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How to Choose Worship Over Worry: 4 Practical Tips
The forest pushes heavenward, reaching toward the sky with a desperation that makes my heart ache. Life has been challenging here lately. As much as I want to choose worship over worry, my worries have been consuming me. As I stand at the kitchen sink and stare at the forest outside, I consider the trees. At times, it seems as if all of creation cries out for redemption—deliverance. I wash a menagerie of spoons, knives, and plastic children’s bowls as the morning light rises behind the tree line. That’s when I notice a single beam of heaven’s light reaching down to touch the treetops. “Yes,” I whisper, “This.” This will…
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10 Bible Verses to Calm Anxiety and Fear
The sky glows roseate as the sun ascends silently, and I gaze out the window. Instead of embracing the moment, I realize that my chest feels tight with some unidentified source of anxiety. “Lord, show me what I need to know,” I whisper. Opening my Bible, I begin listing them in my journal: Bible verses to calm anxiety and fear. 10 Bible Verses to Calm Anxiety and Fear As I soak in the words, my mind quiets. The inner chaos settles. God’s presence slowly begins to fill me with peace. If you could use more peace today, I invite you to join me as we soak in these verses to…
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God’s Guidance: 4 Ways to Find His Direction
Standing on the shoreline beneath Alaska’s midnight sun, the hollow clap of clear water against stone echoes beneath my feet. I’ve come to Alaska to seek God’s guidance for my life. I have no way of knowing that God is waiting to offer direction that has little to do with the questions I’ve been asking. I’m 21 years old, and I’m seeking answers about my career, myself, and my faith. I don’t know it yet, but God is waiting to graciously provide answers to all three. How to Find God’s Guidance I’ve been praying about whether to leave my home in Pennsylvania to pursue a teaching career in Alaska. Meanwhile,…
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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,…
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10 Empowering Bible Verses About Feeling Defeated
Outside the window, the goldenrod fields have shifted from emerald to buttery gold. Frost will come soon, and any hint of color will be swallowed up by the monochrome beige of winter. I open my Bible in search of Bible verses about feeling defeated because I sense I’ll need them throughout the long months ahead. Bible Verses About Feeling Defeated Perhaps you need these words, too. Maybe you’re facing an uncertain future or feeling defeated in some area of your life today. Regardless of what your discouragement looks like, let’s soak in these truths together today. 10 Bible Verses About Feeling Defeated 1. Isaiah 59:1 “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not…
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How to Embrace Yourself the Way You Are: 8 Ways
Do you ever compare yourself to others and feel like you don’t measure up? Maybe you want to learn how to embrace yourself the way you are, but you don’t know where to begin. You are in the right place today. I invite you to join me in the woods, and we’ll talk about the parts of our lives that make us feel unique as we aim to embrace ourselves as we are. How to Embrace Yourself Just the Way You Are The bluebells have returned. Emerging from rocky soil as if breaking into the light took no effort at all, they hang their huddled heads—embarrassed by their brilliance. It…
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10 Bible Verses to Help With Anxiety and Fear
The amber light of morning finds me through a partially drawn curtain. Within the first moments of the day, my mind returns to a situation that’s been filling me with anxious thoughts. “Not today, fear,” I whisper, and I open my Bible in search of Truth. Instead of meditating on my fears today, I decide to make a list of Bible verses to help with anxiety and fear. 10 Bible Verses to Help With Anxiety and Fear Opening my Bible, I’m reminded that when anxiety and fear come at me, I always have a choice. I can buckle beneath the weight of my paralyzing emotions—giving the enemy a seat at…
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Cast All Your Burdens on God: 4 Practical Ways
Do you want to learn to cast all your burdens on the Lord? I invite you to join me in the woods, and we’ll talk about practical ways to cast our cares on Jesus. Cast All Your Burdens on God: 4 Insights The forest is silent this morning. Shrouded in a fresh cloak of frozen ivory, every fallen log and standing hemlock dozes beneath the weight of winter’s breath. Suddenly, a rustle behind me catches my attention. I turn, startled, expecting a deer or coyote. The forest sleeps. I hear it again and realize the noise is coming from somewhere closer than I first realized. Looking at the ground just…
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9 Bible Verses About Trusting God and Not Worrying
The winter wind writes its story in flourishes of ivory. As I stare out the window, I feel consumed by worries, and I open my Bible in search of comforting Bible verses about trusting God and not worrying. Perhaps you need this Truth to stand on in challenging times, too. Bible Verses About Trusting God and Not Worrying Let’s look at what the Bible says about worry, and then we will explore three practical ways to overcome worries with God’s help. 9 Bible Verses About Trusting God and Not Worrying 1. Matthew 6:25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or…
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15 Bible Verses on Deliverance From Strongholds
A row of house sparrows adorns the deck railing out the window. Against winter’s white curtain, they are captivating tufts of movement and life. I need these beacons of hope today as I open my Bible in search of Bible verses on deliverance from strongholds. Bible Verses on Deliverance From Strongholds Yesterday, a close friend opened up about a struggle she’s been facing. “I sense there’s a spiritual element to this, and I desperately need God to deliver me from this stronghold,” she whispered through tears. Most of us face strongholds in life. Strongholds include habits we can’t seem to break, emotions that refuse to lift, and obstacles that seem…
