Tag: Prayer
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Reliable Truth that will Give the Shalom Peace You Need
Too often, we think of peace as a tranquil feeling that flits in for a moment but quickly disappears. It’s not the lasting, meaningful peace you want or need! I am not a thrill-seeking adventurer. I crave real peace in my relationships, my surroundings, and in my heart and mind. But even as you and…
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The Truth About Worship, Obedience, and God’s Love for You
How are worship, obedience, and God’s love related? What would you say if someone asked you, “Why do you worship God? Why do you believe it’s important to trust and obey Jesus?” Take a moment or two to really think about it. Do you worship God because… Although those are all understandable responses, there is…
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10 Simple Ways to Make Positive Memories at Home
Looking back on your childhood, do you have a long list of positive memories? What about your children’s childhood? Your marriage? They say it takes 5 positive comments or interactions to offset 1 negative one. So today, I want us to think about the memories we’re making. I don’t mean big event memories or the…
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Need Hope? Strong Verses and Prayers to Help Now
What do you do when you need hope to weather one of life’s storms? Before we know what to do, we need to know what hope isn’t and what it is… Hope is not optimism. It is not a Pollyanna denial of life’s challenges. And it does not require a Susie Sunshine attitude 100% of…
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10 Important Things You Need to Pray for Your Family
You know you should pray for your family, but… how often do you actually do it? I’m not talking about your spouse and children. I mean your parents, grandparents, in-laws, siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It’s a long list, isn’t it? Did you know people have severed ties with family members over religious…
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Want Real Peace? You Need To Live Fully Right Now
We all want real peace. Peace we can count on. Peace that’s true, deep, and lasting. But I’ve been learning that the only way to experience real peace is to live fully right now. You and I can’t enjoy inner peace when our thoughts are filled with regret, resentment, and worry. If we’re carrying yesterday’s…
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You Need This Helpful Truth Before Being Critical
It feels like being critical has become a popular pastime, especially on social media… people seem to love ridiculing the flaws they see in others. Criticism comes in many forms; today we’re going to focus on two: Random criticism that doesn’t care about an individual’s feelings is always destructive. It is intended to make the…
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Peacekeeper or Peacemaker – Helpful Differences You Need to Know
Are you a peacekeeper or a peacemaker? I’m not talking about military or law enforcement peacekeepers. I’m talking about our personal relationships. I’m asking as someone who hates conflict, so for much of my life, I was a peacekeeper. I did whatever I could to avoid controversy and contention. Although it took longer than it…
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This is Important – Never Forget & Never Stop Praying
They told us “never forget”… I’ve always remembered dates. Most of them are good: anniversaries of special events, new beginnings, celebrations, and moments of Joy. Some are not so good, and others are downright terrible. Days we’d like to forget, but sadly, are imprinted on our lives through powerful mental images. Like a scrapbook of…
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How to Have Faith that will Give You More Peace
People everywhere are looking for ways to experience more peace in their lives. But there’s a battle going on inside each of us; a battle for our peace of mind. Sure, the enemy incessantly works to keep people from knowing and loving Jesus and rob them of their eternal futures, but if he can’t succeed…
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Powerful Truth You Need to Resist the Enemy’s Lies
It’s a hard truth to accept, but I believed the enemy’s lie. Like Eve, I failed to walk away. I stood at the tree and listened as he hissed… “God’s holding out on you.” For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like…
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Do This When You Want to Make Today Great
Wouldn’t you love to have a great day, every day? Me too. But if you’re like me, you’re inconsistent about doing the things that help to make today great. Too often, I wake up focused on the list of things I don’t want to do. Then I do a little mental complaining about my stiff…
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Wonderful Ways God Pours Out Goodness in the World
In this sinful and broken world, God pours out His goodness. He invites us to bring our pain, fear, failures, and confusion to Him, and by His grace through Jesus and the power of the Spirit, He pours patience, mercy, kindness, and love into us. Then He uses us to pour His goodness into the…
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How to Live In a World With Prideful Entitled People
They’re everywhere. You may even live with one or… Prideful Entitled People! The overbearing, snooty, difficult to get along with, have to have it their way individuals. Whatever you call them, it’s hard to avoid getting caught up in their drama. They seem to have the ability to suck the joy out of every event…
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Feel Unlovable? You Need to Claim These Proven Promises
Do you ever have days when you feel unlovable? Days when you can’t stop thinking about your weaknesses, flaws, and failures. Days when your self-awareness turns into self-focus, and the things bothering you are louder than those blessing you. Me too. More often than I’d like. The times we feel unlovable may be one of…
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It’s Important to Be Still for Your Faith and Health
Have you ever stopped to consider that God’s command to “be still” is important for both our faith and health? It’s interesting how the health and medical experts have started stressing the importance of finding time for rest and stillness in our lives. We shouldn’t be surprised. God told us to take a Sabbath Day…
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Important Truth – Watch God Help You Resist the Enemy
Do you find it hard to resist the enemy? Have you ever noticed how he seems to attack the areas where God is working and helping you grow? I recently reread The Jesus Creed, by Scot McKnight. His challenge to begin and end each day with the Shema, the sacred prayer and ultimate declaration of…
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How to Make the Most of Today
Do you struggle to make the most of today because thoughts about tomorrow keep getting in the way? When our daughter was a little girl, she struggled to understand the concept of time and the difference between today and tomorrow. For example, if we told her… “We’re going to __________ tomorrow.” Like most littles, she’d…
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Try This Challenge When You Need More Patience
What do you do when you’re frustrated and need more patience? I’ve found a challenge that I believe will help us all. Norman Vincent Peale wrote… “Change your thoughts, and you change your world.” I’m not sure I completely agree with him, but I do believe that changing our thoughts can adjust our attitudes, and…
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When You Need Extra Strength – Pray These Helpful Verses
The alarm goes off, and you can’t believe it’s morning already. You spent a restless night thinking about yesterday’s challenges, and today doesn’t look like it’s going to be much better. You feel overwhelmed, unfit, and you need extra strength. I don’t believe I’ve had a morning lately when I haven’t asked the Lord to…
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Stop Hiding! You Were Made to Live Fearless and Free
What if I told you it’s time to stop hiding? My “Gram” used to call it “putting her face on.”. Concealer, foundation, blush, shadow, eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss. Makeup. I refuse to leave the house without it. I even wore mascara into surgery once because I couldn’t face anyone, even my surgeons, barefaced. I know,…
