The holidays can be stressful. There are more activities to attend and more responsibilities to take care of and, as a result, emotions tend to heighten. Holidays after a major family change are even more intense as everyone anticipates what the transition will look and feel like. Your children will probably wonder how the holidays …
Is the drinking of wine and other alcohol sinful pleasure, or a healthful life-improving habit? We saw that Christ approved of drinking wine. His actions and words set the example by which Christians are to live their lives. Ecclesiastes 9:7 states “Drink your wine with a merry heart.” Psalm 104 states that God gives wine …
The broad road is easy to find and easy to navigate. Do nothing and we’re there. It also easily accommodates us and all our baggage. Bring anything and everything with us…we won’t be crowded out! The narrow road however, does require navigation. We must ask for and accept the will of God and we must seek to follow …
A good way to determine how steadfast your faith in Christ is, and how completely you have given your life over to the leading of God’s Holy Spirit, is to consider the joyous message we are given in Galatians 5:22 – 25: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith …
As the body of Christ, we are called to live in community with one another. The idea of people watching us or knowing about the sin in our lives can often make us feel uncomfortable. Being known by others and being held accountable is necessary however, not only to meet our basic relationship needs, but also to …
Please protect us with the shield of your strength and keep us safe from all fear, evil and harm. In 2 Timothy 1:7, we are told, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” May the power of the Holy Spirit impart this truth and guide us so that we may forever praise You for …
When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing ‘dance’ at the end of the word. I remembered reading that doing God’s will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn’t flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes …
I praise You as the God of all comfort and patience and the Father of all mercy. Please impart your wisdom within us so that we willingly and lovingly begins to lay our lives at Your feet. Please be merciful to us and fill us with the comfort of Your love. In Psalm 119:105, we are told, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a …
Lord, please help us to discern the lies of the enemy so that we do not give any credence to thoughts that are not in alignment with Your truth. Help us to examine our thoughts in light of Your Word at all times. In Psalm 26:2, we are instructed to ask “Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my mind and my heart.” Father please …
He suggested I view my life as a puzzle, scattered all over the floor. Each piece representing an aspect of my life. He then asked, “If you are fully prepared to give your life to Christ and truly sincere in your convictions, are you equally as prepared to grab only a handful and ask that only those be fixed?”
Men need to learn that pushing her to “move on” isn’t the answer. The answer is for you to own the problem that you’ve created. It’s not her problem of unforgiveness. It’s not that she won’t accept your apology. She’s still hurting and it’s going to take some time for her to get over it.
The Christian life is not one of passivity. Instead, it’s a life that is sought after with passion and perseverance. A life that will bring spiritual winters but will inevitably bring seasons flooded with optimism, harmony and balance. The waiting can be painstaking but, if we’re in tune with the Holy Spirit, it prompts introspection that enables us to discern between where we are and where we’ve been.
When you remain centered on God’s will and His timing, you begin to think differently. You begin to use the discernment and the wisdom that He has graciously provided and ingrained within us so that we may have the opportunity to live our lives with clarity and hope…to discern between what reveals our weaknesses and what brings out our strengths…who creates loss and who creates gain…which door to choose when one becomes closed.
I believe that we justify the wicked in the way that we hold them accountable. When we hold someone accountable, we need to make certain that they take responsibility for their actions and assist in protecting them from returning to the same path despite their potential resistance. We need to help them create specific boundaries and a faith-based support system. I believe that God has given us the authority to do so.
First he’s walking, then he’s standing, then he’s sitting. This individual is slowly shutting down. “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.” In this stage, he’s at the beginning of a downward spiral. It all began with his counsel… what he was reading, the music he was listening to, the things he clicked on, the people that he allowed to pour into his life and the people with whom he spent his time and eventually became…the very things he allowed himself to marinate in.
Throughout my walk with Christ, there’s been a direct correlation between when I feel a sense of accomplishment, contentedness and peace and when I’m feeling anxious, heavy-hearted and at times bitter. When I’m consistently in the Word and tuned in to my relationship with the Holy Spirit, my life is flooded with optimism, harmony and balance.
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