Ladies, do you ever feel like life isn’t moving ahead? Like you’re stagnating? I seem to be stuck in that stage of life right now. I miss the excitement of new adventures and the passion of mission. It’s almost time for the current stage to end but not quite. A few things need to wrap up first. But it seems to be taking a lot longer than I had anticipated.
God’s parallel of the water cycle to His word demonstrates its immeasurable worth. Both rain and Scripture originate in the heavens and are sent as a gift to all the earth. God’s word and rain both accomplish God’s purpose before returning to Him.
I could hardly believe it! I was moving into my new house that I had never even seen. My husband had called me a month prior saying he was putting a contract on a house. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to see the house first.
Have you ever asked God for something you didn’t know at the time the magnitude or consequences of His answers would be?
Being a people-pleaser is not something to be proud of. It is based on fear of rejection, punishment, or abandonment. Not until recently did I realize that I work to please people more than I want to please God. Ouch! That’s a hard reality to face.
Recently, I wondered if there was a “recipe” for transferring head knowledge of God’s word to my heart, where I believe and experience things. Knowledge gets stuck in my head, and then I wonder why there is no growth.
There is no confidence apart from trust. Confidence is assurance, certainty, and boldness. Trusting God is a part of what fearing God looks like. But what does it practically mean to trust God?
Why is it hard to tell others the truth? We might be mocked and minimized. Maybe we don’t want to hurt others’ feelings. Maybe they will reject us. Maybe they will be angry. Maybe relationships will change.
“Ready mom?” a lady said as she made her way toward us. The young woman, wearing a bright- colored scarf over her bald head, greeted me as her mother gathered up her knitting. Saying goodbye to the two women, I watched as they disappeared into the parking lot.
“How do you cope with all these unanswered questions and still smile?” she asked. My answer surprised her. “I don’t ask God why. I ask how? How God can you use this season to draw me closer to You?”
When our conversation ended, I thought about how Noah built an ark before a drop of rain fell; the Red Sea didn’t part until Moses put his foot in the water; and Esther used her gifts of diplomacy and compassion to save a nation.
Sometimes God uses little things to realign our focus on Him, like a spiritual check engine light that quietly guides us back on the path.
I found myself walking around the house telling God everything that was wrong and how yesterday’s circumstances had left me feeling so overwhelmed. The devil was clearly intervening in my quiet time. And the sad thing--I was letting him.
I was scheduled for an MRI one Monday morning. The nurse asked me two questions: “Do you have any metal parts inside you?” and, “Are you claustrophobic?” I answered “no” to both questions and confidently entered the room where the big drum of a machine was standing ominously in front of me.
My husband and I were trying to find the right place. The jazz concert had been moved to a different venue on campus, so it wasn’t happening here!
A simple truth received is often the “bringer” of God’s miraculous power in the life of anyone!
I had so much to do that day . . . that week . . . that month . . . that moment! Demands were pressing in on me from everywhere!
I sat down to read and turned on the table lamp beside me. As light spread across the table, I saw a fine white powder coated its surface and even the books resting there.
Have you ever pulled out a Bible verse to use because it fits what you want it to say? Then later, as you studied that passage more in depth, you realized it didn’t fit at all?
Offers for ways to live an abundant life are everywhere. If you just have this or do that, you will be fulfilled. Really?
