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Release and Follow Him

January 4, 2013

“Do you ever find yourself clinging to the pencil, refusing to let God write on the pages of your life? I’ve discovered that the Lord is infinitely kind and patient in His dealings with us. He will show us how to relinquish our rights for His best. If you’re struggling in this area, maybe these steps will help you:

  1. Ask God to make you willing. Sometimes this is the necessary first step. If you just can’t muster up the willingness to surrender control to God, then pray first for a change of attitude, asking for a willingness to be willing.
  2. Recognize you have an adversary. The last thing Satan wants is for you to totally surrender your life to God. Pray for the wisdom and strength not to listen to his lies. Then pick up “the sword of the [ … ]

Life

January 3, 2013

“Love. Integrity. Forgiveness. Enthusiasm. Life. The passionate life, the one life we’ve been given to live. It’s about living with this passion, living life to the fullest and not settling. It’s about living passionately, loving completely, learning humbly, and leaving a legacy that will have eternal impact. If you only had one month to live, isn’t this how you’d want to live—knowing you squeezed every second of life for all it was worth, enjoying the abundant (not the safe, easy, or comfortable) life that God promised us?”

Excerpted from One Month to Live by Kerry and Chris Shook

Daily Reflection:
What is one way you can improve the quality of your life this year?

Spark the New Year: Learning the Art of Self-Challenge

January 1, 2013

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Learning the Art of Self-challenge by Jason Jaggard

Through taking healthy risks that make you a better person or the world a better place, you begin to develop a deeper appetite for good. At first it might not be very tasty. Taking even a small risk can be more difficult than it sounds. And that is why we have to practice. We have to develop the skill of challenging ourselves.

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Have a Greater New Year: Dream Bigger, Start Smaller.

December 28, 2012

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This Year: Dream Bigger, Start Smaller by Steven Furtick

I’ve met a lot of people who knew what it was to burn plows and set out to live for God but didn’t know what to do next. They prayed, they made a commitment—and they got stuck. As a pastor, I’ve seen it over and over again. As a man trying to live for God, I’ve experienced it over [ … ]

Let God

December 28, 2012

Why is it that some people with disabilities […] or others with serious illnesses or cruel diseases can find peace, enjoy other aspects of their lives, and even make positive contributions despite their own challenges? Could it be that they have not allowed their physical problems to cripple them emotionally? Could it be that they’ve chosen to focus on what is good in their lives instead of what is bad? Perhaps. Here is another possibility: maybe they’ve let go and let God. Maybe they’ve decided to let go of their pain, anger, and grief and let God handle it instead. Most people dealing with serious health problems or severe disabilities put faith into action every day in some way. Often it is faith in their doctors and nurses or in their pills, treatment, and medical equipment. Accepting professional medical care [ … ]

Anticipation

December 26, 2012

The gifts have been opened, holiday meals eaten, and reheated and eaten again. Relatives are gone, the house and schedules are beginning to return to some semblance of normalcy. Now our minds turn toward a new year and the possibilities that are present as the calendar signals another year on the horizon.

This is a wonderful time to slow down and listen in prayer to what God’s desire is for you in the coming year. In prayer, release disappointments, unfulfilled projects and goals, and any hurts that happened over the last year. Give the Holy Spirit time to speak encouragement and hope to your heart. Give thanks for the blessings and the blessings hidden in the trials and tests you experienced. Surrender any losses into God’s hand and let His love heal your heart. Like each new day, each year [ … ]

SNEAK PEEK: The Blessed Woman by Debbie Morris

December 19, 2012

Discover the True Meaning of Being Blessed

Click here to download chapter one of The Blessed Woman.

It’s not easy being a woman. The demands and expectations of us, and those we place on ourselves, can be overwhelming. While trying to navigate this thing called “life,” have you ever longed for a close friend, confidant, or mentor to walk alongside you and encourage you in Biblical womanhood? Debbie Morris did. And yet even as a young minister’s wife, she found herself without someone to fill this all-important role. So she turned to the Bible. Biblical women such as Eve, Sarah, and Miriam had always fascinated her. But now they also became her friends, sisters, and teachers. [ … ]

Are You on Board?

December 18, 2012

“To joyfully choose to make our lives count for His renown is to join His cause and to get on board with what He is already doing with or without us. In so doing, we make sure our lives count for what matters most while enjoying for all time the very best God has to offer.”

Excerpted from I Am Not But I Know I Am by Louie Giglio

Daily Reflection:
How are you helping God in His work?