Category Archives: Faith

O My Soul!

11 Wednesday Mar 2015

Posted by in Despair, Encouragement, Faith, Hope

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

“Why? Why?”, asks David.

“Why are you in despair, O my soul?  And why have you become disturbed within me?”  Psalm 42:5

Have you ever started out a day feeling great but ended it feeling miserable?  What causes your soul to become disturbed?  What causes you to despair?

If you can determine the source of your despair, you can find a great and magnificent promise in the Word of God that will help restore your hope in God. If you can determine why you are disturbed, you can find grace and peace.

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of Him who called us by HIs own glory and excellence.  For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises.” 2 Peter 1:2-4

When we are in despair and our soul is disturbed, we thirst for God.  When tears are present day and night, our soul pants for the living God with more intensity than it does when everything is going smoothly.  Psalm 42:1-3

The awesome truth is that God wants us even more than we want Him. He wants us to share our burdens with Him.  He wants us to come to Him for help.  He wants us to realize how vital He is to our everyday life.   He wants to be the very God of our life.  Psalm 42:8

Do you see the beauty in this?  Can you look beyond your despair to see the One who wants to walk with you and hold your hand through all of life’s difficulties?

file000321909801

Reach out to Him!  Hope in God once again!  Praise Him for the help of his presence!  Psalm 42:5

Run For Cover!

18 Wednesday Feb 2015

Posted by in Faith, Safety, Security, Strength

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

We’re in a fierce raging battle – a spiritual battle!  Sometimes we’re fully aware of it and sometimes we’re oblivious. Yet it rages on!

King David’s spiritual battle involved real physical enemies that were trying to kill him. He was surrounded, confronted, terrified and distressed. He felt like death was imminent. But he knew what to do. He ran for cover!

  • He cried out to God for help!

In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.  Psalm 18:6

  • He kept God’s Word front and center!

The Lord my God illumines my darkness.  Psalm 18:28  

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  Psalm 119:105

I believe God sometimes allows our battle to become fierce so we will learn to trust Him in new says.  We learn some very important things in the midst of the battle.  We learn:

  • God is upholding me.
  • God is training me and teaching me.
  • God is gentle with me.
  • God is enabling me.
  • God is girding me with strength.
  • God is keeping me from slipping and falling.
  • God is working out His plan and purpose for me.

file000788921845

As a young girl, I remember running to my grandmother’s lap for cover.  It felt safe there.  I also remember being told by another family member that I was getting too big to sit on my grandmother’s lap.  I remember feeling sad about that.

Aren’t you glad we never get too big for God’s lap?

Run to Him for cover!  Run ashamedly!

You will say, like David in Psalm 18:1-2,

I love you, O Lord, my strength.  My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge.

Change is Scary!

10 Tuesday Feb 2015

Posted by in Change, Faith, Fear

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, ,

Change is scary! Change is confusing!  Change creates anxiety, fear and doubt! And for these very reasons, change is a wonderful opportunity!

  • Change is an opportunity to go running to your Heavenly Father for comfort.
  • Change is an opportunity for increased clarity about God’s purpose for your life.
  • Change is an opportunity for your faith to become stronger and purer.

My life calling is undergoing radical change. Following the Lord’s leading, I am transitioning from being a full time CPA to being in ministry full time.  The transition is messy.  Sometimes I’m scared to death. Sometimes I’m confused. Sometimes I’m full of anxiety, fear and doubt.  Questions abound.

  • Is this realPA281186ly what God wants?
  • What about money?  Will God really provide?
  • Can God really use me?
  • What will really happen when I step out?
  • Will there be any opportunities to speak?
  • How do I move from where I am now to where I believe God wants me to be?

I am learning to take one step at a time and to trust that my Heavenly Father knows what is best for me. When I run to Him, He comforts me and reassures me that I am not in this alone.  It is His plan for me.  I can trust Him.  He never changes!

Are things in your life in upheaval?  Are you feeling confused and anxious? Seize the opportunity to run to your Heavenly Father.  Let Him lead you.

Casting all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.  I Peter 5:7  

The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:5b-7

In Hope Against Hope

02 Monday Feb 2015

Posted by in Faith, Hope

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

What are you hoping for?  Does it seem utterly hopeless? Is your faith wavering?

2013-01-28_09-16-34_256Abraham was 100 years old.  Sarah was 90 years old.  They were way too old to have a baby.  Yet God had promised them a baby.

If you know the story of Abraham and Sarah, you know they both struggled with God’s promise of a child.  As a matter of fact, they both laughed about it.  It seemed so ridiculous.  They even tried to fix the situation by coming up with a plan of their own which miserably failed.  And every day as they grew older, the impossibility grew bolder.

In hope against hope he (Abraham) believed… Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a 100 years old and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.  Romans 4:18-21

I love this verse.  It does not condemn Abraham.  Instead it points out that even though Abraham’s body was growing weaker, his faith was growing stronger.

When our situation looks bleak, our faith can grow weak.  If we want our faith to grow stronger, we need to look beyond our situation to the Faithful One. Everything we hope for may not happen.  But we have the promise that God is for us and nothing can separate us from His love.  We have the promise that He is working all things for our good. Romans 8

Exult in hope. Exult in tribulations. Exult in God!

Hope does not disappoint because the love of God is poured out within our hearts. Romans 5:5

Encourage Each Other

29 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by in Encouragement, Faith

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

,

Do you have someone who encourages you, someone who helps you be strong in faith?

Paul was eager to get to Rome for some encouragement.

“For I long to see you…that you may be established; that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.”  Romans 1:11-12

We all need encouragement.  When we share how we are learning to trust God, we encourage each other. We help each other become more established in faith.

I received such a special Facebook message from a dear friend last night.  She said, “I know Jesus encourages me but could you please encourage me occasionally?”  My response, “Absolutely!”  I wanted to run right over to her house and give her a hug but I knew we were both already in our jammies and ready for bed.

Look for oppDSCN8260ortunities today to encourage someone. Share a bit of your own faith walk.  It will encourage them.  It will encourage you.

Calling All Moms and Grandmas!

17 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by in Faith, Parenting, Purpose

≈ 4 Comments

Moms and Grandmas, do you know how important you are? You play a vital role in the work of God and the spreading of the gospel.  When you’re wiping runny little noses, cleaning up dried on food, and hauling your kids here and there, you may not feel like you are making a difference – but you are. You may feel insignificant – but nothing could be farther from the truth.

Grandma Lois and mother Eunice had sincere faith.  They had the kind of faith that was real.  They not only talked about their faith but they demonstrated it in their every day life. 2 Timothy 1:5

And they taught their little Timothy the Scripture. They knew Scripture was able to give little Timothy the wisdom that would lead him to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. They knew Scripture would make him adequate (complete) and equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:15-17

At some point in time, Timothy, like his Grandma Lois and mother Eunice, also came to have sincere faith.  He became convinced of the things he had been taught as a child. His faith became his own. And he went on to become an evangelist, spreading the gospel of Christ. 2 Timothy 3:14

file0001431778413Mom, you are important. Grandma, you are important.  God has positioned both of you right where you are – a position of utmost importance. He has given you the very children and grandchildren that He wants you to influence.  He wants you to pass your faith on to those He has entrusted into your care.

So how do we pass on faith?  Let’s talk more about this tomorrow.

Sometimes I’m Afraid It Will Never Happen

16 Friday Jan 2015

Posted by in Faith, Gospel, Loved Ones

≈ Leave a comment

I have loved ones who do not enjoy a personal relationship with Jesus. I have shared the good news with them – the news that Jesus came to reconcile every person to Himself by paying the ransom for all sin on the cross; the good news that Jesus wants to have a personal vibrant ongoing relationship with them. The good news that faith is the only thing required to enter into such a relationship.  I Timothy 2:3-6

But sadly, they do not believe it.  And I want them to believe it so badly. Sometimes I’m afraid they will never believe it. And that’s where faith comes into play.

First and foremost, I choose to believe that God loves my loved ones – even more than I do. Secondly, I choose to believe that God is eager to reach them – even more than I am. Thirdly, I choose to believe that God is able to reach them – because only He can.

God encourages us by giving us the apostle Paul as a demonstration of His perfect patience with those who are not yet believers.  When the time was right, God reached out and grabbed Paul. And Paul saw the light. Paul went from being a blasphemer to being a believer.  He went from being a persecutor to being a preacher. I Timothy 1:15-16

So keep on praying for your loved ones.  Keep on trusting God to reach them as only He can.  If you’ve already shared the truth with themfile000551198693 (1), shut up and love them as Christ has loved you. Trust God to reach them in His own time and in His own way.  Take hope in the fact that God is able to do abundantly above all we ask or think.

The Best Thing I Can Say About Myself

01 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by in Faith

≈ Leave a comment

A new year!

In the summer of 2013, my heart raced and my breathing sped up when the Lord spoke to my heart and said,  “Dale, I want you in full time ministry.  I don’t want you to be entangled in everyday affairs.” 2 Timothy 2:4

Stunned and perplexed, I have spent the last year and a half pondering this calling. And the Lord has spent the last year and half purifying my faith in Him.  Do I really trust Him?  Do I trust His plan for my life? Do I trust His provision? Do I trust Him enough to let go of my current situation to follow His leading?

One thing I know – the Lord loves faith.  When we trust Him, it pleases Him. Hebrews 11:6

We do not know what 2015 will bring, but we do know Who we can trust!

Do you want 2015 to be your best year yet?  Spend each day learning to trust God.

Yes, the very best thing I can say about myself is “I’m learning to trust God TODAY!”