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God’s Request About Our Requests

Can we dwell in the land of thanksgiving for a bit longer? The world rushes into the next holiday, but my thoughts linger on giving thanks. Woven throughout the Word, gratitude must be an unbroken cord in our lives. Living through the hard things of life, it is imperative that we bring our wrestling, fear, and troubled spirit to the Lord. He directs us to. He calls us to come and sit with Him, unloading all our anxiety. In His...

Give Thanks in the Hard? Seriously?

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalms 100:4-5 Thanksgiving. A day celebrating the blessings of the past year. A season to focus on gratefulness. We hear often, and studies prove, the importance of giving thanks. Taking time to survey each day to pinpoint reasons to be thankful. I’m all-in on the concept...

8 Dynamic Promises from God

“Because she loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue her; I will protect her, For she acknowledges my name. She will call upon me, and I will answer her; I will be with her in trouble, I will deliver her and honor her. With long life I will satisfy her And show her my salvation.” Today we delve into the second aspect of these verses from Psalm 91:14-16. In 3-actions-that-stir-gods-response, we focused on our side of the  “if we...

3 Actions That Stir God’s Response

“Because she loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue her; I will protect her, For she acknowledges my name. She will call upon me, and I will answer her; I will be with her in trouble, I will deliver her and honor her. With long life I will satisfy her And show her my salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16 is another scripture that clings to my desk because when the hard comes, we cling to the promises He has spoken. Inserting...

A Place of Sorrow

Awhile back, out of the blue, a video surfaced on Facebook that tore at my heart and triggered some painful memories for me. And I was struck with the question, “Why, after so much healing has taken place, both inside of me and in relationships, why does the pain still feel so real? Why does it even exist? Why does the struggle to “not go there” and rehash everything become so intense?...

When God’s Heart Breaks

Sometimes God is pictured as a standoffish, look down from the heights, does not understand nor care about my world, being. But the following statement knocks the legs right out from under that perception. “When Jesus saw her, His heart broke.” (The Message) There are two whopping truths in this short verse, but to get the full impact, let’s set the stage. (Luke 7:11-17)...

Dealing with Rearview Mirror Living

Does your past ever haunt you? Are memories impossible to erase that crop up and shake you to the core, threatening to take your heart and mind on a bad road trip? Driving down the interstate toward our vacation destination, I found my turn at the wheel to be a stretch of road that rolled through some beautiful hills and valleys. Deep greens of the surrounding pine woods stood in contrast to the clear blue skies. Flocks of geese honked overhead,...

The Reward of Hanging Tough

Taped to my desk is a Treasure in the Word, curved edges depicting the years it has been an encouragement. James 1:12. “Blessed is she who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, she will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”  [The italicized pronoun change is mine.] Defining perseverance is easy: persisting with a purpose; energetic resistance; steadfastness under pressure; endurance in the face of trials. Doing perseverance is hard....

2 Must-Dos in the Journey Through Your Hard

Several years ago, my husband and I hiked in the desert region around Las Vegas. The path proved to be treacherous, strewn with ankle twisting rocks. The minute we took our eyes off the path right in front of us, we would stumble. To keep moving, we had to focus straight down on our next step, the step after that, and the following step. Or risk falling and injury. It was trying, frustrating, and leaned toward exhausting. The thought struck...