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A Surprising Reason You Might Feel Spiritually Stagnant
Winter wind washes the outside world with white, and the fields once so luxuriant with farmers’ crops are pale with sleep. I remember the sun-splashed fields of goldenrod as I read beside the window. Like this sleeping world, something inside me feels spiritually stagnant today. I want to be vibrant and faith-filled, but we’ve shifted into a season of simply trying to put one foot in front of the other with each passing day. Awakening Our Spiritually Stagnant Souls I’m reading Dr. Robert Mullholland’s book, Invitation to a Journey, as I sit by the window. He makes a point that catches my attention: Some of us feel spiritually stagnant because we…
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A Short Prayer for Strength During Difficult Times
Have you been walking through a difficult time in your life? Today, I invite you to join me during one of the most challenging years of my life, and I’ll share a short prayer for strength during difficult times of all sorts. I pray these words lead you straight into the arms of your heavenly Father. He loves you, and he hasn’t missed a moment of the trial you are walking through. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a short devotional eBook to help you find strength in the Lord. A Short Prayer for Strength During Difficult Times The oaks flaunted butterscotch hands the year…
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Trusting God in Difficult Times: 3 Powerful Insights
Raindrops hang from the picnic table like glass beads on a string. Morning has come with heavy air and an ashen sky that goads us to sleep longer. Life has consisted of one rainy day after another here. It’s been a hard season of learning about trusting God in difficult times. Perhaps you can relate. If you could use encouragement on trusting God in difficult times, you’re in the right place today. Trusting God in Difficult Times What happens when the thing you prayed would never happen becomes your reality? A friendship that was once life-giving suddenly becomes strained and difficult. You are misunderstood in an area that matters deeply…
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7 Back-to-School Prayers for the New School Year
A band of blue jays awakens the dawn with a cacophony of cackles. It’s early, and I’m not ready to begin the day. Nevertheless, I brew the coffee and gather the kids for devotions. We talk about going back to school and embracing the last days of summer. We offer our back-to-school prayers and pray for God’s peace to go before us into the new school year. Back-to-School Prayers As I process a dozen different scenarios for what this year might look like, I thank the Lord for going with us. The kids name their greatest fears, and we pray through their fears. Later in the day, I put together…
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Leaning on Jesus When You Feel Empty Inside
There are gaping holes between the boughs of the blue spruce. I’m surprised to notice thick clumps of pinecones at the end of each branch. The spruce is bearing fruit, even in the gaps. I’m reminded of what I’ve been learning about leaning on Jesus when I feel empty inside. When You Feel Empty We all face empty seasons. We wonder how we will possibly manage to bear good fruit in our lives. Meanwhile, Jesus offers an invitation: “Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me” (John 15:4…
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8 Encouraging Bible Verses About Change in Life
I wrote this post about how to embrace change as we adjusted to life with a tiny new member of the family. If you feel like any area of your life has been flipped upside down lately, these words are for you. Be sure to keep reading to the end of the post for eight Bible verses about change in life, followed by a free devotional eBook to help you draw near to God amid changing circumstances. Navigating Transitions (With 8 Bible Verses About Change in Life) Our family recently stepped into a transition that startled us all. After nine months of enduring my couch-bound illness, we welcomed our…
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Thinking of Giving up on God? Read This First
I vividly remember the day I decided to turn away from God. I decided that if he wasn’t going to be faithful to me, I was done living for him. Maybe you can relate. Maybe you’re thinking of giving up on God today, too. You’re not alone. The day I gave up on God, I blamed him for my pain, and I was angry about it. Giving Up on God Like me, maybe you’re facing a heartbreaking loss, and you wonder why God seems silent. The instant your life went off the rails, God seemed to leave you alone in your despair. Maybe you feel forgotten, and you’re not sure where…
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God Is Enough for Every Storm You Face
It’s easy to assume we have fear, grief, or suffering figured out, only to stumble into a different kind of storm and realize how many layers of understanding still wait to be peeled back. In these times, we need to know that God is enough for every storm. There are layers to hope as well. Just when you start to believe in a deeper kind of hope, life often throws you a harder curveball than you ever expected. You find yourself desperate for a deeper sense of understanding. Hope in eternity feels too far away, and you need hope in something here and now. You need hope that’s more palpable…
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How to Turn to God in Times of Crisis
Shadows flutter on the wall as the candle flickers golden in front of us. I’ve gathered our three children to pray because I want to teach them how to turn to God in a crisis. As our time in prayer begins, I open the Bible. I read the words that have been floating through my mind for the past few weeks now: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). By the yellow glow of…
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God Has a Plan for You—Even When He Seems Silent
We awoke to a fresh inch of snow on the lawn on the first day of April, and it felt like one more day tacked onto a never-ending winter. Whether you’re facing a long winter or enduring a difficult season that seems like it will never end, it can be hard to hold onto hope. You need to know that God has a plan for you, especially when he seems silent. Most of us don’t wait well. Waiting for a dream to come to fruition or a difficult time to end can be deeply discouraging. God Has a Plan for You While You Wait King Solomon said it well in…
