the Father's heart

(Photo by Mahir Uysal on Unsplash) If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. John 8:31-32 Staying free doesn't just happen. Getting free can be very exciting and may carry you for a while. But a day will come when the freedom you received will be challenged. It may come in the form of heartache, sin, sickness, a hurt, or some other way like complacency. Life never goes smoothly all the time. You will

(Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash) He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Psalm 40:2-3 Last time I wrote about coming out of the pit and told you that after I joined the Mission Board, I was about to turn another corner. At the point of joining, I was still looking for a way to get closer to God. I still wasn't convinced that He loved

(Photo by Li Yang on Unsplash) Save me O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. Psalm 69:1 I have been writing my story in hopes that it will help someone who relates in some way to what I went through, and will know there is hope. This post is part three. You can read Part one here and the part two here. I also want my readers to feel like they know me a little bit. I need to back up in my story because I left out a significant event, and that was forgiving the pastor

Chains can be visible or invisible. When you are a slave to something like fear, the chains are not physical and can't be seen. And sometimes that might be worse because it's harder to identify and defeat. Consider the following: Mental slavery is a state of mind where discerning between liberation and enslavement is twisted. Where one becomes trapped by misinformation about self and the world... Mental Slavery is far more sinister than physical slavery because the chains are

(Photo by Hugues de BUYER-MIMEURE on Unsplash) Faith is the path to freedom. Remember when you first found Me? Remember when your eyes were opened to the realization that I was the Savior of the world and if you wanted to spend eternity in heaven, you would have to have faith that I would save you? You knew there was nothing you could do to save yourself, but it was by grace through faith in Me? That faith you exercised then is the same faith it takes to live your life now. I

The Lord sets prisoners free. That's what the Bible says. In fact, it says it more than once. The Lord sets prisoners free. Psalm 146:7b I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains. Psalm 116:16b ...and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. Isaiah 61:1b NLT A prisoner is defined as a person or thing that is deprived of liberty or kept in restraint. Are there any areas in your life where you feel deprived o

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was speaking to a group of nuns about the secret of his success. “It’s not my intelligence,” he told the nuns “for you are far more intelligent than I am. The reason I am speaking to you is because my words have power. My words have power because every day for fifty-five years, I have spent an hour in God’s presence.” I am learning that the most important part of my day is the time I spend in the presence of God. I know He is always with me, but I a

My pastor has been doing a series on forgiveness called Christmas is Forgiving. As he was preaching Sunday morning, I was reminded of a time when I couldn't forgive. I was so angry at what had been done to my dad, that I felt hatred for the one who hurt him. It affected every area of my life. I opened a door to the enemy to wreak havoc, and that's precisely what he did. You know how they say that unforgiveness affects you more than the one who has hurt you? It's true! The one

Jesus wept. John 11:35 As a girl, I knew this as the shortest verse in the Bible, but I didn't understand it's significance. I knew the story, but His weeping didn't mean anything to me personally. It was something that happened long ago, and I couldn't relate. After all, Jesus was living on the earth, and those around him could see and touch Him. But I couldn't. How was a story that happened so long ago supposed to help me now? You may remember the story. Lazarus, the brot

It's amazing to me that know matter how many times God shows up for me, I'm still not convinced He will the next time. I also know that when I ask God for something, I have my ideas of how I would like it answered, but often God gives me something different. Last Saturday was my Birthday and I attended a Freedom Conference Friday night and Saturday. On Friday night, I began to ask God for something special to happen the next day in honor of my Birthday. I said, "Lord, I'm pos