Author: Deb

5 Verses to Pray for Your Daughter’s Spiritual Sensitivity and Growth

You and I spend a great deal of time praying for our kids to get into the club, group, or school ... today we're stopping to pray for that thing that's most important. #Prayer #Parenting #Bible Study

On the darkest days, when I feel inadequate, unloved and unworthy, I remember whose daughter I am and I straighten my crown.

Author Unknown

That’s what I want not only for myself but for my daughters as well.

Being a teen girl is hard. I remember! I remember it was hard for our girls too. And I’m pretty sure it’s not any easier for the current generation.

Which is why I love that quote.

On days when we forget who we are … when our girls forget who they are, more than anything we need to remember whose we are. We are daughters of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

My friend, Melanie Redd, wrote a devotional book for teen girls and I can’t wait for her to tell you about it! And I love that she’s encouraging us all to start with the most important part … prayer!

So, please welcome Melanie, I know her words are going to bless and encourage you…

5 Verses to Pray for Your Daughter’s Spiritual Sensitivity and Growth

You and I spend a great deal of time praying for our kids to get into the club, group, or school ... today we're stopping to pray for that thing that's most important. #Prayer #Parenting #Bible Study

When she first said it, I was rather taken aback.

I’d never really thought of my prayer life in this way.

My friend, Dana, was speaking to a group of moms when she said it. 

Her words truly shocked me and stabbed right through my heart.

Here is, in essence, what she said:

“Most of us spend all of our time praying our kids onto the soccer team, into the club, into the school, into the sorority, into the job, and into the friend group. 

But, are we really taking time each day to pray our children INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD?’’

I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent a great deal of time praying for both of my kids to get into the club, group, or school. 

However, I’ve not spent nearly enough time praying for their spiritual lives.

More and more, that has changed.

More and more, I’m seeing that the most essential ways we need to be praying involve spiritual sensitivity and spiritual growth. These are the things that ultimately matter most.

Thus, I’d like to urge you to pray more for your children and their spiritual well-being.

Here are 5 wonderful verses and prayers specifically for Your Daughter’s Spiritual Sensitivity and Growth:

First, ask God to give your daughter a heart to deeply trust God.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Proverbs 3:5–6

Father, would you encourage ______ to trust in You with all of her heart. Help ______ to not depend upon her own understanding. Instead, encourage her to seek Your will in all she does. Show ______ which path to take in all of her decisions.

Second, invite God to keep your girl’s heart very tender and responsive.

“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.”

Ezekiel 36:26

God, would you give ______ a new heart and a new spirit? Would You take out her stony, stubborn heart and give her a tender and responsive heart to You?

Third, pray for your daughter to have a passionate love for God.

“And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”

Mark 12:30

Lord, would You draw ______ to You? Help her to love You with all of her heart, all of her soul, all of her mind, and all of her strength.

Fourth, invite God to show your girl the emptiness of charm and beauty and the value of deeply respecting the Lord.

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.”

Proverbs 31:30

Father, would You open ______ eyes to see how deceptive charm is? Would You also show her that beauty fades? Draw her to You and make her a girl who fears You, respects You, and wants to live for You.

You and I spend a great deal of time praying for our kids to get into the club, group, or school ... today we're stopping to pray for that thing that's most important. #Prayer #Parenting #Bible Study

Fifth, pray that your girl will call on God and really want to hear from Him.

“Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.” Jeremiah 33:3

Jeremiah 33:3

God, would You prompt ______ to call on You? Would you lead her to pray about everything? And as she prays, would You show her remarkable secrets about things to come?

Want more to encourage and inspire your daughter spiritually?

You may want to check out this brand new devotional resource for middle school and high school girls.

Live in Light - 5-Minute Devotions for Teen Girls by Melanie Redd

Live in Light – Light the path to growing up with 5-minute devotionals.

Crushes, girl squad drama, school stress—not to mention figuring out who you are and what you want to be when you grow up—a lot happens in your teens that can make you feel left in the dark. Find the light—open this book and let the Scripture be your guide.

Live In Light is every girl’s guide to tackling their teenage years with the wisdom and comfort of the Bible. From navigating the pressure to be “perfect” on social media to dating and dealing with frenemies, these 5-minute devotionals help you to become the woman that both you and God want you to be.

Inside these teen devotionals for girls, you’ll find:

  • 5-minute devotionals—Bring the Bible into your day at any moment with quick and practical readings.
  • Relatable Scripture—Unpack lessons from the Bible with anecdotes you can apply to your daily life.
  • A spiritual toolkit—Relate God’s words to challenges and topics like social media, body image, self-worth and more.

In a world filled with change, this book offers unwavering guidance to live under the bright light of faith.

Discover more on Amazon at Live in Light.

Melanie is a Christian blogger, Motivational Speaker, and Author. She’s written four books and has a brand new book coming out in April – Live in Light: 5-Minute Devotions for Teen Girls.

She’s married to Randy for the past 28 years and serving alongside him in ministry.

Additionally, she’s mom to two awesome young adults. 

God’s grace never ceases to amaze her.

You can find out more about Melanie & her ministry at www.melanieredd.com.

You can connect with Melanie here:

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter

Ministry Synopsis:

The Ministry of Hope is all about helping others to succeed in ministry and in life. All of our messages, written materials, blog posts, and resources are designed to offer hope and encouragement.

This Week’s Friday Favorites

Highlight Posts of the Week!

Coming to Terms With What I Cannot Understand - How I Process God Choosing Differently by and @ Gretchen Fleming


Coming to Terms With What I Cannot Understand –
How I Process God Choosing Differently

by and @ Gretchen Fleming

Don't Think You're a Woman of Influence? Think Again. by Angel Penn at Experience His Freedom


Don’t Think You’re a Woman of Influence?
Think Again.

by Angel Penn
@ Experience His Freedom


AND the…

Faith ‘n Friends Link Party

Counting My Blessings
<div align="center"><a href="https://countingmyblessings.com/" rel="nofollow" title="Counting My Blessings"><img src="https://countingmyblessings.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Link-Party-Button-Pic.jpg" alt="Counting My Blessings" style="border: none; height: auto; width: 200px;" /></a></div>

I’m so glad you’re here!

This is a place to share faith, make friends, and have fun.

I’d love to connect with you on social media!

[Tweet “I’m finding #Friendship and #Inspiration at #Faith ‘n Friends #LinkUp Come join the fun! “]

Deb Wolf
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

No More Rules Link Party

Add 1-2 of your favorite faith/life posts.
Then just make friends and have fun.
You know they love it when you stop by and say “hello.”

I would really appreciate it if you would
Grab my Link Party Button above and link back to CMB.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Thank you so much for partying with us!
May your week be blessed with faith, love, and friendship! 

Don’t forget to leave your prayer requests…

and pray over the list left by our friends.

I always enjoy hearing from you! Please take a minute to say ‘hi’ and share your thoughts in the comments below.

Have you visited the Faith ‘n Friends Link Party Board on Pinterest? It’s a great place to catch up with past posts you may have missed here at the party and/or save them for a future read! If you’d like to become a contributor to my Pinterest Group Boards – email me at deb@debwolf.com with a link to your Pinterest home page.

And if this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone? Maybe a friend, family member, coworker, or through the links below…

And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an update.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Thank you and God bless!

How to Stop Worry – Know the Names of God

The names of God describe His character traits and I've learned when I focus on who He is and what He does, I stop worrying. #NamesofGod #StopWorry #BibleStudy #Jesus #CountingMyBlessings

I used to be a world-class worrier.

Of course, I was … fear and worry go hand in hand. I craved a smooth water life and anything that could potentially stir the water was worth worrying about. So, I worried about just about everything and anything that could happen to me or to someone on the very long list of people I loved.

The reason I tell you about my struggle with fear, worry, and monstrous anxiety is that I want to walk alongside you and help you discover the path to freedom from worry.

You see, I’ve learned a few truths the hard way…

  1. Fear and worry can not prevent bad things from happening … we live in a sinful world and life is hard sometimes.
  2. Fear and worry only prevent you from enjoying the moment … it’s impossible to be happy today when you’re worried about tomorrow.
  3. God is able to deliver you from the paralysis of fear and help you stop worrying … and that is GOOD NEWS!

Seriously, if God can help me … He can help anyone!

What do I mean when I say … “I learned the hard way”?

Well, one of the things I worried about most actually happened. All the hours I’d spent worrying didn’t prevent it.

But even in the pain, something wonderful began to happen as God held me close and healed me … He revealed truths about His character.

Character traits affirmed by the names He calls Himself throughout the Bible.

And the more I learned about who God says He is and the more I focused on Him … the less I worried.

So, I’d like to tell you about some of God’s names and character traits and tell you how they have helped me become a recovering worrier.

How to Stop Worry – Know the Names of God

The names of God describe His character traits and I've learned when I focus on who He is and what He does, I stop worrying. #NamesofGod #StopWorry #BibleStudy #Jesus #CountingMyBlessings

Elohim

Hebrew: אֱלֹהִים – This is the first name of God found in the Bible. It means strength and power. It’s also plural. God revealed His triune nature in the very first verse of Scripture. Elohim – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

God created and sustains everything. When I focus on who He is and all He does, my worry is replaced with the knowledge that He is able and strong. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; and His grace is sufficient … whatever is happening today or might happen tomorrow.

In the beginning God [Elohim] created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

El Roi

The God who sees me.

The Lord never looks away. He is not distant. He not only sees you and me … He is with us. When I’m worried – I’m forgetting that He sees me, hears me, and cares for me with perfect unfailing love always and no matter what.

Hagar said, “You are the God who sees me.”[a She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” 

Genesis 16:13

El Elyon

God Most High – The One who reigns over everything. The One who is worthy of all our worship and praise.

God is sovereign. He is always and forever on the throne. He is over nations and rulers, politics and people. He is greater than any evil and more personal than any problem you and I face. God is in control today … tomorrow and always!

Then they remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their redeemer.

Psalm 78:35

El Olam

God Everlasting – The One who lives outside of time. The One who never changes.

The Lord is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. He created time and yet He is not bound by it. He is unchanging. I can rest in the knowledge that the One who spoke the world into being is more than able to take care of me.

Lord, through all the generations You have been our home! Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, You are God.

Psalm 90:1–2
How to Stop Worry - Know the Names of God - The names of God describe His character traits and I've learned when I focus on who He is and what He does, I stop worrying. #NamesofGod #StopWorry #BibleStudy #Jesus #CountingMyBlessings

El Shaddai

God Almighty – all sufficient and all powerful. My provider – the One who is able to meet my needs always.

Worry is not only believing that something bad might happen it is believing that if it happens I won’t have what I need to cope. But God, my provider promises to meet every need whatever happens … good or bad. He will give me strength, courage, peace, hope, comfort, and so much more.

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him.

Psalm 91:1–2

El Chuwl

God Who Gives Life – The One who created you with a purpose and faithfully cares for you each day.

God knows everything about me. He put together a unique one of a kind mixture of person and personality to create my story and He wants me to use it for His glory. Nothing about me is a surprise to God. You are not a surprise either. Your story is not a surprise. He loves you and cares for you.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Psalm 139:13

YHWH

“I AM Who I AM.”

It is pronounced Jehovah or Yahweh and is used more than 7000 in the Old Testament. YHWH declares God’s absolute being – the source of everything, without beginning and without end. (Names of God – All about God)

God is present, powerful, and completely sufficient. He is the source of everything forever and always. I can trust that! I can trust Him!

God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you.”

Exodus 3:14

YHWH Yireh

God Who Provides – The One who meets my needs.

Each time I worry, I’m doubting God’s ability to meet my needs if x, y, or z happens. But He did. He does. God provided for me through my worst moments and He continues to meet my needs every day beyond anything I could ever hope or image.

Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). 

Genesis 22:14

YHWH Nissi

The Lord My Banner – The One who goes before me.

When I’m worried, I’m forgetting that God is eternal. He is already there in the moment I fear. He’s not worried. He knows what is going to happen. He knows what I will need and He will take care of me.

Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nissi (which means “the Lord is my banner”). 1

Exodus 17:15

YHW Rapha

The Lord Who Heals – The One who heals me … body and soul.

Oh, this is an easy one. God healed my broken heart. My greatest fear was that a broken heart would break me. But it didn’t! And although God has not changed the circumstances, He has healed and restored me.

I will comfort those who mourn, bringing words of praise to their lips. May they have abundant peace, both near and far,” says the Lord, who heals them.

Isaiah 57:18b–19
How to Stop Worrying - Know the Names of God - The names of God describe His character traits and I've learned when I focus on who He is and what He does, I stop worrying. #NamesofGod #StopWorry #BibleStudy #Jesus #CountingMyBlessings

YHWH Shalom

The Lord My Peace – The One who calms, protects, and makes me whole.

Because God healed and restored me … I live with His peace.

The Lord gave me the peace I needed as our family lived through several years of difficult circumstances and He continues to give me that same peace today. And it really is a peace that goes beyond my ability to understand or fully explain.

“It is all right,” the Lord replied. “Do not be afraid. You will not die.” And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means “the Lord is peace”).

Judges 6:23–24

Jesus is YHWH

Jesus, the Word made flesh, who existed with the Father before creation, the One who is life and light. The Messiah! The Great, I AM!

When I’m overwhelmed, I remember that Jesus “gets it.” He’s lived through all the things I tend to worry about. He is fully God, the One who loves so very much He willingly gave up the glories of heaven to become fully man … to suffer and die to save us. When we cry out to Him – He understands and He cares.

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I am!”

John 8:58

YHWH Tsidkenu

The Lord Our Righteousness – The One who makes me right with God.

Jesus suffered for our sins on the cross so you and I cou be made right before God forever. What do I have to worry about when I remember that I am forgiven by God’s grace through Jesus … and He will reign forever.

In that day Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this will be its name: ‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’ For this is what the Lord says: David will have a descendant sitting on the throne of Israel forever.

Jeremiah 33:16–17

God of Unfailing Love

I don’t have a Hebrew or Greek word for this name of God. There doesn’t seem to be an official title that states it … but it is a truth written throughout Scripture. From Genesis through Revelation, the message is the same … God is a God of unfailing love and He loves you and me.

Anything God allows is filtered through His love. Whatever happens in my life, He will give me what I need to live and accomplish His will today … I KNOW I have absolutely NOTHING to worry about.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6–7

God is who He says He is and He is able to demonstrate those things in your life and mine.

The names of God tell us…

He is Strength and Power. He sees. He goes before. He reigns forever. He is the Everlasting and Almighty Giver of Life. He is Provider, Healer, and the One who Gives Peace. He is Jesus and He LOVES YOU!

You don’t need to worry.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

It would bless me so much if you’d take a moment to subscribe to Counting My Blessings so you never miss an update!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

And always remember – I LOVE hearing from you! So, please take a minute to say ‘hi’ by leaving a comment. 

You can also…

Leave your prayer requests…

and stop to pray one or two of the requests listed.

If this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone?

Send it to a friend, family member, coworker, or share it through the links below…

I’m asking God to bless you today!

5 Prayers that will Increase Your Faith When You are Worried

Praying God's promises and asking Him to help us seek Him first, increase our faith, and trust His promises ... things we need to have courage and strength when we're worried. #TrustGod'sPromises #Faith #BibleStudy #Hope #CountingMyBlessings

Why do I put myself out there week after week telling you about my struggle with worry and anxiety?

Because I hated it! And if, by God’s grace, one or two of you might be spared the emotional, mental, and physical suffering that accompanies perpetual worry … I will shout my story from the rooftops.

In all honesty, the problem for me was … weak faith.

I had a list of things that terrified me. Things I believed I couldn’t survive even with all of God’s promises to the contrary.

Luke chapter 12 begins with these words spoken by Jesus…

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life.”

And then the promise…

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need.”

Luke 12:31

Everything! No qualifiers. No exceptions.

Look at what follows…

“So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.

Luke 12:32

“Great happiness” … your Father will not withhold a thing from those who seek Him.

The Life Application Notes say…

To “seek the Kingdom of God above all else” means to put God first in your life, to fill your thoughts with His desires, to take His character for your pattern, and to serve and obey Him in everything.

Oh, how I wish I could consistently do that!

I know, when I put God first, when I fill my thoughts with His truth and promises, when I prayerfully want what He wants for me, and when I spend my time living for Him – I’m not worried!

So, today I’m praying God’s promises and asking Him to help me seek Him first, to increase my faith, and trust His promises to give me everything I need when I’m worried. I’d love for you to join me…

5 Prayers that will Increase Your Faith When You are Worried

Praying God's promises and asking Him to help us seek Him first, increase our faith, and trust His promises ... things we need to have courage and strength when we're worried. #TrustGod'sPromises #Faith #BibleStudy #Hope #CountingMyBlessings

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

Father, I need You to hold me up. I need You to strengthen me and help me.

I don’t want to worry. I don’t want to be afraid or discouraged. My heart wants to seek You first and trust You completely.

Please help me. By the power of Your Spirit, fill my thoughts with Your truth, Your promises. Help me want what You want for me. Help me know that if You have not allowed something … if it’s not in Your will then it’s not for my good. Even when I don’t understand.

With Your Spirit’s help, I will surrender this day to You trusting that You will give me everything I need. Amen.

“Be still, and know that I am God!
    I will be honored by every nation.
    I will be honored throughout the world.”
1The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
    the God of Israel is our fortress. 

Psalm 46:10–11

Father, for this moment … quiet my mind and my spirit as I sit here with You. I know You are sovereign, Lord of lords and King of kings. Whether people realize it today or not, at some point every knee will bow before You. You will be honored everywhere by everyone.

And the overwhelming miracle … You love me. You are with me. You care for me. You call me Your child.

So, like a little child is unafraid curled up in her daddy’s lap … I will rest in You! The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is with me protecting me. I have nothing to worry about! Amen.

So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for He will never fail you.

1 Peter 4:19

Father, suffering is never pleasant and honestly, it’s hard to imagine that any suffering “pleases” You. Yet, Your Word tells us there is evil in this world and You sometimes allow it to touch Your children that they might show others Your ability to give them everything they need as they suffer.

You never fail Your children. I believe that! You have proven it time after time. Thank you! I will trust You! I will stand secure on the promise that Your grace is sufficient to meet every need every day. Amen.

Praying God's promises and asking Him to help us seek Him first, increase our faith, and trust His promises ... things we need to have courage and strength when we're worried. #TrustGod'sPromises #Faith #BibleStudy #Hope #CountingMyBlessings

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Matthew 6:33–34

Father, Help me want You more than anything.

Jesus said that Your Kingdom is a priceless treasure, (Matthew 13:44) worth more than anything this world can offer; yet, You give it as a gift. By Your grace, You give Your children … peace, joy, patience, hope, love, and so much more. I have no reason to worry when I know You will give me what I need.

Please help me keep my heart and mind focused on You today, trusting that whatever this day offers You are with me and You are all I need. Amen.

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.

Psalm 73:26

Father, thank you for giving me this promise to hold in my heart as I lived through that painful and difficult time. You proved to me that You are able to give me the strength I need each moment. Day after day, You showed me that You will never leave or forsake me. You are mine forever. Whatever happens I can trust in You and that is a truth I can hold close any time I am tempted to worry. Amen.

I’d love to be able to tell you that I’m worry-free but you probably wouldn’t believe me anyway. Understandably!

Although, I’ll admit I still have “what-if” thoughts … I no longer live consumed by those thoughts. With God’s help, I’m able to prayerfully give my worries to God as I ask Him to replace them with “everything I need.”

And He is faithful, which is why…

I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things You do.

Psalm 73:28

This Week’s Friday Favorites

Highlight Posts of the Week!

When Jesus Didn't Show Up: Four Vital Truths About Prayer by Julia Kyte @ Committing My Way


When Jesus Didn’t Show Up:
Four Vital Truths About Prayer

by Julia Kyte
@ Committing My Way

How to Slow Down When Life is Too Fast by Christine Wood @ Living with Margins


How to Slow Down When Life is Too Fast

by Christine Wood
@ Living With Margins


AND the…

Faith ‘n Friends Link Party

Counting My Blessings
<div align="center"><a href="https://countingmyblessings.com/" rel="nofollow" title="Counting My Blessings"><img src="https://countingmyblessings.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Link-Party-Button-Pic.jpg" alt="Counting My Blessings" style="border: none; height: auto; width: 200px;" /></a></div>

I’m so glad you’re here!

This is a place to share faith, make friends, and have fun.

I’d love to connect with you on social media!

[Tweet “I’m finding #Friendship and #Inspiration at #Faith ‘n Friends #LinkUp Come join the fun! “]

Deb Wolf
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

No More Rules Link Party

Add 1-2 of your favorite faith/life posts.
Then just make friends and have fun.
You know they love it when you stop by and say “hello.”

I would really appreciate it if you would
Grab my Link Party Button above and link back to CMB.

 Loading InLinkz ...

Thank you so much for partying with us!
May your week be blessed with faith, love, and friendship! 

Don’t forget to leave your prayer requests…

and pray over the list left by our friends.

I always enjoy hearing from you! Please take a minute to say ‘hi’ and share your thoughts in the comments below.

Have you visited the Faith ‘n Friends Link Party Board on Pinterest? It’s a great place to catch up with past posts you may have missed here at the party and/or save them for a future read! If you’d like to become a contributor to my Pinterest Group Boards – email me at deb@debwolf.com with a link to your Pinterest home page.

And if this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone? Maybe a friend, family member, coworker, or through the links below…

And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an update.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Thank you and God bless!

12 Helpful Posts that will Make Your Marriage Stronger

The average temperature at that time of the year was 36°F. But on this day, March 11, in 1972, the sun was shining and the winds calm. It was a balmy and beautiful 49°F in Birmingham, Michigan.

Why do I remember the weather on this day 47 years ago?

Well, you may have guessed … it was our wedding day!

Marriage is an adventure, isn’t it?

One of my favorite sayings about marriage is…

“Marriage is not a big deal, it’s a bunch of little deals!”

Here are 10 “little” things Rev and I believe are important for a happy and strong marriage…

  1. Make the Lord the center of your lives … talk about your faith and the ways the Lord is working in your lives.
  2. Keep your promises … be reliable, it speaks to your character.
  3. Use your words … disagree without being disagreeable.
  4. Forgive quickly … don’t let anger control you.
  5. Express gratitude … speak affirmation and appreciation often and complain rarely.
  6. Be honest … say what you mean and mean what you say.
  7. Protect your marriage … set boundaries with others out of respect for your relationship.
  8. Celebrate the little things … events, milestones, and anniversaries.
  9. Have fun … never stop laughing, playing, and flirting with each other.
  10. Believe in each other … be your spouses biggest cheerleader.

Just for fun, I invited some of my friends to share their most popular marriage posts.

Just click on the graphics to check out their tips to make your marriage stronger.

12 Helpful Posts that will Make Your Marriage Stronger

10 Tips for Wives on How to Have a Successful Marriage by Marva Smith at SunSparkleShine

I love this post from my friend, Marva Smith, at SunSparkleShine.

Her tips are practical and important.

One of my favorites is … Feed the Right Wolf.

You’ll have to head over to find out what it means.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Fighting for "Happily Ever After" in Your Marriage by Tiffiney Holmes at Welcome Home Ministry

Everyone goes into marriage looking for their “happily ever after.”

But that doesn’t happen by accident.

Tiffiney Holmes at Welcome Home Ministry has 5 action steps that will help you achieve the “happily ever after” you want for your marriage.

Have you heard the expression, “Don’t Front?” I had not … but I like it!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

67 Things to Say to Your Husband to Build Your Marriage by Carment Brown at Married by His Grace

My friend, Carmen Brown, at Married by His Grace is wise beyond her years, especially when it comes to giving marriage advice.

Do you speak life into your marriage? You know … those words of encouragement that creatively tell your spouse just how much you love them.

If you’re running short on creativity … you’ll find plenty of ideas here.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

How to Pray for Your Broken Marriage by Shannon Geurin - Fiercely His

Shannon Geurin never fails to touch me with her willingness to make herself vulnerable by honestly sharing her story … and she does it because she wants to bless and encourage you.

If your marriage feels broken and you want to pray but you don’t know where to begin … I promise you, these 5 prayers will help you turn your spinning thoughts into much needed prayers.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

The Risks and Rewards of Marriage Boudaries by Sarah Geringer - Finding Peace in God's Word

We don’t like to talk or even think about setting boundaries in our marriages but there are times when they become important.

Sarah Geringer found herself in that situation and is sharing her story. And the good news is … “the boundaries eventually produced a harvest of righteousness and peace for both of us.”

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

7 Ways You Can Be a Fun Spouse by Beth Steffaniak at Messy Marriage

Beth Steffaniak at Messy Marriage – Raw, Real, Redemptive.

I love that! Beth has been counseling couples for more than 25 years and she tells it like it is when it comes to marriage. If you’re looking for a consistent dose of marriage advice you need to visit Beth often.

This post is one of my favorites. Rev and I believe that laughter and fun are important ingredients for a strong marriage. So, if you need some ideas … check this out.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Key Ingredients to a Lasting Marriage by Lori Schumaker

This post from my friend, Lori Schumaker, is the final post in her series … Building a Lasting Love Story and it’s awesome!

For this post, Lori asked her parents to share what they thought it takes to build a lasting love story. And they had lots to say and Lori made a list.

One of my favorites … “If you loved each other once, you can always love each other again.”

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Lord, Restore My Marriage by Valerie Murray at Cord of 6

Have you ever felt like your marriage is dry, desolate, and hopeless? Maybe you’re there now.

Valerie Murray and Cord of 6 wants to point you to hope through the One who is able to restore and rebuild even the most hopeless situations. And if your marriage needs an extra measure of prayer, she’s written 31 Days of Marriage Mending Prayers.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

25 Powerful Ways a Wife Can Say, "I Love You" by Dawn Klinge at Above the Waves

I love this post from Dawn Klinge at Above the Waves.

She says, “Some ideas for love in action that speak loud and clear. Some of the most powerful ways to say, I love you, don’t even use words….”

And she’s right! Check it out. I’m curious to know if she listed your favorite or if you have an “I love you” to add.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Love Your Valentine All Year Long by Nicki Schroeder at Showered in Grace

When life gets crazy and you and I get overwhelmed it can be hard to keep all the warm fuzzies alive in our marriages. Seriously, sometimes it feels like we’re just managing “fly by’s.”

That’s what I love about this quick read from Nicki Schroeder at Showered in Grace. She’s making it her mission to do the tough work and love well … even in the middle of the mess.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

The Best Secrets & Tips that will Help Your Marriage Last by Deb Wolf at Counting My Blessings

And I just had to share a couple of my posts, too.

This one is a favorite. I went to my friends and asked them…

WHAT IS THE BEST MARRIAGE ADVICE YOU’VE EVER GIVEN OR RECEIVED?

And wow, did they deliver! You’re going to love it! I would really love to know how you would answer that question.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

31+ "What if" Questions that will Bless Your Marriage by Deb Wolf at Counting My Blessings

Do you ever find yourself mentally grumbling about your spouse’s shortcomings? Things they neglect or ignore? Jobs you end up doing yourself because you’re tired of asking? Little annoyances that get on your nerves?

Don’t we all?

Years ago, God asked me a “what if” question during one of my moments of grumbling … and I’ve been asking “what if” questions ever since.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Make sure you bookmark or Pin this page so you can read all these great posts and refer back to them often.

Don’t forget to click on the graphic to head over to the post.

One more thing.

Here are a few of my favorite marriage quotes to inspire you…

Great marriages don’t happen by luck or by accident. They are the result of a consistent investment of time, thoughtfulness, forgiveness, affection, prayer, mutual respect, and a rock-solid commitment between a husband and a wife.

Dave Willis

God doesn’t want me to be a ‘fix him’ wife, God wants me to be a ‘love him’ wife.

Lysa TerKeurst

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9,12b

Thank you so much for joining me today.

It would bless me so much if you’d take a moment to subscribe to Counting My Blessings so you never miss an update!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

And always remember – I LOVE hearing from you! So, please take a minute to say ‘hi’ by leaving a comment. 

You can also…

Leave your prayer requests…

and stop to pray one or two of the requests listed.

If this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone?

Send it to a friend, family member, coworker, or share it through the links below…

I’m asking God to bless you today!

5 Verses and Prayers that will Draw You Closer to Jesus

Verses and prayers for the season of Lent that will draw you closer to Jesus through reflection, anticipation, and hope. #Jesus #Lent #BibleStudy #VersestoPray #CountingMyBlessings

Why in the world do we talk about Lent anyway?

Many churches have stopped making much of this season of preparation but I’ve always found it a blessing to slow down a little and prayerfully think about all Jesus has graciously done for me through His life, death, and resurrection.

I see comments out there from people who are giving something up as a way of fasting … not as a diet or to better the environment (I understand there’s a push to give up plastic this year) but as a way to consider what Jesus may have felt as He lived out 40 Days of fasting in the wilderness.

And actively taking on some small form of self-sacrifice as a way of remembering Jesus’ far greater sacrifice can be a beautiful way of drawing closer to Jesus.

However…

For the past few years, I’ve chosen to add rather give up. So, I make a plan each Lenten season to intentionally spend even more time in prayer and Bible study than I do throughout the rest of the year.

Why?

Because I want to use this time to reflect on being humble, repentant, and grateful for Jesus gracious sacrifice that saved me.

And … I also want to use it as a time of anticipation…

Not just the anticipation of remembering and celebrating Jesus’ “Easter” resurrection but as a time of heartfelt preparation for His glorious promised return.

So, what is Lent for me?

It’s living in awe and wonder at God’s amazing grace, underserved mercy … and unfailing love! The reasons that bring me to my knees in humble repentance, reflection, and anticipation.

So, I’m praying today and asking God to fill me with His Spirit and to draw me closer to Jesus.

Most of all, I’m praying that He will help me love Him more and more each day.

5 Verses and Prayers that will Draw You Closer to Jesus

Verses and prayers for the season of Lent that will draw you closer to Jesus through reflection, anticipation, and hope. #Jesus #Lent #BibleStudy #VersestoPray #CountingMyBlessings

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.

John 3:16–17

Father, Your love is evident in everything. In the past … the present … and the future. It is most evident through Your Son, Jesus. He told us how very much You love us … then He showed us by sacrificing everything for us.

Please, by the power of Your Spirit, help me keep my heart and mind focused on all I have been given through the gift of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. And help me live each day in humble service, overwhelmed with gratitude for all You have done for me through Him. Amen.

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

Psalm 51:17

And Father, all You ask in response to this amazing sacrificial gift is the offering of a humble heart, broken in repentance. I can’t earn this gift. There is nothing I can say or do. So, I come to You today to say…

I am so very sorry. I am self-righteous, prideful, and impatient. I’m not as kind and compassionate as You want me to be. Each day there are countless things I fail to do that I should and just as many things I do that I shouldn’t … all ways I fall short of Your will for me. Father, please forgive me and by Your grace, help me to change. Amen.

[Jesus] opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And He said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of His name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’”

Luke 24:45–47

Father, You promised a Savior, a Messiah, who would suffer my punishment as soon as sin entered Your perfect world.

I love that Jesus spoke these words to His disciples after His resurrection … after Your promise had been fulfilled.

You keep all Your promises. I can trust every Word You’ve given and count on Your faithfulness to forgive my sins.

Wow! No matter how often I come to You … You remove my sins and wash me clean. I am humbled and grateful. And yet, words of gratitude don’t seem like enough. So, I give You my surrendered heart. Amen.

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

Jesus, Some days are just hard! You said there would be trials and sorrows and You knew what You were talking about … You lived through unimaginable trials and sorrows because of Your great love for me.

So, I can be confident that when You told us to “take heart”You were telling us to be encouraged and hopeful because of who You are and what You’ve done. And because I belong to You, the One who has defeated the enemy and overcome the world.

Lord, You not only give me peace … You are my peace. You are my hope. You are my Way, Truth, and Life. Thanks and praise forever. Amen.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then He said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And He also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End.”

Revelation 21:4–6

And this is the hope I have, Father. Whatever today brings, I know that my Redeemer lives. He lives with and within me reminding me of Your promises, calming my fears, and filling me with Your love. He is making all things new! He is the Beginning and the End … my Savior, my Always!

Father, thank you! Please help me keep my heart and mind focused on Jesus and all He has done for me. And help me spend every moment of my life serving You in humble gratitude for Your grace, mercy, and undeserved love. Amen.

Verses and prayers for the season of Lent that will draw you closer to Jesus through reflection, anticipation, and hope. #Jesus #Lent #BibleStudy #VersestoPray #CountingMyBlessings

And one final closer to Jesus thought from Dietrich Bonhoeffer…

“Self-denial means knowing only Christ, and no longer oneself. It means seeing only Christ, who goes ahead of us, and no longer the path that is too difficult for us… . Self-denial is saying only: He goes ahead of us; hold fast to him.” 

This Week’s Friday Favorites

Highlight Posts of the Week!

When a Loved One Disappoints: Six Biblical Ways to Respond by and @ April Knapp


When a Loved One Disappoints: Six Biblical Ways to Respond

by and @ April Knapp

Walking in the Abundant Promises of the Good Shepherd: Psalm 23 by Diana Abe @ Diana's Diaries


Walking in the Abundant Promises of the Good Shepherd:
Psalm 23

by Diana Abe
@ Diana’s Diaries


AND the…

Faith ‘n Friends Link Party

Counting My Blessings
<div align="center"><a href="https://countingmyblessings.com/" rel="nofollow" title="Counting My Blessings"><img src="https://countingmyblessings.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Link-Party-Button-Pic.jpg" alt="Counting My Blessings" style="border: none; height: auto; width: 200px;" /></a></div>

I’m so glad you’re here!

This is a place to share faith, make friends, and have fun.

I’d love to connect with you on social media!

[Tweet “I’m finding #Friendship and #Inspiration at #Faith ‘n Friends #LinkUp Come join the fun! “]

Deb Wolf
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

No More Rules Link Party

Add 1-2 of your favorite faith/life posts.
Then just make friends and have fun.
You know they love it when you stop by and say “hello.”

I would really appreciate it if you would
Grab my Link Party Button above and link back to CMB.

 Loading InLinkz ...

Thank you so much for partying with us!
May your week be blessed with faith, love, and friendship! 

Don’t forget to leave your prayer requests…

and pray over the list left by our friends.

I always enjoy hearing from you! Please take a minute to say ‘hi’ and share your thoughts in the comments below.

Have you visited the Faith ‘n Friends Link Party Board on Pinterest? It’s a great place to catch up with past posts you may have missed here at the party and/or save them for a future read! If you’d like to become a contributor to my Pinterest Group Boards – email me at deb@debwolf.com with a link to your Pinterest home page.

And if this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone? Maybe a friend, family member, coworker, or through the links below…

And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an update.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Thank you and God bless!

I Don’t Hear God Whisper Often But When I Do…

I know I don’t typically publish a post on Wednesdays but the Lord gave me a nudge that I just couldn’t ignore.

It all started Monday morning, as I sat down with my Bible and a cup of coffee for my time of prayer and study.

It was a clear and quick response to my prayer ... God's soft whisper. His words were so powerful, I had to share them here... #HearGod'sVoice #BibleStudy #PrayforRivial #FaithinGod

My first reading was Joshua 23, where Joshua begins his final words to the Children of Israel. I wrote verses 14 – 16 in my journal.

Deep in your hearts, you know that every promise of the Lord your God has come true. Not a single one has failed! But as surely as the Lord your God has given you the good things He promised, He will also bring disaster on you if you disobey Him. He will completely destroy you from this good land He has given you. If you break the covenant of the Lord your God by worshiping and serving other gods, His anger will burn against you, and you will quickly vanish from the good land He has given you.

Joshua 23:14–16

The next section in my reading plan took me to Psalm 64, where David prayed for God’s protection from His enemies.

And followed that with John 11, where Jesus raised Lazarus and the following verses grabbed my heart.

Then Jesus wept.

and

Jesus was still angry as He arrived at the tomb.

John 11:35 and 38a

And it hit me how very sad and angry the consequences of sin made Him. But just before He spoke the words…

“Lazarus, come out!”

John 11:43

He said…

Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”

John 11:40

And all of these words were working on my heart as I began to pray.

I wrote these words…

Father, thank you for keeping every promise. I know I can trust You completely because I know every promise is true.

As I read David’s words, I felt they could have been written by our nation’s leaders today. Please give those who lead our country hearts that are completely surrendered to You. Please protect them with the truth and defeat the lies.

Father, please forgive us. Please heal our nation. Transform us by the power of Your Spirit. It saddens me when I see evil being called good and good being labeled evil. We need Your truth. We need You.

And Father, please show Rev and me what we should do or say. Please guide the words I write. Send them where You want them to go and may every word be used for Your glory. Amen.

It was a clear and quick response to my prayer ... God's soft whisper. His words were so powerful, I had to share them here... #HearGod'sVoice #BibleStudy #PrayforRivial #FaithinGod

Immediately, I could hear God whisper … read Ezekiel 22. Now I don’t get lead to read Ezekiel outside of my regular reading schedule … so, I was more than a little curious. These are the words I read…

Now this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, are you ready to judge Jerusalem? Are you ready to judge this city of murderers? Publicly denounce her detestable sins, and give her this message from the Sovereign Lord: O city of murderers, doomed and damned—city of idols, filthy and foul— you are guilty because of the blood you have shed. You are defiled because of the idols you have made. Your day of destruction has come! You have reached the end of your years. I will make you an object of mockery throughout the world. 5O infamous city, filled with confusion, you will be mocked by people far and near.

Ezekiel 22:1–5

And…

Again a message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: In the day of my indignation, you will be like a polluted land, a land without rain. Your princes plot conspiracies just as lions stalk their prey. They devour innocent people, seizing treasures and extorting wealth. They make many widows in the land. Your priests have violated my instructions and defiled my holy things. They make no distinction between what is holy and what is not. And they do not teach my people the difference between what is ceremonially clean and unclean. They disregard my Sabbath days so that I am dishonored among them. Your leaders are like wolves who tear apart their victims. They actually destroy people’s lives for money! And your prophets cover up for them by announcing false visions and making lying predictions. They say, ‘My message is from the Sovereign Lord,’ when the Lord hasn’t spoken a single word to them. Even common people oppress the poor, rob the needy, and deprive foreigners of justice.

“I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one. So now I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them with the fire of my anger. I will heap on their heads the full penalty for all their sins. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

Ezekiel 22:23–31

And I’ll admit, I squirmed.

You see, I love writing positive encouragement. It’s really hard to write tough messages.

But I asked God, please show me what we should do or say … and I felt His reply was to share this message. You see we spend so much time shouting about what’s right and wrong. It seems like the dividing lines have been established and there are people on both sides of every issue who believe they are RIGHT!

But it really doesn’t matter what we think.

I work very hard to keep my political opinions to myself because what I think really doesn’t matter. If you ask me … I will send you to the Word of God and tell you to prayerfully read it.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 13:8

I believe His Word and…

His word still applies!

But before you go, you NEED TO KNOW THIS…

I don’t believe this word from Ezekiel is a gloom and doom message of hopelessness.

Because…

God is unchanging and He still has the power to tranform lives!

It was a clear and quick response to my prayer ... God's soft whisper. His words were so powerful, I had to share them here... #HearGod'sVoice #BibleStudy #PrayforRivial #FaithinGod

You and I don’t have to wring our hands, cry, “ain’t it awful,” and give up. If that were the case, I don’t believe God would have given me this word when I asked Him what Rev and I should do.

What should we do…

We should point people to the Word of God, we should pray like lives depend on it, and we should tell our stories of personal transformation … not with self-righteousness or religious superiority but with love and compassion! The same love and compassion God has so gracious shown us!

Friends, today is Ash Wednesday.

It is the first day of Lent, the time in the church year when we humbly come before God in repentance … reflecting on the transforming power of forgiveness through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The life-changing resurrection power given by God’s grace through His Spirit when we place our trust in Jesus.

Rather than giving up something for Lent this year, I am adding something…

I am committing to praying for God’s transforming power to work in hearts and minds over the next six weeks. I’m crying out for people to surrender their lives to Christ. I’m praying for a Pentecost revival in our nation. I’m praying for people will know and live by the only Truth that leads to freedom.

And I’d like to invite you to join me as I pray through the Mountain Moving Prayers that will Empower Your Faith series.

I am sharing a link to each day’s prayer on my Facebook Page. Just follow me there to get them in your FB feed.

You can also find them all here on the Mountain Moving Prayers Board on Pinterest.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

It would bless me so much if you’d take a moment to subscribe to Counting My Blessings so you never miss an update!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

And always remember – I LOVE hearing from you! So, please take a minute to say ‘hi’ by leaving a comment. 

You can also…

Leave your prayer requests…

and stop to pray one or two of the requests listed.

If this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone?

Send it to a friend, family member, coworker, or share it through the links below…

I’m asking God to bless you today!

This is Important – Never Stop Telling Your Story

What do you do when it feels like the enemy is trying to discourage you, defeat you, or silence your voice?

No matter how often the enemy tries to discourage you, never stop telling your story. God has the power to use it to touch hearts and minds for His glory. #TellThem #FaithinGod #PowerofGod #CountingMyBlessings

Let me explain…

Last weekend, I got up early Saturday morning with a post running through my head. I was so excited to share this message with you as I enthusaistically started writing.

The words flowed easily as verses came to mind and thoughts came together.

Four hours later, the post How to Go from Victim to Victory was only a few short sentences from completion when my screen went white … except for those blank screen words you know you hate.

The “Aw Snap. Something went wrong.” 

I’d been saving consistently throughout the morning; so, I wasn’t worried as I clicked the reload button. But nothing happened.

So, I refreshed the page.

And as the page reappeared … EVERYTHING WAS GONE! All the words, all the points, headings, title … everything had completely disappeared. I searched and tried everything I could think of to find or restore hours of writing. And NOTHING!

Now, I’ve lost things before and it’s always upsetting but this time  I just burst into tears. I’d poured myself out into words of encouragement, faith, and hope and they were all gone.

I tried to recall what I’d written but I couldn’t even remember all of my main points let alone the verses I’d added.

Truth is … I was too discouraged to start again.

So, I made a few notes, walked away from my computer, took a deep breath and asked God to give me a better perspective and an improved attitude.

When I returned to my desk, I decided to move on to a different post. And spent all afternoon working on rewriting another post that needed an update.

I’ll save you all the gory details but when I went back to my office to write the final paragraphs and add my graphics the following afternoon…

I had a NIGHTMARE REPEAT! Yep, “Aw Snap” And everything was gone! 

No matter how often the enemy tries to discourage you, never stop telling your story. God has the power to use it to touch hearts and minds for His glory. #TellThem #FaithinGod #PowerofGod #CountingMyBlessings

So, let me ask you again. 

What do you do when you feel like the enemy is trying to discourage you, defeat you, or silence your voice?

Because at that moment … I was feeling very discouraged and defeated.

But…

You and I are called to tell others about God’s love for them. 

“Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.”

Mark 16:15

You must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.

1 Peter 3:15

That’s why I tell my story.

A simple story of transformation.

A story of the way God allowed my heart to be broken through a great sadness so He could heal me and give me something even better.

Of the way He allowed me to lose what I believed I needed at the time so He could assure me that I already had something that could never be lost or taken away.

And my friend, you have a story of transformation, too! 

A story…

  • Of God’s love and healing grace. 
  • Of the transforming sacrificial love of Jesus. 
  • Of the power of the Holy Spirit. 
  • Of loss leading to a new life.
  • Of failure to freedom. 
  • Of victim to victory. 
  • Of hopelessness to hope. 
  • Of anxiety to peace. 
  • Of weakness to strength. 
  • Of fear to faith. 
  • Of _______________. 

The list of possible stories is as endless as the number of uniquely and wonderfully made people God created. 

So, I won’t give up. As long as God allows, I will continue to tell my story.

No matter how often satan tries to discourage me to give up, to quit … to be silent; I will push through.

I will pray and ask God to give me strength. I will ask Him to replace discouragement with courage. And I will ask Him to use my story of hope to touch lives for His glory.

And…

I want to encourage you to pray and push through discouragement and spiritual attacks, too. I so wish I could sit across the table with you, look into your eyes and tell you…

Never stop telling your story.

Why? Because your story is of the transforming message of God’s love and that my friend is the powerful truth-filled word of life that is so desperately needed in today’s dying world.

Jesus said…

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears what I say and believes in the One who sent me has eternal life. That person will not be judged guilty but has already left death and entered life.”

John 5:24 (NCV)

There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

Romans 8:1–2

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Ephesians 3:19

And if you think you’re not enough or that your story won’t make a difference, look at the next verse…

Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Ephesians 3:20

It’s not the power of your words or mine. It’s not even the power of our stories. 

It’s the power of God! 

The power of the One who is able to use your story and mine to touch hearts and minds for His glory. 

No matter how often the enemy tries to discourage you, never stop telling your story. God has the power to use it to touch hearts and minds for His glory. #TellThem #FaithinGod #PowerofGod #CountingMyBlessings

So no matter how hard or frustrating. No matter how often the enemy tries to silence you…

Never stop telling your story! 

Oh, and one last thing … I wrote this and saved it in Pages and I’m getting help to figure out what in the world is going on with those technology problems causing the frustrating disappearance of my posts.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

It would bless me so much if you’d take a moment to subscribe to Counting My Blessings so you never miss an update!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

And always remember – I LOVE hearing from you! So, please take a minute to say ‘hi’ by leaving a comment. 

You can also…

Leave your prayer requests…

and stop to pray one or two of the requests listed.

If this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone?

Send it to a friend, family member, coworker, or share it through the links below…

I’m asking God to bless you today!

5 Verses to Pray When You Need to Overcome Anxiety

There will always be plenty of things to be anxious about but it's a miserable way to live. So I'm praying 5 verses from the Bible to overcome anxiety. #BibleStudy #Prayer #MentalHealth #WordofGod #CountingMyBlessings

Sometimes I think I was born anxious.

Seriously, I can remember way too many middle of the night worry session as a child.

And although I’d love to tell you that all disappeared when I grew up … you wouldn’t believe me anyway. Everyone knows there are countless things to worry about as an adult, spouse, parent, employee, etc.

I know, some of you reading this are the calm cool and collected type. You’re someone who is rarely ruffled by anything.

I really do envy you.

Even now, I am so much better … really I am, but I still struggle more often than I care to admit.

So, yes, the Lord and I talk about my anxiety often.

And He whispers…

Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10

The Hebrew word translated as “be still” is harpu – הַרְפּ֣וּ

Hebrew4Christians says that “harpu is best translated as…

“Cause yourselves to let go.” or “Let yourselves become weak.”

And that’s it, isn’t it?

The only way to overcome anxiety is to let it go and surrender it to God.

If you and I want to “be still and know” that God is in control and that we can trust Him; we have to give our anxious thoughts to Him and allow Him to replace them with His peace.

So….

I’m going to God again today, and I’d love for you to join me.

Verses to Pray When You Need to Overcome Anxiety

There will always be plenty of things to be anxious about but it's a miserable way to live. So I'm praying 5 verses from the Bible to overcome anxiety. #BibleStudy #Prayer #MentalHealth #WordofGod #CountingMyBlessings

For the Lord, your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.

Zephaniah 3:17

Father, I need You! I need Your help! It is so easy for me to focus on what if’s and what could be’s. Please help me know that no matter how I feel … You love me and You are in control. Nothing in my life comes as a surprise to You. Father, You are greater than my fears and already present in my unknown future. Your Word says, “You delight in me.” Yes! Even when I am frazzled and frustrated You never stop loving and caring for me.

I believe You are able to calm me; You have calmed me in the past and I trust You to calm me again today. So, I surrender my anxious thoughts to You. Please fill me with Your peace. Amen.

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

Father, Sometimes my anxiety is caused by my own sinful choices. I am so sorry. Sometimes it’s caused by the sinful choices of others. Please help me forgive and let it go.

Please help me humbly give my anxiety and concerns to You. Please take it all and replace it with Your peace. Your Word says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (Isaiah 26:3) Please help me keep my thoughts focus on You, the One in whom I place my trust. Amen.

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Father, Thank you for the times you have strengthened me in the past. I trust You to give me the strength I need today.

I know there may be hard days when it may be hard for me to slowly put one foot in front of the other. But You will give me the strength I need. And by Your grace, there will also be days when You will empower me to run and even soar.

Thank you! Your grace is sufficient. Your power and strength never wane. I can trust Your promises to love and care for me and give me everything I need today. Amen.

When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought me joy.

Psalm 94:19

Oh, Father, these words reassure me and give me hope. Your comfort, care, and compassion are the encouragement I need when I’m anxious. I love the verse before … “I cried out, ‘I am slipping!’ but Your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.”

Yes, Your unfailing love brings me joy! You help me overcome anxiety today because You cover me with Your unfailing love. Nothing this world throws at me can ever change that truth! I thank and praise You with all my heart. Amen.

There will always be plenty of things to be anxious about but it's a miserable way to live. So I'm praying 5 verses from the Bible to overcome anxiety. #BibleStudy #Prayer #MentalHealth #WordofGod #CountingMyBlessings

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus … Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.

Philippians 4:6–8a

I will cling to Your Word, Father. I will focus my heart and mind on the truth of who You are. I will hold on to Your promises when the enemy tempts me with fear and anxiety. I will focus on the truth … I belong to You!

When ordinary annoyances try to take my peace, help me fix my thoughts on You. When problems overwhelm me, help me surrender them to Your loving care trusting that with Your Spirit’s help, even then, You will guard my heart and mind and give me peace.

Father, You are alive and active in my life. You are sovereign and greater than anything that can happen. “You know the plans and purposes You have for me.” (Jeremiah 29:!1) I surrender my anxiety to You … trusting that You will give me all I need … one day at a time. In Jesus name. Amen.

There will always be plenty of things to be anxious about but it's a miserable way to live. So I'm praying 5 verses from the Bible to overcome anxiety. #BibleStudy #Prayer #MentalHealth #WordofGod #CountingMyBlessings

Friend, there is something important I’ve learned on the anxiety roller coaster…

I have to surrender more than my anxiety to the Lord if I want to experience His true and lasting peace.

I have to surrender ME … all over again every single morning!

I love this quote to close today.

It is wonderful what miracles God works in wills that are utterly surrendered to Him.

Hannah Whitall Smith

This Week’s Friday Favorites

Highlight Posts of the Week!

How to Change Things Up When You Pray by Maree Dee @ Embracing Life in the Midst of the Unexpected


How to Change Things Up When You Pray

by Maree Dee
@ Embracing Life in the Midst of the Unexpected

Focus in Winter by Joan Davis @ Hope Secure


Focus in Winter

by Joan Davis
@ Hope Secure


AND the…

Faith ‘n Friends Link Party

Counting My Blessings
<div align="center"><a href="https://countingmyblessings.com/" rel="nofollow" title="Counting My Blessings"><img src="https://countingmyblessings.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Link-Party-Button-Pic.jpg" alt="Counting My Blessings" style="border: none; height: auto; width: 200px;" /></a></div>

I’m so glad you’re here!

This is a place to share faith, make friends, and have fun.

I’d love to connect with you on social media!

[Tweet “I’m finding #Friendship and #Inspiration at #Faith ‘n Friends #LinkUp Come join the fun! “]

Deb Wolf
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

No More Rules Link Party

Add 1-2 of your favorite faith/life posts.
Then just make friends and have fun.
You know they love it when you stop by and say “hello.”

I would really appreciate it if you would
Grab my Link Party Button above and link back to CMB.

 Loading InLinkz ...

Thank you so much for partying with us!
May your week be blessed with faith, love, and friendship! 

Don’t forget to leave your prayer requests…

and pray over the list left by our friends.

I always enjoy hearing from you! Please take a minute to say ‘hi’ and share your thoughts in the comments below.

Have you visited the Faith ‘n Friends Link Party Board on Pinterest? It’s a great place to catch up with past posts you may have missed here at the party and/or save them for a future read! If you’d like to become a contributor to my Pinterest Group Boards – email me at deb@debwolf.com with a link to your Pinterest home page.

And if this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone? Maybe a friend, family member, coworker, or through the links below…

And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an update.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Thank you and God bless!

5 Ways to Have the Peace You Want Every Day

It is impossible to experience God's peace when we're reliving yesterday or pre-living tomorrow. Here are 5 ways to have the peace you want every day. #InnerPeace #BibleStudy #Faith

It’s true!

It is absolutely impossible to experience God’s peace when I’m reliving yesterday or pre-living tomorrow. Peace simply cannot be applied to yesterday’s mess nor can it be pre-applied to tomorrow’s worries.

Have you ever gotten to the end of the day and regret the amount of time you wasted on guilt, worry, and anxiety?

Yeah, me too!

But I’m working on changing that. I truly believe that with God’s help I do not have to sacrifice today’s peace and joy to yesterday’s failures and tomorrows unknowns.

But I definitely need His help.

So, I’m working to apply the following disciplines every day … because I know when I do, well, I have the peace I want!

5 Ways to Have the Peace You Want Every Day

It is impossible to experience God's peace when we're reliving yesterday or pre-living tomorrow. Here are 5 ways to have the peace you want every day. #InnerPeace #BibleStudy #Faith

1. Celebrate today like it’s a bonus day.

Rev and I celebrate bonus days. In fact, today is our 4,176th bonus day.

What are bonus days?

They are the days we’ve been blessed to enjoy that were unexpected when he entered the operating room on September 20, 2007, for a pericardial stripping.

What’s that? A pericardial stripping is when a cardiac surgeon chips the thickened and hardened lining off a beating heart. It’s extremely dangerous. We were told the mortality rate, morbidity rate, and success rate were all equal. We weren’t offered a lot of hope.

And yet, God gave us His peace that day. And every day since Rev has written the Bonus Day number on the calendar as a reminder to celebrate and LIVE.

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad today!

Psalm 118:@4

When we are busy treating today like the gift, the bonus, it is … well, it helps us to live intentionally. And intentional living focuses on now, refusing to dwell on the past or on the future.

2. Take every thought captive . . . purposefully reject guilt and worry.

I once read about a great idea that can help me seal today off from yesterday and tomorrow.

It’s called…

Living in an airlock space. 

Imagine as you walk into today that the door to yesterday is closing behind you and you can’t open the door in front of you until it’s time to move into tomorrow.

Enter the airlock space with thanksgiving and leave it with repentance. No guilt and no worry.

I’m pretty sure, that’s downright Biblical…

So don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:34

3. Do only what you are able to do today.

When is the last time you were able to accomplish everything on your to-do list?

Our lives are loaded with expectations. Some our own … many added by others. We have spouses, children, bosses, and friends we want to please. We’re serving and volunteering and…

It’s impossible to get it all done.

So, remember to manage each day with grace.

It’s okay to say “no.” It’s okay to set priorities. In fact, it’s not only okay, it’s God’s will. You absolutely cannot do everything for everyone. So, spend time with God and your planner. Pray and ask Him to help you manage your time according to His plans and purposes for you.

You may find that it’s time for you to say “no” to some good things so you can fully say “yes” to the most important things.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:2

4. Trust God to meet your needs today.

Have you read the Bible account lately of the way God provided food for the Israelites in the Wilderness?

In the morning, as the dew evaporated, manna was left on the ground. And the people were to trust God by gathering just enough to eat that day. If they saved it overnight it smelled bad and was full of worms. (Exodus 16)

One day at a time … just enough. With the exception of Fridays, when they were told to gather enough for the Saturday Sabbath so they could rest as God commanded.

I love that!

God is able to meet today’s needs. And He will even meet them in ways that make it possible for us to take a Sabbath rest if we trust Him.

I often sense Jesus whispering,

“Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!”

Matthew 8:26

And it’s impossible to have peace when my “little faith” doubts His ability to meet my needs.

But He also says…

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

Luke 12:31

And…

Look at the birds in the air. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. And you know that you are worth much more than the birds.

Matthew 6:26

5. Just breathe. Breathe in His peace and breathe out the peace robbers.

I have a dear one who often takes a deep breath and says, “In with the butterflies out with the bees.”

Great visual right?

When the moment is difficult and I’m tempted to make it worse by adding the past and the future, I just have to stop and breathe.

Breathe out frustration, worry, anxiety, guilt, and overwhelm … and breathe in God’s gift of peace by…

  • remembering His past faithfulness and provision.
  • clinging His promises.
  • running to Him in prayer.

When I remember all God has done for me in the past; when I lean on His promises to care for me today and in the future; and when I surrender every anxious thought to Him in prayer … I have everything I need to know He will help me experience His peace through this moment as well.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:3

I’ll admit it…

It’s hard to live one day at a time.

It’s hard to let go of yesterday and refuse to worry about tomorrow?

Especially for those of us who are naturally anxious.

But the truth is…

Like it or not, life is lived moment by moment. One day at a time. 

So, it’s up to you and me whether we will live one day at a time moments with peace or sacrifice them to on the altar of regret and worry.

The choice is ours.

It is impossible to experience God's peace when we're reliving yesterday or pre-living tomorrow. Here are 5 ways to have the peace you want every day. #InnerPeace #BibleStudy #Faith

Steve Maraboli said:

“Although time seems to fly, it never travels faster than one day at a time. Each day is a new opportunity to live your life to the fullest. In each waking day, you will find scores of blessings and opportunities for positive change. Do not let your TODAY be stolen by the unchangeable past or the indefinite future! Today is a new day!” 

So will you join me?

Let’s…

  • Celebrate today like it’s a bonus day.
  • Take every peace-robbing thought captive and surrender it to God.
  • Do what we are able to do today.
  • Trust God to meet this day’s needs.
  • And breathe in His peace.

We can do this! You and I can live one day at a time with God’s help.

And finally, here’s one more question that gives me perspective…

Will this matter a year from now? 

It’s surprising how often the answer is, “no!” And if that’s the case, it’s not worth what it’s costing me in peace.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

It would bless me so much if you’d take a moment to subscribe to Counting My Blessings so you never miss an update!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

And always remember – I LOVE hearing from you! So, please take a minute to say ‘hi’ by leaving a comment. 

You can also…

Leave your prayer requests…

and stop to pray one or two of the requests listed.

If this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone?

Send it to a friend, family member, coworker, or share it through the links below…

I’m asking God to bless you today!

5 Helpful Verses… When You Need to Pray for Your Family

The number one prayer request I receive is for the healing of broken family relationships. So, here are verses to pray for your family to bless and strengthen your bond. #PrayforStrength #PrayforChildren #BiblePrayers #BibleVerses #Blessings

I shared earlier this week that the number one prayer request on the Blessing Counters Pray Page is one that asks for a family relationship to be healed and/or restored.

So, I wrote what I believe to be the 5 Best Ways to Bless and Strengthen Your Family.

Not because I believe I have the answers … I have my own relationships I lift up in prayer regularly.

I wrote it because I believe the Lord has given us great advice in His Word and well, in all honesty, I believe there are things I could have done more intentionally.

One of those things is praying for my family!

If I were raising my children today … I would have them see me and join me in taking everything to the Lord in prayer.

“We would praise Him in prayer. We’d confess, repent, and ask Him for forgiveness. We’d be more honest about our fears and surrender each day to His care and direction. We’d talk to Him about our needs and celebrate every little blessing of provision. “

And that’s why, today … I’m taking my family to the Lord in prayer and I’d love for you to join me and pray for your family. (Fill in the blanks with the names of your people.)

5 Helpful Verses… When You Need to Pray for Your Family

The number one prayer request I receive is for the healing of broken family relationships. So, here are verses to pray for your family to bless and strengthen your bond. #PrayforStrength #PrayforChildren #BiblePrayers #BibleVerses #Blessings

I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.

Ephesians 1:16–17

Father, Thank you for my family. I love these people! Please grow our love for You and for each other. Unite us under the covering of Your perfect unfailing love and help us love each other as you love us.

Father, I need You. We need You! Please bless __________ with Your wisdom … help him/her to know the “right” thing to do and do it. And by the power of Your Spirit, may he/she know the “right” thing will always be to live according to Your will as You reveal it in Your Word.

Please give __________ wisdom, knowledge, and everything needed to know, trust, and follow You completely. Amen.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do,
    and He will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:5–6

Father, Show us as a family and individually the paths You want for us.

It seems there are so many choices and decisions, and so many voices coaxing each of us in different directions. We need You. Your Word says, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” (Proverbs 16:25) Father, that challenges me. Some of the messages surrounding my children and our family sound right on the surface but when they are placed beside the truths of Your Word … they are shown to be lies.

Please give each of us a passion for Your Word. Fill us with a desire to know and love Your Son, Jesus. And help us SEEK Your will in everything … and then, strengthen us to quickly and willingly follow the path You lay out before us. Amen.

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

Father, on my own I am neither strong nor am I courageous. And I see that same struggle in ___________. We need You!

Please, give each of us the courage and strength we need to surrender ourselves to You. Please help us to step out in faith living the plans and purposes You have prepared for us always knowing … You are with us.

You promised to never leave or forsake Your children. (Joshua 1:5) Jesus said, “I am with You always to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) And He promised that You would give us “the Helper,” Your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, to be with us forever. (John 14:16–17

Father, we need Your truth to make us strong. We need Your presence to give us courage. We need Your love to keep us united by Your grace. Amen.

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 1And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.

Colossians 3:13–15a

Oh Father, help us forgive each other. Why is it that it often feels like we leave our kindness and compassion at the door when we get home. We complain and quarrel, we find fault and fail when it comes to asking for and/or giving forgiveness.

Please help us. May love be our highest priority. May we enjoy true peace … peace that is only found in living, loving, and forgiving like Jesus. Amen.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

1 Corinthians 13:4–7

Father, help us love like You love. Make me patient and kind … humble and helpful. May we all quickly celebrate each other’s successes and encourage each other in using the gifts You have given us.

Father, please help us forgive each other and let go of past hurts. Make us open and honest, trusting and trustworthy.

And Father, help us to keep fighting for our family relationships. And even when they fail … please don’t allow us to ever stop loving and hoping. Please by Your mercy and grace … may love prevail and may my relationship with __________ be healed and restored.

In Jesus name. Amen.

The number one prayer request I receive is for the healing of broken family relationships. So, here are verses to pray for your family to bless and strengthen your bond. #PrayforStrength #PrayforChildren #BiblePrayers #BibleVerses #Blessings

Pray for your family!

I know some of you are hurting today because of broken family relationships. Others are anxious and worried because of a struggling marriage or a rebellious child.

Friend, the Lord loves you. He is with you! He is for you!

He puts us in families because we are stronger together than we are on our own.

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed … Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9,12

The battle waging against our families is real. It is imperative that we pull out the best weapon we have … the power of our loving Heavenly Father, who responds in love to the heartfelt intentional prayers of His children!

I love this quote from Pastor Adrian Rogers…

The same Jesus Who turned water into wine can transform your home, your life, your family, and your future. He is still in the miracle-working business, and His business is the business of transformation.

This Week’s Friday Favorites

Highlight Posts of the Week!

What Your Husband Really Wants for Valentine's Day by Tiffiney Holmes @ Welcome Home Ministry


What Your Husband Really Wants for Valentine’s Day

by Tiffiney Holmes
@ Welcome Home Ministry

Three Simple Steps to Living Fully Without Being Frazzled by Tammy Kennington @ Restoring Hope. Pursuing Peace.


Three Simple Steps to Living Fully Without Being Frazzled

by Tammy Kennington
@ Restoring Hope. Pursuing Peace.


AND the…

Faith ‘n Friends Link Party

Counting My Blessings
<div align="center"><a href="https://countingmyblessings.com/" rel="nofollow" title="Counting My Blessings"><img src="https://countingmyblessings.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Link-Party-Button-Pic.jpg" alt="Counting My Blessings" style="border: none; height: auto; width: 200px;" /></a></div>

I’m so glad you’re here!

This is a place to share faith, make friends, and have fun.

I’d love to connect with you on social media!

[Tweet “I’m finding #Friendship and #Inspiration at #Faith ‘n Friends #LinkUp Come join the fun! “]

Deb Wolf
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

No More Rules Link Party

Add 1-2 of your favorite faith/life posts.
Then just make friends and have fun.
You know they love it when you stop by and say “hello.”

I would really appreciate it if you would
Grab my Link Party Button above and link back to CMB.

 Loading InLinkz ...

Thank you so much for partying with us!
May your week be blessed with faith, love, and friendship! 

Don’t forget to leave your prayer requests…

and pray over the list left by our friends.

I always enjoy hearing from you! Please take a minute to say ‘hi’ and share your thoughts in the comments below.

Have you visited the Faith ‘n Friends Link Party Board on Pinterest? It’s a great place to catch up with past posts you may have missed here at the party and/or save them for a future read! If you’d like to become a contributor to my Pinterest Group Boards – email me at deb@debwolf.com with a link to your Pinterest home page.

And if this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone? Maybe a friend, family member, coworker, or through the links below…

And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an update.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Thank you and God bless!

5 of the Best Ways to Bless and Strengthen Your Family

Family - it's where we let our hair down and fail to be on our best behavior. We need help. This will help you live, love, and strengthen your family. #Family #Love #Blessed

“A family is a place where principles are hammered and honed on the anvil of everyday living.”

Charles Swindoll

If you and I are supposed to believe every happy photo we see on social media … almost all of our friends have perfect relationships with their parents, siblings, spouses, children, and grandchildren.

But…

If you read the prayer requests on the Blessing Counters Pray Page. you will quickly realize the number one thing driving people to God’s throne of grace is the need to have their closest relationships healed and restored.

Relationships are hard and it’s understandable, really…

We’re all uniquely created with different personalities, interests, likes, quirks, gifts, talents, wants, abilities, opinions, and flaws.

Besides all of those personal differences, there are countless social, economic, and environmental issues that put strains on our relationships. Not to mention a whole host of private and public concerns that impact our lives every day.

Some say there is a war being waged against the family. I don’t know, maybe it’s true.

Something I do know to be true … because relationships are hard, they require a lot of WORK!!

Which leaves us with a choice…

We can either fight for our relationships with those closest to us or we can give up, focus on the problems and just wait to see what happens.

If you’re ready to fight with all you’ve got … I’d like to share the 5 things I believe are most important when it comes to building strong family relationships that last.

5 of the Best Ways to Bless and Strengthen Your Family

Family - it's where we let our hair down and fail to be on our best behavior. We need help. This will help you live, love, and strengthen your family. #Family #Love #Blessed

1. Strengthen Your Family – Make Loving the Lord Your Greatest Family Priority 

Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”

Matthew 22:37–38

I almost made this one simply … Make the Lord Your Greatest Family priority. But it’s too easy to get caught up in the “doing” of faith and forget about loving the Lord.

We’re a ministry family. Seriously, we were at church all the time. And yes, we talked about the shoulds and shouldn’ts of faith and living for the Lord … the “doing of faith.”

I wish we had spent more time with our children simply LOVING Him … simply responding to His love. Less “doing” and more resting, trusting, seeking, relying, praying and praising.

You can find out more about what it looks like to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength – here.

2. Strengthen Your Family – Make Showing Love and Extending Forgiveness Non-negotiable.

 A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself.

Matthew 22:39

1 Corinthians 13 says love is…

Patient, kind, enduring, and hopeful!

It also says it’s not…

Boastful, envious, irritable, or rude.

Loving our neighbors like that is hard … loving the people who share the place where we let down our hair and reveal our ugly parts … that requires extra grace and forgiveness!

We call it EGR – Extra Grace Required.

And we all have days when extra grace is required, don’t we?

Yep, forgiveness is essential if we want strong family relationships.

Besides forgiveness … loving each other well includes honesty, respect, and kindness. Which is why it’s important to be thoughtful and patient, as well as being a good communicator (someone who chooses their words well, listens intentionally, and controls ugly and unpleasant emotions).

See why you and I need to make forgiveness non-negotiable?

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 

Colossians 3:13–14

The verse before says…

lothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Colossians 3:12

Maybe we should make a visual reminder to leave those important “clothing” items on when we walk through the door rather than hanging them with the jackets in the closet.

Whew! I need that reminder myself!

3. Strengthen Your Family – Make it Important to be Intentional and Present. 

Being a strong family takes time . . . working and playing together. 

But it’s hard to spend time without our tech distractions, isn’t it?

Last weekend, I heard one of the If:Gathering speakers say the following when asked how she balances family, ministry, business … you know, how she balances LIFE?

She answered by saying she tries to be intentionally present where she is.

When she’s at home with her children, she allows them to hide her phone so she can focus on her family. When she’s at the office she concentrates on the tasks and people there. When serving or traveling for ministry , she pours herself into ministry. (If you can remember who said this, please let me know in the comments. I’d like to give her credit.)

And I love that message! It’s simple!

Be present!

With so many things vying for our attention … I love the idea of simply being intentionally present wherever we are.

Jesus was the perfect example of intentionally being present and you and I are called to represent Him…

Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Colossians 3:17
Family - it's where we let our hair down and fail to be on our best behavior. We need help. This will help you live, love, and strengthen your family. #Family #Love #Blessed

4. Strengthen Your Family – Make Prayer Powerful in Your Family. 

They all met together and were constantly united in prayer.

Acts 1:14a

Looking back on the years our children were living at home, I wish we had been even more intentional about prayer.

Oh, we had several memorized prayers for mealtime and bedtime. We prayed over problems and big needs. We prayed in church and during devotions.

But if I had to do it again, I’d teach my children to take every little thing to the Lord in prayer.

We would praise Him in prayer. We’d confess, repent, and ask Him for forgiveness. We’d be more honest about our fears and surrender each day to His care and direction. We’d talk to Him about our needs and celebrate every little blessing of provision.

Here’s a list of things you can pray for and with your family…

Ten Things to Pray for Your Family 

5. Strengthen Your Family – Make It Easy to Laugh and have Fun.

The other night, I was sitting in the living room looking at my iPad. It was our usual time to sit down and recap the day for an hour or so.

When Rev saw that I was distracted by my email and social media he grabbed his iPad and joined me.

After about 10 minutes, I realized … that this time typically spent in conversation and laughter was passing without any engagement at all. I set my iPad down and so did he.

I want to make it more important for me to laugh and make memories with my family than it is to check the latest posts on Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram.

As I watch our daughter’s family … they play tons of board games. They encourage our grandson to tell jokes, riddles, and funny stories. They play catch. And they sing and dance around the house. They’re making memories!

I can’t remember ten percent of the things I read on social media but I will always remember the heart imprints left when I laugh and have fun with my family.

Maybe you’d call me old fashioned … in many ways I am.

But with so many of our family relationships being labeled as strained or broken, it may be time for us to intentionally do some of the things that at least give us a fighting chance.

It’s a simple list really…

  1. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
  2. Love out loud and forgive each other always.
  3. Be intentional and present wherever you are.
  4. Pray about everything.
  5. Laugh, have fun, and make happy memories ofte.

 “Life is short, live it. Love is rare, grab it. Anger is bad, dump it. Fear is awful, face it. Memories are sweet, cherish them.”

~ Unknown

Don’t give up! You can strengthen your family. 

Your family is worth fighting for!

And if you have broken or strained family relationships … don’t give up on them either.

Keep praying. Keep hoping. Keep loving!

Thank you so much for joining me today.

It would bless me so much if you’d take a moment to subscribe to Counting My Blessings so you never miss an update!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

And always remember – I LOVE hearing from you! So, please take a minute to say ‘hi’ by leaving a comment. 

You can also…

Leave your prayer requests…

and stop to pray one or two of the requests listed.

If this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone?

Send it to a friend, family member, coworker, or share it through the links below…

I’m asking God to bless you today!

5 Verses to Pray When You Need to be Sure of God’s Love

The cards, flowers, chocolate, and “I love yous” have all been shared.

And yet, I wonder how many of us are left longing because someone left us wanting … failing to fill us up the way we expected, hoped or believed we needed.

God's love is more than enough when life is hard and people let you down. Here are 5 verses to pray when you need to be sure of God's love. #GodisLove #GodLovesYou #Prayer #Bible #Faith

I keep thinking about Jenny Lind’s song in The Greatest Showman…

All the shine of a thousand spotlights
All the stars we steal from the night sky
Will never be enough
Never be enough
Towers of gold are still too little
These hands could hold the world but it’ll
Never be enough … for me.

And my heart keeps thinking…

Maybe it’s not supposed to be.

Maybe there really is nothing that can fill up that hole in our hearts and maybe it has less to do with them and more to do with us.

If you’re like me … you take that “never enough” feeling and blame yourself. You feel unworthy. You wonder what you should have done differently. You dwell on every little flaw and fault and desperately want someone to make it better.

But the expectation isn’t fair, really!

Because no one … NO ONE … can fill the hole in our hearts that God created for Himself.

God’s perfect love is the only thing that can satisfy us … His is the only love that truly is ENOUGH!

And yet, even though I know that is true with every bit of my being, I still have times when I’m a little too introspective and needy … times when I find myself lacking because I’ve questioned how God could love a total mess like me.

You too?

Today, I’m asking God to help me seek Him first when I need the assurance of love. I’m asking Him to fill me to overflowing with His perfect unfailing love.

5 Verses to Pray When You Need to be Sure of God’s Love

God's love is more than enough when life is hard and people let you down. Here are 5 verses to pray when you need to be sure of God's love. #GodisLove #GodLovesYou #Prayer #Bible #Faith

God is love. God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

1 John 4:8b–10

Father, You are love … REAL LOVE! And you showed us just how You love by sacrificing everything for us … for me.

The truth is Father, I don’t feel very lovable most of the time. I know I’m a mess. I fail You and the people I love every day. Those who love me … let me down and I feel unlovable.

But then You remind me that Your love is not determined by how I feel or what I do, Your love is an amazing and undeserved gift. You give me everything I need today and promise me that I will spend eternity in Your presence. Your grace, mercy, and love overwhelm me. Thank you! Amen.

May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.

2 Thessalonians 2:16–17

Father, Jesus said … He must return to You so that You would send the Holy Spirit. The One who comforts me and gives me hope. The One who strengthens me and guides me with Your truth. The One who gifts me with “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” The One who makes possible any good thing I say and do.

I can’t imagine living even one day without Your Spirit’s help. Thank you for loving me so much that I don’t have to figure this life out on my own. Thank you for a love that will never leave me or forsake me. Amen.

May you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Ephesians 3:18–19

Father, please help me keep my eyes on You … even when life is hard. When people and circumstances have disappointed me. Please help me run to You quickly, when I need Your forgiveness because I’ve messed things up again!

Your love is deep and high and long and wide. It is beyond my power to understand even when I keep my heart and mind focused and seek You first. When I don’t … oh Father, it’s ugly.

I need You! Forgive me. Help me. And grant me the fullness of life and power that only Your love can give. Amen.

God's love is more than enough when life is hard and people let you down. Here are 5 verses to pray when you need to be sure of God's love. #GodisLove #GodLovesYou #Prayer #Bible #Faith

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38–39

Father, how I need to carry these words in my heart constantly.

Nothing can separate me from Your love! NOTHING!

You were separated from Jesus as He suffered on the cross for me so I would never have to experience the misery of being separated from You.

Your love sustains and strengthens me. When the enemy taunts me with fear and worry, help me remember that You are with me and You are greater than anything this world can throw at me.

Nothing can separate me from Your love! Nothing!

Thank you! Thank you! Amen.

Each day the Lord pours His unfailing love upon me and through each night I sing His songs praying to God who gives me life.

Psalm 42:8

Every day, Father, You faithfully pour Your perfect love over me. Nothing in this life compares to Your love. And yet, You have graced us with relationships that give us a taste, however imperfect, of the spectacular beauty found in this gift You call love! Thank you!

May I live each day telling others about Your love. May I be blessed to show them Your love, and although I know I do so imperfectly … please, speak over them the truth of who You are and how much You love them.

And Father, may I spend every day for the rest of my life singing songs of praise and thanking You for who You are … for You are LOVE!

In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

You can be sure God loves you!

Your heart may be bursting with the love of family and friends today.

Or…

You may be hurting and longing because love has let you down.

Whatever your heart feels…

You can be sure of God’s love!

He died for you! He lives for you! Nothing can separate you from His love … not today – not ever! His love fills the heavens and earth. And through His love He is giving you all you need to live each day.

Now that’s a truth to hold on to! AMEN?!

This Week’s Friday Favorites

Highlight Posts of the Week!

I Dare You: Buy the Flowers by Kaitlyn Bouchillon @ It Just Takes One


I Dare You: But the Flowers

by and @ Kaitlyn Bouchillon

He Calls You Beautiful by Leah Hughes @ Life, Love, and Littles


He Calls You Beautiful

by Leah Hughes
@ Life, Love, and Littles


AND the…

Faith ‘n Friends Link Party

Counting My Blessings
<div align="center"><a href="https://countingmyblessings.com/" rel="nofollow" title="Counting My Blessings"><img src="https://countingmyblessings.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Link-Party-Button-Pic.jpg" alt="Counting My Blessings" style="border: none; height: auto; width: 200px;" /></a></div>

I’m so glad you’re here!

This is a place to share faith, make friends, and have fun.

I’d love to connect with you on social media!

[Tweet “I’m finding #Friendship and #Inspiration at #Faith ‘n Friends #LinkUp Come join the fun! “]

Deb Wolf
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

No More Rules Link Party

Add 1-2 of your favorite faith/life posts.
Then just make friends and have fun.
You know they love it when you stop by and say “hello.”

I would really appreciate it if you would
Grab my Link Party Button above and link back to CMB.

 Loading InLinkz ...

Thank you so much for partying with us!
May your week be blessed with faith, love, and friendship! 

Don’t forget to leave your prayer requests…

and pray over the list left by our friends.

I always enjoy hearing from you! Please take a minute to say ‘hi’ and share your thoughts in the comments below.

Have you visited the Faith ‘n Friends Link Party Board on Pinterest? It’s a great place to catch up with past posts you may have missed here at the party and/or save them for a future read! If you’d like to become a contributor to my Pinterest Group Boards – email me at deb@debwolf.com with a link to your Pinterest home page.

And if this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone? Maybe a friend, family member, coworker, or through the links below…

And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an update.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Thank you and God bless!

When You Need to Be Sure God Loves You

Love…

It’s a fickle thing, isn’t it?

We don’t want it to be. In fact, most people are desperately looking for a love that is guaranteed to last.

Oh, we promise to love our spouse forever but nearly half of all marriages end in divorce. We hope our families will remain united and loving from one generation to the next but we all know that doesn’t always happen. We believe our besties will see us through no matter what but…

Love is a fickle thing. Imperfect people love imperfectly. But God loves you perfectly. Here are 4 Ways that will show you just how much! #Godislove #Bible #Faith #ChristianCommunity #BlessingCounter

So, have I cheered you up yet?

You’re probably thinking … what in the world is wrong with her. Aren’t we supposed to be all warm and fuzzy as we talk about love this week?

Well…

You know I wouldn’t start this discussion if I couldn’t give you hope and tell you about the perfect unfailing love that is forever and no matter what…

God Loves You Always and No Matter What

The other night I found myself wide awake for a couple of hours pondering and praying about what to write here … a relatively common occurrence for me.

Anyway…

I didn’t sense any clear direction so I finally gave up and went back to sleep.

But the next morning as I sat and read my scheduled Bible Reading, God whispered … “this is how much I love you!”

4 Ways You Can Be Sure God Loves You

Love is a fickle thing. Imperfect people love imperfectly. But God loves you perfectly. Here are 4 Ways that will show you just how much! #Godislove #Bible #Faith #ChristianCommunity #BlessingCounter

1. God loves you – He sees you. He hears you. And He rescues you when the time is right!

The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey

Exodus 3:7–8

God’s people had been suffering under slavery and genocide. And it was time to act. Moses had been raised in the house of Pharaoh and understood the ways of the Egyptians.

But God had also allowed him to live for years as a shepherd and nomad to teach him all he needed to know to lead the Children of Israel through their wilderness wanderings.

Whatever you are going through, whatever has you burdened and enslaved … when you cry out to God you can be sure He sees, He hears, and He is preparing a way to help you.

2. God Loves You – at the perfect time He saved you.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

John 3:16–17

God not only showed how much He loves … He proved He is the very definition of love.

Perfect self-sacrificing love!

Love that saves and promises a future filled with hope.

And what does He ask in return?

That you and I would believe in His one and only Son, Jesus!

I love the way the Life Application Bible defines belief…

To believe is more than intellectual agreement that Jesus is God. It means to put our trust and confidence in Him that He alone can save us. It is to put Christ Jesus in charge of our present plans and eternal destiny. Believing is both trusting His words as reliable and relying on Him for the power to change.

Life Application Bible Notes John 3:16

God’s love not only provides for our eternal future … His love provides a way to make today better, too.

Love is a fickle thing. Imperfect people love imperfectly. But God loves you perfectly. Here are 4 Ways that will show you just how much! #Godislove #Bible #Faith #ChristianCommunity #BlessingCounter

3. God loves you – He gave you His Holy Spirit Inspired trustworthy Word so you might be able to know Him.

For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love.

Psalm 33:4–5

I believe the Bible is a miracle.

The Bible was written:

over a 1500 year span (from 1400 B.C to A.D. 100)

over 40 generations

over 40 authors from many walks of life (i.e. – kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, scholars)

in different places (i.e. – wilderness, dungeon, palaces)

at different times (i.e. – war, peace)

in different moods (i.e. – heights of joy, depths of despair)

on three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe)

in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek)

~ Bible Facts – All About God

And…

Through all those details … from Genesis to Revelation, the message. of the Bible points to one single message … God loves you so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus!

There will always be people who try to “edit” it’s words and their meaning. Argue the accuracy of the message because of time and translations. Dispute the motives and intentions of those who put the canon together. Debate inaccuracies and inconsistencies. And challenge it all based on “science.”

But that eliminates the power of the Holy Spirit.

Peter wrote:

You must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.

2 Peter 1:20–21

I believe … that same Holy Spirit is the one who still affirms, “the Word of the Lord is right and true!”

4. God loves you – He will give you everything you need each day.

Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? 1Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

Exodus 4:11–12

Moses response was…

“Lord, please! Send anyone else.”

Exodus 4:13

The Life Application Bible Notes say…

It is easy for us to focus on our weaknesses, but if God asks us to do something, then He will help us get the job done. If the job involves some of our weak areas, then we can trust that He will provide words, strength, courage, and ability where needed.

Whatever God asks or allows He will give you and me everything we need one day at a time.

Love is a fickle thing. Imperfect people love imperfectly. But God loves you perfectly. Here are 4 Ways that will show you just how much! #Godislove #Bible #Faith #ChristianCommunity #BlessingCounter

I”ll admit, I have to remind myself often that my needs are not determined by my wants.

The Life Application Notes offer a great set of questions to ask when you feel like you don’t have what you need…

  1. Is this really a need?
  2. It is really good for me?
  3. Is this the best time for me to have this?

Even when you and I answer “yes” to all three questions, it’s important to remember that our greatest needs are spiritual and eternal. And God’s “no” or “wait” may be exactly what we need to grow closer and more dependent on Him.

God’s grace, mercy, and love!

Love between imperfect people is … well, imperfect.

But God’s love…

Sees, hears, and rescues.
Saves from sin, death, and satan’s power.
Is in His Word so people might know Him.
And meets the needs of His children every single day!

That’s not just how much He loves people … God wants you to know, that’s how much He loves you!

Thank you so much for joining me today.

It would bless me so much if you’d take a moment to subscribe to Counting My Blessings so you never miss an update!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

And always remember – I LOVE hearing from you! So, please take a minute to say ‘hi’ by leaving a comment. 

You can also…

Leave your prayer requests…

and stop to pray one or two of the requests listed.

If this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone?

Send it to a friend, family member, coworker, or share it through the links below…

I’m asking God to bless you today!

5 Verses to Pray that will Help You Forgive Big Hurts

Wow, I’ve wrestled with this post…

I shouldn’t be surprised, this forgiveness thing is hard.

Something the Lord laid on my heart as I was working on this is the thought that many of us forgive from a “Law” perspective … one that believes “you have to forgive or God won’t forgive you.”

And although, the Bible tells us Jesus said that while He walked among us … I wonder if just maybe we’re missing the point He was trying to make. That from a “Gospel” perspective … it’s a blessing to forgive as we’ve been forgiven.

Believe me, I understand how hard it can be to forgive when the hurt is huge and the consequences lasting.

In fact, I wrote about my struggle – here.

Verses to Pray that will Help You Forgive the Big Hurts- Sometimes the pain is so big and the consequences so lasting that we need God's help to forgive. #Forgive #Love #God'sHelp #Prayer

Something I’ve learned about God’s love and His desire for you and me to forgive as we’ve been forgiven is that He is not sitting on His throne holding a big threatening stick over our heads shouting, “You better forgive or else.”

On the contrary, I believe He is a loving Father, who is holding us saying, “Let it go. Let me carry this for you. I love you and I understand your pain but I want you to enjoy all the blessings I have waiting for you when you lay down your burden of anger and resentment.”

I want to pray for us and ask God for His help.

I love that you and I can honestly go to Him with the hard stuff like this.

David wrote…

The Lord hears His people when they call to Him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

Psalm 34:17–18

One of the things I’ve always loved about this “man after God’s own heart” is his honesty before God. David poured it all out there trusting that the Lord would help him.

So let’s get honest. If you’re struggling to forgive someone who has hurt you, I’d like to invite you to honestly pray the following and ask God for His help.

I’ve been where you are. I know how hard it is.

But I also know God wants to help…

5 Verses to Pray that will Help You Forgive Big Hurts

5 Verses to Pray that will Help You Forgive Big Hurts- Sometimes the pain is so big and the consequences lasting that you and I need God's help to forgive. #Forgive #Love #God'sHelp #PrayerVerses to Pray that will Help You Forgive the Big Hurts- Sometimes the pain is so big and the consequences so lasting that we need God's help to forgive.

Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 

Colossians 3:12–13

Father, this is hard! I am so thankful for Your forgiveness. In fact, I can’t imagine my life without Your grace and mercy. I know my sins are many and that You forgive me each time I ask.

I don’t want to have a double standard … an I want forgiveness but I don’t want to give it attitude, but Father, You know how painful this is. You know the consequences are huge and lasting. You know my heart hurts.

But I don’t want to live with this bitterness and anger any longer. It’s eating me up inside. Please help me. I need You! Amen.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.

1 Corinthians 13:4–5

Father, thank you! You are patient and kind and by Your grace, You don’t keep a record of my failures … of the times I’ve wronged You or one of Your children.

I want to love like You! I want to love like Jesus!

Let love be my highest goal. (1 Corinthians 14:1)

And when I’m angry and my heart hurts, Father, help me see You as my loving parent. Help me know how You want to hold me close and calm my fears and frustrations. You don’t walk away during my tantrums but whisper through Your Spirit reminding me of Your faithful presence and love.

Thank you for loving me most when I deserve it least. Amen.

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 

Ephesians 4:2

Father, this is hard. Humbleness, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness are not things the world affirms right now. Self-righteous anger seems to be the attitude of the day.

But You have called me to be different … to show the world Your love. And that means speaking Your truth with gentleness and respect. That means loving when it’s hard and serving when it’s inconvenient. That means forgiving even when it’s undeserved and difficult.

Help me, Father! I know I can’t love the way You want me to on my own. I need Your Spirit within me guiding and helping … so I can trust and submit to Your will even when it’s hard.

Verses to Pray that will Help You Forgive the Big Hurts- Sometimes the pain is so big and the consequences so lasting that we need God's help to forgive. #Forgive #Love #God'sHelp #Prayer

Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.

1 Peter 5:7

Father, Thank you for caring about me. Thank you for caring for me. Thank you for loving and forgiving me.

I don’t want to carry this hurt and anger any longer. The burden weighs me down and robs me of the joy You want for me. I’m ready, Father. And with Your help, I privately offer these words of forgiveness over the person who hurt me.

I have held on to this anger, hurt, and resentment for too long. And because I am completely loved, accepted, and forgiven by God in Christ Jesus, I am able to forgive you, ______________. I choose to forgive you for ______________, and I release you completely. You don’t owe me. I will no longer hold this against you. You are free. I am free.

Thank you, Lord!

The Lord gives His people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.

Psalm 29:11

Father, now I ask that You will give me the strength to move on from this anger and bitterness. Help me live and enjoy Your peace … fully trusting that I have left this all in Your more capable hands. Help me live each day with restored joy and point people to the amazing blessings You have for them.

Thank you for giving me Your Spirit’s strength to do what I couldn’t do on my own. Thank you for showing me the way to know and experience a peace that only You can give. Thank you for loving me and for never giving up on me. In Jesus name, Amen.

Friends, I’ll admit there have been times I have needed these prayers desperately. Today, by God’s grace, all is forgiven.

But I’m always mindful there is a real possibility that I will know this fight again in the future. So, I’m bookmarking these prayers to be ready and armed the next time I’m hurting and find it hard to forgive.

And just maybe … even if you can say along with me, “by God’s grace, all is forgiven,” you may want to bookmark it too. Because the battle is real!

But…

God is always gracious … willing to hold you close, hear your honest heartfelt prayers, and He will help you forgive just because that’s how much He loves you!

This Week’s Friday Favorites

Highlight Posts of the Week!

What Does Living Look Like to You by Carlie Lake @ From Dust Towards the Heavens


What Does Living Look Like to You

by Carlie Lake
@ From Dust Towards the Heavens

10 Small but Powerful Ways to Say 'I Love You' by George and Eunice @ Adventures in Love, Faith, and Parenthood


10 Small but Powerful Ways to Say ‘I Love You’

by George and Eunice
@ Adventures in Love, Faith, and Parenthood


AND the…

Faith ‘n Friends Link Party

Counting My Blessings
<div align="center"><a href="https://countingmyblessings.com/" rel="nofollow" title="Counting My Blessings"><img src="https://countingmyblessings.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Link-Party-Button-Pic.jpg" alt="Counting My Blessings" style="border: none; height: auto; width: 200px;" /></a></div>

I’m so glad you’re here!

This is a place to share faith, make friends, and have fun.

I’d love to connect with you on social media!

[Tweet “I’m finding #Friendship and #Inspiration at #Faith ‘n Friends #LinkUp Come join the fun! “]

Deb Wolf
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

No More Rules Link Party

Add 1-2 of your favorite faith/life posts.
Then just make friends and have fun.
You know they love it when you stop by and say “hello.”

I would really appreciate it if you would
Grab my Link Party Button above and link back to CMB.

 Loading InLinkz ...

Thank you so much for partying with us!
May your week be blessed with faith, love, and friendship! 

Don’t forget to leave your prayer requests…

and pray over the list left by our friends.

I always enjoy hearing from you! Please take a minute to say ‘hi’ and share your thoughts in the comments below.

Have you visited the Faith ‘n Friends Link Party Board on Pinterest? It’s a great place to catch up with past posts you may have missed here at the party and/or save them for a future read! If you’d like to become a contributor to my Pinterest Group Boards – email me at deb@debwolf.com with a link to your Pinterest home page.

And if this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone? Maybe a friend, family member, coworker, or through the links below…

And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an update.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Thank you and God bless!

Powerful Truth to Know When You Need to Forgive

Almost everyone has a double standard when it comes to forgiveness.

If you and I are being honest, we’d admit we want to be forgiven but often find it hard to forgive.

And that’s especially true, when the offense has been life-changing or the offender continues to do things that cause us pain.

Even though the Bible says we need to forgive each other, sometimes it's hard when the pain and consequences overwhelm us. This truth will help... #Forgive #Faith #Bible #Hope #Healing #CountingMyBlessings

But then there’s this…

Jesus said:

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14–15

Verses like this one and the “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us,” part of the Lord’s Prayer make us squirm.

You and I want God’s forgiveness. Really, we need His forgiveness.

But the truth is … sometimes the pain cuts so deep and the consequences so lasting that forgiving seems impossible and it feels like we’re excusing the wrong and denying the pain.

But I wonder if we’re looking at forgiveness the wrong way.

Henry Ward Beecher once said…

“I can forgive, but I cannot forget, is only another way of saying, I will not forgive. Forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note – torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one.”

And although I agree that part of forgiveness is no longer holding the person’s offense against them like a debt that must be paid later.

Sometimes an offense is like having your arm cut off and then being told not to think about it again.

The Bible does not tell us to forgive and forget. It tells us to forgive like we’ve been forgiven.

Forgiving someone does not deny the offense nor does it excuse the offender.

Forgiving is choosing to love others like God loves us and to forgive them because God has forgiven us.

Even as I type those words, believe me, I know it’s not easy!

In fact, the truths I want to share with you are the result of a very personal struggle I had with forgiveness. Choices made by others turned our lives upside down, caused overwhelming heartache, and left scars I knew would never disappear.

So yes, I understand that it can seem impossible to forgive at times.

But Jesus’ words about the connection between forgiving and being forgiven challenge my heart and I just can’t imagine willingly blocking God’s forgiveness in my life.

I know how much I need God’s forgiveness. I know how often He has washed me clean and given me a fresh start. And I know that no matter how hard I try, I fall short of His perfect will and need His forgiveness again and again.

I’ve made a list of truths that help me when I need to forgive and I pray they will help you, too.

Powerful Truth to Know When You Need to Forgive

Even though the Bible says we need to forgive each other, sometimes it's hard when the pain and consequences overwhelm us. This truth will help... #Forgive #Faith #Bible #Hope #Healing #CountingMyBlessings

1. Forgiving someone does not erase, excuse, or deny what happened.  

Forgiving extends mercy to the person who did the wrong and gives peace to the person who was wronged.

Forgiveness doesn’t change the past. but it does, by God’s grace, give us peace, strength, and the courage to move into the future free of anger, bitterness, and resentment.

Forgiveness makes it possible for you and me to live with joy once agai. 

Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

Colossians 3:12–13

2. You don’t have to tell the person that you have forgiven them unless they ask.  

The person who hurt you may not believe they’ve done anything that needs to be forgiven. They may believe their words or actions were justified.  And it’s possible that you could make the problem worse or cause yourself more pain by going to them and telling them you forgive them if they haven’t asked.

If you do believe you need to voice unsolicited forgiveness make sure you’re not motivated by anger or a desire to hurt or manipulate them to get even.

“Forgiveness is me giving up my right to hurt you for hurting me.”

Anonymous

3. Anger, hatred, bitterness, and resentment will only prolong your pain and prevent you from healing.

I hate when a perfectly wonderful day gets interrupted by a heart-piercing memory. It doesn’t take much . . . a familiar smell, a song, a picture, a comment and suddenly I can be reliving an awfu moment.

Although I can’t control my thoughts and memories, I can control what I do with them and how long I allow them to live in my head and influence my emotions.

I’ve learned it’s important for me to change painful thoughts and memories quickly. So, I keep a list of mental distractions … music I love, quotes and verses that inspire me, or just going outside and taking a walk.

And the best way to deal with difficult memories … lay them at the foot of the cross in prayer … every. single. time.

“Victory over our hurts and pain is not found by delving deeper into our wounds, but by clinging to the wounds of Jesus.” 

Louie Giglio

4. God will give you the strength you need to forgive if you ask Him.

Honestly talking to God about my feelings and asking Him for strength has been the only way I’ve been able to forgive when I don’t want to.

I imagine you’ve had times, like me, when you’re sure the person who hurt you doesn’t deserve forgiveness. They’re not sorry. They don’t care. They’re lives look good and you’re having trouble getting out of bed in the morning.

Pray!

Thank God for the many times He has forgiven you, tell Him you want to obey His command to forgive like you’ve been forgiven, and ask Him for the strength you need to forgive the person who hurt you.

Lord, teach me what You want me to do, and I will live by Your truth. Teach me to respect You completely.

Psalm 86:11

And…

The Lord is my strength and my song; He has given me victory.

Psalm 118:14
Even though the Bible says we need to forgive each other, sometimes it's hard when the pain and consequences overwhelm us. This truth will help... #Forgive #Faith #Bible #Hope #Healing #CountingMyBlessings

5. Choose forgiveness – sit in a room by yourself and speak out loud or write words of forgiveness. 

You know it’s what God wants you to do.

You know you’re tired of holding on to anger, bitterness, and pain.

Now it’s time to take your anger, hurt, frustration, and all the other junk in your head and let it go.

It’s time to actually … forgive.

If you need help … you can use the following:

I have held on to this anger, hurt, and resentment for too long. And because I am completely loved, accepted, and forgiven by God in Christ Jesus, I am able to forgive you, ______________. I choose to forgive you for ______________, and I release you completely. You don’t owe me. I will no longer hold this against you. You are free. I am free.

If you choose to write your forgiveness, I recommend burning or shredding it after you’re finished as a symbol of the forgiveness you’ve given and freedom you’ve received.

“Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.” ~Corrie ten Boom

Before you go … I’d love to invite you to watch the following video. Mary Johnson has a lot to teach us all about the power of forgiveness…

And give you one last quote to think about…

The person who has the most power over your life is the person you have not forgiven.

Dallas Willard

I don’t know about you but I don’t want to give the people who hurt me that much power. I want to be free to live and love … forgiven and forgiving!

What truths do you turn to when you need to forgive someone?

What is the best thing you discovered after forgiving someone when you didn’t want to?

Thank you so much for joining me today.

It would bless me so much if you’d take a moment to subscribe to Counting My Blessings so you never miss an update!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

And always remember – I LOVE hearing from you! So, please take a minute to say ‘hi’ by leaving a comment. 

You can also…

Leave your prayer requests…

and stop to pray one or two of the requests listed.

If this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone?

Send it to a friend, family member, coworker, or share it through the links below…

I’m asking God to bless you today!