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I’m Open While Under Construction
How many of us go into relationships with our eyes wide open? Most single Christians would probably say they do, but even those of us that love God and desire His Will for our lives will misjudge our preparedness. We end up realizing our eyes were not as opened as we had thought. We expect…
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Keep God’s Love at the Root of Your Union
In a conversation recently, a man confided to me that he and his wife will probably go their separate ways once their youngest daughter goes off to college, which will be in the fall of this year. “I still love my wife, but I can’t remember the last time I held her hand or even…
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A Partnership Built on Great Faith
Genesis 17:1-2(NLT) tells us that when Abram was 99 years old, God came to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” One of the important aspects of the Book of…
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Simple and Ordinary Have Value
Ecclesiastes 1:9-11(NLT) “9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. 11 We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember…
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Fully Developed in the Lord
Jeremiah 17:7-8(NIV) “7 But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a…
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Running A Marathon in Quicksand
God created human beings in His image, and we are to walk in His love and live according to His nature. Every moment of each day presents an opportunity to become more like Him, and to respond to His goodness, love, and mercy with gratitude. This is His Will, that we spend the totality of…
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A Close Friendship Is A Gift
Proverbs 27:17(NLT) “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Charlotte, a young woman I know, shared with me that she felt disappointed by something one of her close friends from high school has done. Both in their twenties now, Charlotte’s friend, Helena, has become close with a young woman that is known…
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Knowing the Lord Intimately
In Matthew 7:21(NLT), our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ makes a profoundly staggering statement. He said that “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.” By this, it’s pretty clear that everyone who says…
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What Our Heartache Reveals
A healthy relationship with the significant person in your life is a beautiful thing. Most of us long for this type of relationship. When we meet someone that we believe will give it to us, we believe that our heart’s desire has been met, but sometimes these relationships do not work out as we hope.…
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Tell Someone About God’s Goodness
There’s a lot going on in our world, and most of it is far from the Will of God. It is apparent to many of us that the world can be incredibly cruel and dangerous, and we all must be exceedingly careful in everything we do. Many people are feeling overwhelmed by all of this.…
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Lead by Example
As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are commanded by our Heavenly Father to follow his example. We’re bonded together in unity through Christ, and God expects us to treat each other with the knowledge that He has knitted us together in perfect harmony. We should all be trying to out-do one another in…
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Patience in God’s Perfect Timing
One of my dearest friends checked in with me the other day to see how I was doing. She lives in another state and we don’t get to see each other often nor catch up with one another like we use to, but a text or email from time to time allows us to reconnect. …
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The Door that Only Jesus Christ Can Open
A comfort zone is generally known as a good thing, but it can also be very debilitating. When we become too accustomed to our routines that we are unmovable, we are set in our ways and this isn’t good. We may not always roll out the welcome mat for change, but to resist it is…
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Never Too Old to Dream
A good friend of mine resides in Hull, Massachusetts. It’s a completely different environment than the residence of my New England town. Hull is a quaint beach town that’s filled with little boutique shops on a boardwalk that overlooks the Atlantic shoreline. In my mind, it’s the perfect summer weekend getaway to escape the hustle…
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Trust God’s Plan for Your Life
Jeremiah 29:11(NLT) ““For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”” “If I don’t meet my husband before this summer, I’m going to take things into my own hands.” I chuckled when I heard Daphne…
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Don’t Be Trapped by Skepticism and Doubt
Throughout my lifetime, I’ve seen many women, myself included, go through hurtful challenges and heartbreaks in their relationships with men. Sadly, some of them never got over their heartache. Many of them became bitter and very nervous about letting themselves be that vulnerable again. They’re not interested in marriage. Other women that have suffered through…
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Wait Quietly for God
After a poor performance review, Janis left her supervisor’s office unfazed by the comments her boss had just made. She was way past caring and half-way expected to receive such low marks. Her 10year marriage had ended, just about all her bills were past due, and deep down she never really felt that anyone had…
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Someone’s Watching Your Shine
Proverbs 16:24 (NLT) “Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” Part of being a Christian is leaving a witness of the Kingdom we represent. Colossians 1:13(NLT) tells us, “For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,…
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Doing What God Wants
John 3:20-21(NLT) “20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” Through His Word, God has made it available for…
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When We Stand Before Him on that Glorious Day!
The Gospels give us the record of John the Baptist, and God has made sure that we know how important John was to the ministry of Jesus Christ on earth. Luke 1 gives us the record of the angel, Gabriel, appearing to Mary to inform her of her destiny as the mother of Christ. The…
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How Long Will You Have to Wait?
Where has waiting month after month and year after year for a man to come into your life gotten you? Are you angry with the world? Are you depressed when you wake up in the morning, or do you have joy in your heart regardless of whether you have someone with whom to share your…
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Remaining in God’s Peace
Sometimes we forget that we are here on this earth to put on more of Christ and to decrease in the flesh with each passing day. We can lose sight of the truth that putting on more of his love is the greatest thing that any of us can ever do. It’s everything to us!…
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Deciding to Begin Again
Isaiah 55:6-7 (NLT) “6 Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. 7 Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he…
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Life is No Playground
Luke 14: 28-30(NLT) 28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you.…
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When Someone You Love Makes A Terrible Mistake
In just about any group of friends, there’s always one person that can be counted on to be the voice of reason. There’s also typically another friend that is a bit carefree and notorious for not using the best judgement. This is the friend that leaps first and asks questions later. No matter how many…
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In the Beginning
Genesis 1:26 says that God created us in His very own image, because making us His family was always a part of His plan. Our Heavenly Father also tells us in the Book of Genesis that Adam was the first human being He created, and God gave him dominion and authority in the earth. Heavenly…
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Trust in God’s Love First
Esther said in Esther 8:5(NLT), “If it please the king, and if I have found favor with him, and if he thinks it is right, and if I am pleasing to him, let there be a decree that reverses the orders of Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, who ordered that Jews throughout all the…
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Standing in the Authority of Jesus Christ
Deborah Deanna Charles was the Vice President of a large bank, and she had worked very hard to break the glass ceiling. To say that she had been judged, isolated, and belittled as she climbed her way up is an understatement. The youngest sister of four other siblings, all vying for their very busy parent’s…
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Our Lives Mean the Most to God
I know people that have been angry with God for a long time. Things seem to always go wrong in their lives, and they are tired of it. They blame our Heavenly Father for their sadness and disappointment, and they’ve built a wall around their hearts that keeps Him out. With these individuals, you do…
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Out of Balance with God
Exodus 16:16-18(NLT) “16 These are the LORD’s instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts for each person in your tent.” 17 So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little. 18 But when they measured it out, everyone had…