Sulking in Disappointment Some days I don’t feel like getting up out of bed and rejoicing before the Lord. Instead, I feel like hiding out in the darkness and sulking about every disappointment I’ve had in life. Instead of doing my morning devotions, I simply want to camp out under the covers, stewing about how things haven’t gone my way. Perhaps I feel abandoned by God. Or maybe I am upset about another hard lesson learned through my disobedience. In any case, my own self-pity can steal my faith and joy. It takes me far from the truth that in all things God works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). Rising Up in the Promises of God In the past, pulling myself Read More
Tag: God’s purpose for me
Step Out in Faith Toward Jesus
Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:61-62 When God Calls You When God calls you forward, you must step out in faith, even if a thousand voices call you back. When you see Jesus in front of you, heading in the direction he wants you to go, you must follow. No matter where He leads. A voice inside of you may tell you to take one last glance back–to look back with longing at all that lies behind you. But this is not the voice of Jesus. It Read More
Climbing the Hill
Climbing the Hill I ran up a hill today. And I didn’t even stop at the top. No, I just kept on running. That’s simply not like me. I do enjoy a nice walk in the morning. But I’m not a huge fan of running up hills while my heart pounds wildly and sweat rolls down my back. That’s just not my favorite thing in life. So as far as I can tell, it must have been the hand of God that started pushing me up that hill because I had no idea my legs were going to kick it into high gear. With an energy I didn’t know I had, I just took off running. After a few seconds of utter shock, I thought to Read More
A Prayer to the One I Trust
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah 26:3 NLT Keep me in your perfect peace, O Lord! Keep my thoughts fixed on you in all I do. I trust in you! Do not let me turn away to trust in the ways of man or in the idols of money or personal success, which promise so much yet deliver so little. Instead, let the instinct of my heart be to run to you to find peace and rest in the “shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). May I always say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” (Psalm 91:2)! Keep me abiding in your will, Read More
Whispers of Doubt
“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Matthew 11:3 Locked in a dark, damp prison cell, after such hope had appeared before his eyes, John the Baptist was left to question the truth of what he had seen. Images of heaven’s glory shining down upon Jesus in the Jordan River were now replaced with the dark shadows that covered the prison walls. The surreal voice proclaiming, “This is my beloved Son” (Matthew 3:17), was now drowned out by voices of doubt whispering in John’s mind. Was Jesus really the one for whom he had prepared the way? Or could he have been mistaken? Similar voices want to whisper words of doubt into our own minds as we journey Read More