-
·
Challenge Negative Thoughts
Overcoming Negative Thoughts Through a Renewed Mind Negative thoughts are often pessimistic, self-defeating, and overly critical. They work against a mindset rooted in Christ and usually come from fixating on worst-case scenarios. Many of us inherited this pattern from role models who lived the same way, and before long, it became automatic—negativity turned into our…
-
·
Loving God with All Your Heart
Loving God with all your heart isn’t about following a set of rules; rather it’s about diving into a deeply personal and meaningful relationship with Him. Imagine a deep friendship or a romantic partnership. It’s not merely about obeying a list of dos and don’ts; it’s about knowing the other person intimately, understanding their desires,…
-
·
Embracing God’s Purpose-the Path to Fulfillment and Joy
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) tells us, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” This verse emphasizes our Heavenly Father’s purpose for our lives—to reflect the likeness of Jesus Christ in every possible way. Each encounter, experience, and…
-
·
The Joy of Worshiping God
Psalm 100:1-2 (NLT) is a powerful exhortation to engage in joyful worship and praise towards God. It states: “1 A psalm of thanksgiving. Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth! 2 Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.” This is a call to all the earth to shout with…
-
·
Exempt from Sacrifice
In a world where convenience often takes precedence over commitment, it’s not uncommon for individuals to adopt attitudes that prioritize ease over facing life’s inevitable difficulties. Jesus Christ taught in John 16:33(NLT), “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and…
-
·
Faith in Action
Faith Brings Down Walls Hebrews 11:30 (NLT) tells us, “It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.” Jericho’s gates were locked tight, its walls built thick to keep out intruders, but God had already promised His people a land flowing with milk…
-
·
Adjusting Your Expectations
Free-Will is a gift of God that we must intimately understand in our significant relationships. Many women pray for God to change a man for them, hoping He will alter a man’s thought patterns and behaviors without the man’s consent. However, this is an unrealistic expectation. Some women also wait for a man who meets…
-
·
Lord, Search My Heart
Where We Store Our Treasures In Matthew 6:19–21 (NLT), Jesus teaches us to discern the condition of the soul’s heart by looking at what it treasures. He says, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven,…
-
·
Hold Firm to Your Conviction
When Kaia finished college six years ago, she promised herself that she would work a few years in the corporate arena, and then go back to school for her masters. She wanted to enter grad school immediately after graduating college, but life kept getting in the way, despite her convictions. Student loans, car payments, and…
-
·
Your Will vs God’s Will
When our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, walked the earth and carried out God’s mission, he always spoke, taught, and lived the truth. Not once did he ever deviate from God’s truth, and he made his absolute allegiance to God’s truth plain to us in John 6:38(NKJV), when he declared, “For I have come down…
-
·
We Must Walk in the Victory Christ Won for Us!
God’s Word tells us in Hebrew 11:6 that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It’s the title deed that we have the thing we’ve prayed to receive before that thing arrives. Over the last hundred years, God’s people have received more revelation about the dynamic of walking…
-
·
The Pain of Divorce
Margie looked very worried when her friend, Doreen, didn’t show up for the lunch date they had planned. It was at their favorite Mexican spot, and Doreen was late. She’s never late. Margie picked up her phone and looked at it one more time. While still in her hand, a text came through. Doreen wasn’t…
-
·
When You Want Something Really Bad
Abraham’s example in the Old Testament is so profoundly important to us because his deep and great desire was ultimately matched by his deep and abiding faith in God. Known as Abram before God changed his name, Abraham desperately wanted to be a father, and this didn’t just happen to be because he had a…
-
·
Never Take Your Eyes off God
Whether it’s the loss of a dear person in our lives that has passed away or the heartbreak of a relationship that has fallen apart, these hurtful experiences can be devastating, and it might feel as though we’ll never get over them. In a relationship that has ended, sometimes we replay things in our minds…
-
·
Dealing with Our Flaws
Genesis 2:7 tells us that God formed Adam from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into Adam’s nostrils and he became a living person. Genesis 2:21 says that God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep, and then took a rib from Adam’s body and made Eve, Adam’s wife.…
-
·
Going Higher in Blessings and Spiritual Growth
As we journey deeper into the truths of God’s Word, we begin to see our Heavenly Father’s order for the universe in amazing ways. He tells us in 1Corinthians 14:33 that He is not the author of disorder and chaos; He is a God of order and peace, and these attributes are found throughout His…
-
·
Undiscovered Abundance
We are spiritual beings having an earth experience. One of the biggest mistakes we can make as earth dwellers is to forget this truth. In Ephesians 1:3(NLT), God tells us that He has “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.” Every blessing from God is a…
-
·
Growing Deeper in God’s Love
Discovering the Life-Changing Power of Loving God Fully When our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was asked by a teacher of religious law, “What is the most important commandment?” He answered in Mark 12:29-30(NLT), “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. And you…
-
·
The Test of Endurance
Accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is not a small matter. People have lists of things that are important to them, but the most important decision that any human being can make is to accept Christ and receive the salvation he offers. The Book of Revelation hits this home in a very real…
-
·
I’m Just Not That Interested
I attended a symposium a few months back, and the speaker was extremely knowledgeable. I had been excited to attend because it would cover an aspect of relationships that has been problematic for many people for quite a long time. As it began, it was clear to me that it was not going to be…
-
·
The Hope of Marriage
Ms. Mattie was quite fond of Deanna because she was so sweet and always took time to chat some mornings in their break room at work. On one of those mornings, they talked about Deanna’s desire to find the right man and how challenging it had been in the past. Ms. Mattie told her, “Sweet…
-
·
Renew Your Mind to God’s Word
God’s Goodness Toward Us One of the greatest commitments we can make is to never think small or downcast about ourselves, but to see our lives through the potential God has placed in us through Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 7:11 (NLT), “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your…
-
·
God Brings Water to Our Dryness
Jennifer woke up on Christmas morning with a nagging headache and a heavy weight in the pit of her stomach. A year ago, after quitting a series of desk jobs that she felt drained her creatively, she started her own cookie business, but it hadn’t been nearly as profitable as she had hoped. She worked…
-
·
When It Seems Like Life Is Standing Still
Happily married with a close-knit family, Linda has so much to be thankful for. She’s been on the same job for the last 15 years, everyone loves her, and she and her husband are what most would consider a quintessential couple that is “living comfortably.” They don’t overspend, but take a vacation once or twice…
-
·
The Prince of Peace
God’s extraordinary prophecy in Isaiah 9:6(KJV) proclaims, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Undoubtedly, many of God’s people were taught this Old…
-
·
Increasing Your Fulfillment in Life
Pessimism is a tendency or habit of seeing the worst in situations, things, and people. It’s one of the many threats to our contentment and fulfillment in life. People who feel this way are generally unhappy with their lives, and they have little to no confidence about the future. So, for them, pessimism, rather than…
-
·
Handling Deeply Embedded Fear
Human Beings are not all that complicated, and that’s news for a lot of people. They’d like to think of themselves as incredibly unique and multi-faceted individuals. It sounds eccentric and interesting, but there’s not much to that. God makes it plain to us that our identity is in Christ, and we can’t do anything…
-
·
Are You Listening?
Genesis 3:8-9(NLT) informs us, “8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees. 9 Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”” We can derive from this passage that…
-
·
Someone Who Speaks the Truth, Even When You Don’t Like It
“I’m not perfect and neither are you.” Has anyone ever made this statement to you? When Christians give Godly wisdom and advice to someone that may have an issue, sometimes this is the response we receive. People immediately get offended because they think we’re being judgmental. In Luke 6:42(NLT), Jesus Christ said, “How can you…
-
·
Thankful and Blessed
The airport had lost Vanessa’s luggage. It was a mad house, and she was exhausted. Headed home to Atlanta for Thanksgiving, nothing about her trip had gone as planned. She murmured to herself in utter disgust, “Why does this always happen to me.” Seven hours delayed, frustrated, and still waiting with others for more information…