10,000 Reasons is the title of a song by Matt Redman. And I love it because in a world full of 10 million excuses, it’s good to be reminded that we have more than 10,000 reasons to praise and thank God. The Psalmist said: Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, ...
There is no fear in love. This is what the Holy Spirit told John to write to believers. Yet we see fear running rampant everywhere — fear of death, fear of illness, fear of lack, fear of fear. My daughter struggled with fear of everything when she was a little girl. I was constantly trying to redirect her thoughts and ...
Christianity is meant to be lived out loud so when I learn something, I can’t help but want to share it with others. And my current lesson is this: be slow to emotion. James 1:19-20 says, “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of ...
This article first appeared on The Christian Broadcasting Network One thing that makes Jesus so endearing is His mercy. I know it’s what drew me to Him and captivated my heart. As undeserving as I felt, I needed the mercy He offered. I was lost for a long time, and then Jesus found me— just like the man at the ...
We once had to remove some trees on our property. One in particular was on our back porch, and although it was beautiful in its own right, it dropped no less than a million acorns, leaves, and bird-droppings year-round. It made it difficult for us to enjoy that space so my husband decided to remove the circle of bricks and ...
God sends a lot of people across my path and one thing I hear myself saying repeatedly is: “Despite what your head is telling you, listen to your heart. God will always lead you in peace.” Finding peace is the key to finding your way through a noisy world. There are thousands of voices you could follow, but there’s only One ...
My greatest desire is to help people grow spiritually– to find the same freedoms I have found in Christ. But the hardest thing I’ve ever learned in ministry is, I can’t make people believe. And I get it. I had a hard time believing too. I couldn’t understand how God could forgive me or love me– especially realizing He knew ...
When my Grandma passed away, I read the verse in 2 Peter which says, “Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day” (2 Peter 3:8). As I meditated on this verse, I thought to myself, “I could live one hundred more years and walk ...
“But you, dear friends, remember what was predicted by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They told you, ‘In the end time there will be scoffers living according to their own ungodly desires.’ These people create divisions and are worldly, not having the Spirit” (Jude 1:17-19). There has been a lot of offense and controversy this week over some ...
During a special ministry meeting, where the theme was “Prepare for Success,” one of the words shared by our guest speaker was frazzled. I had a good idea what frazzled meant. In fact, there have been many times I probably could have volunteered for the picture in the dictionary, but the definition I heard that night has continued to open my eyes. She said it ...
This article first appeared on The Christian Broadcasting Network | Our family has always enjoyedd the fun and refreshment of water slides and lazy rivers. At most water parks, there are also one or two spots where large buckets hang overhead filling little by little with water. The closer the bucket gets to being full, the larger the crowd grows ...
Worries, fear, cares, anxiety– are all weapons of the enemy against God’s children. They are means of gaining advantage over you. But God’s Word (His instructions to us) lay out in detail how to resist these attacks and walk away as the victor that you have been made to be in Christ. 1 Peter 5:6-9 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under ...
I was recently talking to a family member who was processing a disappointment and as I encouraged her, I said something out of my spirit that made me pause– and repeat it, so I could catch it too. I said: “I may not know the future, but I know God’s faithfulness.” It was the Holy Spirit confirming an eternal truth. ...
Mission trips are eye-opening for many reasons, but one bonus is there’s usually extra time to reflect. One reason being, if you don’t speak the language there is often more opportunity to just be quiet and observe. I’ve always had wonderful hosts that translate and interpret for me on the mission field, and we have many encouraging conversations in English ...
Smith Wigglesworth said, “God has chosen us to help one another. We dare not be independent.” I wish the Body of Christ understood this better. If we did, I believe, as a whole, we’d see the power of God stronger than ever before. Jesus said, “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything ...
As I sat and listened to my husband preach this weekend, I took notes like usual. But mid sentence of writing down “Do you realize…” the Holy Spirit finished the sentence differently than what I was hearing with my natural ears. I wrote: Do you realize eternity will tell us the rest of the story? I have to put this ...
In this season of love, it’s not unusual for 1 Corinthians 13:13 to come to mind: “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Faith is defined as a firm persuasion; something God has given to each of us in measure (Romans 12:3). Faith is also the substance of things hoped for. And ...
To be loved is at the core of every person’s identity, whether they acknowledge it or not. It’s how God created us– to love and be loved; to be a reflection of Him. So I want to look at something Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians. He said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus ...