The Battle Strategy of Psalm 59 - Debra Kuykendall

Call on your Heavenly Defender and Deliverer. (v1) It’s ok to tell the Lord that you’re

tempted and weak and need his strength to overcome temptation or discouragement! He should

be our first resource and not a last resort. Often times when we are feeling overwhelmed, we

want a distraction. Most of us are drawn to our phones where our minds can aimlessly roam and

scroll through meaningless nonsense that takes our mind off of issues we want to forget about.

But there’s no lasting peace there. Real rest only comes from communion with the Peace

Speaker. No wonder the psalmist cried “when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that

is higher than I”! We need Somebody higher than us to pull us up and there’s nobody higher than

Him!

Trials, Trusting God, Life Changes, Love of GodAmy SappMarch 29, 2021Warrior, Defender, Deliver, Enemy, Circumstances

I've Been Changed and I am NOT Changing! - Allison Mooney

Usually when someone speaks those words it’s regarding a conversation about someone being upset or accused of something of that nature and they lash out and say…. I DON’T CARE I’M NOT CHANGING!!

Loving God HIS Way! - Sarah Komondor

I love God. I believe that you love God or you would not take the time to read this article. However, do I love God the way He deserves? That is a work in progress and, if I’m completely honest, some days are better than others.

The first step to loving God the way He deserves is to KNOW what the Bible teaches on this subject. Once we understand what God wants, then it’s just a matter of having the character to apply it to our lives every day.

Christian Life, Encouragement, Faith, God's Will, Love of God, Trusting GodAmy SappFebruary 22, 2021Love, Love God, Affections, Bible, Deserving, Affection, Heart

Under His Control - Joyce Kiefer

t’s easy to be afraid when things aren’t going the way we want them to go, but God is wherever

we are. Don’t let circumstances get in your way of trusting the Lord, but rather allow your

circumstances to be a way for you to trust the Lord. I’m sure some of you are thinking, “But,

you don’t know what I am going through” and you are right...I don’t; but, God does!! We don’t

need to be afraid of what is going on in our life; we just need to trust in God.

Anxiety, Christian Life, Faith, Trials, Trusting GodAmy SappFebruary 15, 2021Fear, Fret, Control, Negative, Agraid

When the Flavor Tastes a Little Bitter - Linda Jurva

Perhaps you are reading this today with a broken heart, hurting heart, shattered heart, crushed heart, bitter heart. Let me encourage you to keep on going. God's word says He healeth the broken in heart.

Anxiety, Christian Life, Encouragement, Trials, Trusting GodAmy SappFebruary 8, 2021Tastes, See, Bitter, Better, Flavor, Broken Heart, Broken Vessel, Grace

Learning from Covid - Barb Jackson

God is sovereign and I know He allowed my husband and me to have Covid. He had a plan and a purpose. I prayed and thanked God for giving us Covid and that I believed it was His will. I admit it was a stretch for me to thank Him for Covid, but I knew I was to thank Him for all things. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” and Ephesians 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” There is a song by Lynda Randle “God on the Mountain”. One of the verses says “You talk of faith, when you’re up on the mountain; But talk comes so easy, when life’s at its best; Now it’s down in the valleys, of trials and temptations; That’s where your faith, is really put to the test.”

Anxiety, Christian Life, Faith, Illness, Loneliness, Peace of God, Trials, Trusting GodAmy SappFebruary 1, 2021Comfort, Covid, Faith, Fear, Care, Love, Memorize, Meditate

Improve Your Vision - Alicemarie Johnson

One of the first things a person does when they can’t see is get closer to the object. How can we get

closer spiritually? Compassion. Jude 1:22: “And of some, have compassion, making a difference.” Learn

to see things from another’s point of view. We do not all think the same or react to situations the same;

our problems are all different. When someone has a bad day, or acts in a way that’s hurtful, try to see

what is going on in their life. We don’t always know what is happening; we don’t see everything in their

lives, and we need to have compassion. When someone is hurting or grieving or struggling with a habit,

we need to try to understand; to look through their eyes.

Christian Life, Encouragement, Faith, God's Will, Trusting GodAmy SappJanuary 25, 2021Vision, LIght, Compassion, Glasses, Bifocoals, Desire

Hindsight is 20/20. 2020 is in Hindsight! - Joanna Snyder

What happened in 2020 that you can glean from, learn from, and—if you HAVE to talk about

2020—what can you talk about INSTEAD of all the negativity?

In 2020 we got a puppy! He is so precious. His name was going to be Stimulus, but we decided

to go with Justice. ��

In 2020 I got to complete lots of projects I always put off doing! I also learned how I tend to put

off things because I just don’t want to do them not because I really don’t have time. Can I get a

witness?

God is Still Searching - Faye Jalbert

God gives in the Word of God, the greatest judgment when he says in verse 31c; “their own way have I recompensed upon their heads…” This is when God withdraws His Presence, His power, and His leading from us. He is giving us what we want, and that is to live as we want, to live without the commitment of service.

How many times have we read this verse and thought we need more great preachers, more evangelists or more missionaries! Have we ever looked at ourselves to see how we could be the one God is looking for to stand in the gap: to be a part of that hedge?

Christian Life, Christian Service, Encouragement, Faith, God's Will, Trusting GodAmy SappJanuary 11, 2021Purpose, Place, Plan, Gap, Searching, Courage

Your Ways Are Higher Than Mine - Anita Kelly

I am sure if we made a list of the "lows" of 2020, our lists would resemble (a pandemic, turmoil in our country, the election, so many deaths, church loss, etc), but at the same time we would each have our own additions that would differ from anyone else's list ( loneliness, fear, discouragement, personal loss, financial loss, etc.). These would include hard and difficult times that only WE experienced. As our hearts cried out to Him, it seemed at times like God just disappeared (though in our hearts we knew that He didn't). In my case, I truly believe God answered my prayer for that "20/20 Vision in 2020".

Christian Life, Christian Service, God's Will, Trusting GodAmy SappJanuary 4, 2021Your Ways, 2020, 2021, Vision, 20/20 Vision, Circumstances

God's Grace - Debbie Isaacs

The story I’m about to tell is a true story. I pray it will affect your heart and teach us about the WILL of God. In June 1977 a baby boy was born into our household and we named him Jeremy. He was a big buster of a baby dearly loved and wanted. 1978 another baby boy was born in Iowa who was also loved and wanted named Kyle. In the process of time these young men grew up and each decided to go to a Bible college in Pensacola, Florida and became roommates and the dearest of friends.

Christian Life, Christian Service, God's Will, Illness, Trials, Trusting GodAmy SappDecember 28, 2020Grace, Process, Affects, Missions, Cancer, Friends, Will of God

Fret Not - Misty Humble

2020 has been quite a year! We have seen fear quickly spread across the whole world causing churches, businesses , and schools to shut their doors. Cancellations of weddings, graduations, parties, vacations, family gatherings, funerals, and sporting events have become the “new normal.” Mandates, masks, gloves, sanitizing, and social distancing are overwhelming. Then throw into the mix savage fires, deadly hurricanes, mass rioting, and destruction of cities, statues, properties, and lives. Racial tension has soared. Political differences have been magnified. National dissension and unrest has accelerated. Fear and terror have swept the nation with a vengeance.

Anxiety, Christian Life, God's Will, Life Changes, Love of God, Trials, Trusting GodAmy SappDecember 21, 2020Fret, Fretting, 2020, World, Fear, Tragedy, Cancellations, unrest

Not Perfect, but Transformed! - Terri Howe

It started out as a fairly small project, we were going to replace our countertops, paint, and replace the flooring and we were going to do the work ourselves with some help from others where needed. The more we looked around and talked about what different rooms needed, our list of improvements began to grow! We found a contractor that said he could do the work and began our three-week project!

No Matter What - Hannah Hon

Having a thankful and grateful demeanor is not always an easy thing to maintain, especially in 2020 😊 . While we have many things to be thankful for, we are constantly reminded by the world of all we are “missing”. We begin to focus on the material and temporal, and our immediate needs come to live at the forefront of our minds and hearts. This begins to strip us of our grateful spirit and the peace that comes from giving thanks. But lets be honest, the circumstances we often face are not always easy for our human hearts to find the good in, are they? Finding the parts to complain about is much easier, and friends may even seem to listen more intently when we are going through tragedy. However, if we are not careful, we will find that going to that friend, or creating that social media post with all our woes and heartaches,(serious though they may be), becomes our first line of defense over stopping to take anything to our Savior.

Let Go and Let God - Mindy Holeman

There are times in our lives when God purposely sends us trials that will ultimately change our lives and the way we think forever. These trials are not sent to be malicious but rather to grow our faith and increase our influence for Him.

Faith, God's Will, Life Changes, Peace of God, Trials, Trusting GodAmy SappNovember 16, 2020Trials, Fires, Oregon, Struggles, Trust, Home

Thankful Even in the Storm - Jen McMillan

I spent many days pouring out my heart to the Lord. We took the leap of faith to enter this adoption plan and I was hoping the understanding would come as to why he said no. Now I can look back at that storm and see how the Lord grew me. How He used this hard time to show me it was Him that I really needed, not that baby boy. He could be my joy, my comfort, and my strength. It changed my view to asking God what He is wanting to do through me instead of why He is doing this to me.

Faith, God's Will, Love of God, Peace of God, Trials, Trusting GodAmy SappNovember 2, 2020Adoption, Trials, Trusting, Faith, Love, Thankful

Just Passing Through - Amy Herdman

If we have learned anything through this year, I hope we have learned to hold the things of this world very loosely. Our world is a mess, and it has seemed to spiral down so quickly this year alone. We need to learn to live with Heaven in view every single day. This is difficult with so many things screaming for our time, as ladies. The kids have outgrown their shoes. You know they need to go to the dentist. It is time to pay the school bill. The list is endless. The little (less important) things clamor for our time. Our Bibles never scream, “Hey read me!” The dishes…yes! The dishes they scream, “Hey look at this mess.” I truly believe if we can train our minds and our thoughts to ask if this is going to matter in light of eternity, then we will major on the things that matter. Our hurt feelings, that rude comment…will it really matter? Can I overlook it? Maybe there are things we are chasing and spending more time on than we should. It is time for Christians to focus on Heaven. Focus on relationships and people. First, are they going to Heaven? Can I give them the Gospel? Can I mend a relationship? I mean, we are going to Heaven together if they are believers. Can I focus on my current ministry or maybe I need to jump into a ministry? I challenge you to take a minute to list your priorities in light of eternity. Heaven is real! We are headed there, my friend.

Glory in my Infirmities - Courtney Bartels

This verse is my life verse, but sometimes our own life verses are hard for us to declare. Last summer the Lord had me carry two precious babies for a very, very short time. I didn't understand why, and it was extremely hard. Shortly after the Lord blessed us once again with a precious baby. I was so scared, I even went to the ER thinking I was going to lose yet another baby. It turned out to be some complications from the previous miscarriages that went away on their own, praise the Lord. But the whole pregnancy I was so nervous. When the time came the Lord gave us our sweet baby girl, the delivery went well but she didn't seem right. She ended up being rushed to the NICU

Children, Faith, Love of God, Peace of God, Prayer, Trials, Trusting GodAmy SappOctober 12, 2020Infirmities, Miscarriage, Babies, Promises, Love, Praying, Trials

Pearls for God - Dawn Hamm

God’s example of a pearl, just as the Church was formed from the redemptive act of Jesus at Calvary who bore our sins upon the cross, a pearl is formed out of suffering and it is only when we as “pearls” come to the end of ourselves that we can look up and see the beauty and love of a God who loves us and paid the ultimate price just to prove that love on Calvary. Pearls like people are a combination of things; it takes at least 3 materials to form a pearl; calcium, the irritant material, and the oyster’s saliva

Christian Life, Christian Service, Faith, God's Will, Love of God, Trusting GodAmy SappOctober 5, 2020Pearls, Love, Price, Struggles, Precious, Gem, Treasure, Material

Word of Encouragement - Emily Queen

I think as women in general it is in our nature to give of ourselves in almost everything we do. We have a tendency to put everyone else’s needs before our own, especially in family life. If you are like me and chose a serving profession (nurse), then your job requires a lot of self-giving. So I give all day at work, then I get home and give the rest to my kids, and sometimes it is hard to have the motivation to fill myself back up again by spending time with the best Giver of all, my Heavenly Father.