Category Archives: faith

Your Good is So Good – Romans 8:28

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I’m so excited to share the song I wrote recently! “Your Good is So Good” is based on Romans 8:28.

✝️ Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭ESV‬‬

❤️I’ve always loved and believed this Romans 8:28! But there have been times I’ve wondered why certain situations turned out the way they did and thought, “God, You promised all things would work together for good, and this doesn’t seem good.” But I am learning that we can always, without question, trust His definition of good. From here on out, if his definition of good is different than mine, I’m going to do my best to trust His!

🥰 As always, I would love to hear your feedback, and if the message in this song resonates with you, please share this video!

🎸Side Note: I changed my piano to a guitar setting when I recorded the accompaniment, because that’s how I kept hearing it in my head!

Your Good is So Good

Bloom Where You Are Planted – new vlog

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Hello, friends! I’m praying for you to feel extra hopeful and encouraged in your faith today.

This vlog is an encouragement to bloom where you are planted at this time – even if it is somewhere you weren’t expecting to be!

To view my most recent vlog, please click the link: https://youtu.be/FnhvDAFetnk

Wholehearted Faith

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When a Biblical figure earns a mention in Hebrews 11 (also known as the Bible’s faith chapter), it is worth diving into their story and contemplating what we can learn from it. 

Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”

When we turn the page to Genesis to read Noah’s part of the story, we discover that he had found favor in God’s eyes and that Noah had deemed God worthy of wholehearted faith. 

Noah had never seen rain or floodwaters, but when God told him a flood was coming that would destroy all living creatures, he believed Him. When God said something, Noah believed it without requiring visual evidence or further clarification.

God gave Noah precise directions concerning the measurements and materials to use in the ark’s construction, and he followed them to the letter. Genesis 6:22 says, “Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” And Genesis 7:5 says, “And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.” Noah had no interest in cutting corners or half-heartedly attempting to complete his assignment.

It might have seemed ludicrous to the typical bystander when Noah built a gigantic ark. If Noah had been motivated by people’s reactions, this story could have gone in a different direction. However, as we have found, Noah’s motivation was wholehearted faith. And that wholehearted faith produced wholehearted obedience. 

Noah’s wholehearted way of living had history-changing, life-altering results:

  • His family was saved and blessed.
  • The world was repopulated.
  • The relationship between God and man resumed. 

Although God may not command us to build a gigantic ark anytime soon, if we respond to Him with wholehearted faith and obedience, we will see history-changing, life-altering results in our own lives.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to see who You truly are and that You are worthy of our wholehearted faith and obedience. Give us the desire and courage to follow You wholeheartedly. Amen.

A Prayer for Your Children

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One way to invite blessings into the lives of your children throughout their lives is by praying for them to grow and thrive in their faith. I would like to share a prayer to lift up to the Lord on your child’s behalf. Please feel free to print it and put it in a place where you will see it often. What a blessing to serve a God who hears and cares about everything and everyone we bring to Him in prayer!

Click here for a printable version of this prayer.

Dear Lord, thank You for who You are. Thank You for hearing my prayers and caring about every concern I have. I am beyond grateful for Your unfailing love and forgiveness.

Lord, I lift my children to You in prayer. 

Please come alongside them today in a way they can feel powerfully. Let there be no mistaking Your presence in their life today! Replace any loneliness and abandonment with a tangible assurance of Your perfect love. 

Remind them that You are not only with them but also for them. Change their perspective in any situations where they are not sensing Your closeness. 

Lord, increase their faith in You and Your incomparable power. Enable them to rest in that faith, especially when life is complicated. Remind them that You make all things work together for good for those that love You.

Give them Your indescribable peace as You help them surrender to Your will for their lives. Renew their excitement for the plans You have lovingly orchestrated for them. 

Lord, help them desire a deeper relationship with You. Empower them to understand more fully Your character and holy nature. Give them a hunger for studying and understanding Your Word and a yearning to spend more time with You in prayer. 

May they listen for and readily recognize Your Holy Spirit’s voice. Help them become remarkably sensitive to Your voice, and may Your voice compel them to immediately and lovingly obey. 

Give them the courage to pray bold prayers as they approach You with expectancy. Help them to believe for miracles in their own lives and in the lives of those they pray for.

May they reflect Your light in all of their encounters. I pray that Your love will spill out of their lives and that their words, actions, and attitudes will give others a glimpse of Your character in this world that desperately needs to see more of You. In Your name, Amen.

Persevere in Prayer

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In our church Bible Study, we have found that the book of Daniel is challenging and encouraging at the same time.

In Daniel 9:23, the angel, Gabriel, said these words to Daniel: “At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.”

The answer to Daniel’s prayer was granted and set in motion as soon as he began to pray. God had already responded before Daniel knew it.

Even though there are times that God responds before we realize it, let’s keep persevering in prayer anyway! Praying helps us to align our requests with the will of God as we spend time talking and listening to Him. And God wants to hear from us! God created us for a relationship with Him, and prayer is a beautiful part of that. 

I confess certain thoughts might cross my mind when I am not sensing an answer to prayer: He has forgotten about me, my dreams and desires don’t matter to Him, or He isn’t listening. But those thoughts just aren’t true. So a perspective shift reminds me that He is indeed working behind the scenes, and it is already taken care of. I just need to rest, keep communicating with Him in prayer, and watch the answer play out in His time and His way.

Oh, and did you catch the other part of the verse above? The angel told Daniel He was greatly loved. I’m sure Daniel already knew that, but our God is an awesome God who tenderly reassures us of His love.

Daniel 9:23 is a great reminder to continue praying confidently to the God who loves us beyond measure. ❤️

Powerful Scriptures to Pray for Leaders in Our Lives

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Just last week, I had the privilege of having a guest post shared on ladiesdrawingnigh.org. The link to that article, “Powerful Scriptures to Pray for Leaders in Our Lives” can be found here. It also includes a free downloadable prayer that you can print out.

While you are there, take some time to look around on the website and you will find many features that will interest you! She has online Bible studies, a shop with prayer journals and scripture cards (and much more), Bible reading plans, and many articles on faith that will bring encouragement and provide teaching.

Take a few moments to read the article and let me know what you think!

Let’s bless the leaders in our lives by lifting them up in prayer!

Thank you, Friends!

Lord, You Make All Things Work Together

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Dear Lord, thank You for faithfully listening to our prayers. You care about every single one of our requests and heart cries. Your Word says we can confidently bring our burdens to Your throne and that You will equip us with Your mercy and grace. Enable us to release bitterness, unbelief, or anything else that might prevent Your mercy and grace from having their full impact. Help us remember that You are ceaselessly concerned about our lives and that while You might intervene in an entirely conspicuous manner, there will also be times when Your work will be behind the scenes and, therefore, not as visible. When we can’t see Your hand and the wheels You are setting in motion, may we still have an unwavering belief that You are actively moving. Open our hearts to what You are teaching us in the midst of trials.

In our world today, confusion and chaos can sometimes threaten to overwhelm us. When we find ourselves in that position, Lord, help us to set our minds on You, the Prince of Peace, instead of the problems. Remind us that You have given us access to Your matchless, perfect peace. Empower us to wait expectantly for Your peace to wash over us and to protect us from strife in even the most difficult circumstances.

Help us to rest in the promise that You always cause all things to work together for our good. Remind us that what we think is good might be different from what You know is good and that Your definition of good supersedes our definition. Assure us that You are sovereign, have everything under control, and are for us, not against us. 

Lord, thank You for Your unfailing love for us. Help us surrender to Your will, way, and wisdom. 

In Your holy name we pray, Amen.

Hebrews 4:16, Philippians 4:7, Romans 8:28

Find Your Joy

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In today’s world, it seems there is a push to “find our happiness.” To put on a happy face and pursue our happy place! If I could say something about the “Do whatever makes you happy” trend, I would shout from the rooftops that what we should be seeking is joy – not happiness!

Happiness is a feeling. Feelings are fleeting and fickle. Happiness is contingent upon things that are out of our control. But joy? Joy is a knowing. It is steadfast and sure. It is a decision to focus on Jesus instead of on difficult circumstances.

Joy can be our rock no matter what situation we face. When things are going well, our joy comes from knowing our blessings are from God. When things aren’t going so well, our joy comes from knowing He has us in the palm of His hand and that He has a good plan for us no matter what things look like in the moment. 

Happiness will come and go, but clinging to joy helps us tackle adversity with a fresh and positive outlook. We can only ride the wave of happiness as long as the waters stay relatively calm. But when we pursue joy, it gives us an anchor in the rough waters. 

Will some experiences try to shake us or shift our perspective? Yep, we live in a world full of circumstances that can potentially stretch, strain, and stress us on a regular basis. And there will always be people who are capable of causing unhappy circumstances. Sometimes it is because they intentionally attempt to rob us of our joy (often because of their own unhappiness.) And, of course, sometimes it is unintentional because we are people, and people are imperfect. But no thing and no person has the power to take our joy from us. We are the ones with the choice to let go of our joy willingly or to hold firmly to it.

Go ahead and “find your joy!” You will find it in the rock-solid foundation of Jesus!

Let’s Be Radiant!

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When we become stressed, it can be easy to forget where to place our focus…we unfortunately look inward and attempt to figure life out on our own instead of looking to Jesus for the help He lovingly offers us.

Psalm 34:5 says those who look to Him are radiant and that their faces will never be ashamed.

May we look to Jesus and pursue complete obedience to His way. May our trust and hope in Jesus cause an unmistakable glow to radiate from our lives! 

Dear Lord, may Your Holy Spirit nudge us when it is time to change our perspective. Open our eyes to You and Your way, Lord. We desire to lovingly serve You and reflect Your light. Amen.

Prayers for Your Children (2 of 3)

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Friends, I would like to share some prayers with you.

  1. A prayer for parents of adult children.
  2. Three prayers for adult children based on Colossians 1-3.

As a mom of four children who are all in their twenties, there are some specific things that I pray about for them. The first prayer below covers some of those…the desire to be there for my children, but to not interfere. It’s a fine line, isn’t it? I’ve crossed it, straddled it, and avoided it etc. at various times. 😀

The next three prayers are based on Colossians 1-3. Of course, these can be prayed for your children no matter their ages, but they are geared toward a little bit older age group.

I have also included printables…so please feel free to download, print, post etc. these prayers and/or share them. Thank you!

Prayer for Parents of Adult Children

Dear Lord, please give me the wisdom to know how much and when to offer assistance to my adult children. Help me discover ways to express and demonstrate that they can call on me for advice and support and that they can also count on me to know when to step back, even when there is potential for them to fail. Stop me from picking up pieces from situations they are assigned to learn from. Please do not allow me to interfere in their maturation process. May they always know that I trust them, pray for them, cheer for them, and love them dearly.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Prayer for Adult Children Based on Colossians 1-3

Dear Lord, I pray that my children will seek Your wisdom in their lives diligently. May they consistently pursue and display that wisdom in their decisions. Strengthen them with Your power. Please help them to be bold and confident in their faith. Reassure them that with Your help, they can endure and even thrive when they face challenging circumstances. I pray their actions and words will radiate joy to everyone they encounter. Deliver them from the darkness of sins that have led them astray, and instill in them the desire to walk in Your glorious light. May the forgiveness and redemption You have granted them be an inspiration to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen. (Based on Colossians 1:9-14)

Dear Lord, I pray you will remind my children of Your presence and Your faithfulness through every obstacle and hardship they will undoubtedly face. Inspire their hearts to be firmly rooted in their faith. May Your Word saturate their minds, give them clear discernment, and prepare them to guard against deceptive teachings. Reveal Yourself to them and grant them an overflowing thankfulness to You for Your countless blessings.

Help my children see that You are all they truly need. Give them the courage to walk the path You have set before them. In Jesus’ name, Amen. (Based on Colossians 2:6-10)

Dear Lord, help my children focus on You above all else. Teach them to filter their thoughts through Your grace, mercy, and love. As Your Word says, may they “put to death” anything that belongs to “their earthly nature” and rid themselves of “anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language.” Give them the desire to lead truthful lives, potentially influencing others to know more about You. May their characters be defined by compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, and may forgiveness come naturally. Lord, I pray the love of Christ will be evident in all that they say and do. In Jesus’ name, Amen. (Based on 3:1-14)

***For printables of the prayers: Click here