God hears us when we pray. We don’t need to beg Him to do something His Word clearly says is already His desire. But– it’s important to understand prayer is sometimes simply a defense weapon against all the fiery darts of the enemy. On August 11, 2021, I took my mom to the emergency room thinking she was dehydrated from ...
No matter what you’ve done in the past, or what regrets you carry, or how late in life you came to Christ, God has never said, “Uh-oh.” He’s never been found crying over spilled milk either. Nothing surprises God. Actually, the opposite is true: God knew you in advance. The Bible says, “He fashions their hearts individually. He considers all ...
I love family gatherings. My motto is: The more, the merrier! And when I had teenagers in my house, I learned to be quickly adaptable to three more boys for dinner without notice. But it wasn’t a problem… we simply made room. What would be a problem is if I took that same thinking and gave the devil a place in ...
While traveling recently, I found a random Christian radio station in my car. Between songs, the host commented that Jesus did not come to bring us happiness “as some preach hoping to bring others into the kingdom.” He went on to give his reason for making such a statement and I didn’t disagree, but at the same time, something didn’t ...
This is a good question: what are you called to do? I imagine you have probably asked yourself this more than once– whether it was in high school before graduating and figuring out the next steps of your life, or the million times since then (like me), just because you want to make sure you are in the will of ...
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. ...