by | Faith Lived Out
For every three people attacking you with their words, make sure you have one person who is speaking life to you.
If you have 21 people spewing hate at you, that sucks. BUT… that means you have 7 people who are for you, speaking words of love over you.
MAKE SURE YOU’RE LISTENING TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE.
Words matter. Choose love.
But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! – James 3:5-11
Yes, Lord. Help me do better.
by | Faith Lived Out
A few years ago I had a friend who one day was no longer my friend.
When I met her she was a prayer warrior. I loved to hear her pray and she was such an encourager.
But as time went on, there was this check in my gut that I didn’t pay attention to. That was actually Holy Spirit, but I confused it for indigestion. Bad idea. I let her see vulnerable parts of my life that not everyone got to see. I called her when I was struggling with some things. She prayed for me. She even drove down a few times to just have dinner.
I could never shake that feeling in my gut. BUT… I didn’t listen to it. I just kept moving forward, allowing her even more space in my life and ministry.
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by | Faith Lived Out
Dear McAlister’s Deli,
I want to introduce you to my Grandma Virginia. She’s the coolest grandma ever and her hair gets a category of its own. We live in a small rural community and your closest deli is about 45 minutes away.
For the last several years my grandma and I have had a mutual agreement that when I go to Jefferson City, Mo., I must bring her back some potato soup. If she finds out I was there and didn’t return with the soup, I get scolded, and well… a scolding from your grandmother is just something you don’t want.
Grandma is the matriarch of our family and will probably outlive us all. But when she gets sick and down you know she has to be really sick.
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by | Faith Lived Out
We’re in that time of year where we could all use a little extra encouragement. 2020 has been a rough year for many, and I’m sure we all know someone who’s been affected by COVID-19.
We need to be in prayer now more than ever, wouldn’t you agree?
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by | Devotionals, Faith Lived Out
My Abide App devotional was spot on this morning and I had to share some of the wisdom. May this truth touch your heart as it did mine.
John 7:24 tells us to “look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.” The NKJV tell us to “judge with righteous judgment.”
It’s easy to jump to conclusions without knowing the whole story. We all do it.
We see or hear something and our prejudices rise up and dominate our perception.
But remember this… things aren’t always as they seem.
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by | Faith Lived Out
Dear Pastors, Leaders, & Teachers….
When you stand behind the pulpit and bring awareness to the sin of homosexuality, don’t forget to bring awareness to the sin of gossip, too.
When you stand behind the pulpit and bring awareness to the sin of drunkeness, don’t forget to bring awareness to the sin of gluttony, too.
When you stand behind the pulpit and bring awareness to the sin of adultery, don’t forget to bring awareness to the sin of offense, too.
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