Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 One of the things I find stunning in the scriptures is the confidence of Jesus regarding His purpose. I have never chalked it up as, “Oh, He’s the Son of God, so of course He should know…”–although I know this is true. But instead it has intrigued me because we are made ...
Bah Humbug. I’m not sure if the phrase originated with Mr. Scrooge or not, but it’s become the go-to statement when someone isn’t in the Christmas spirit. And one year, that was almost me. My husband had been teasing me about how much time and energy it took to get all my Christmas containers down from the attic. But after moving ...
Have you ever been so thankful that you’ve asked yourself, “What can I give back to God for the blessings He’s poured out on me?” The writer of Psalms 116 asks this very question: “What shall I render [give] to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” Like many of us at times, he recognized GOD IS GOOD and His benefits ...
To be all in is originally a poker term meaning to bet all you have on one hand. But in modern lingo, it can also mean to be totally committed to something. I guess we could use God and Jesus as an example. When it came to saving the world, they were ALL IN. The opposite of all in would ...
A minister once said, “You cannot find in scripture where you are to trust people. The Bible only tells us to put our trust in God.” If you’ve never thought about this before, it is a bit surprising at first. But with more meditation, it is not only true, but makes sense. “It is better to trust in the Lord, than ...
When I was younger, my stepdad was an avid fisherman and hunter. I didn’t care much for either at the time, but nonetheless, I learned about lures, bait, and deer blinds. So when I discovered the biblical meaning of the word pursue, I immediately understood the value of this instruction. To pursue means to follow after like a hunter. So ...
We’ve been sitting in this pot for awhile now. I’m referring to this world we live in, but my reference isn’t limited to those who are over a certain age– this situation we’re in now, it’s been a slow boil for all of humanity. We’re like the boiling frog who didn’t know he was in danger. You see, if a frog is ...
I want to encourage you today to believe the best of every person. You will have opportunity to see the faults in others and therefore, it’s inevitable that you will be disappointed in the actions (or inaction) of people. This is especially true when it’s family or someone you’ve developed a close relationship with, but… Never set your eyes on ...
While I was praying recently, this phrase came up in my spirit: “Learn from the Sunflower.” I thought hmmm, so I looked up more information and was surprised to discover a couple of interesting facts. For starters, the sunflower doesn’t actually follow the sun from morning till night like I had always thought. Instead, it sets it’s leaves to receive the sun in the East ...
Addressing racial injustices, I see two major steps. Racial profiling has to STOP. Pre-judging a person based on the color of their skin has to STOP. I hope to God I’m not addressing Christians here, but sadly these issues were seeded in our country and homes a long time ago and therefore some were raised with prejudices that have never ...
Every word in scripture expresses the thoughts of God, while at the same time, paints a vivid picture to help us see things from His perspective. And for this reason, we should pay attention to God’s choice of words and the sequence in which they are laid out. For example, I’m intrigued by Peter’s inspired writings in his second letter. ...
Keeping it simple today with a list that will keep us busy for some time. Sometimes we make things harder than they have to be. God’s Word should always be viewed as something for our good — not as a list of do’s and don’ts, but as a list of successful strategies — from the One who knows best. With ...
“An enemy has done this…” Have you ever had a thought like that? Suddenly facing a trial you weren’t expecting, getting a bad report out of the blue, hearing news that was unsettling — as a Christian, your immediate thought should be: “This isn’t God. The enemy is behind this.” Jesus actually said this to his disciples in a parable: ...
Think about this for a minute: Revelation knowledge changes the course of your life. My family and I were recently traveling through another town where we stopped to eat. Afterwards, I told my husband we needed to go under the overpass to the left to get back on the Interstate. OK, simple enough, right? Not exactly. After leaving the parking ...
This article first appeared on The Inspired Woman blog | by Daphne Delay It’s already a cliche I know — vision in 2020. But let’s run with it, shall we? It’s the end of December, the end of a year, the end of a decade. It’s also the beginning of a new year, and a new decade. And it happens ...
I grew up in a home where Santa was welcomed at Christmas. And even when my own children were young, we had a tradition of Santa gifts under the tree on Christmas morning. But in the Christian world, this is quite the debate. One thing I can assure you is this, it’s up to each individual to live their convictions. ...
The Bible speaks of the crown of righteousness, the crown of life, the crown of glory, the crown of joy, and of course, there’s the incorruptible crown — all mentioned in scripture as facets of the believer’s life in Christ. Have you ever given much thought to a crown? I have, for the simple reason it’s what my name represents. Daphne means ...
We know “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Yet, I meet Christians every day who seem to think God is only about the do’s and don’ts of His Word–and they totally miss that any suggestion or command He may have for us was birthed out of His character of love. I was thinking about this for two reasons: I heard ...