Bible Truth for Everyday Life
Bible study tools, devotions, and free resources to help you encounter God in your quiet time and apply Biblical truth to your everyday life.
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Stepping Out in Faith: How to Take the First Step
I have always struggled with new beginnings. Stepping out in faith can feel terrifying when we’re afraid we might fall flat on our faces. Starting anything new often feels awkward, and this is challenging for most of us. Whether I’m launching my first blog post, running the first mile of the morning jog, or starting a new job, I don’t love the first small steps. At times, I feel this way when I sit down to write and have no words. There’s a saying among writers that goes something like this: “Write or do nothing.” In other words, when you designate a time of the day to write, you have…
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7 Empowering Bible Verses for Anxiety and Stress
We sit by the lake and cast stones like we’re casting cares. I try to conjure up a few long-ago memorized Bible verses for anxiety because I need an anchor on this clear blue afternoon. I remember a day when I sat by this lake four short months ago. It’s funny how four months can feel exactly like a lifetime. This azure water lapping against an emerald shoreline was clothed in unrecognizable white, and there was no definitive border between the place where the land ended and the water began. Men sat bundled in blue and brown shanties across the white expanse. They entertained themselves by jigging child-sized fishing poles…
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How Saying Yes to Life Might Be Your Gateway to Greater Joy
It’s an unseasonably warm spring morning, and we’re hurrying down the road to stay on schedule. There are articles to write, meals to prepare, and towels to fold. Accomplishing these tasks is my idea of saying yes to life today. As the sun rises higher, we set out in search of frog eggs before delving into the work of the day. We’re almost home when little Bekah stops along the road and calls me to look at her treasure. I suspect she’s found another daffodil. “No, Mom! You just have to see this!” she yells. Turning back, I’m astonished by the sight before me. My girl holds a golden flower…
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5 Reasons to Stop Seeking a “Balanced” Life
Do you feel frustrated by the lack of balance in your life? Most of us have had this experience. Let’s talk about why the idea of a “balanced life” might not be God’s plan for us. 5 Reasons to Stop Seeking a Balanced Life Recently, I went for a walk with a friend who was visiting from out of town. She had been serving the least of these in the far corners of the earth, and I had been chasing down the elusive ideal of a balanced life while mothering and writing. She asked how I was doing, and I told her I was feeling a little out of balance. Life…
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Why It’s Okay to Lack Satisfaction in Life
It’s a spring-like winter day, and I offer the kids a trip to visit the calves at the neighboring farm. I’m not really thinking about satisfaction in life, but our time under open skies is about to reframe my perspective on winter and on life in general. This time of year, the once-lush fields are dingy with winter. Corn stubble blankets hazel earth, and the verdant clover is drab and beige. We walk beneath grey skies, and from some precisely placed break in the clouds, a fiery sun blazes coral as it slips toward the horizon. We’re walking westward, and it seems we’re chasing down the light. “The sun sure…
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5 Bible Verses About Waiting Patiently for God’s Perfect Timing
It’s a cloudy Monday morning when I open my Bible in search of Bible verses about waiting patiently for God’s perfect timing. Beside me, the amaryllis has burst into full bloom. It bows low under the weight of its heavy blossom. After all of this waiting for it to bloom, I wonder if the blossom might crush it. I watch the amaryllis become its fullest self, and I wonder about my own growth. Perhaps this recent season of waiting on God has been more purposeful than I’ve imagined. Maybe God knows that if I bloom before I’m ready, the weight of it will crush me. Nevertheless, I’m tired of waiting.…
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Finding God when Prayers Go Unanswered
We’d reached the frayed edges of autumn, where flurries told us winter had come, and yet the calendar told us the winter solstice was not yet upon us. I wasn’t really thinking about seeking God when prayers go unanswered as I jogged down our quiet country road. I pushed my aching body down the road in my weekend routine of a long jog down the dusty roads, and the black dog with pointing ears came at me so hard I screamed in an angry and primal way. I wondered if our long chain of unfortunate events might culminate with an attack from a defensive German shepherd. I questioned whether I…
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10 Comforting Truths for Your Storms in Life
The winter wind beats hard against the western wall of our house, and I stare out the window at the bands of white as they tear across the yard. These unrelenting gusts remind me that we all face storms in life, and sometimes the best we can do is hunker down and hold fast to the One who promises to hide us in the shelter of his wings. Most of us know how it feels to be plodding along the even road of good health, blessing, and prosperity, only to ride straight into a storm that changes everything. Storms in Life This fall, I wrote a post highlighting all the…
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How to Step Out in Faith When You Feel Uncertain
It’s a dreary winter morning when I realize that the dark, cold days have worn me far too thin. As I begin brainstorming ideas about how to climb out of the rut, I have no idea that God is about to teach me a lesson that will stay with me for years, a lesson about how to step out in faith. “Want to take Caleb to our camping spot along the river?” I ask Bekah, drawing her from screen time that’s lasted longer than good parents would permit. There’s no hesitation. “Yes!” she shouts. In ten minutes, we’re bundled into snow pants, parkas, and blaze orange stocking caps, barreling down…
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3 Practical Ways to Cultivate a Deeper Relationship With God
White light breaks through smoky billows of fog. Climbing out of bed, I admire the scene out the window and ask God to help me be more aware of his presence throughout the upcoming day. I’ve been seeking a deeper relationship with God over the past few months. I know that going deeper includes becoming more aware of what he is doing around me. Sadly, I tend to overlook his presence as I push through my days on autopilot. This is not how I want to live. I’m tired of rushing through my moments, wishing away long days, and living in survival mode. How to Have a Deeper Relationship With…
