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A Free 2024 New Year Devotional to Help You Grow With God
Do you want to start 2024 by renewing your commitment to spend time with God? Like me, maybe you enjoy reading from an Advent devotional throughout December, but you hit a wall when the devotional ends. You feel a bit lost and aren’t sure what’s next. I have fantastic news. I have a free 2024 New Year devotional for you. Mornings With Jesus will help you connect with Jesus every morning for the next 31 days! Why I Wrote This New Year Devotional I spent years reading my Bible and practicing a morning devotional routine without regularly encountering God in the process. My devotional time felt more like homework than…
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How to Let Go and Let God: 5 Practical Ways to Surrender
The little one sits beneath a tall row of golden cone flowers. Ten feet tall, they tower like trees with vibrant sunny heads. As my boy throws stones into the dark water of Wolf Creek’s pools, I take a moment to consider how to let go and let God take control of my life. Like a child heaving small boulders into a lazy creek, I want to learn to cast my cares onto the Lord. I want to learn how to let my concerns rest with him instead of wading into the waters of doubt and picking them up again. Most of us like the idea of giving God control;…
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16 Practical Ways to Keep Your Heart on Fire for God
We gathered around the campfire as fireflies illuminated the hoary breath of dusk. As I watched the flames dance, I thought about my walk of faith and felt a deep desire to fan the flame of my passion for God. I want to be a woman who is on fire for God, and when I feel the flame dwindling, I come back to today’s list of practices. On Fire for God Let’s get right to the heart of the matter today. I pray these practices will help you fan the flame, too. 16 Ways to Stay on Fire for God 1. Stay on fire for God by seeking him for…
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The Pain of Waiting on God: How to Endure It
Five colorful bluegills swim in the shallows of the creek. They seem to be waiting for something. I watch them while the kids splash in the emerald swimming hole, and I get to thinking about the pain of waiting on God. Most of us are waiting on God for something. We’re waiting for babies to sleep through the night. We’re watching for the slow fade of springtime to ease into summer. We are waiting to pay off our houses, step into promotions at work, or get married. The Pain of Waiting on God It’s easy to spend our entire lives waiting for what comes next and miss the lessons that…
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Permission to Be Where You Are
I didn’t think I needed to read a book called Growing Slow. If you’ve been reading my words for any amount of time, you know how often I write about slowing down and cultivating rhythms of rest. I thought I was an expert at slowing down. But then I picked up Jennifer Dukes Lee’s book, and her words stopped me in my tracks: “We need permission to be where we are.” I wonder if you need this too: Permission to be where you are. Permission to Be Where You Are “Yes,” I whispered out loud the instant my eyes scanned the words. I do need permission to be here—right here,…
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Immanuel, God With Us: How Watching for Him Changes Everything
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 in an effort to straighten her out. As if to compensate for the lop-sided angel, a dozen candy canes adorn a tiny section near the bottom of the tree. Could it be that Immanuel, God with us, smiles at our efforts to celebrate his birth? I’m still chasing perfection in far too many areas of my life, but leaving the candy canes and the crooked angel are signs that I’m moving toward the life I long to live. For several years now,…
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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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Does God See Me? Is My Labor in Vain?
A cardinal flitters at the feeder, defying the sleepy world with a splash of crimson. I watch him peck the seeds and try to fix my mind on things of God, but my thoughts race in dozens of different directions. Does God see me? I wonder. My daily work has been wearing on me lately. I feel exhausted, defeated, and unseen by God. It’s hard to believe your labor is not in vain when you’re sinking beneath the weight of the burden. Maybe you can relate. Perhaps you’re the full-time caretaker for an older family member. You had dreams and visions about what your retirement would entail, and your dreams…
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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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4 Insights to Help You Keep Trusting God When It Hurts
A pale, yellow aspen leaf flutters from above. The shape of a teardrop, it swirls on some unseen current and lands at my feet. Picking it up, I’m reminded of the One who counts our teardrops and stores them in a bottle. It’s not easy to keep trusting God when it hurts. Circumstances have been difficult here throughout the past months. Hopes and dreams have crashed and burned, and at times, it felt crushing. Trusting God When It Hurts Most of us have tasted the bitter flavor of broken dreams. Whether you were asking God to lead you into a relationship, give you a child, or bring a long-awaited vision…