Author: hcfwomen

If you don’t know where to start, start with a prayer. Talk to God, and He will lead you. Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be known by God.”

Reflecting on past life experiences, whether it be loss, sickness, suffering, or even joyful and happy times, God has taught me to never cease praying. As humans we see some only pray and seek God when it comes to the hard times, but as the Bible teaches us, we should pray in good as well as hard times. It’s so easy to not pray and give thanks when life is good, and you don’t have a worry or a heartache…to only seek him when we’re in need.

Growing up in a Baptist home, I was taught to pray with conviction. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with one of my uncles, who has always had a positive influence in my life. As we were catching up on how we had been doing lately, he started to fill me in about how powerful prayers had recently affected his life and how, unknown to me, he had recently been battling cancer. He was told by a doctor that due to his age and current health conditions, among other things, treatment was not an option, as he would not likely survive. He asked, “Why would you not give me a chance?” And the doctor told him, “You would have to pass a series of tests in order to receive the treatment or even be eligible for the treatment.” My uncle replied, “Let’s do it!” My uncle told his doctor, “My God is bigger than anything! And through my family and my prayers, I believe in Jesus’ name, I can be healed, and His will be done!” After a few days and his prayers, along with his family of prayer warriors, my uncle returned to the clinic for the testing.

A few days went by, and my uncle received a phone call from his doctor saying to him, “We have great news; you are eligible for treatment. Come in, and we can start your treatments!” Praise God! Now the real work began, as treatments would be underway. As he would return to the facility daily to receive treatments, he would take his Bible and read and pray, as well as meet new people and minister to them. As he got to know other patients, he would start to pray healing over them and encourage them to keep the faith! After a long journey of treatments and dealing with the effects of the treatment: there were many horrible days of feeling bad and some good days. Once treatments were finally done, the day came to go back to the doctor’s office. The doctor came in and said, “Well, great news, all the scans and tests came back and show you are now cancer free!” In that moment, my uncle praised God, proclaiming, “Jesus, my Almighty Savior and Healer, You have healed me, and I will praise You and I will testify to your healing and ministry and tell of how you have healed me!” Ever since that day, he has done just that! He always sings praises to our King, and ministers to others who are in need who have no hope. He continues to be a disciple of Christ! 

Not only has his experience been his testimony, but that doctor has decided to never let any age limit or past medical history be a deciding factor in who does or does not get treatment. The doctor told my uncle, “Sir, I know that as doctors, we are expected to know all the answers, but we are human, and we make mistakes as well. I have watched you through your treatments. I admire your faith and have seen you praying, and you have taught me through power of prayer, anything is possible!”

As I listened to my uncle, my eyes filled with tears of joy, to know how one person can truly make a difference! His entire life and his testimony are perfect examples of a disciple who has always committed his life to minister to others and has always dedicated his life to helping others find Christ.  Even in his worst times, and maybe even scariest times, he continued to have faith and never gave up knowing that the Lord had the final say! 

I am truly blessed with my family, which includes many disciples of Christ, and from a child even to this day, I have learned so much from every single one of our patriarchs! I pray that I can continue to show to my children and grandchildren the same faith in prayer and trust in the Lord.

We want to thank Linda Hernandez for sharing this post.

I know for some of us truth is a word that brings out the explorer in us. It’s something to be discovered and uncovered. For others, even just hearing or reading the word “truth” bubbles up fear, uncertainty, and a mental wall ready to crash down and protect us.

There was a time when my marriage was breaking, and I “needed” to know the truth. It would help me heal and give me closure. Knowing the truth would make me understand and understanding would fix the destruction in my heart and life. It didn’t. From then until now I have learned that not all truth is worth seeking. Not all truth needs to be known. The truth that was worth seeking, that fixed the destruction, was who God is and how He loves me. For all of my life, I believed that God loved others oh so much and I…I was an afterthought. So, I poured it all and then some into being a daughter, mother, wife, and friend. But the second my marriage broke, so did that truth. The one people-pleasers believe so well: We are only loved because of what we do. If our actions fall short, so does the love. If we stop, then our people will no longer love us; because people-pleasers tend to believe we are not loveable. We can work our whole lives giving and it’s never going to be enough because God is the only “enough”. 

My favorite verse God gave to me when I was a teenager, during a time where I really needed Him to speak, was this:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 NIV 

He knew then that I needed that verse like an anthem. He brought me back to it yet again. Because I never really grasped that He has seen into the depths of my heart, all the dark places, and He loved me still. To be honest it’s something I must choose to walk in. As I pull back more of the curtain on who God is and the “me” He has for me, I’m realizing that all of the sources in which I used to seek after love other than God Himself, are now the places that I can pour love into because I finally believe that I am truly loved by Him. You see, in finding His peace, you can more readily love from your heart and His. In a world where the truth is subjective, our God’s truth is everlasting and so faceted, He does not change like shifting shadows. His word and heart are where we can all find the truth without fear, it’s where seeking it brings healing and peace. 

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

James 1:17 NIV

We want to thank Lauran Lancaster for sharing this post.

We are taught to be honest and tell the truth. I think we also must learn to seek truth and believe truth. As Christians we are supposed to think about what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise as Philippians 4:8 states. That means we must recognize negative thoughts and lies we wrongly believe and replace them with truth. I am one that must intentionally choose to take my untrue and negative thoughts (insecurity, doubt, and fear) captive and seek truth. The best way to battle this is with the truth in the Bible. 

The belt of truth is the first piece of the armor of God in Ephesians 6. The belt of truth holds the sword of the spirit. The sword of the spirit is God’s word which is the greatest spiritual weapon. 

I picked the below verse to say to my children as part of their bedtime routine. I didn’t expect that it would become so important to me as this truth was impressed upon my heart and mind.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10

This verse is filled with good truth. 

– We belong to God.  
– God created me. And you. 
– We are His masterpiece. Not just a creation but His outstanding work of art! 
– You are forgiven and redeemed by Jesus. You are chosen. 
– God has good things for you to do. 
– God has an intentional purpose for you. And He planned it long ago. 

It is through God’s word that we can recognize the enemy’s deceit and replace it with truth. When I am tempted with negative thoughts and lies, I remind myself of the truth in this verse. Knowing our identity in Christ and knowing the character of God is so important. He is a good God. He has good plans for us. God loves us and we can trust Him with our future. We can have hope and confidence in His work in our life.

I hope you are reminded of your worth and significance to God with this verse and that He has good plans for you and your life. You are perfectly designed to do His good work. Seek truth from the Bible, believe it, and use it.

We want to thank Bailey Adams for sharing this post.

About 15 years ago I received my wake-up call. You know, that one where you read in your Bible that says, “Wake up sleeper!” (Ephesians 5:14) Well, that was me. Out of a deep sleep I was told it was TIME.

I knew what time it was. I was abused as a small child and I was still carrying ALL the scars, pain, shame, guilt, and most of all the chains and shackles. The Holy Spirit became my teacher. I did not know where or how to start, but the next time I heard that voice He told me to study. If you attended school with me, then you understand my lack of studying and you can stop laughing so hard now.

My only hope in beginning to study was that I was able to constantly ask the Holy Spirit, “What does that mean?” And the more I began to study, the more I was seeking what was true. It was the answer to why and how someone could do that to a child. I would walk and ponder, get mad, and sometimes yell. But I kept seeking truth in His word.

As I studied, I was in John 15 and the word “abide” was used ten times in the first ten verses. What does “abide” mean? It means to dwell, remain, be present, to be held and kept. In abiding, I studied and sought the truth. If you are in my Life Group or Bible study group, you have heard how I was able to forgive and heal my mind, heart, and soul.

I am now able to share my darkest secret and I am free from the chains and shackles that held me captive my whole life. If you continue to seek God, you will know the truth and the truth will make you free. (John 8:32) Believers in Christ are set free from sin. Jesus warned us that everyone who commits sin is enslaved to sin. Sin seeks to control us. But as a believer in Christ, believer’s sins are forgiven because Jesus sets the believer free from the slavery to sin. Sin will try to gain control and Satan never gives up. However, we are free in Christ! Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Christ has set you free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2)

So, what has changed? Believers have changed their master. Believers are now servants to righteousness and God will be working in every true believer to make them holy. Being filled with the Holy Spirit will help believers to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. (Phil. 2:12-13)

Here are a few benefits of being saved by faith in Christ!!

*Believers will enjoy being members of Christ’s body and part of His family.

*We can realize victory over sin by being filled with the Holy Spirit which will result in being empowered in the inner person. (Ephesians 3:16)

*The Holy Spirit will help believers pray and understand scripture.

*God teaches us that we can find Him if we seek Him sincerely and deeply.

*The facts of the universe and life will become obvious. If we seek wisdom in the pages of the Bible, we will know the truth and our God more deeply. Truth is found as we seek God in the pages of scripture.

True freedom is to let go of all those things from your past, give it to God, and allow Him to show you His plans for your future. It is not easy at all, but the payoff is huge! There is a new you that will wake up grateful and joyful. I have a picture in my head of what the joyful Julie wants to look like. It looks something like this…

In 2 Samuel 6:14-22, King David was so happy that the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of horns. King David danced with all his might in the streets. They partied in the streets and God was the reason!

What an example of joy and freedom! I think the Lord might like that! So, my question for you today: Where is your joy and freedom?

We want to thank Julie Duke for sharing this post.

In March 2024 my Dad passed away and since then I have been grieving that loss. I have lost people in my life that I am close to but never anyone as close as my Dad. He was a great man who loved me and my family so well and he taught me so many things that dads are supposed to teach their daughters. Probably the most important thing he taught me was to be a woman who trusts in the Lord.

I knew after he passed it was going to be hard. I see my Dad in so many things around me, the cotton that grows in a field near me, farmers on their tractors and even in my own children. So, I knew after my Dad passed that I wanted to grieve well and grieve with hope. And as most people experience the loss of someone and are needing help grieving, they seek out help from others, the newest grief book or devotional, or even social media for advice on how to grieve. Not to say those things are bad but it was not helping me at all. So, one day it was pressed on me to start reading the Bible chronologically through the Bible Recap. I highly recommend it. They even have a children’s version too. I knew that nothing else was going to help me through my grief like being in the word. 

Well, if you read through the Bible chronologically, on day 4 you start the book of Job. Job is the 18th book of the Bible but chronologically it comes after Genesis chapter 11. If you don’t know much about the book of Job, I encourage you to look up the Bible Project and watch the video over it. If there was anyone, other than Jesus, that suffered in the Bible it was Job. He was a righteous man that was going through hard times. This was the exact type of grief help I needed, to see how he grieved and overcame. Most people think this book of the Bible can be so depressing because of all that Job endured, but I found it to be quite encouraging in the way that Job remained faithful to God even in his grief. 

In Job 29:4 it says, “I would be as I was in the days of my youth when God’s friendship rested on my tent.” Here Job is at one of his lowest points and is reflecting to his youth when God’s friendship rested on his home. It’s not that he lost faith in God while he was going through the hard times, but it was a reminder to him of God’s friendship then and now. 

That is what I had to do every day when I woke up in tears, when someone said my Dad’s name or when I saw a farmer on his tractor and a sudden rush of emotions came over me. I had to look back over my life, remember my friendship with the loving Father and know that I still have that friendship, and it remains over my tent. Not only did knowing this truth about our Father help me grieve well, but so did spending time in His Word more than I ever had before. 

Grief in the Bible is defined as pain in the body and mind or being in sorrow. Grief is not just the loss of someone; it can be grief over a physical aliment, loss of job, intrusive thoughts, etc. There is also no timeline of when grief will be over, everyone’s journey is different. 

So, whatever your grief is, I encourage you to seek the Lord through His Word because He is the truth during your grief. I still have moments where I can be fine one minute and sobbing the next over my dad, but I’m reminded to seek the Lord and to look back at my youth at his abundant blessings over my life.

We want to thank Bethany Williams for sharing this post.

Several years ago, our family believed God was calling us from our place of comfort and security and into a season of transition. We never imagined going from this beautiful place and ending up in the wilderness. Each day, we would cry out to the Lord and wonder what went wrong. We knew without a single ounce of doubt that we had heard His voice, so why were we here? Where did the road veer off? How had we gotten so far off track we couldn’t see The Light any longer?

It was here where we would quiet our hearts and realize, when you are looking for a map, sometimes the answer is God saying, “Take My hand. I’m going to guide you through this.”

As I was preparing for this, God brought me to the story of Hagar. She found herself in this season not once, but twice. She had run away and began to cry out and plead for the answers she so desperately desired. He would show her the well, and still, with Hagar in this wilderness place, she would tell God, “I see the God who sees me.” With the gift of desperation, she prayed, knowing, “God, You are all I have, but You are all I need.”

Other places in the Bible will show us many times where God was right there in the midst of the very people who loved Him and worshiped Him, but they were blind to His presence.

• Jacob – “I was unaware He was there.”
• Mary – thought he was the gardener.
• The two people walking to Emmaus.
• Samuel thought He was Eli.

We as Christians need to develop a healthy habit of listening to God’s voice before we get to this place of feeling left or forsaken in a place of wilderness. So, when we are there, His voice is what we hear, and others we do not harken to. He can use anything to speak to you. I mean, in the Bible, he used a donkey, a tumbleweed, fire……It’s just about finding yourself present in His presence.

Psalm 94:19 says, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”

The God of Heaven whom we serve is always there to console us, and in that consolation, the outcome is Joy. Unspeakable, everlasting, pure…..JOY.

Can we just breathe that in for a minute? God, hold me in this moment. Allow me to be as Hosea and say with my lips, “I came out of the wilderness leaning on my beloved.”

When I look back at our time where so many things were uncertain, I think of how God sees from the beginning to the end, and even when we can’t see ourselves, we have to know that He is sovereign. We have to trust Him with every step. God, You are good in my good and You are equally good in my suffering. The wilderness is a revealing season. What have I trained for? What have I been taught my whole life? When the darkness comes, I have the light deep inside of me, to speak it from my mouth and light up my surroundings. As a mother, I have deep rooted instincts to protect my children and do what is necessary when they cry out for help. So does my heavenly father who promised to NEVER leave me.

We want to thank Ashton Riddle for sharing this post.

As we prepare for the start of another school year and changes to schedules, timetables, and the beginning of the year business, I reflect on the steadfastness found in my quiet time with the Lord. I want to share with you a bit of the incredible power and assurance I find in standing on the promises of God. As a working woman navigating through the complexities of life, I often face challenges that can shake my faith and test my resolve in the form of doubt, anxiety, and fear. Yet, amid it all, I have a steadfast anchor: the promises of our loving Father to stand beside me and provide a lift in my uncertainty.

Psalm 119:116 says, “Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.” These words resonate deeply with many of us. They speak to the longing in our hearts for stability, and for assurance that amidst the uncertainties of life, God’s promises remain true and reliable. When the trials of busyness and doubt for what is coming threaten to overwhelm us, we can cry out to God, knowing that He sustains us according to His promises. He is our source of strength and our reason for hope.

In Psalm 119:162, the psalmist declares, “I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil.” Imagine the joy and excitement of discovering a treasure beyond measure. This is the way that God sees us as his daughters. We are loved beyond our earthly bounds; we should approach God’s promises—with an eager anticipation and a heart full of gratitude. Each promise given to us from God is a gift waiting to be unwrapped, revealing God’s goodness and faithfulness in our lives.

Psalm 145:13 assures us, “The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made.” This truth is foundational to our faith. God’s faithfulness is unwavering; His promises are not empty words, but a reflection of His character. He is trustworthy and loving, and He delights in fulfilling His promises to His children. As for His daughters, He delights in the good He can walk us through as we discover the depth and complexity of His love.

As women of faith, we are called to stand firm on God’s promises, not wavering in doubt or fear, but believing with unwavering faith. While this can often be easier said than done, I find steadiness in quiet time even if in the unconventional, traveling from one campus to another or taking a few extra minutes filling up my water bottle away from the busyness. When circumstances seem bleak, let us declare (even inwardly) with confidence that God is faithful, and His promises are true.

Three ways that have helped me to stand on the promises of God:

1. Know His Promises: Dive into God’s Word and discover the promises He has made to His people. I continue to meditate on them, memorize them, and let them take root in my heart. I have a scripture card in my car that I review at stoplights while I wait to continue to review my memory verses.

2. Pray His Promises: In moments of uncertainty or difficulty, pray God’s promises back to Him. Claiming His words over my life, trusting that He will fulfill what He has spoken. I feel as though He delights in the conversation, and connection when I am at a loss for the words.

3. Live by His Promises: Let the promises of God guide your decisions, actions, and attitudes. Live with the confidence that God’s promises are your reality, shaping how you face each day through the words you speak and the actions or reactions you choose.

When considering how to stand on His promises, it is not a passive act, but a deliberate choice to trust in His faithfulness. We make thousands of choices every day regarding our families, friends, and personal responses. As we do so, we will experience His sustaining power, overflowing joy, and unwavering love in ways that exceed our expectations. May our lives be a testimony to the goodness and grace of our God, who sustains us according to His promises.

We want to thank Kate McCandless for sharing this post.

Years ago I wrote a blog post about having faith in the gap, the gap being the wait time between when God says He will do something and when He does it. No one likes being in the gap, and no one likes it to be long.

But the gap is where we stand on God’s promises. It’s where His Word becomes our weapon, because it’s also where weariness and doubt like to creep in.

Sometimes, when we see a phrase like “having faith in the gap,” we might think that means working really hard to believe and declare verses back to God and keep at it until we’ve achieved some special status reserved for those really faith-filled Christians who then get their prayers answered by a God who is now pleased with the fullness of their faith.

And for some people (like me!), if that’s our mindset, then faith feels very hard, maybe even unattainable. So we either give up, or we drive ourselves to exhaustion with all our efforts to have faith.

Can I give you some good news?

That’s not what faith in the gap looks like at all. Faith—the very action of our belief and our trust in a good and holy God—was never meant to be a burden. It was never meant to be tiresome. And it was never meant to be measured by our performance.

Faith is a gift we receive from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:9). It’s also a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

Do you remember when Jesus tells his disciples they can do nothing apart from him (John 15:5)?

If our faith is based on our performance, and if our performance is then what impresses God to make good on His promises, this becomes a system where we get some measure of credit for the work we did.

But isn’t that the exact opposite of the gospel message?

We’re told we’re saved by faith through grace, not by any works on our part (Ephesians 2:8). So, if we didn’t work to get saved, why would we associate faith with our performance?

And if we don’t perform faith, then what do we do? Or rather, what does it mean to have faith, particularly when we’re talking about that gap where we’re standing on God’s promises, waiting on Him to do the work that only He can do?

It helps me to think of my faith as being a trust or an assurance in the character of God, in his nature and his identity. My faith is less about what God can do, but rather, who God is.

Has he given us promises? Of course! And I absolutely recommend devouring God’s word, memorizing it, reciting it. But our faith is in the Promise Maker, not the promises. And we meditate on His word for our sake, not for our performance.

When we get that switched, we try to perform to make the promise happen. But when we rest assured that God is who He says He is, we can endure in the gap for as long as it takes.

One of the promises I stand on daily is “by his stripes, I am healed” (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24). When Jesus was wounded for my sake, when he died and was buried and resurrected again, he then exchanged my wounds, my pain for his healing.

In the natural, I have two chronic health conditions that I’d love to see God heal. I’ve asked many times. I’ve been prayed over many times. Have I seen those conditions healed? Nope, not yet. Do I believe? Absolutely!

I believe God’s Word is true, and as long as I’m in this gap, I’ll continue to have faith in a God who heals. That’s who He is. It’s who He’s always been. Whether He heals me today, tomorrow, or in Heaven, I rest with an assurance that He will make good on His promise. I don’t have to perform any rituals or strive or muster up some level of faith in order to receive something from Him. Instead, I choose to believe He is good and loving all the time. He knows all things and is intimately acquainted with me and my body. He heals in the way and in the time that brings Him the most glory. So be it!

We want to thank Laura Brandenburg for sharing this post.

I think the hardest question I’ve ever had to answer is, “Do you believe? “

Okay, I confess, sometimes I really struggle with that! God’s Word is full of His promises, and He’s never failed to keep every one of them! Remember the covenant He made with Abraham when He promised him a son (Genesis 17:15-27)?

God also promised that Abraham would be the Father of many nations. He made to Noah a promise that He would never flood the earth again, and gave a rainbow as a sign of His covenant, which we still see in the skies today. The promise Jesus made when He said He would return and take us home to be with Him! The Bible is full of His promises, 8,810 and counting!!

He is faithful, so why do I struggle to believe? The answer… I struggle sometimes to believe His promises are for me. Whenever I face a hardship, a life change, failed plans and dreams, tough conversations, trials and tragedy, my default is to panic and let fear consume me.

Not a very good way for a believer to react, right? I’m still learning. I know the truth, but more times than I care to admit, I find myself depending on my own strength. I’m so grateful that Abba is loving, patient, kind, gentle and willing to help me learn and grow. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, 13). I can’t count the times things have happened in my life that I fretted over and worried myself literally sick, just to look back and see that He promised to never leave me or forsake me, that He will always be with me. ( Deuteronomy 31: 6-8, Joshua 1: 5-9, Isaiah 41: 10-13)

His hand has been on my life from the moment I was conceived! I wasn’t always aware of His presence, but He was there. He’s with me now! And when I face things in my life, whatever it is, He gently reminds me that it’s going to be okay, I just need to let Him lead.

His promises are for all of us. I have been learning for the last few years, that I can truly trust Him as I grow in an even deeper relationship with Him. What God says He will do, He will do and I can count on Him. I just have to position myself to see things from His perspective.

Isaiah 55: 8-9 says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, and My ways are not your ways”. He sees everything from the end to the beginning, so He’s not surprised at what’s going on in my life. He has good plans for all of us (Jeremiah 29:11). He has good plans for me, I just have to surrender everything to Him and trust that He knows what is best and that He will take care of me. Sometimes when I can’t see the end, I struggle to remember that. He is a faithful Father and He loves us dearly. If you question that or you struggle to believe how much He loves us, please read John 3:16-17. I’ve had to learn that God is going to “supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

I have nothing to fear. (Psalm 23) I could go on and on, but the truth is that in order for me to trust Abba and stand on His promises, I have to believe what He says!

Mark 9:24 says, “ I believe, but help my unbelief!” I’ve been hearing a song on Air 1 by Charity Gayle called, “I Believe”. There’s one line in that song that really resonates with me and helps bring things into proper prospective when I can’t see how what’s happening in my life is going to get better:

“Every word you speak is a promise that You keep…I believe.“

So, when you’re struggling with whatever life may be throwing at you or you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, hang onto those words!

All of His promises are Yes and Amen! (2 Corinthians 1:20)

We want to thank Janie Keller for sharing this post.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5 -6

This is a wonderful scripture with much promise.  But when you didn’t grow up in church, learning these scriptures, it was hard to understand.  I come from a broken home, alcohol and unrest was a large part of my childhood.  But one thing that my childhood did for me, after all the fear, I became a very strong-minded and determined person.  This can be a good thing or a bad thing.   For me, a lot of bad habits and ideas occurred in me.  I was very OCD, self-reliant and prideful.  This makes it hard to trust in anyone, the Lord included.  When I decided as a youth to attend church, my pride kept me from asking too many questions about the Bible . I guess you could say, I had a strong hunger for Jesus, but I wouldn’t get out of the way to learn about Him.

When we started attending Harvest, after attending other churches, I finally started learning about the Lord.  Sure, I had learned some from the previous churches and was growing some, but by the time I came here, I had been so rooted in my pride it felt natural for me.  I struggled with trusting in the Lord for anything.  I didn’t think He needed my problems, I could handle them on my own.  But God!

Here I am writing on Giving my battles to God.  I felt like I had to tell you some of my back story so you can understand how hard this is for me. I have finally come to the place where I can ask Him for His help.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.  Psalm 27:13 – 14

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

One of the big times I learned to trust in Him was when we were getting older. We lived in a really nice home that He had given us, even though I probably didn’t ask, but it was big with acreage.  It was getting harder to take care of for us.  We were getting close to retiring and it was costly to live there.  I went to an estate sale at another home and felt that it was our home.  I couldn’t explain it but I felt at home.  After telling Dewitt about it, we went to see it and he was not interested.  I started seeking the Lord and His thoughts.  Dewitt wanted to see it again in about a week and we both prayed about it.  I would go on my lunch hour some days and sit in the driveway and talk to God about it.  Read His word and wait.  Yes, I said wait.  Hard for this get ‘er done girl to do. If you wait for what your heart desires, your treasure means more when you get it. But I was determined to let God be in control of this.  He made a way and we made a pretty easy move, except, on the day we had people coming to help us load. The buyers that were to purchase the house of the ones that were buying our home, backed out.  I freaked out, for a while, cried and asked why.  But then we prayed, I gave control back to God and asked Dewitt, what are we going to do.  He told me we would keep getting ready to move and God would work it out.  He did!  That’s another story for another time.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Matthew 6:33

Another time, we were in our reaching forward campaign at Harvest.  We were asked to pledge for our new building.  We prayed about this and filled out our pledge.  This was above our tithe. I was a girl that grew up so poor, MY money was important to me.  I had fought battles, with God sometimes, to get out of that spirit of poverty, but I let Him have control of this.  When we got our letter thanking us for our pledge, what was typed on there was WAY more than we thought we pledged, and I freaked out again.  We prayed about it and told the Lord that if that was what He wanted He would have to take care of it.  We had 3 years to fulfill our pledge and continue paying our tithe.  But God!  He/we paid it off early and had money in the bank like we had not had before.  God really showed us His love.  And even better, with the money we saved on moving to a new, nice, home.  We paid off all our debts and for the first time ever we were debt free.  I am not boasting about us I am boasting on the Lord. 

No matter where you are or what you need or want, let the Lord be in control, trust Him and He will take care of it.  I love Jeremiah 29:11, but have you noticed Jeremiah 29:13 ? “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

We want to thank Debbie Crosby for sharing this post.