Many people today don't even bother to think rationally about what they believe and end up building their entire lives on beliefs that are simply not true. Whatever the news media, a celebrity or a group of friends say suddenly becomes 'truth' to them.

Believing what others say rather than exploring God's Word for yourself will actually limit you and even keep you from doing what God created you to do. But, if you will contend for the truth, embrace it and build your life upon it, you will... Read full post

People who think positively can see potential in even the most discouraging situations, while those who think negatively are quick to point out problems and limitations.

This goes beyond the proverbial idea of simply seeing a glass "half full" or "half empty" and extends to actually making decisions and taking actions based on either positive or negative thinking.

Have you ever noticed how negative thinking blows things out of proportion? Problems start to seem larger and much more... Read full post

I remember feeding my babies and as long as I was giving them bananas and peaches, everything was great. But when I'd slip in a spoonful of peas, they'd go "Phftt!" So I'd scrape the peas off their chin and shove it back in their mouth again. It took me awhile, but sooner or later, they were eating peas.

It's the same with baby Christians. When we start consuming God's Word, we start growing up spiritually. We stop walking in the flesh and start doing what He wants us to do.

Proverbs 4:18... Read full post

About twenty years ago, this next sentence changed my life: "You do not have because you do not ask God." This short verse opened a door for me to discover the life-changing power of persistent prayer.

At that time in my life, I was stressed out about a lot of different things. I was trying to make my ministry grow, trying to make my husband do this or that, trying to make my kids act a certain way, trying to make other people do the things I wanted, trying to basically do absolutely... Read full post

In the world we live in, we are going to have all kinds of problems, frustrations and difficulties. That's just life. So knowing this, what do we do?

We must remain steadfast and persevere. In other words, the answer is never give up! No matter what's going on in our lives, the victory is in refusing to quit.

Keep in mind that in the heat of our struggles, the Holy Spirit is probably doing His greatest work within us. He is not moved by the circumstances. If you and I really trust Him,... Read full post

Love is something that can be seen. It is seen in the fruit of the Spirit working in our lives, in our behavior and how we treat people. Love has many facets, or different ways we can see it. For example, when a diamond ring is held up to the light, it can sparkle in various ways depending on which way it is turned in the light. I believe love also sparkles in different ways depending on how we look at it.

I Corinthians 13:4-7 gives us examples of the many facets of love:

Love endures... Read full post

I believe every time we feel frustration, it means we've really stopped relying on God. That might sound like a bold statement to you, but think about it: God's given you and me His Holy Spirit and His grace to help us walk through anything that comes our way. Frustration hits when we stop depending on Him and try to make something happen our own way.

Understanding this really helped me. Every time I became frustrated, I reminded myself that what I was really doing was trying to take the... Read full post

If you've been in the world very long, you've learned that there are very few days that go exactly the way we'd like them to go. Thankfully, God is never going to put us in a situation without giving us the ability to be in it with joy.

I believe God gives us His special grace for every situation. Here's how I like to define grace: God's power to help us do whatever it is we need to do. You can have that power today, but you have to receive it, and the only way to receive it is by faith.... Read full post