I'm pretty sure my own mom has been praying that I would be more in THE Word than in all the other words, so I'd say those prayers greatly influenced my heart to make the switch. The importance of feeding on God's Word alone kept popping up in the various sermons and podcasts that I listen to during the week as well. So I listened to the calling, and set my devotionals aside.
Read MoreIt occurred to me after the first Beautiful Mornings post that some sisters may be longing for a healthier relationship with Christ, but weren't sure where to start. The following tools are not complicated ones. Ain't nobody got time for that! And, truthfully, Jesus isn't complicated either!
Read MoreI claim Christ, yet my flesh has still been ruling over me in so many areas! I don't want that! I want to be a woman of God, a branch firmly attached to the Vine, a disciple whose life is marked by the fruit I bear, so that my time on earth may bring glory to Christ. As Jesus said in John 15, God has had to do some pruning, because the fruit I've been bearing has been rotten.
Read MoreThe past year has been a major reality check for me. Maybe people close to me knew I had some growing up to do, but I sure was blind to it. God is growing me up. And He doesn't do that on the mountain top. I have lived in fear of the valley, of loss, of death, of real pain, of those ugly trials that test you to your limit, but, after meeting those fears head on, I am praying now to embrace, not avoid them when I inevitably meet them in the future. For I do not want to be undone in the valley, I want to be made whole.
Read MoreI want out of the rat race where I never feel like I have enough or I am enough, because those feelings, those lies, come straight to me from the enemy. As a follower of Christ, I should be satisfied if, like Job, I lose everything. If I lost everything, I would still be a chosen daughter of Christ and because of that fact alone, I should live a life overflowing with gratitude.
Read MoreWe are not to lock our hearts up like they are the bad guys out to hurt us, we are to feed our hearts with the wisdom God's Word provides, so that we are prepared for the life He calls us to.
Read MoreMary had plenty of opportunities to feel abandoned by God, to ask Him to pick someone else, to lament her situation, or to give up entirely, but she didn't. She couldn't have known just how difficult the road would be when she said YES to God's call, but she had to have known that life as she knew it would be over. She had to have known EVERYTHING would change and she said YES anyway. I have been feeling convicted lately about my YES. My "yes'es" aren't nearly as bold as Mary's was. Mine are more like, "Ok, I guess, if it doesn't force me out of my comfort zone or cause me to suffer in any way." Ugh. How embarrassing to admit.
Read MoreDear Jesus, Who am I really? What do you see in me that you would move heaven and earth to capture my heart? My life feels like a collection of other people's expectations and disappointments. I do not even know anymore who I truly am. Reveal to me my true identity, my true place in Your story. Give me grace to hear your voice; shut out all other voices, and let me hear from you alone. I ask this in your name. Amen. -John Eldredge
Read MoreYes, Jesus Christ is still on His throne, yesterday, today, and forever, but that does not mean we sit idly by on this Earth, waiting for the day He calls us home.
We are at war and the battle plans have been drawn.
"Love one another, as I have loved you so must you love one another." John 13:34
"Set an example...in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12
"Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with you God." Micah 6:8
We are to be working HARD at bringing the Kingdom to Earth.
These people were literally living in the time period called "The Dark Ages".
They had nothing good, nothing clean, nothing true.
They didn't even know what they were missing.
But after the darkness, came the light.
The men, women, and children of that time began hearing the Gospel.
The beautiful truth that God created them and loved them even in their most desperate existence.
Sometimes I wish I could hear it again for the first time.
How sweet it is for the light to come on for the very first time.
What an unburdening for all who choose to believe.