June 22, 2021

The other day, when my husband and I were having dinner together, he told me that I had six more noodles on my plate than he did.  Although he was just teasing, this just shows how easy it is to compare what we have with that of someone else.

I once played my flute at a church service while my husband and I were on vacation.  A guy who was also visiting decided to play his guitar along with me.  The sound system back then wasn't the greatest and in the middle of our duet I was struggling to hear him playing.  In that moment a voice whispered to me that I didn't sound right.  Immediately I stopped playing, as I suddenly felt insecure over a piece of music that I knew how to play full well.  Like these stories illustrate, insecurity can hit us in many different ways, so if you feel insecure this week claim your confidence from God and believe that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

Heavenly Father, thank you for everything.  Help us not to feel unqualified, but to appreciate how You made us, and not to focus on outward appearance.  Enable us to accept that we are worthy, loved, chosen and redeemed.  When feelings of inferiority or insecurity creep into our hearts, help us to see ourselves the way You do.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

June 15, 2021

There is a well that is at least one hundred feet deep that sits between our property and our neighbour's.  It holds around thirty-two feet of water, give or take, depending on the year.  Although the well has a bottom, it's not something one would want to climb in, jump in, or fall in.  In a similar way, self-pity can be like a bottomless well.  Once we allow ourselves to start going there, we fall into a deep chasm with little means of escape.

Self-pity can cause us to become angry and unhappy to the point where we develop a habit of feeling sorry for ourselves.  In fact, it keeps us from moving forward in our lives, and when it sets in it can become firmly gripped to our minds where it is difficult to change.  If you feel self-pity this week, claim your freedom from God and believe that he will make up for what didn't work out for you!

Heavenly Father, thank you for transforming all of our pain into a great river of love.  Help us to let go of what hurt us or what never worked out in our lives.  Enable us to avoid or remove ourselves from the trap of self-pity, as it takes us nowhere and it will only delay our breakthrough.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

June 8, 2021

We all can be easily deceived by what people say and do, or by our very own negative self-talk and insecurity.  There are so many different ways that we can be deceived, whether it be gradual or not.  When I walk my dog, he loves to see and chase bunnies.  He will even position himself to a crawling motion where he moves very slowly to creep up towards a bunny.

One day when we were walking, he saw an object from a distance and in his mind, he believed it was a bunny.  It turned out to be just a rock that appeared like the size, shape, and colour of something totally different from what he initially thought.
We have all had instances too where we've been deceived, with probably some of them being more hurtful than others.  This week, if you feel deceived, cling to God's truth and believe that He will give you discernment!

Heavenly Father, thank you for guiding us away from error into all truth.  Help us to reject all forms of deception that the enemy tries to use.  May every veil be removed from our eyes, that we will not be blinded by the opinions of others or by the thoughts and ideas of the world, but that we will know Your true voice.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

June 1, 2021

Many of us allow ourselves to give way to unease through worry.  Yet worry is like a rocking chair - it gives us something to do but never gets us anywhere.  If we really think about it, worry is all about losing our comfort.  Whether it's in finances, health, work or relationships, we all want stability, so when we face moments when we don't feel comfortable, we grasp for the opposite by being worried.

Many times in the past, I allowed worry to become part of my personality, allowing it to steal my peace, wear me out and cause me a lot of extra stress.  I basically worried over all the unknowns, and I became the one who thought about all of the 'what if's and the 'if only's, which put me into more knots.
This week, if you feel worried, surrender your distrust to God and believe that He will always follow through!

Heavenly Father, thank you for Your wisdom.  Help us not to worry, but rather focus on what You're doing in our lives right now.  Enable us to worry less and trust You more.  Give us the strength to keep our minds off of tomorrow, thinking of all the what-ifs and trying to figure out how it's all going to work out, so we don't miss the joy of today.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

May 25, 2021

I read that over 85% of people suffer from self-doubt, and two-thirds of Christians struggle with doubt.  This just shows how doubt and unbelief can certainly permeate our lives.  Doubt and unbelief can be a big problem because they have such a negative and discouraging influence over our lives, but it takes a conscious effort to change our thought patterns.  The world teaches that our worth is based on how we look, our work, or what we own.  It's no wonder that we tend to see things or ourselves through a filter of doubt.

The solution to any doubt is to draw our confidence from God and allow him to help us overcome our feeling of uncertainty.  If you feel doubtful this week, do like Joyce Meyer says, "There is a deeper way to live than just off the top of your head."

Heavenly Father, thank you for Your protecting us even when we don't see it.  Help us to stop living by any random thoughts that come into our minds or by how we feel.  Teach us to doubt our doubts.  Enable us to listen a little more this week than we normally would and make it into a new habit.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

May 19, 2021

Rejection holds a powerful sting.  Unfortunately, not everyone will allow us access to their hearts.  If there is anything that makes us feel like we don't have a friend in the world, it's rejection.  Whether it be in the form of an insult, gossip, betrayal, or criticism, it sadly hurts.

If we're not careful, our image and confidence can be built on a flawed foundation when we don't see ourselves as God sees us.  How many times have we made the mistake of perceiving rejection so personally rather than seeing it as God's protection against what was not in our best interest?  Jesus was a perfect example of rejection when he was beaten and nailed to the cross.  This week if you feel rejected, seek God's approval and believe that you are loved.

Heavenly Father, thank you for accepting us and for not rejecting or abandoning us.  Heal us from any spirit of rejection that took place in our lives.  Help us to exchange fear for faith, uncertainty for confidence, anxiety for peace, sadness for joy, despair for hope, and weakness for strength.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

May 11, 2021

Many of us have probably felt unnoticed, alone, or overlooked in one way or another, and even found ourselves seeking alternative places or situations to fit in.  Belonging is such a deep need inside us.  Satan has been lying to us since the fall of Adam and Eve and as a result, we are constantly being influenced into thinking that we belong only when we measure up.  The truth is, we find our belonging when we know we are fully known and fully loved by God.

We can have different personal storms in our lives that lead us to where we think we belong on the outside, but it is really where we find ourselves inside that fills our need for connection.  This week, if you feel out of place, remember that your sense of belonging isn't from something you pursue externally, but it is who you are in Christ.

Heavenly Father, help us to find our identity and belonging in You.  As our hearts long to fit in or feel fulfilled, enable us to trust in You.  Enable us to stop striving to create our own contentment but to focus on the wonderful life that's only possible when we pursue doing things your way.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

May 4, 2021

God commanded us not to fear.  I read that the phrase 'fear not' is used 365 times in the Bible, which is one 'fear not' for every day of the year.  This just shows us how the enemy loves to use fear to decrease our hope and to limit us.

When I walk my dog, he pulls me hard like a freight train.  Despite his small size, I still have to maintain a strong resistance against the motion of his inclination to draw me towards a place where he wants to go rather than where I need to be.  In a similar way, the enemy likes to pull us hard into a place of fear that can draw us away from being at peace, or being unable to do something.  Fear can distract us when we allow it to get us off track.  This week, if you feel fearful, claim your courage from God and believe that your faith is stronger!

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us strength to resist what comes so easy for us in the form of fear.  Help us to make the best of our situation whatever it may be.  Calm our thoughts and emotions and open our hearts to your peace, comfort, and wisdom.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

April 29, 2021

In the summer, I often find myself relaxing on my deck where I'm listening to the singing of birds or the flowing of water down a stream in the background.  I allow these sounds to capture my attention to the point where they become familiar to me.
In a similar way, some of us experience depression at some point in our lives where it can gradually creep in and become familiar to us so that we continue to participate in that state of feeling.

Depression can keep us from doing things and enjoying life, and the severity of it can vary for each one of us.  Thankfully, God is not the author of depression, but He is there to help and heal us as we walk through it.
This week, if you feel overwhelmed, claim the promises of God and believe that he will take care of you!

Heavenly Father, thank you for understanding what we're going through.  Keep us from allowing the troubles of life to overwhelm us.  Help us to guard our hearts from depression and any struggles which seek to weigh us down.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

April 20, 2021

How many of us struggle with comparing ourselves to others, whether it's in how we look, what we have, what we do, or maybe how we behave?
I read that the average person can complain between 15 to 30 times a day, and since jealousy is a spirit of complaint, we can see how we can become susceptible to the enemy's trap by seeing life in a negative or discontented way.
'Jealousy' is mentioned in 26 verses of the Bible, and 'jealous' is mentioned in 49.

Most of us experience jealousy in some way or another when we compare ourselves with someone else.  The problem with jealousy has existed as far back as Cain and Abel, and it still can cause a lot of division in our present day, whether it's in the workplace, church, friendships or our very homes.
Fact is, our insecurities have a lot to do with jealousy.  It doesn't help that everywhere we look we see acts of comparison on the media.
I experienced my first feeling of jealousy when I was two.  Although I can't remember it, I certainly heard about it.  Like any typical sibling rivalry, I must have compared myself over something that he had and I did not.  I have learned that the perfect antidote for jealousy is to be content, be thankful and stop comparing to somebody else.

Heavenly Father, thank you for purifying our minds.  Help us to be free from any thoughts that cause us to become jealous towards others.  Give us the grace to control any jealous emotions when they arise.  Give us the strength to resist comparing ourselves to one another.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

April 13, 2021

How many of us struggle through disappointments, expectations or circumstances that derail us with negative thoughts or emotions?

This past week, I had a cosmetic facial procedure called Dermaplaning that removed the top layer of my skin.  The benefit of this was to promote healthier skin to grow.  To my understanding, dead skin cells build up on the surface over time, and if they are not removed the new skin cells that develop underneath become trapped by clogged pores or an uneven texture.
In the same way, our negative thoughts and emotions can hinder new growth inside us if we don't remove the negativity on the outside.  I have learned through my own history of suppressed pain that what I think is who I become.  It's like what Joel Osteen wrote in one of his books, "It's easy to go through life holding onto things that weigh us down."

Heavenly Father, help us above all else to guard our heart, for everything we do flows from it.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

April 7, 2021

It's easy to go through life holding onto things that weigh us down.  These things can be worry, fear, doubt, guilt, rejection, regret, and the list could go on.  When we allow these negative emotions to take over, it pushes out our joy, peace, confidence and strength.  Everyday, we need to empty out anything negative from our past.  If we don't let painful things go, they can and will become Satan's bait in our lives.  I am learning that letting go is hard, but I can diminish the power of the past over my present and future.

We all struggle with discouragement, and some days our circumstances threaten to overwhelm us and we struggle just to pray.  Many times we don't feel like doing the things we know we should.  David faced times like these in his life.  Psalms gives us the key to living victoriously during the dark times of life.  When you feel discouraged, remember that you have a choice.  We can choose to draw our strength from an unchanging God.

Heavenly Father, thank you for Your grace.  Help us to not dwell on the things we wish were different about our lives, but to intentionally focus on making the most of what we have where we are right now.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

April 1, 2021

Amidst all the chaos of the world around us, we cannot always see or understand how God is at work in our world.  Claiming the resurrection power of God gives us confidence to know that God has things under control and continues to work all things for his glory and for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).  When you feel downcast, remember that you have a choice.  We can choose to draw our comfort from a God of deliverance.

Heavenly Father, thank you for saving us.  Give us new eyes with which to recognize Your presence around us.  Sharpen our vision to see beyond our circumstances and into the reality of Your grace.  Brighten our view of our lives with renewed hope.  Soften our gaze to view others tenderly like You.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

March 30, 2021

Hello, and welcome to our new blog!  We will be posting weekly 'bits' of devotional content, inspirational testimonies, and faith-filled prayers.

I would like to begin with a short personal introduction.  I was a middle child of four children where the youngest was adopted with cerebral palsy.  I grew up on a hobby farm north of Saskatoon.  It was an upbringing of dysfunction, abuse and a shared home with foster children that my mother looked after.  My father was a teacher.  I married young, which led to divorce at the age of 24.  I remarried at 31 to a wonderful man with three teenaged sons.  After six years of marriage, we moved to the outskirts of Moose Jaw, where we currently reside.  I play the flute, enjoy flower gardening, biking with my dog, and reading.  I have no children of my own.

When a woman gives birth, the pain is so great that her natural reaction is, 'let me push as hard as I can and get this over with,' but this is the worst thing she can do.  She has to relax and let nature have its way.  So it is now.  The pandemic is so painful for so many that we want to push and get it over.  But the best thing to do is relax and let God have his way, and while we're doing that, we can witness to someone who is seriously struggling in his or her own life; they're all around us.  

Heavenly Father, thank you for today.  Everyday is a fresh start, and with it brings new choices.  Help us to refresh and renew our minds.  Enable us to untie any knots like fear, doubt, or worry in our minds that limit us or hold us back.  In Jesus' name, Amen.