It’s one of the hardest places to be. Living with a broken body.   I know. I get it.  I’ve lived for a long time now with a debilitating health condition that affects my everyday life. And yet, every day this health condition also teaches me to lean on Christ.   Because my hope is not in this life. Or in a miraculous healing.   My hope is in the God who loves me.   The God who is with me. Who has promised He will work ALL things out for my good. And who has made a way for me to be with Him for all of eternity.  But while hope for…

We often face moments of grief, sadness, and depression in life.   And when our hearts are breaking over all the hard things we are facing, the last thing we may want to do is count our blessings. But giving thanks moves our focus from all we lack to all we have been given.   There are many benefits of gratitude shown in the Bible.    Because God knows when we learn to cherish all the good things in our life, it becomes easier to handle the hard times.   He wired our brains to release serotonin and dopamine when we think about all we are grateful for. And those chemicals cause us to feel…

When my children were younger, they loved to watch shows about animals. Especially lions.   One of the most interesting episodes we watched showed a lion stalking a herd of water buffalo.   The lion always looks for the prey that is weak and all alone. But the water buffalo know this. And so, the stronger animals surround the weak, young, and elderly whenever they sense danger.  The Bible talks about the devil being a roaring lion who is seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) He likes to look for the Christian who is weak and all alone.   Just like the water buffalo, we can surround our friends and loved ones…

FEAR. It is something we all face in life. We fear bad news. We fear getting sick. We fear losing the ones we love.   Every day it seems the news brings us new reasons to fear.   But if you look at what the Bible says about fear and anxiety, you will quickly figure out that God doesn’t want you to live trapped by your fears. Paralyzed by the things you dread. Stuck in an endless cycle of worrying.   Jesus came to set you free.   The Holy Spirit who lives inside you can empower you to live with confident trust. To have faith that no matter what comes your way, you…

Life can be hard. And that, quite frankly, is putting it nicely.   When we are suffering through hard times, it can be difficult to put our thoughts together. It can feel impossible to pray. It can seem like the darkness will never end.   And I think that is why God gave us the Psalms.  The psalms are beautiful poems full of heart-wrenching honesty to the point of despair. That is then paired with declarations of God’s goodness.   The Psalms inspire us to go to God with everything. (Even the things we would rather not admit out loud.) But while the Psalms show us it is okay to let it all…

According to some estimates, there are more than 8000 promises in the Bible. That is a lot of promises!   So, what are some of God’s promises to us in the Bible?   Well, God promises to be with us. To fight for us. That if we seek Him, we will find Him. That if we believe in Him, we will have eternal life. That He will forgive us. That He will comfort, encourage, and strengthen us.   And so much more.   “And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” -Romans 15:4b NLT The following Bible verses on God’s promises are just a…

If I am completely honest, even after all my years of being a Christian, I still struggle sometimes with my faith. I find it hard to understand why a good God allows bad things to happen.    I still have many questions.   I still wrestle with doubts.       I still struggle to comprehend how things like a life-long debilitating disease could be a part of God’s plan for me. And yet, I also choose to believe that if He has allowed this difficulty in my life then there MUST be a reason.       Because I know:    I have found great encouragement in the following Bible verses on faith. They inspire me to keep…

Prayer is a powerful weapon. This is why it can be so hard to do.  But by learning more about what the Bible has to say about prayer we can stay motivated to keep trying.  Scripture reminds us of the purpose of prayer, how to pray, and why we pray.   The following 24 Bible verses on the power of prayer will inspire and encourage you to keep fighting the good fight of faith.  To keep praying.   To keep talking to God. And to keep listening to Him.   Bible Verses About Prayer There are many passages of Scripture that talk about prayer because prayer is how we talk to our Creator.…

The Bible has a lot to say about prayer and faith. Because when we have faith that God is on our side, praying to Him and asking Him for what we need is easy.   But if we are honest, sometimes our faith wavers.   Perhaps, because God hasn’t answered our prayers yet. Or He hasn’t answered them in the way we thought He would.   It’s at those times that we need some motivation. We need to go back to God’s Word so we can be reminded of all the reasons we have to believe God. To think about all His precious promises to us. And to keep in mind all the…

Living with a debilitating chronic illness means that I can’t get off the couch some days without feeling overwhelmingly dizzy. On those hard days, I often long for a bit of encouragement, hope, and strength to get through it.   One day, I decided to search the Bible because I wanted to know what is a good Bible verse for healing?   I wondered if there was a scripture that addressed healing while also providing the inspiration I desperately needed. And I actually found quite a few verses.   As it turns out the Bible has a lot to say about healing.  Bible Verses on Healing The following bible verses for the sick…