Encouraging Words for When You Face a Test
No one I know relishes taking a test but they reveal where we need to learn and grow. Remember God allows tests in our lives, but He always sits with us.
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5 Reminders About God’s Love for Us
Most of what we know about love is based on what we’ve experienced, and those experiences aren’t always the best teachers.
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You and Your Unique Gifts Make a Difference
Every member of Christ’s Body benefits when we discover, develop, and use our gifts. But the opposite is also true: the Body suffers when we fail to use them.
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How Does God’s Goodness Pursue Us?
God’s goodness follows us in ways too many to count. Goodness is God giving us what we don’t deserve. Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve.
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How Does a Yearly Focus Word Help Us Grow?
A yearly focus word is a great tool to help us grow in our faith journey. One year, my word was “joy.” This year’s word, I believe, is “restore.”
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Celebrating the Light at Christmas
Disappointment. Anger. Hurt. Envy. Fear. Doubt. Loneliness. Unforgiveness. They’re all capable of turning out the lights, metaphorically speaking.
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Surrounded by God’s Presence
When I feel afraid or under spiritual attack, I imagine myself encircled by an impenetrable shield. It covers and keeps me from dangers on every side.
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Remaining Confident When We Feel Like Giving Up
“Confidence is not based on you having all the resources needed to take care of yourself; confidence is based upon the truth that God is faithful.” ~ Roy Lessin
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Remember This When Bad News Comes
When bad news comes our way, we needn’t cave into fear. As followers of Jesus Christ, we belong to the living God for whom nothing is impossible.
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Sitting in God’s Waiting Room
We are finite beings so we often view our circumstances on a finite timeline. The clock ticks, and we grow anxious. We begin to doubt whether God hears us.
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Living in Awe of God
Work and worry blind us to the miracles around us. We rush through our days silencing the tasks calling for our attention, and we miss the delights before us.
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Choosing Joy on the Journey
When life’s journey takes a difficult turn, our emotions want to cry, “Unfair!” or “Why me?” But God’s Word directs us to take a different approach.
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Little is Much in God’s Hands
Give the Lord your five small barley loaves and two small fish. There’s no telling what He might do with them, for little is much in God’s hands.
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Life’s Storms Linger but Won’t Last Forever
We can’t begin to understand His purposes for our pain, but we can rest assured that He is doing something good in His eternal plan.
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Be on Guard When Life Takes a Detour
Eight months after receiving “guard” as my focus word for 2022, I’m beginning to appreciate its relevance to my life in ways I hadn’t imagined.
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3 Truths About the Hard Places of Life
When we’re in the midst of a hard place, we might become focused on our loneliness or pain and forget that God is still actively engaged in our lives.
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God Always Keeps His Promises
God will never make a promise and then forget to honor it. He’ll never commit to doing something and then procrastinate or fail to follow through.
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How to Survive When the Storm Strikes
Storms will come and go. God’s promises help us navigate the wind and waves to a safe harbor. We can trust Him and not be afraid.
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The Key to Finding Strength to Soar
The key to finding strength to soar is freely accessible to all regardless of race, age, or gender, and it’s guaranteed to never fail.
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3 Helpful Tips for Taming the Tongue
How easy it is to spout off when we feel our opinion is not being respected. Or when we’re bone weary. Or when we believe the person is flat-out wrong.
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Trusting God with our Concerns
Are you like me, feeling concerned for your adult kids? Maybe you’re concerned about your marriage, your financial state, or a major decision coming your way.
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Experiencing Joy When Your Heart Aches
Every challenge we face forces us to make a choice. Will we choose to trust our doubting selves? Or choose to trust a God who is faithful, wise, and good?
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Living on a Boat and Spiritual Disciplines
I would benefit by investing time and energy into learning about Makana’s operating systems. I just need to do it. The same is true for spiritual disciplines.
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Finding Hope When Tragedy Strikes Again
I hold messy reality in one hand: Uvalde, Ukraine, inflation, family and ministry concerns. I hold God’s spectacular promises in the other.
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Count Your Blessings
As the birds sing this morning, a song pops into my mind. I recall the lyrics, and they encourage me to focus not on my concerns but on my blessings instead.
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Finding Freedom from Strongholds
Changing the way we think means identifying the lies and replacing them with the Truth. As our thoughts align with God’s, our behavior changes as well.
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How Can We Stay Connected to Jesus?
Jesus is the Vine. We are the branches. Maintaining a strong and vibrant connection with Him results in a fruitful life that brings much glory to God.
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You are Held in God’s Hands
The marina sling holds the weight of a vessel, but my God holds every ocean, sea, bay, cove, river, and stream in His hand.
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Our Prayers Don’t Have to be Long to be Heard
Short prayers like—“Help!”—whispered or cried from a heart desperate for God’s provision or intervention can stir Him to answer.
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Teach Me to Pray
Today’s blog is an excerpt from my book, Keeping Hope Alive: Devotions for Strength in the Storm. May it encourage you when you’re at a loss about how to pray.
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3 Truths to Help Us Persevere
God has purposes yet unseen for our lives, too. Every one of the hardships we experience are part of the pruning and honing necessary to prepare us.
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The Best Path Might be the Hardest (Guest Post)
God does not always lead us into suffering, but sometimes He does. Sometimes, God works in and through our trials to carry out His purposes.
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Choosing Our Perspective in Hard Places
How often do we look at our circumstances, assume we know everything there is to know about them, and fall into discouragement or fear?
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Finding Peace in the New Year
Only God knows what the new year will hold. One thing we know ~ no matter what the new year’s headlines say, we can experience peace because Jesus promised.
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Encouragement for When You Feel Overwhelmed
God is with you, my friend. His presence will never leave your side. You don’t face your challenges alone, nor do you face them in your own strength.
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5 Good Reasons to Trust God
If we take Jesus seriously, then we can rest assured that trusting in God is the better way to respond. Here are five good reasons for choosing that better way.
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