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When God Closes a Door, Ask Yourself This Question
I sit with a friend and admire the daylilies as they bow low beneath the afternoon sun. I’ve just told her about a recent disappointment, and my heart is heavy. I thought God was leading one way, but the door slammed shut in my face. When God closes a door, it can be hard to know where to turn next. I’m pondering my situation when my friend asks a hard question: “Is there a chance you’re trying to turn stones into bread?” She then shares what she’s been learning about turning stones into bread: Before Jesus began his public ministry, the Holy Spirit called him into the wilderness. Here, Satan…
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How to Give Your Life to Jesus: 5 Insights
I was a teenager when my grandfather passed away, leaving me with a myriad of questions about heaven and God. I’d been raised in the church, but I’d never given my life to Christ. Perhaps you’re here today because you want to know how to give your life to Jesus, too. Today, we’ll talk about how to turn to God and receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you begin growing in your faith. Let’s begin by breaking down how to give your life to Jesus. How to Give Your Life to Jesus…
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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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How to Lean on the Lord in Disappointing Times
Do you need encouragement as you aim to lean on the Lord in a disappointing situation? Today, I invite you into our family’s world for a few practical insights on leaning on God. How to Lean on the Lord in Disappointing Times A few days before our son Caleb’s fourth birthday, I asked him what he wanted to do for fun. He requested a walk to the creek, and I threw out my plans for the day to take him to the woods. As sat along the quiet bank of the creek, I let him talk about his hopes and dreams. He was most excited about his upcoming birthday. “How…
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4 Inspiring Prayers for Hope in Troubled Times
A few years ago I met a woman who smiled more than anyone I’d ever met. She lived with a kind of hope I longed to uncover for myself. My smiling friend had faced hard seasons, losses I couldn’t even fathom, and grief no woman should ever have to bear. And yet she kept smiling. She inspired me to start praying passionate prayers for hope in my life. I want to be a hopeful woman. I want to live with optimism in my heart and a deep belief God is with me in the darkest valleys. Not long ago, I stumbled upon the following words: “Strength and dignity are her…
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10 Empowering Prayers for Strength and Wisdom
Our little boy presses his face to mine in the silence of the night, and I drink it in. He’s inching ever closer to his fourth year, and I wonder how it’s all going so fast. It seems like just yesterday I was uttering prayers for strength and wisdom as the doctor pulled him from my body. We rock long into the early hours of a new day, and every time I try to put him down, he says, “Hold me one more minute.” I don’t have the heart to put him back in bed with this fever, this cough wracking his little body. I’m content to hold him through…
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5 Powerful Truths About Trusting God in the Valley
I weave through a mantle of green rose bushes, wood nettle, and poison oak. It’s growing darker here in the valley behind our house. I’m sure our children are racing across the backyard in the evening sunlight, but it feels like night in the valley. As I walk, I consider what trusting God in the valley really looks like. Trusting God in the Valley As the valley walls block out the sun’s last rays, I recall a valley we faced when winter’s arms still stretched white over these hills. I rest on a fallen sycamore and watch trout jump as they eat the flies rising from black water. Looking back,…
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How to Hope in God When He Makes You Wait
The world is turning green from the bottom up. I’ve always been captivated by this change. I can’t help but wonder if this life rising from darkness is meant to teach us how to have hope in God while we wait. Something powerful happens in hidden places. The daffodils and skunk cabbage climb out of some hidden place deep beneath the surface. The forest floor is alive and green long before the tallest maples burst into color. Every time it happens, I’m drawn in, as if for the first time. Maybe it’s because this change is reminiscent of my own journey. Change happens in hidden places, quiet places, and unseen…
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10 Bible Verses About Waiting Patiently for God’s Perfect Timing
It’s a cloudy Monday morning when I open my Bible in search of Bible verses about waiting patiently for God’s perfect timing. Beside me, the amaryllis has burst into full bloom. It bows low under the weight of its heavy blossom. After all of this waiting for it to bloom, I wonder if the blossom might crush it. I watch the amaryllis become its fullest self, and I wonder about my own growth. Perhaps this recent season of waiting on God has been more purposeful than I’ve imagined. Maybe God knows that if I bloom before I’m ready, the weight of it will crush me. Nevertheless, I’m tired of waiting.…
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10 Bible Verses About Unanswered Prayers
God’s ways are different than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Yet it’s not easy to trust him when our prayers seem to go unanswered. The best place to turn when God doesn’t seem to hear our prayers is his Word. Today, we’ll dig into a list of Bible verses about unanswered prayers. These Scriptures remind us that God hears the prayers of his children. His ways are simply different than our ways. At times, he doesn’t answer our prayers according to our expectations because he is protecting us, preparing us, or has something better in mind. Bible Verses About Unanswered Prayers Let’s take a close look…
