Category: Life of Faith
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A Sneaky Strategy of Sin
One of the strategies of sin is to wear us down. My husband recently said that to me, and oh did it resonate. Often, we think of temptation as a flashing sign, a beautiful handwritten invitation, or the suggestion of something alluring. We say “that’s tempting” to junk food and vacations and fun plans when…
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Cling to Christ
Stepping into the airplane, I noticed a sign that made me laugh. The content wasn’t humorous. It wasn’t the design that cracked me up. There wasn’t really anything funny about the sign itself… But it was stuck with packaging tape…on to the side of a jet plane. Jet planes travel around 600-900 miles per hour….
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The Secret to Glorifying God
Looking at others around me, it’s easy for me to assume they’re God-glorifying because of what great people they are. Sometimes I want to ask, “what’s you’re secret?” As for me, I don’t feel like I’m good at glorifying God. “This has me so ugghhh,” I complain to a friend. What I wish I said…
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Withstanding Ruthlessness
The headache that comes back again and again. A chronic illness that knocks you off your feet without regard for where you’re headed or how much pain you’re already in. The thought in your head that you are not good enough, no matter how hard you’ve tried. A lie, on repeat, that you can’t ever…
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Failure to Yield
Sometimes you just can’t beat the language of the King James Version: “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God” –Romans 6:13 Most of us don’t talk like this. In fact, most of us only ever use the word “yield” in reference to one specific context: driving on the…
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The Sore Loser
My competitive side was getting the better of me. As far as we were into the game, it was clear I wasn’t going to win. I’d tried, strategizing my way through, but there was no doubt who would have the victory (not me.) The temptation? To pick up the whole stinkin- board game and shake…
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Spring Starts With a Thaw
Some seasons feel like just getting by. Though God provides what we need, we receive His gifts coolly. Like the frozen ground in winter, we see the blessings drifting down as a mere covering until at last the sun comes again. We’re numb with the cold of same old, same old. Habituated to our hurts…
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Self-Love: Biblical Fact or Fiction?
Ever wondered why loving ourselves well is so hard? The answer is simpler than all the “10 keys” and “tip sheets” let on. We seem to get the idea of self-love from the second greatest commandment: “love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Mt 19:19). Reasonably, we complete the logic puzzle: if we only love…
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Letting Joy Last
I had good news. A bunch of it, actually. It seemed the Lord decided to bless my husband and I immensely all at once, in so many ways. As I told my friend, I smiled with joy…and then I moved on. Instead of praising the Lord with my friend and laughing and simply enjoying the…
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Do Your Excuses Dishonor the Lord?
“Make the most of every opportunity” Ephesians 5:16 says. “Always be ready to give the reason for your hope” 1 Peter 3:15 exhorts. When we think of having an opportunity to witness to others about the Lord, we tend to assume we’ll be sharing because someone else is down or because someone notices something wonderful in our lives. But…