Practicing His Presence

We all have ambitions and desires, but as believers, we should weigh them against God’s Word. As important as our earthly pursuits, responsibilities, and relationships may be, they cannot compare to the value of a life spent seeking our heavenly Father. What does it mean to seek God? The phrase describes a wholehearted effort to know the Father and follow Him more closely. Those who pursue this kind of fellowship with God are determined to spend time with Him. They…

From a very young age, I (Colleen) can remember God’s presence in my life. In fact, as a child, my parents described my life as “mystical”. Since my parents were Catholic at the time, they viewed me as going the way of Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, far from a positive thing in their minds. An interesting side-note, I did not learn until I was 45 that my Father and Mother had prayed against my “gifts” until my Dad realized that my…

Many Christians struggle with waiting. There are a lot of things we want right now—and we usually have the ability to follow through on our desires. In fact, that’s what the entire credit card industry is all about: Have it now; pay later. But possessions aren’t the only thing we’re in a rush for. Some people are so eager to be married that they make an unwise choice regarding a mate. Others are in such a hurry to become successful and well-respected…

Some days it’s as if we’re walking perfectly in sync with the Lord. And other days we can’t seem to find Him anywhere. Though many of us try to control this ebb and flow of feeling near to Him, the pattern is likely to continue this side of heaven. That’s why we need to take Jesus’ invitation seriously: “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Participating in the process of our sanctification&mdash…

People enjoy feeling in control of their own schedule, and it can be frustrating when things don’t go according to plan. Yet whoever truly desires to walk in obedience to God must cooperate with His time frame. Consider how you pray about situations in your life. Without realizing it, you may be demanding that the Lord follow the schedule you’ve constructed based on your very limited human wisdom. Yet if we believe God is who He says He is, how can surrendering…

When Abraham Lincoln became president of the United States, he was tasked with leading a fractured nation. Lincoln is viewed as a wise leader and a man of high moral character, but another element to his makeup, perhaps, was the foundation for everything else. He understood that he was inadequate for the task at hand. His response to that inadequacy? Lincoln said, “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to.…

The single most significant decision that has changed my prayer life more than any other, the one step that has brought about greater results than all others combined is this (drum roll, please)... Asking Jesus what I should pray. So simple, and so revolutionizing! Utterly obvious once we consider it, but something we so rarely practice. That is probably one of the side effects of the “prayer is just asking God to do something” view; no doubt it is also more of…

Jesus promised us His joy, but at times it can evade us. There are some important things to understand about this spiritual fruit. As we saw yesterday, the Holy Spirit is its source. And being supernatural in nature, divine joy exists independently of our circumstances. Happiness, on the other hand, comes from external causes, is an earthly in character, and increases or decreases as events change. Holy Spirit-developed joy comes when we: Focus on our relationship with the.…

I helped my elderly dog, Wilson, out to the grass and in the process, I released the leash of our younger dog, Coach, for just a minute. As I bent to pick up Coach’s lead, he spied a bunny. Off he went, ripping the leash from my right hand and corkscrewing my ring finger in the process. I fell to the grass and cried out in pain. After returning from urgent care and learning I’d need surgery, I begged God for help. “I’m a writer! How will I type? What…