I voiced the questions. I shared the doubts in full honesty with the One who holds me in the palm of His hand. I also talked with Him about the things going well—the areas where I felt strong and capable. I’ve learned to bring even that to the Father—my strengths, my wins, my sense of control—because the goal isn’t to feel good about myself, but to stay connected to the Vine.

Whether I choose to acknowledge it or not, life is a daily battle. In the spiritual realm, a war has been waged and we’re in it. But we were not created to fight these battles alone. We need spiritual weapons to fight spiritual battles.

While painful to realize that I had so completely bought into a lie, the realization brought so much freedom to my soul and depth to my prayer life. How I viewed God directly affected what I spoke with Him about...

A gentle calm began to settle over me. New thoughts emerged, slowly and steady at first and then they began to build like a quiet stream joining a flowing river. Every “Yikes!” started to transform into a “Yay!”

Gardens show up many times in the Bible. There are areas of my spiritual life that could use the beautification of flowers, but I just don’t want to plant them. May I encourage you to ask God to give you the motivation today? A tiny gesture of obedience can reap giant rewards.

Let’s take a mental trip through the car wash that I hope will inspire you to take a few minutes to pause, sit, receive, and then step forward renewed. The car wash represents our intentional entrance to sit in the presence of God. 

I knew I needed to talk to God about the day, but I didn’t have the energy. I disappeared under the covers and simply said, “Let’s talk in the morning.”

Undoing the wonky wiring in our brain... many of our anxieties stem from bad thoughts that are ingrained in our minds.

I identify with Eve, surrounded by the abundant blessings of God, yet still feeling a hunger for “more.” Contentment clashes...