Life can sometimes be frustrating. I get it. As a Christian, your first “go-to” should be prayer. But when our prayer request doesn’t meet our timetable, we try and go it alone; take matter into our own hands. We find our circumstances lingering for days, weeks, maybe even years. Seek God first and everything else will fall into place. He sees your heart. He knows your needs. Don’t get hung up on what’s not going right, but put your focus on His goodness and what’s going well. Just because we don’t see immediate changes, doesn’t mean that God didn’t hear …
Fight with Prayer
I recently had a dream that my Daddy was still alive but still had dementia. In this dream there was a man and other people desperately trying to get my Daddy into a particular sinful situation. In my dream I was fighting as hard and as much as I could possibly fight to stop them from their evil influence. And immediately before I woke up I thought about my sons. Once I woke up I felt the Lord say to me, as long and hard as you were fighting in your dream for your Daddy, you must continue to fight …
Hannah
Women of Strength Hannah 1 Samuel 1:1 -2:21 The story of Samuel, the last Judge of Israel, cannot be told without mentioning his mother, Hannah. She was one of two wives of Elkanah and was childless, which caused Peninnah, Elkanah’s other wife, to ridicule Hannah. This left Hannah bereft and desperate. One day Hannah went with her husband to the temple to pray and offer a sacrifice. Overcome by her grief, she stood up and began to pray to the Lord for a son. She promised God that she would dedicate the child in service to him. She prayed silently, …
Discomfort
God created each of us for so much more than just to be happy and satisfied. There are times when our joy in life comes with taking risks, pushing yourself beyond what you thought you could do. A few years ago when I stood on top of a 14,000 foot mountain I felt so alive, like I just conquered the world. If you’re comfortable with how things are going, you’re not going to be hungry for righteousness sake. God allows a little adversity in our life at times to remind us who He is. He came …
It’s Cancer
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. “ Philippians 4:6 (NLT) I heard the words, “Yes, it is cancer.” The floor fell out under my feet. I was absolutely shocked. I’m only 39. The first few days of a cancer diagnosis can be described as emotional chaos and confusion. My mind was flooded with so many questions about cancer and all it will entail. But one thing was for sure. I knew I needed God because only God is bigger than cancer. Philippians 4:6 seemed to …
Thoughts of Cancer
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.” Psalm 91: 14 Cancer taught me just how small I really am very quickly. I had no control, I had no power, and I cannot heal myself. However God can. But the first question that follows is, but will he? It is in my human nature to judge myself to see if I was worthy. I am divorced. I don’t tithe enough.Sometimes I miss church. I watch things that would be offensive to God. I might be judgmental on …
Choose to Pray
Choose to Pray (Examples of fervent, effective prayers found in I and II Kings – Old Testament) In I Kings 8, in Solomon’s Prayer when dedicating the Temple of the Lord, he mentions several situations when people find themselves in need: 1) when someone wrongs another 2) when defeated in battle 3) when there has been no rain 4) when calamities and disaster strikes 5) when someone needs mercy 6) when people go into battle 7) when they sin against God 8) when they repent and return. Solomon continues by asking the Lord, “when they return to you with all …
Individuals are Accountable
What is God’s Will for Your Life? In I Thessalonians, we learn that God’s Will for us is our sanctification. ( I Thess. 4:3) Sanctification is God’s work in us as we grow spiritually, living in holiness pleasing and honoring Him. We are set apart for service and holiness. It is a process of maturing in our faith and becoming more and more like Jesus. The hymnist gives us direction: “Take time to be holy, Speak oft with thy Lord; Abide in Him always, And feed on His Word; Make friends of God’s children, Help those who are …
Spiritual Exercise
Most of my adult life, I have been dedicated to physical exercise of some sort. Once I started in my early 30’s, I soon noticed how much better I felt when I did it regularly. But, more important than this is spiritual exercise. Engaging the mind in heavenly things is what I need to work on. Without a regular dose of spiritual exercise it could leave one’s life with a void and without meaning. Commit to exercising your spiritual muscles. Read the Bible. Talk to God, daily. Step out in faith in all areas of life. Once you …
Doubting
Reading: 1 John 5:11-13 Many Christians struggle with doubting their salvation. When we experience this, it’s important to know we’re not alone. Others before us have experienced the same thing. The feeling we get when we’re in doubt can be gut-wrenching because the possibility of not living in Heaven, and being condemned to Hell is a valid concern. These occurrences can happen in phases, where we are confident in our salvation for years, but for some reason, we go through days, weeks, or even months, wrestling with ‘what ifs.’ Maybe it’s not us. It may be a friend or family member …
Do We Attract or Repel?
As I was praying the other day with our children, we were burdened with the reality of sin. They weren’t getting along and the morning was about to go sideways. So we stopped and spent some much-needed time in prayer. While praying, I was reminded of a visual of a magnet and its pull. On one side, it attracts, but on the other side, it repels. Our lives can also be like that. My prayer was that we would be the part of the magnet that draws things to us that are good, like kindness, goodness and patience. That the …
The Platter
When I was making the most recent birthday cake I had a particular platter that I wanted to put it on. Try as I might to look for it I could not find it anywhere. I could even remember putting it somewhere but couldn’t quite remember just where. Then while I was texting my precious cousin sister friend in faith, I told her to please pray that I would find that platter. She prayed right there on the text. And I told her I would text her as soon as I found it. I returned to the search with a …