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8 Christmas Bible Verses About Peace and Joy
December rain falls cold and clear, washing away the mud-encrusted ice from children’s footprints. I gaze at the scene from the window as I open my Bible in search of Christmas Bible verses about peace and joy. Christmas Bible Verses About Peace and Joy Christmas will be here soon, and our family could use a fresh outpouring of peace. We’ve battled various viruses nonstop throughout the past several weeks, and we’re ready for a break as we celebrate with family and friends. We’ve faced unexpected setbacks in many realms, and our joy has been tested through affliction. Maybe you could use some joy and peace this Christmas as well. Let’s…
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10 Encouraging Christmas Verses About Hope
As I sit in the forest, my bones throb with the cold ache of winter. The creek flows soundlessly—waiting for freeze-up. I’ve come to the woods to connect with my Creator, and I pull out my Bible in search of Christmas verses about hope to prepare my heart for the month ahead. Christmas Verses About Hope Over the years, I’ve learned that when I fail to keep my eyes on the reason for celebrating, I get pulled into the flurry of stress and overactivity. I’m searching for verses about hope because, at the heart of the matter, Christmas is about hope. At Christmas, we celebrate the hope we find in…
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Why Does God Test Us? (3 Reasons)
Do you have a sense that God has been testing you? God does not tempt us, but he does put us through tests to help us grow and build our character. Maybe you’ve been asking the question, “Why does God test us?” We’ll look at three reasons for God’s tests today. The following words are taken directly from our new mother-daughter devotional book, Heart to Heart. Find this book here today! Why Does God Test Us? “God left him alone only to test him, so that He might know everything that was in his heart.” 2 Chronicles 32:31 About 10 years ago, I sensed God calling me to start writing…
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Walking Through the Fire With God
For the next several weeks, Bekah and I will be sharing excerpts from our new mother-daughter devotional book, Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls. It will go on sale at the beginning of November. Today’s excerpt is called “Walking Through the Fire With God.” We pray this encourages you as you face trials and difficult times of all sorts. Walking Through the Fire With God He responded, “Look! I see four men untied and walking about in the middle of the fire unharmed, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!” Daniel 3:25 Have you ever experienced a situation so difficult that it felt…
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Lead Me to the Rock That Is Higher Than I
“Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:1-2, ESV). Lead Me to the Rock That is Higher Than I We sit in the yard as the songbirds swoop beneath the pale blue canopy overhead. It’s hard to believe August has come. The sun is setting earlier, and the nights will soon grow cooler. These shorter days speak of what’s to come, and I’m not sure I’m ready. Long summer days spent sitting in the backyard and swimming in the creek will draw to a close. …
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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. Prayers for Hopeless Situations As I walked through the forest recently, I realized I was falling into a behavior that has defined my response to hopeless situations for years: Trying to fix what felt broken. Most…
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Letting Go and Trusting God: 8 Reasons to Trust Him
This morning, I was startled to find the wood line painted grey. Nevertheless, the bleak scene matched the state of my soul. I sat by the window and wondered, What is God doing in my life? Letting go and trusting God felt nearly impossible. Above the hardwoods, a lavender cloud arched its back into the shape of a question mark. Perhaps the heavens were questioning God’s purposes as well. Later in the day, I took a walk beneath the naked arms of the maples, oaks, and sycamores. I let my mind trace the footprints of a handful of recent disappointments—disappointments that felt far heavier than a dismal shift of seasons. …
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7 Ways God Uses Brokenness for Good
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? God Uses Brokenness Perhaps it comes with remembering the ways God uses our brokenness. The world tells us to avoid suffering, failure, and brokenness. However, Jesus offers a different invitation. He invites us to embrace suffering, failure, and brokenness. We cannot become spiritually mature without adversity. This truth is difficult to…
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5 Hope-Filled Prayers for Grieving Families
A few months ago, a family in our community endured a heart-wrenching loss. Every time I read updates about their painful journey, I felt like my heart was pierced, and tears flooded my eyes. At the culmination of their awful journey, I visited the Facebook page where they had been posting updates. As I read through the kind and encouraging words written by those who were supporting them, the pain of entering into their story was almost more than I could bear. I was about to close the Facebook page and move on to something different—mostly to assuage the torrent of emotions I was feeling—when a quiet voice whispered, “Stay.”…
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Submitting Your Emotions to God: 3 Steps to Help You
I spent most of my life believing that my emotions needed to be controlled and surpressed. Not recognizing the biblical truth that my emotions were God-given, I often wrestled with the intensity of my feelings. If you can relate, you’re in the right place. Today, I’ll invite you to begin the process of submitting your emotions to God. As we walk through this process, I invite you to join me as I walked through this process myself. Submitting Your Emotions to God Tufts of fog hover beneath an apricot sky as storm clouds roll eastward on the wings of dusk. I sit by the window and focus on breathing slowly.…
