God Is Never a Passive Listener

Worship focuses on who God is. During prayer, make time to give praise to God. Pray because God loves you so much He sent His only begotten son to die on a cross for you. When you develop an active prayer life, you begin to see the ways that God responds to your requests.

David recorded an exciting moment in Psalm 18.

“In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.” - Psalm 18:6

Prayer directs our thoughts and our hearts to God. David speaks about God hearing his prayers, but he makes one more point. In the next verse, David discusses how smoke poured from God’s nostrils and how God was furious on his behalf. God is more powerful than any problems we face.

God is already at work around you. It is tempting to consider God as a passive listener. You might imagine Him as this kindly grandfather type...

Women have the opportunity to bring Jesus into our homes daily. Sometimes our lives can get hectic, and we can forget the most important things. But I know as we keep Christ as the center of our homes, we can feel peace and happiness there.

How do you make time for Jesus in your house?

Life is hectic. I appreciate that. But you cannot let your life come to be too busy to recognize, communicate, and serve your Savior, Jesus. It starts with an attitude of acknowledgment. "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." Romans 1:21

Once you acknowledge Jesus as the giver of life and all its blessings, you will be more motivated to…

Give thanks all through the day. Amid the bustle of our days, it is a great idea to pause, take a deep breath, and thank Jesus that we can be busy. Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they...

In the New Testament, we received a challenge to include prayer in our everyday life. Praying does not have to be complicated. But, understanding how to pray is not always comfortable. 

Proverbs 3:5,6 tells us that we should not lean on our understanding but instead trust in the Lord with all our heart. 

The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13) is an elegant example of how to pray. Prayer is an invocation that seeks to connect with God through deliberate interaction (such as a petition). You must show a heart of obedience and submission to the will of God. And a genuine thank you is always a great conversation starter.

God is three definite persons in One: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Concentrate on which of the Holy Trinity you need to speak to at the moment. 

• Abba Father of my life, God
• Savior of my soul, Jesus
• Empowerer of my calling, Holy Spirit

Women often show reluctance to...

Understanding Shame and Why You Feel It

Shame is a complex feeling to articulate. You can experience it as a feeling of not being good enough, a worry that there is something wrong with you, or an overwhelming feeling that you are inadequate, inferior, or unclean.

Shame is not the same as guilt. Guilt is a healthy emotion. You feel guilty if you do or say something that fails to live up to your moral code or when you do not obey God. For instance, when you speed to work, you might feel guilt. Guilt is helpful. It often comes from the Holy Spirit. It motivates us to repent and modify sinful behaviors.

What Causes Shame?

Shame is the result of lies you believe are true about yourself. Some women experience shame because of a difficult childhood filled with abuse or neglect. Others feel shame because an abusive boyfriend or husband blames her when something goes wrong. Still, other women contend with shame as a result of consuming alcohol or drugs.

What Should You Do about Shame?

When...

"Imagine what would happen through you if you shared your testimony, gave God the time He deserves, used your talents and gifts to serve Him by serving others, and invested God's treasures in a way that changed the world" – Tim Passmore.

Think about that, "…used your talents and gifts to serve Him by serving others." For centuries, women have recognized the power of kindness. Not only does being kind help others around you, but it positively impacts your life as well.

But, it seems life has taken women to a place where we no longer value kindness as a trait. Compassion has been swapped with self-importance and wanting to stay impersonal. My question is, why has our world come to be less kind?

Is it that we no longer are concerned about others? Do we think kindness makes us weaker? Is this lack of kindness from some global change?

The truth is, kindness has become less and less important in our daily lives for several reasons.

• Our environments cause women to...

Women live in a culture obsessed with time, and we never seem to have enough of it. So in the middle of all this hustle and bustle, how do we make time for Jesus? We can certainly pray about different matters or persons in our lives, but the Lord Jesus is a living Lord who wants to have a relationship with us.

So, we should first come to Him to enjoy His presence, rather than starting our day by bringing Him all the things on our “wish list.” Then when we first contact the Lord in our spirit and enjoy Him in His Word, He will lead us to pray for these matters according to His will.

Making Time for Jesus

Accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior, becoming a Christian, being born again, or whatever phrases you use to explain or define your relationship with God signify a commitment. When aligning yourself with Jesus, you are committing to be faithfully obedient to him.

But are you? Are you indeed committed? Or is your relationship with Jesus like a gym membership...

Jesus Christ was born circa 4-6 B.C. in Bethlehem, just outside of Jerusalem. After the birth of Jesus and the narrative around his first visitors, we get just one glimpse of Jesus as a young boy before the camera stops for nearly twenty years.

Jesus visited Jerusalem at age 12 and became separated from them. He was later found in a temple, discussing religious affairs with some of Jerusalem's elders.

He went home and was obedient to his parents. "And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart." - Luke 2:51

Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist at the Jordan River was one of the first acts of His public ministry. This was the scene of the very first appearance of the Trinity to man. 

We go from baby to pre-teen to grown-up in just a couple of chapters. 

What are we to make of this silent period?

What does this mean for us and our...

Christmas would not be Christmas without Christ. The holiday overflows with wonder, love, and joy. There is something extraordinary about Christmas and the feelings you felt as a child about that time of year.

It is not just about toys and presents, but the true meaning of the holiday is essential. But as women age, we tend to lose that reality. Christmas has gotten so commercialized that we hardly remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Sharing Christ: Planning a Christ-Centered Christmas

Each year we seem to lose a bit more of the true meaning of Christmas. God arrived in the world as Christ. He walked together with us as a man. His name is Immanuel which signifies “God is with us”. He appeared here on Earth to redeem us back to Himself and forgive all our sins. Christmas is about Him.

What if you could get back to the true meaning of Christ Christmas?

What if you could make the holiday this year about sharing Him and having beautiful...

November is here.

You might be feeling the frantic pace of the holiday season, along with the pressure to finish everything on time. There is a lot to do, from shopping, wrapping, packing, planning, and traveling, to cooking, cleaning, hosting, and attending year-end events. All of this Holiday frenzy can cause a lot of stress.


Phew. Relax and take a deep breath.

Before you jump into the busyness of the holidays … before the stress gets the best of you, take a moment to reflect on God’s promises of peace and pray.

A Prayer for the Stressed

Most gracious heavenly Father, please grant me your peace during this busy season. Help me to focus on you and recognize your grace in my life each day. Replace my stress, worries, and anxiety with gratitude and your peace that surpasses all understanding. Thank you for carrying my burdens and for your constant presence in my life. I ask for all of this in your Son Jesus' name. Amen.
 

“The Lord will give...

Mindfulness is utilized as a counseling and psychotherapy tool. It is usually characterized by meditation and relaxation techniques. Jon Kabat-Zinn influenced adoption of this practice, by starting Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Comparable programs like Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) deal with anxiety and depression, boosting mental health. Mindfulness is also employed by businesses and schools to manage stress and generate creativity. 

The goal is to become more self-aware. However, this secular mindfulness encourages you to pay attention only to yourself. This contradicts Scripture’s teaching to have the mind of Christ and evaluate everything in light of our relationship with Him. So, Christians use mindfulness as a tool in a Christ-integrated way.

Meditation exists in Scripture in the context of spending time studying the Word of God.  " When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night...