Tag Archives: hold on

The devil doesn’t care if you know a false Jesus.

“The devil doesn’t care at all if you know Jesus or love Jesus or pray to Jesus – as long as it is a false Jesus, a make-believe Jesus, a Jesus who is not there, and who therefore cannot save.” – David Guzik, Enduring Word App John says in his letter, “Beloved, do not believeContinue reading “The devil doesn’t care if you know a false Jesus.”

When you don’t have the perfect picture

We are a people desperate to be reminded of the hope we have. Our flesh forgets. Our souls become downcast. Our eyes forget to look beyond the here and now. We struggle to remember God can make a way when our limited imaginations can’t fathom any possible way. And we, who possess eternal hope, spiralContinue reading “When you don’t have the perfect picture”

These hard days may get harder, but….

It’s getting pretty tough to live in this lost world where so many deny Jesus is the Christ. They seem to reason ,” If I refuse to believe Jesus is the Christ, then he can’t be “boss” of me, I can reject his ways, and go my own way”. But they are lying to themselves.Continue reading “These hard days may get harder, but….”

Have you wondered this about God?

For years, I’ve felt like I’ve had this down-“Do not love the world or things in the world.” (1 John 2:15) I’m not into the culture or cling to its’ immorality. I love my church. I read my Bible. I don’t watch bad movies. You know, I feel like I don’t love the world andContinue reading “Have you wondered this about God?”

Up? Down? Regardless, know this.

John knew those who would read his letter. He knew their varying spiritual states. He knew as we pick up his letter, all these thousands of years later, that we would also find ourselves in different spiritual states. (1 John 2:12-14) And I don’t know about you, but anytime I see a list of categories,Continue reading “Up? Down? Regardless, know this.”

When It’s Dark

We grabbed our bag chairs out of the back of the truck and walked toward the trail. Rain was dripping from the trees and night was coming. We weren’t exactly sure what to expect, but for years we had heard about the mysterious, beautiful synchronous fireflies in our nearby Smoky Mountains. We walked a shortContinue reading “When It’s Dark”

When Your Heart and Strength Fail.

Psalms 73:26 says, “My heart and my strength may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever”. My strength and heart will fail,but Godnever will. And I know this to be true. These aren’t just words. I am not just hoping or wishing. Still, if I’m honest, a situation ofContinue reading “When Your Heart and Strength Fail.”

When you want God to explain Himself…

Just in case you are suffering and need some deep truth about our Lord, (and just in case you need to know God is at work through the next generation), read this from my sweet Jenna Mitchum. I’ve been reading the book of Job, a book I continue to come back to, but this timeContinue reading “When you want God to explain Himself…”

When we are strong, and when we are not, Jesus is there.

When our faith is strong, Jesus is there. When we fall apart, He is still there. Jesus has just finished teaching the famous parables about the blind leading the blind, and building our houses on the rock (Luke 6), and then walks into Capernaum. He is quickly met by Jewish elders requesting help for aContinue reading “When we are strong, and when we are not, Jesus is there.”

Don’t allow the enemy to use past wounds for future gains

I’m sharing this previous post again today just in case someone else, besides just me, needs it….❤️ What should have been a day of relaxing and laughing with friends while tubing on the Little River in the Smoky Mountains turned into a terrifying moment for me. I had floated that river for years. The sunContinue reading “Don’t allow the enemy to use past wounds for future gains”

Will you be able to stand?

Right now, we are seeing the winds of hard days and our “cancel culture” blowing away those who aren’t planted with deep roots in biblical truth. Psalm 1 compares those who follow God to a strong tree planted by rivers of refreshing water and goes on to say, “The ungodly are not so, but areContinue reading “Will you be able to stand?”

Hot Fudge Sauce. And Sin.

Yes. Hot fudge sauce. But, we will get to that in a moment. Boaz has arrived on the scene (Ruth 2). Boaz was a godly man. While Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, had taken them back to the wilderness and left the Promised Land during the famine, Boaz had stayed. (Ruth 2) During the hard days, BoazContinue reading “Hot Fudge Sauce. And Sin.”

“Just Call Me Bitter“

One thing about the Bible, it is real. Things aren’t sugar-coated. Even those God used mightily are shown to have flaws. They aren’t always strong, joyful, or without sin. (see David in the Psalms, Jeremiah in Lamentations, Peter in the Gospels). And the book of Ruth, isn’t all sunshine and love story either. When Naomi,Continue reading ““Just Call Me Bitter“”

SILENCE

Silence. That day after the Savior had died. The pounding of the nails, the jeers of the crowd, His cries of pain. Now Silent. His body in the tomb. What now? They surely longed to hear His comforting voice. But Silence. They had left jobs, families, everything to follow Him. Now what? Silence. Nothing.But.Silence. Confused,Continue reading “SILENCE”

Some days the love of Christ seems so far away.

Some days it feels like the love of Christ is a thing to be experienced later, a Heaven thing, a later on, a not-soon-enough, far away thing. I catch myself longing for what, in truth, I already have and have all the time as a Christian. I already have the love of Christ. I possessContinue reading “Some days the love of Christ seems so far away.”

One of the most shared things I’ve ever written—

This remains one of the most shared things I’ve ever written. It’s hard truth, but there is HOPE! —- They are some of the most miserable people I know–young adults who haven’t really picked a side. They try to live in two worlds—the one they rule and the one where Jesus makes the rules. TheyContinue reading “One of the most shared things I’ve ever written—”

When we fall apart. He is still there.

As I continue to think about the Lord and His interactions with others, these weeks before Easter,I’m reminded of these two wonderful, but contrasting, examples. Jesus has just finished teaching the famous parables about the blind leading the blind, and building our houses on the rock (Luke 6), and then walks into Capernaum. He isContinue reading “When we fall apart. He is still there.”

When Life Sucks You Dry

There are THOSE moments when the stuff of this life simply sucks you dry. And you are a Christian. There are days where the problems scream, and everything in you has to fight to remember truth. There are days the battle seems great and the blessings feel, well, small. Real small. And stress, and worry,Continue reading “When Life Sucks You Dry”