I do not know about you but I struggle with complaining. I have been in church long enough that I do not openly go around voicing my complaints, and now that I’m a pastors wife I try even harder not to let any discontentment show; but, I constantly find myself muttering under my breath, thinking to myself about how unfair or terrible something is.
Read MoreFingerprints are a unique design God gave to every individual human. Webster’s dictionary describes fingertips a “an impression or mark made on a surface by a person's fingertip, especially as used for identifying individuals from the unique pattern of whorls and lines.” I marvel at the fact that the God of the universe could easily make the billions of different patterns needed for the billions of people on earth. The marks of a fingerprint are a reflection of the person who holds that mark.
Read MoreGrowing up in a Christian home, I was always in church, in Christian school, and in a church atmosphere, going to preaching conferences, church camp, Teen Convention, church teen activities, and going to Bible college...all the usual stuff...
Read MoreHave you ever wrestled with God? I have. The first time I wrestled with God was on a Wednesday night, May 22, 1985. One year and 15 days before, my husband gloriously got saved. As soon as he prayed the sinners’ prayer, he turned to me and said, “Now it’s your turn.” What love, what compassion were in those words! As a new believer, my husband was concerned about my salvation. Oh how we need to be concerned about other lost souls.
Read MoreI was a little frustrated that he wasn’t letting me pick the place to eat. I wanted to say, No… it’s my birthday and I’m hungry for Italian food and I’ve looked forward to this all day. I had not dressed for a fancy place and wasn’t prepared for this choice. After my husband kept driving toward the steak house, I surrendered my desires and decided to go along with his plan even though I didn’t understand. After all, he was the one paying for this date.
They chose, so stop pursuing. Be polite, pray for them. Care about them in that you want what is best for them. Don't actively get involved but don't completely close the door should they repent one day. We have a responsibility to be distinctively different."
Read MoreIt doesn’t make for a good relationship if we only go to someone when we want or need something. People that love us want to know those things, but that’s not all they want to know. When we are too busy and to talk with Christ more then when we want something we are treating Him like a genie in a bottle. Maybe you have even made empty promises you can’t and won’t keep just because you are hoping the Lord may answer this request that is so desperate for a quick answer and stressing you out. Hello! He knows us better then we know ourselves and knows we are not going to follow through.
Read MoreGrace is a gift – not earned and not deserved. It is given to us because God is good, not because we are. For those who are reading this who have already received this grace, we realize that our salvation depends wholly upon it. For those who may have never understood or received the grace of God, I want you to know that God’s love, mercy, and grace are available to you because of the kindness and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Read MoreHope…helps you smile through the trial.
Hope…helps you to keep giving even when it hurts.
Hope…helps you to keep believing that wayward soul will find their way home.
Hope…helps you hold it all together.
Hope…helps you to never stop praying.
Hope…helps you find rest during weary and hard days.
Sometimes it’s hard to hope though.
Read MoreCall 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!
Read MoreI believe bitterness is something that most of us will deal with multiple times in our lives. Bitterness
always begins with unforgiveness. I have learned bitterness can be like a cancer if we do not deal with
it. It will eat away at our spirit and slowly decay your joy and happiness. Bitterness has a deep root and
many fruits. Its fruits may be anger, hate, disgust, sadness, loss of joy, and many other traits. What
generally happens is, we focus on cutting back these fruits, but never get rid of the root. Over time,
these fruits grow back and are often much stronger.
Read MoreDon’t Worry. Let God know about it. Did you notice Paul didn’t counsel us to discuss our problems to
our mom, sister, or even our husband? Bring it to God in prayer first. This would solve a majority of
problems and save us from making others the dumpster of our thoughts. I love Claudia Barba’s study on
worry in her book, Refresh your Heart. She explains, “Worry is not an emotion. It is a thought process- a
process that you can, and must control, because worry is sin.” There is a difference between worrying
and thinking through a problem. When difficulties arise, Claudia Barba explains that “disciplined thought
moves in a straight line through a tangle of difficulties to possible solutions. Worry is a swirling tornado
of thoughts centered on a fear. They repeat themselves over and over, making you dizzy but
accomplishing nothing else.” Learning to control our thoughts is vital. Remember that your mom, sister,
or friends can’t change the situation, but God can!
Read MoreRead MoreAnyone who knows me well, knows that I struggle with my tongue more than anything. I tend to be a "straight shooter", like my Dad. I've often wished I was more like my Mom, whom I've seldom, if ever, heard say a cross word to anyone.
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!!
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.
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.
Read MorePerhaps 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.
Read MoreGod 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.”
Read MoreOne 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.
Read MoreWhat 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?
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