Overcoming Trials
-
6 Encouraging Prayers for Hopeless Situations
I recently went to the woods to talk to God about a situation that felt hopeless. Perhaps you’re facing some challenging circumstances, too. You are in the right place. Today, we’ll unpack six prayers for hopeless situations as we press into our true Source of hope. We are never without hope when we learn where our unchanging hope is found. This week, I invite you to join me in my favorite place: the woods. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you find hope in Christ. Prayers for Hopeless Situations As I walked through the forest recently, I realized I…
-
Prayers for Broken Hearts: 5 Prayers for Comfort and Healing
It’s not easy to know how to pray for a broken heart. Whether you are hurting or you want to pray for a loved one who is suffering, today we’ll explore five comforting prayers for broken hearts. My hope is that these prayers will offer healing and hope to those who are hurting today. I invite you to join me in one of my favorite places, our backyard fire ring, and we’ll talk about how to pray for hurting hearts. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to comfort you when your heart is broken. 5 Comforting Prayers for Broken Hearts Four…
-
15 Bible Verses About the Presence of God
Mirrored on sleek water, the expanse of sapphire sky comes down to touch us. My little boy presses a delicate fingertip into its blue, and it feels like heaven has come to dwell among us. God’s Word has a great deal to say about the presence of God. Today, we’ll explore 15 Bible verses about the presence of God. We’ll also learn how to apply these verses to our lives. I invite you to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional book to help you become more aware of God’s presence in your life. Let’s begin by turning to God’s Word. Bible Verses About the Presence…
-
15 Bible Verses About Being Stuck (and Tips for Breaking Free)
Somewhere along the thin line between night’s inky darkness and the hoary glow of daybreak, I place a flat palm on the frosted windowpane. It’s late winter in our world. I feel stuck inside and stuck in life today. Opening my Bible, I begin my search for Bible verses about being stuck in life. We all feel stuck at times. We feel stuck in habits we cannot break, jobs we don’t enjoy, and callings that suck the life from our bodies. During these times, God’s Word offers encouragement and inspiration. Today, we’ll explore 15 Bible verses about being stuck. We’ll also look at five practical ways to get un-stuck. Be…
-
12 Blessings of Trusting God in Uncertain Times
I’m cleaning out the basket above the fridge when I discover a tattered calendar. Opening it, I flip through the empty pages. I remember the year vividly. It was a year marked by pain and suffering. Illness kept the calendar blank for months. At the time, I was blind to the blessings of trusting God in our circumstances. Surprisingly, I realize I’m smiling as I reflect on the year. I recall the tears, the sorrow, and the prayers that seemed to go unanswered for months. At the time, those unanswered prayers didn’t feel like something to smile about. The Blessings of Trusting God Most likely, you have a few unanswered…
-
4 Practical Ways to Overcome Fear With Faith
Welcome to our second post in the Set Free series. Today, we’ll talk about how to overcome fear with faith. This series offers a taste of what you’ll find in my paperback book, Lean Into Grace. And now, let’s talk about rising above our greatest fears. How to Overcome Fear With Faith Through the frosted windowpane, the world is colored by shapes. An angular patch of green breathes life into the dull surroundings where the neighbor has tended to her plot of earth. The C-shaped stretch of curving country road delineates the wild from the tame. I get lost in the scene and feel like I’ve stepped out of the latest…
-
When Christmas Is Hard: 5 Insights to Give You Hope
Snow falls heavily like flour through a sifter, and I’m alone with only my thoughts and the hushed whisper of flakes gathering on frozen earth. As I sit beneath the hemlocks, I’m reminded of a season years ago when our family was suffering at Christmas. It can be challenging to know where to turn when Christmas is hard instead of celebratory. When Christmas Is Hard Our difficult Christmas came after a year filled with illness, disappointment, and deep grief. We’d just watched a lifelong dream go up in smoke, and we weren’t sure where to turn next. We were grieving, and we were having a hard time embracing the Christmas…
-
How to Fight Spiritual Attacks: 7 Ways
We lose a little more light every day now. I slip out for my evening walks beneath an underbelly of midnight blue. Not long ago, while walking beneath the canopy of darkness, I began thinking about how to fight spiritual attacks. I’ve been feeling discouraged in certain areas of my life lately. After weeks of restlessness, I finally recognized that the relentless stream of negative thoughts might be coming from somewhere other than my own mind. After telling a friend about the thoughts, she said, “Sounds like a spiritual attack to me.” How to Fight Spiritual Attacks Like me, you might be feeling discouraged today. Maybe you battle with worry,…
-
15 Scriptures to Destroy the Works of the Enemy
We are living in difficult times. Now, more than ever, let’s cling to God’s Word as we face the spiritual darkness surrounding us. Today, we’ll take a closer look at 15 powerful Scriptures to destroy the works of the enemy. Speak these verses out loud when you sense you are under attack and as you pray over our world. Satan cannot read our minds, but he submits to the authority of God’s Word. I also invite you to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you stand firm in life’s spiritual battles. Scriptures to Destroy the Works of the Enemy The year I…
-
8 Bible Verses for Brokenness, Loss, and Suffering
The first storm of fall comes with gusty gales and breaks loose the brittle branches and untethered leaves. I have a deep sense of my own brokenness as the leaves scatter across the yard, and a question stirs in my heart: If God uses brokenness for good, how do we turn to God and find beauty in the brokenness? Turning to God’s Word, I begin listing Bible verses for brokenness in my journal. 8 Bible Verses for Brokenness These are the words I write. I encourage you to meditate on these words. Also, be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help…
