On this week’s blog, I’d like to invite you to read a guest blog I wrote on the Modern Day Marys site!
When heartbreak and pain comes, we often can get by for a time by using an arsenal of coping methods to silence our pain. But what if God wants something more for us? What if He doesn’t want us to go on “coping”? What if healing is what we are missing out on by coping?
If God is speaking by using imagery that we don’t fully understand, it behooves us to LEARN IT! That’s where understanding COVENANT comes in. It is the imagery God has used from the beginning of time, imagery with which we have become unfamiliar. Let’s learn a few things about it and why it is important to us NOW!
Are you in need of some practical ways to get and KEEP joy in your life? I learned so much about this as I taught one of my own daughters how to choose joy over moodiness.
As a young teen, I would worship God when the songs in church moved me, but when it came to finding love, controlling my tongue or being honest, I was moved by my feelings and my fears more than by God. How much of my life is still this way?
I thought I could, through ample complaints and tears, pull God to my way of thinking. It wasn’t working. Instead, in the relative silence around me I heard, in my spirit, a voice speak so distinctly that I turned to see if it had been my dad in the kitchen two rooms away. This Voice did not speak words of comfort and reassurance, though I found comfort and reassurance in them. It did not speak an answer to my problem, though it was my answer for what to do right in that moment.
We can spend our whole lives on a pew, listening, paying attention, studying the Word faithfully. But unless we are actually doing the things we are told we should be doing, we can’t really call ourselves disciples.
With all my deep feelings, I relate well to Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet who is often saddled with the moniker, “The Weeping Prophet.” Here’s what I’ve learned by studying his six pain-filled and personal complaints.
I had studied and learned, but my reaction to a fresh rejection proved that I had only acquired knowledge, not the strength that comes through applying that knowledge. How do I go from knowing the truth beforehand, to actually being able to tap into those truths in the moment of rejection when my emotions cloud over the truth?
Is God as generous as you think? And in spite of what you think about God’s generosity, what do your actions communicate that you believe about the heart of your Abba?
Speeding is one of those things that we’ve all done at one time or another. And we don’t generally see much harm when everyone else is going much faster than we are. But the Lord showed me how we often fall into this trap in our spiritual lives too: Thinking that if we aren’t the worst offenders, there’s really no offense at all. How does God see this? Read the full blog post to see a different, perhaps unique, perspective.
So you want to be used by God? Who doesn’t!? Here’s a simple way that you can cooperate with what God is doing — and anyone can do it! Someone may be praying for a loved one right now — and You May Be the Answer!
What goes on between a human heart and the heart of God that causes some people to devote their lives to God while others remain on the fringes? And what’s the difference between serving God out of duty and serving Him freely?
Like treasures of precious gems, there are beautiful truths in the Word of God that, given a little effort, could be mined by any of us. God has treasures awaiting you! Isn’t it time we devoted ourselves to letting God show us the beautiful things in His Word?
In any given day, there’s much more to do than there are hours in that day. And yet we are called to be so much more than task-accomplishing machines. The Hubs and I learned this as parents, but it applies to much more important areas of life as well.
Calling. It’s a beautiful thing! It puts motivation in our steps and fire in our bones. But if we aren’t careful, we can get consumed with our calling. How do we keep things in the right perspective? How can we be sure to step out with backing from God?
Barabbas. He's kind of a vague person in history. All we really know is that he was released from prison, chosen to be freed by the people while Jesus was crucified. But there is a Barabbas in me, in all of us...
Sleeplessness. I’m sure it visits all of us at some point. Having had an unwelcome amount of experience with sleeplessness, I’m reflecting today on the conclusions people jump to, the things that hinder and some spiritual tools that help.
The Virgin Birth is a beautiful story that many either disregard because it sounds impossible or gloss over in confusion. But, as crazy as it sounds, the Virgin Birth is an essential element of our faith? Why? What’s so important about it?
