Category: Christian

There are times when God allows us to walk through ‘sun-scorched’ lands, to go through things we can’t handle, only to show us that He most certainly can!

It is in these times, in these very places, that we are called to a more authentic faith and a greater trust in the very One who formed you in your mother’s womb, in the One who knows your coming and going.

It’s in these times, in these very places, that a greater praise and love flows from the heart of the believer who trusts God in the middle of these ‘sun-scorched’ lands.

It’s in these times, in these very places, that we see and experience God’s comfort, joy, and peace that only He can give, and watch Him provide when logic and circumstances say that you should be without.

It’s in these times, in these places, that God moves us from being self-sufficient to becoming God dependent!

He is more than enough for you today! Keep trusting, keep praying, and keep KNOWING that the Lord will guide you always!

“The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58: 11

In Christ, we not only have God’s unwaivering promises, BUT we have the ability to obtain knowledge of the undeniable truths of who He is! Dwelling upon the truth of God’s character and His promises will draw us into a continuous rest in Him! The rest we long for can only be found in Him!

Fighting Anxiety as a couple… Our story is God’s story… Life isn’t always easy, but God is always present. This is “us” … real and honest and our prayer is that God reaches others and you are left encouraged!

I didn’t know of anyone who had faced anxiety on a serious level before I became struck with it myself. It was as if I had just entered a whole new world and I was the only one in it. Most of my friends and family members couldn’t really identify with what I was dealing with. Sure, they were very compassionate, listened, and even prayed with and for me, but they didn’t have the personal experience to really know what I was dealing with. So, I felt alone.

I have since learned that I was far from being alone in this battle. It is very ironic to me that, as isolating as anxiety can make you feel, 40 million Americans are reportedly affected by it each year (information found on http://adaa.org). That’s a lot of people that have been touched by anxiety! How can something that’s so common place make you feel so lonely and make you feel pegged as one those people who now “have it”? I believe it’s because it’s not talked about enough. There is a tendency within me that wants to just cover up the fact that I have struggled with it, but God has burdened me to speak up! God doesn’t want us being quiet about the testimonies He has given us or the work that He has done during the difficult moments of our lives. No, those are meant to be shared.

As large as 40 million people is, I actually believe that number is larger, because truth be told, when anxiety hits one person, its effects are usually felt by the other people in your home and in your life. I may have been the anxiety sufferer in our home, but it definitely touched the lives of those in my family as well, primarily my husband.

Because anxiety doesn’t just effect the person who is dealing with it, my husband and I desire to join together in a video (coming soon) discussing how God walked both of us through this time in our lives and how God faithfully worked in both of our hearts! We long to share words of truth and heartfelt encouragement because we know that it is needed!
If anxiety is present within your marriage, know that God can use something difficult like this and can build strength in your marriage and a greater dependence on Him!

Suggested Verses to Cling to:

Philippians 4:4-9, Hebrews 3:1, Psalm 62:5-8, Psalm 33:4, Psalm 33:20-22, Matthew 11: 29-30

Although the coronavirus has hit, putting a halt to our “normal lives”, now is the time to seize the day! It’s time to seize this day, this very moment that has been given to you! Most of us lead such busy lives that we are rushing from one thing to another, and we are exhausted! We continue to say, “yes” to commitments and activities and we say “yes” so many times that we suddenly find that our days are filled with hours of busyness and only mere moments, minutes with our families at home. And maybe those few minutes you have at home with your family are rushed minutes trying to get the kids to bed.

In Acts 1, Jesus tells his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promised gift, the Holy Spirit, and upon receiving the Holy Spirit, they would have the power to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Paraphrased from Acts 1-8).
As believers, as ones who have received the power of the Holy Spirit, we have this promised gift from our Heavenly Father that equips us to be His disciples and witnesses to those around us, but let’s not overlook the order of places that Jesus said their witness would reach. The first place they would begin their outreach would be in the city of Jerusalem, in the very place that Jesus said to wait to receive the gift of the Holy Spirt. From that point on, it would grow and spread outward, but this ministry, this witness had to begin where they were.
Our witness must also begin where we are, and that is in our homes. The witness and discipleship for our children is vital and it is a responsibility that God has given to every parent/caretaker. With the constant busyness our lives hold, I’m afraid many are guilty of overlooking our Jerusalem, myself included, and we even seek to have ministry opportunities that skip over the starting point- our homes.
Over the next several weeks, many of us will have a very unique opportunity, unlike any other, that we will probably experience in our life time. With extra activities being closed, for children and adults alike, we will have a flip flop in our time. Instead of fleeting moments with our children each day, many of us will now have hours each day to be at home to invest in our families. We will have more time to witness in our Jerusalem. With that being said, let’s seize the day! Let’s make the most of the opportunity that has been given to us, regardless of how inconvenient our “new normal” for the next few weeks may feel. The days we are entering are temporary, but the effects that could come from this daily investment and making the most of this time could be eternal! Let’s seize the day!

I recently had an opportunity to be a contributing writer for the North Carolina Baptist Convention. The topic to be covered was the power of our words and as parents we should guard what we say.

Writing is my God given passion, but to write on this topic was completely humbling. As a parent, I have not always guarded what I have said, but in the those moments of missing the mark, God has shown me the power of teaching my children the power of saving grace, living daily in that grace, seeking forgiveness, and that Jesus is ALWAYS the answer. The link to the article is attached below and I pray that you are left encouraged!

https://ncbaptist.org/why-there-is-power-in-a-parents-confession/

As 2020 was approaching, God burdened my heart to pray for clear vision, to pray to have 2020 vision for life. When God stirs your heart it’s exciting and so I waited for the new year with great expectation, anxiously awaiting to see what God would do.
It’s been an interesting start to the year to say the least. There has been a lot of rain for many, enough rain to give you the blues and leave you with a deep longing to see the sun shine again. Enough rain has come that I think we all have a new appreciation for a full day of sunshine.
And now, three months into a new year, a virus has hit the world, causing schools to close, activities to be cancelled, and churches to call off their weekly services. Many are scared and many are wondering what is going on?
I will be honest, I have had to sit back and take a moment to let all of this process, and I am more confident than ever on why God burdened my heart for 2020 vision in 2020. As people, we are highly concerned about what is happening around us, but are we as equally or more concerned about what is going on within us, about what is happening within our hearts?
Never can we fully understand the plans of God or the mind of God, but I do know that God has a desire for our hearts and to restore what sin sought to destroy. He longs to draw us to Himself and have a relationship with Him. As people, we tend to fill our hearts with everything but God, and when calamity hits, we are suddenly aware of the fact that life is temporal and that we do in fact need this God who saves and we do in fact need to call on the name of Jesus.
9/11 will forever be etched in my heart and mind. It’s day that I can never forget. On that day and for many days following that tragic day, many were broken and found themselves humbled and calling out to the God who saves.
Once again, tragedy has struck. Uncertainty and lack of control over what is happening around us has many in panic mode. But has life ever truly been certain? Have we ever really had as much control as we think we had? Life is but a vapor and in times like this we realize how fleeting life really is. We suddenly have a proper perspective. When calamity hits, people begin to realize what really matters and maybe even lead many to a point of seeking the God who saves.
Call me crazy, but when calamity strikes, it as if there is an increased amount of grace that God is bestowing to the world. It’s a means in which God can grab the attention of many and help them see past the temporal and see towards eternity. It’s a means in which He helps them see their need for a Savior and brings them to a point of a soft heart before Him. It’s a means in which God longs to restore vision to the multitudes.
2020 is still the year for clear vision and is still a year in which God is seeking to do great things. Stop looking outward to what is swarming around us all and look inward to what God is desiring to do within the hearts of many all over the world.
Maybe this time of great calamity is a means in which God is longing to bestow increased amount of grace to the multitudes…

http://highlightinghope.org/2020/02/05/a-mind-at-perfect-peace/