\n Psalm 84:11, \u201cFor the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right\u201d (NLT).<\/p>\n What area of your life do you tend to withhold from God? Prayerfully examine your relationships, habits, and possessions, and ask the Lord to show you where you\u2019re holding back.<\/p>\n What would it look like to take a step of faith, open your hands, and invite God into that area? We\u2019d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments.<\/p>\n \u00a9 2026 by Meredith Houston Carr. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n Proverbs 31 Ministries May 19, 2026 What Are You Withholding From God?MEREDITH HOUSTON CARR Lee en espa\u00f1ol \u201c\u2018Don\u2019t lay a hand on the boy!\u2019 the angel said. \u2018Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.\u2019\u201d Genesis 22:12 (NLT)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[86,269,268,182,270,181,6022],"class_list":{"0":"post-28775","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-devotionals","8":"tag-daily","9":"tag-devotional","10":"tag-encouragement","11":"tag-god","12":"tag-proverbs","13":"tag-today","14":"tag-withholding"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28775"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28775\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
MEREDITH HOUSTON CARR<\/span><\/p>\nOUR FAVORITE THINGS<\/h4>\n
ENGAGE<\/h4>\n
FOR DEEPER STUDY<\/h4>\n
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"