“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV

Do you want to hear something funny? I started writing this article, “Dealing with Discouragement”, several months ago  and every time I began working on it, I would get discouraged and want to quit. Oh the irony. Well, I thought it was funny but now I wonder if it was spiritual warfare.

Discouragement comes in many forms; through trials, tribulations, burn-out, loss, grief, depression, weariness, illness, stress, finances, spiritual warfare, negative thoughts…the list can go on and on. With that said it also means it is universal and being universal you are not alone in your discouragement and you are not abnormal.

I have said this many times and I will say it again, “Trials and tribulations are part of life and life does happen.” In fact Jesus himself said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 NKJV

I love that God’s Word still applies to us today and because He has overcome the world we are more than conquerors through Him by faith. We can also find God’s comfort and His solutions through the scriptures, if we would take the time to look.  In this article we are going to take a deeper look at what discouragement is and find the biblical solution for this common but difficult situation. Read the rest of this entry »

Dealing with Unforgiveness

Release It and Let It Go…

I don’t think there is one adult that hasn’t had to deal with this all too common issue, “Unforgiveness.” I myself have had to deal with this very thing many times in my own life and each time it was not easy. So what is un-forgiveness? Well, in order to understand what un-forgiveness is, we have to understand what it isn’t.

The Webster’s Dictionary definition for forgive is: “To give up or cease to feel resentment, to grant relief from payment and/or to pardon” (which means to excuse an offense without exacting penalty).

When you forgive someone, you are willing to let go of the offense and any and all resentment, and then to pardon or show mercy. When you choose not to forgive you are doing the exact opposite.

I’m going to share with you the harmful effects un-forgiveness can have on your life, along with reasons why you need to forgive and how to do it:

It’s Alive: When you store un-forgiveness or resentment in your heart it is like a seed that grows whether you are conscious of it or not. It begins as anger, grows into resentment, and matures in bitterness. It begins to affect your mind and thoughts and how you view and treat others. Read the rest of this entry »

Upon entering a new year I ponder on the prior year and remember the good and the bad but most importantly I try to examine whether or not I have grown spiritually over the last twelve months or have I stayed stagnant in my walk with God or worse digressed. I do this every year to remind myself that no matter how long I have been a born again Christian, I still have much to learn and new growth waiting to spring up in me if I would just allow God to continue to water and nurture my life with His living water.

The word “Change” has been coming up a lot lately and I believe that word is from God for me. Do you think that word may also be for you too? One day I was in the midst of prayer and I was praying my usual, “God help me in this particular area” prayer when I felt the Holy Spirit remind me of this scripture;

“And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this? They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” NKJV – Matthew 9:28-29.

When I remembered this passage, I immediately responded as the blind men did and said, “Of course I do God!” After some thought I realized God was asking me a rhetorical question and already knew the answer. He wanted me to see myself as I really am which is that I have abundant faith in certain areas but in the areas I struggle with, it is as if I have no faith at all. Yes faith that God can certainly heal or change others but for me, Nah…I will just have to struggle with this the rest of my life. Read the rest of this entry »

James 1:16-18
“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” NKJV

How would you love to be known as the perfect gift giver? Not just at Christmas, but birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and showers? The title alone would give you notoriety for sure…not to mention the reputation of a genius. Why do I say “Genius”?

It’s pure and simple: It’s not easy finding the perfect gift for someone. You have to know what they like, need or want; their particular tastes, styles and whether or not it fits into their own personal lifestyle.

It takes real time and effort to give the perfect gift and the reality is, it never comes without a cost.
The perfect gift giver usually spends time and effort into every detail from the personal gift that is unique for that particular person or one that is needful. This thoughtfulness goes beyond the normal thought of giving, to a genuine care or concern on whether or not this person will utilize, benefit and enjoy this gift long after they received it.
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Dealing with Depression Spiritually Part I

Christ in You, the Hope of Glory

I don’t think that I could continue to write “How to Deal” articles without dealing with depression. I understand that no one wants to talk about this issue much less read about it but I felt I needed to address this for the simple fact that it is one of the most common issues world wide. I personally have experienced it and know plenty of people who also experience it on a daily basis so it is comforting to know that if you are experiencing depression you are definitely not alone. Read the rest of this entry »

Knowing and Understanding Christ’s Sufficiency by Filoiann Wiedenhoff

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

As a Christian do you feel inadequate? Do you struggle to view yourself as God views you? You are not alone. Unless you are Superman, I can assume everyone at one time or another feels inadequate in something. It has to be true because we are all gifted and talented in different areas but not everyone is perfect in all areas, except God. Read the rest of this entry »

Renewing Your Mind

Do you struggle with Anxiety? I want to encourage you that you are not alone. It is more common than people realize. First we want to look at what anxiety is before we can address how to deal with anxiety. A summarized definition of anxiety is: Having a uneasy, overwhelmed, apprehensive, fearful, concerned, and worrisome state of mind with the feeling of inadequacy to cope.

Anxiety also affects us internally to where we can become physically ill if untreated. There are different levels of anxiety but we will be dealing with anxiety in general. If you feel you are dealing with severe anxiety I encourage you to see a doctor who can give you a full diagnosis.
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Luke 10:38-42
“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’* feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus* answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” NKJV

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Dedicated to My Father, My Husband, and My God

My father was a First Sergeant in the Marine Corps, serving in the Vietnam War. He came home with wounds and purple hearts to show for it.

I was born during that time in November of 1967. He was there a few days after I was born but had to return to Vietnam shortly after. He may have come home another time when I was very little, but I don’t remember. I remember seeing him for the first time when I was about five years old. Read the rest of this entry »

You are Valuable!

Deuteronomy 7:6-7

“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you.” NKJV

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