Are you tired already? I am. Why are the holidays so often full of hurrying and hustle and stress?

While rocking gently on the waves of the Sea of Galilee, the multitudes gathered on the shoreline to hear Jesus speak many things to them. On this particular day He told them a parable about seeds and what hinders or helps them grow and take root. As he finished telling the story He told the crowd, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

What do you do when you don’t see a manifestation of the presence and power of God?​​ When it feels like you've been left behind, forgotten, or that your prayers go unheard, how do you stand firm in your faith?

Sometimes God calls us to do hard things. It's not because He is harsh; rather, it's during these challenging times that we experience His supernatural strength.

David prays this from a desperate place. He knows what it’s like to be forsaken, lonely, and afflicted. And He knows there is no place to go but to God.

Being prudent means exercising restraint and humility. It's about understanding the power of a well-timed and appropriate word. We don't need to reveal everything we know, and sometimes, silence can be the wisest response.

In the grandeur of King Nebuchadnezzar's court, there was an edict to find the most exceptional young men from Israel's royal family and nobility. The criteria were strict: they had to be physically flawless, handsome, well-versed in various fields of learning, informed, quick to understand, and suitable for service in the king's palace.

In our faith journeys, we often encounter moments where obedience becomes the cornerstone of our progress. It's in these instances that we discover the profound truth that obedience is an expression of our love for God.

Stop trying to find greener pastures or to move on from this hard place. While God has you here, dwell—settle into this place to learn and grow. God can bless you in the desert, in the wilderness, in prison, in exile, in a cave, in enemy territory, in a war zone, and in the valley. It doesn’t matter what life circumstance you’re in. 

Wisdom brings with it the gift of discretion, which is the ability to exercise well-measured judgment in our words and actions. In embracing wisdom, we learn to sift through what is undesirable and hold on to what is good.

The early years of striving slowly gave way to security and instead of being prone to worry, I started to experience the peace that bypassed understanding. Choices and decisions that often created division and chaos, gave way to clarity. Even troubling thought patterns were released to establish trust in the wisdom of God.

If there is anything I know from personal experience, it is the power of words to build up or put down. I want to be a life giver– a person who builds up, infuses life, hope, and courage into others. I want to speak words of life, and God’s words are life.

Isn’t it reassuring that while we are not attracted to needy, inconsistent, unreliable people to carry out our plans and purposes, Jesus is.

There is nothing like seeing your child grow into the person you prayed for them to be. It’s a beautiful thing when you have prayed and asked the Lord to grow them in wisdom and then you see them come into spiritual maturity and they are filled with the Spirit and words of truth.

Life piles up and I feel smothered under responsibilities because I have a very hard time asking for help. It is ridiculous and I know it and still I return to the same place and trip time and time again.

Are you having trouble hearing God’s voice in your life right now? “For God does speak—now one way, now another—though no one perceives it.” Job 33:14

If we know about the goodness of God, then it is our job to be messengers. If we have experienced His goodness in our lives, it is not enough to just be witnesses. It is our calling to proclaim His goodness.

I think many of us would like to go through life with more confidence. We turn to self-help books, podcasts, or our own instincts to find help growing our confidence. While some of these can be good and helpful things, they don’t provide the ultimate answer. Scripture does.

Jonah wanted mercy for himself but not Nineveh. He let God’s mercy on the people of Nineveh inflict deep misery on him. He was refusing to let God be God. We can experience rebellion, resistance, and resentment all because it’s not how we think God should deal with someone who is a problem to us.

Sometimes when God calls us to do something, it’s tempting to wait to move forward with it until we can see how all of the pieces will come together. However, God calls us to trust Him.