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Making Decisions With God: 4 Questions to Guide You
Have you been praying about a big decision? Maybe you feel confused because you want to follow God but don’t have a clear sense of his direction. You are in the right place. Today, we’ll talk about making decisions with God and explore four questions to help us. Making Decisions With God: 4 Questions to Guide You A few years ago, I sensed God calling me to step out in faith and take a risk that was beyond my comfort zone. I didn’t feel equipped for the assignment. I wanted signs of God’s provision before I took the first step of faith. After months of hesitation, I finally obeyed. The…
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How to Overcome Storms of Life: 10 Insights
Not long ago, we awakened to a world encased in a silver sheen of ice. Crystal droplets, frozen in time, hung from the railing of the deck like daggers waiting to fall. The wind howled, and frozen shards flew from the jostled branches of the poplar tree. The scene prompted me to think about how to overcome storms of life. How to Overcome Storms of Life The storm raged all day. When I came home from getting groceries in the evening, our daughter, Bekah, was outside attempting to feed our three pet beagles. Our beagles are hunting dogs, and they are happiest living in a well-insulated kennel in the backyard;…
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10 Hope-Filled Bible Verses About God Being With Us
The angel watches over us from her crooked perch atop the Christmas tree, and it takes everything within me not to climb on top of the TV stand to straighten her out. Could it be that Immanuel, God with us, smiles at our efforts to celebrate his birth? Today, we’ll explore 10 encouraging Bible verses about God being with us and learn to apply these truths to our everyday moments. For several years now, I’ve been pondering some of the last words ever recorded by John Wesley. Wesley looked back on his life and remarked, “The best of all is, God is with us.” God with us. Matthew 1:23 records…
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Trusting God’s Plans for Your Life (With 7 Bible Verses)
Have you been searching for God’s plans for your life? I’m Stacey, and my 12-year-old daughter, Bekah, and I are excited to share our hearts with readers of all ages as we aim to walk in God’s will. Thanks for connecting with us as we discuss how to trust God’s plan for our lives. God’s Plans for Your Life He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. 2 Samuel 22:20 Stacey’s Thoughts on God’s Plans for Your Life: When I was a teenager, one of my greatest dreams was to win a medal at the state track meet. My race was the…
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A Prayer for Strength and Healing When Life Hurts
The Queen Anne’s Lace stands in full bloom—sprinkling the fields with flourishes of ivory. Admiring it from the window, I utter a silent prayer for strength and healing. Not long ago, I slipped into the woods on a balmy evening. As I gazed into the murky creek water, I assessed the state of my soul and realized I was wrestling with uncertainty. The creek bottom exhaled the pungent scent of decaying earth, and I immediately sensed an invitation: Anyone can declare trust in God when life’s going well, but it takes faith to declare our trust when life feels uncertain. A Powerful Prayer for Strength and Healing: “Lord, I trust…
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8 Hope-Filled Bible Verses About the Storms of Life
We all face storms in life. If you feel like your ship is about to sink, let’s dig into God’s Word together as we uncover eight hope-filled Bible verses about the storms of life. Bible Verses About the Storms of Life Twenty years ago, I boarded a plane in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvnaia and flew to Anchorage, Alaska. I spent the next three months working in a deli outside Denali National Park and traveling across the state on the weekends. One weekend, I took a ferry through the fjords near Seward. I vividly remember the way a cloud of mist shrouded the bay like a crumpled quilt as our small vessel inched…
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Feeling Lost in Life? This Is for You . . .
Twelve years ago, I stepped into a season of major transition. I remember looking out the window one balmy summer morning and feeling lost in life. I felt like my identity was being slowly dismantled, and I didn’t know who I was anymore. We’ll revisit my identity crisis in a moment. First, take a moment to consider your most common responses when another person asks you to describe yourself. You might talk about your job, your family, or your hobbies. Maybe you share your interests and talk about the place where you live. Now, imagine how you would feel if these aspects of your life were suddenly stripped away. Consider…
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God Is Sufficient When You’re Weak, Worn, and Weary
A skirmish of maple leaves flutters to the earth—the color of moonrise on a cloudless night. It’s early in the season for falling leaves, but perhaps these leaves have grown tired from holding on. I’m tired tonight, too. I could use a gentle reminder that God is sufficient to help me in my weak, worn, and weary seasons. I decide to sit beneath the maples with my Bible, and I stumble into these words: “Not that we are adequate in ourselves so as to consider anything as having come from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God” (1 Corinthians 3:5 NASB). Here in the silence of the words, I’m reminded that God wants me to…
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God Hears Our Prayers—Even When He Seems Silent
The summer air was thick with humidity as we made our way into the wilderness. Hemlocks breathed their pungent, piney scent, and the river rolled along casually—inviting us into the clear, cool water. I had no idea this backpacking trip with a friend was about to become a lifelong reminder that God hears our prayers. We reached our campsite and erected our tent as storm clouds gathered overhead. With the invincibility of 25-year-olds, we didn’t worry about the ominous clouds and ran to the river for a swim as soon as the tent was in place. After a short swim, the thunderous clouds descended upon us, and heaven unleashed in…
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How to Put Your Hope in Jesus When Life Is Hard
The wind that ripped and tore all day finally calms, and I slip into the valley to walk in the silence. I’m here because I need to remind myself to put my hope in Jesus instead of putting my hope in climbing out of the valley of discomfort. Have you ever faced a valley so deep you wondered how you would possibly climb out of the darkness? Maybe the death of a precious loved one left you reeling with pain. Perhaps your marriage fell apart, your dream died, or you faced a devastating diagnosis. If you’re anything like me, you wanted to put your hope in Jesus, but, mostly, you…