Equipping Women to Live a Set Apart Life
I know I need God, but too often, I act the opposite. I strive to achieve out of my own strength and knowledge instead of relying on God. I pretend to know all the answers and act like everything is under my control instead of acknowledging God as sovereign over all. What I see as […]
“It sounds like God has really squeezed your heart,” my friend remarked; “but it is amazing how He used it to bring you closer to Him.” I nodded in agreement, but found “squeezed my heart” an inadequate description. “Completely stripped,” I thought. Stripped of everything I found fulfillment in. Stripped of comfort, happiness, and stability. […]
Confession: I am a recovering Bible skimmer. You know how Bible skimming works right? Reach a long list of names in the Bible—quickly skim the list and move on. Come across a familiar story—skim over. Hard to understand prophecies? Yep, skim those too. (Sorry Zechariah, I’m just not sure what you are talking about). My […]
“A fairly accurate description of the human race might be furnished to one unacquainted with it by taking the Beatitudes, turning them wrong side out and saying, ‘Here is your human race!’ For the exact opposite of the virtues in the Beatitudes are the very qualities which distinguish human life and conduct.” -A.W. Tozer, The […]
“Dream big!” all the so called experts tell you. Followed up with some version of; “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” This mentality turns life into a constant hustle, and turns me into an overwhelmed, stressed out, “I’m failing” mess. As an achiever, I will never be content […]
The Restore Joy to Your Marriage series was inspired by one line of a YouTube video, “marriage shakes us up and brings out our worst selves.” The truthful statement frustrated me; “Didn’t God design marriage for good? Why would it bring out my worst self?” In Restore Joy to Your Marriage parts 1-3, I explained […]
Rejoicing reminds me of a geyser. Joy lies deep within us, remaining unseen until it bubbles up and shoots right out of us. At least, that is how it is supposed to work. Joy and rejoicing feed each other; rejoicing is the outward expression of joy, and joy is increased by rejoicing. But, if you […]
“No one will take your joy from you,” Jesus promises in John 16:22. Yet, here I am pursuing joy because I lost it. The apparent contradiction confused me; “If no one can take my joy, then why is my joy missing?” I repeated the contradiction over and over again in my mind. “No one can […]
This post is part 3 of the Restore Joy to Your Marriage series. (Need to catch up? Read part 1 and part 2.) I vividly remember the day I learned about the 5 love languages. I can clearly picture the large classroom and see the teacher of the premarital course holding up the purple book. […]
Welcome to part 2 in foundations of biblical joy. Last week I shared the biblical definition of joy (if you missed it, read it here). With a clear understanding of joy as gladness in the Lord, we can now look at what the Bible says about joy. As mentioned last week, joy is referred to […]