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You Did Your Best, It Didn’t Get Better
Through the Apostle Paul, God tells us in Ephesians 6:13(NIV), “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” When it comes to issues and morals that are important to us, most…
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BE the Change You Want to See
In Nehemiah 8:10(NLT), the prophet had to remind God’s people who they were and to remember who God is to them. Nehemiah said, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t…
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Wax in Our Spiritual Ears
Dear Heavenly Father, There are two things that I hear frequently from some of my brothers and sisters in Christ. The first is “I can’t hear God!” or said another way, “God isn’t speaking to me?” This implies that You are not communicating with them, and that can’t be true. You speak to us every…
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Private Lives Brought to Light
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, taught a very powerful lesson in Matthew 6:16(NLT), and although he taught it in the context of the spiritual practice of fasting, it can be used in many other areas of our spiritual lives, namely, marriage preparation. He told the disciples, “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious,…
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He’s Allowing the Shake Up before the Take Down
The more mature we become physically, and most importantly, spiritually, the more we’ll realize how little we know and how little we are really able to do as human-beings. We will encounter situations and circumstances that exceed our capacity to understand or resolve them. I’m not talking about the run-of-the-mill issues that throw a monkey…
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Happy in the Lord
Dear Heavenly Father, Sometimes we experience personal sadness because we look at ourselves and find fault. We don’t like our physical appearance or find some other attribute that we dislike. These kinds of feelings are sometimes intensified if we don’t have a special or significant person in our lives—someone that might reinforce the positive. You…
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Don’t Faint in Your Mind
I was encouraging a group of single sisters in the Word a few months ago, and I strongly encouraged them to resist the temptation to get weary in their minds from the wait. I’m pretty adamant about encouraging my beloved Sisters in Christ. It’s because I know from experience that once we allow our minds…
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Driven to God
Psalm 86:1-7 (NLT) “1 Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. 2 Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. 3 Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly.…
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Be Strong in God’s Grace
God said in 2Corinthians 12:9(NLT), “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” He spoke these words to the Apostle Paul at a time when Paul was dealing with a troubling situation. He sought the Lord three times to remove this vexing problem, and 2Corinthians 12:9 is the spiritual strategy for…
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Eyes on the Prize
Dear Heavenly Father, I am learning very important lessons about different seasons in a person’s life. Just as You created the four seasons within the earth, You have created this same pattern within the lives of Your people. You tell us in Ecclesiastes 3:1(NLT) “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity…
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Stand Firm on the Promises of God
Exodus 23:20-22(NLT) “20 See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. 21 Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your…
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Igniting A Spark in His Heart
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NLT) tells us, “9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” This is a great verse for anyone questioning whether God is in their corner when it…
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Encouraging Others When You Don’t Feel Encouraged
Most believers will agree that the greatest battle takes place in our minds. We have an enemy, the devil, and he is after our minds and hearts, because he wants to destroy the Christian. Jesus Christ told us in John 10:10 that the devil is a thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Not…
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Prayer and Patience
Dear Heavenly Father, This week, the Holy Spirit spoke a word to me, and it was beyond wonderful! I hear people talking about how much they want to hear from You, and they don’t feel as though they can. I relate to their desire because I, too, had a deep yearning for two-way dialogue where…
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The Irony of Weakness
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NLT) 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”9 So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships,…
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Reaching Higher than the Miracle You Need
The Old Testament gives us the record and history of Joseph, Jacob’s son. He is one of my favorite people in the bible because he’s a dreamer. And since I’ve always fancied myself a bit of a dreamer too, I’m thrilled by the grandiosity of Joseph’s dreams. Even more impressive is his obedience and trust…
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Constructive Criticism Requires Finesse
Proverbs 15:31-32(NLT) tells us, “If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise. If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.” God’s wisdom is golden, and it will never fail, but many of us single believers find the first sentence…
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You Will Find Rest
Matthew 11:28-30(NLT) 28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke…
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Fight the Good Fight!
Dear Heavenly Father, The Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7 (NLT), “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” He had endured more than any of us living today can imagine. He had an intimate encounter with Your beloved Son on the Road to Damascus and…
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Loosed and Free, Breaking the Chains of Loneliness
In John 8:32(NLT), Jesus Christ said, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” A person that has never experienced the bondage of things like addiction, debt, lack, loneliness, or imprisonment of any kind, may not appreciate the significance of the words of Christ in this verse. They may not…
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Taking What You Have and Making It Great!
Witnessing a miracle thousands of years ago when our blessed Savior walked the earth was just as extraordinary as it is to witness a miracle today. However, one could argue that the needs of many people were much greater back then. During the time of his ministry, people were amazed and excited by the wondrous…
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Speak Life and Not Death!
Dear Heavenly Father, You tell us in Proverbs 18:21(KJV), “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” I love this verse because we so vividly see evidence of this truth every day of our lives. So many people do not recognize the significance…
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The Secret of Living in Every Situation
Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT) 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with…
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Ten Years without Coming Close
Over the holidays a friend told me she took her ex-boyfriend out for lunch. He’d been in town for the holidays, and since both have moved on and still remain good friends, they decided to catch-up. During dinner, he told her that he realized shortly after their break-up he’d messed up a really good thing…
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A Course Correction
Very often, it’s a slight movement in the direction we’ve taken that will make a huge difference in our lives. A friend of mine was in between jobs a few years ago and said to me that the time-off was a gift, because it allowed a space for inner reflection and deep thought. A lot…
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Let’s Clean House
Saturday’s are my ‘clean house day.’ It’s the only day during the week that allows me time to make sure most of the house is clean the way I like it. My mother had all girls. She was never fooled by the surface cleaning we used to do in a hurry when we were younger.…
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It’s Already Begun!
Isaiah 43:19(NLT) “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already Begun! Do you not see it?” Every year my family and I go out of town to visit relatives for the holidays. Before we leave, I make sure to put a new calendar on the wall; it’s one of my pet…
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Being A Proverbs 18:22 Treasure
Dear Heavenly Father, During a conversation with a friend, she told me that she’s tired of being single. It’s not the first time I’ve heard her say this. Despite her young age, she said that she’s ready to find her husband. This time during our conversation, I interrupted her. Your Word in Proverbs 18:22 (NLT)…
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Things NOT to Repeat in 2019
Don’t let negative people discourage you Starting right off the bat, the first thing that must go in 2019 is discouragement, and the biggest source of it is negative people. As believers, we sometimes underestimate the extent to which the devil will work through others to discourage us so that we lose hope in God.…
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Keep Love in the Front Seat
Monica Green handles pressure very well. Some would say it comes from single-parenting two children, one of them with autism and the other high-schooler struggles with anxiety sometimes. Monica handles it all while keeping a smile on her face. Her bosses and coworkers love her; they are like family. When her long time employer was…