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Using Your Senses to Understand Message

Proverbs 23:12 “Pay close attention to the teaching that corrects you, and open your heart to every word of instruction.” TPT

Isaiah 11:2 “And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” NLT

Luke 17:6 “The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!”

At the risk of looking like a “weirdo,” I will share how the Lord has been growing my faith to believe that He can communicate with me through all of my senses. I pray with people to have their spiritual eyes and ears opened to the Holy Spirit as I hold space for them to connect with the Trinity — Papa God (which makes me smile as I write this, because I have come into a precious connection with my heavenly Father in recent weeks), Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. Occasionally, someone will smell something during prayer — such as a flower — to communicate something special to the person. Several years ago, the Lord allowed me to smell lavender while praying and resting in Him. There was no plant or flower in my house, yet I smelled lavender. It was as if the Lord was playing a game with me because the smell caused me to learn about lavender tea, which brought relaxation to me after I drank a few cups of it.

For the past year I have battled a chronic cough that has baffled me and the doctors that have tried to treat it. None of the 5 medications (allergy and asthma meds) have taken the cough completely away — it has been a most frustrating experience to receive healthcare in a pandemic. Of course, I have been prayed for and I pray for the Lord to give me His wisdom, insight, understanding and revelation knowledge so that I can be free from this harassment. The cough has at times prevented me from using my voice while in a prayer session or counseling appointment.

Early last year I began to smell garlic when I got into my truck. At first, I thought my husband and I had forgotten leftovers in the back seat, so we looked throughout the vehicle and nothing was found. Throughout the entire year, I periodically smelled pungent garlic when I got into the truck. I googled “why people smell pungent smells” and learned about an experience of a woman who smelled sewer smells for over a decade. Alrighty then! That was not terribly encouraging to me. I began to believe that smelling garlic in my truck was “my new normal.” So I told myself to ignore the smell and hopefully it would go away. 🙂 That didn’t work either!

Then one late December Sunday morning, as we were driving to church and I was smelling garlic along the way, I got a little nudge from Holy Spirit to have enough faith to believe the garlic smell was a message to me from Him — to believe that garlic could benefit my immune system. I purchased garlic supplements that day and have been using the product almost one month. I no longer smell garlic when I get into my vehicle and my cough has lessened.

I am learning to simply trust the Lord as He communicates in many different ways. Sometimes He gives me knowledge by showing me something in a dream — the Lord told me in a dream that my husband would be retiring earlier than planned. I dreamed that Rick’s car on his side of the garage was very tiny — like a smart car. I have known for many years when the Lord shows me something about a vehicle, it usually is related to life or ministry. That is the language He uses with me. Rick did retire earlier than planned — and he is enjoying the freedom to do whatever he wants to do whenever he wants to do it!

Now He is inviting me to trust Him more fully with other senses as He communicates His messages to me. Do you have enough faith to listen, look or smell whatever the Lord is communicating to you? I would love to hear about your experiences or encounters with the Lord as He communicates in unusual ways. Please consider sharing in the comments section or by connecting with me at viannesatterfield55@gmail.com.

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Comfort: Giving and Receiving

Written by Vianne Satterfield

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ” All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”

Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”

John 14:16-17a “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.”

The Lord is teaching me about giving and receiving comfort, as I have attended multiple funerals of friends — most of the losses were sudden and unexpected. It has been a heartbreaking 10 months, as I have mourned with friends the loss of their spouse, an adult child, and a co-worker. My husband and I are mourning the loss of our cat, Chaz, who recently passed. Click on the link below to view a picture of me and my kitty who recently passed on. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ITo9mh4A_DMaQPNNW4krfTmHH_eC1enS/view?usp=sharing

It is heartbreaking, yet those who knew and trusted Jesus, they are with Jesus now — without pain, sorrow and discomfort. I can rejoice in the hope of eternal life, eternal love and eternal presence of my Lord. I believe God’s Word to be true. For it is written, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)

It is comforting to have the hope of being reunited with loved ones — however, in the meantime, grieving can be messy and tiring as my mind catches up with the reality of the loss when triggers occur throughout the day. Indeed Jesus is close to the brokenhearted.

Sometimes I have reached for sugar or carbs to “help” the grief process — which for the record, does not really help other than to “feel good” for 30 seconds or so. But seeking comfort through food (if you can call Oreo cookies “food,”) is a common way we humans seek comfort, although it often is not fulfilling, nor is it long-lasting.

The Holy Spirit comforts me like only He can do — through connecting with Him in prayer one-on-one and with others. As I was seeking the Lord about Chaz’s healthcare, I experienced profound compassion from the Lord as I received from His Presence through an inner healing prayer session. As I placed my cat into the lap of the Lord, I sensed His care and compassion like never before. He cares about every detail of our lives — even concerning the 4-legged furry family members.

The Holy Spirit also brought me comfort when He orchestrated a visitation of three skittish stray cats in a parking lot where we had parked the truck. Seeing those cats run for cover under our truck and out under the nearby fence reminded me that He takes care of all of His creation. His unfailing love will see me through the sadness and grief of all the losses of this year and beyond.

Sharing favorite memories of a loved one brings comfort as well. One of the best ways of honoring a loved one is to remember their legacy and to share it with someone. Losses bring up memories of other loved ones who have passed and the cycle of honoring their memory continues to bring comfort. A favorite memory of my cat Chaz occurred when he would “get busy,” on his blanket. He commanded an audience of one (my husband) where Chaz would make “biscuits” by kneading with all four paws on the blanket. He did this activity nearly every day (sometimes multiple times a day) from the day we got him in our home until the day he passed — over 3,322 days of getting busy! Chaz brought us a lot of joy and he was a very happy cat until disease took away his quality of life. We loved him dearly and he will be missed and never forgotten. Eventually I will be able to open my home and heart to another kitty when the time is right.

When you experience grief and loss, I hope you experience comfort from the Holy Spirit, love and compassion from others, and from joyful memories of their life. May the season of mourning turn into joy and gladness once again as you experience His compassion and comfort.

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The JOY Anointing

Written by Vianne Satterfield

Galatians 5:22-23 NLT “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

Psalm 16:11 NLT “You will show me the way of life, granting to me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”

Nehemiah 8:10 NLT “. . . Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

The Lord has been cultivating His joy in me, as I have been discovering my identity as a carrier of His joy that breaks the yoke of bondage and brings healing. He is showing me His joy is a weapon that takes out darkness, despair and discouragement. His joy is contagious! His joy is not based upon circumstances — it is grown in the secret place of connection with Jesus by receiving His love, releasing all that doesn’t belong in me and walking in the fullness of His gifts for me. You too can receive and walk in the fullness of His JOY. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength.

Several weeks ago, I received an odd request from one of my intercessor friends. She asked me to record my laughter and send the audio to her. She spoke a word of encouragement to me that day in May 2021 — that my laughter is anointed of God to bring joy to those who hear it. I followed through with the request. I sat in my office and laughed aloud — I even snorted and had a belly laugh as I recorded it. I sent the audio of my laughter to my friend. She shared it with her friend, then another friend wanted to hear it. Soon, several people heard about the laughter audio and requested to hear it. My laughter audio has “traveled” to Tennessee, Ohio, New York, Florida, Massachuesets, California, Georgia and Kentucky. I am laughing now just thinking about this odd request!

Let the joy of the Lord splash onto you. Click for the laughter audio. https://linksharing.samsungcloud.com/xfaSmS5gvwVJ

Yet, joy and laughter chases away gloom and sadness. Levity is my gift from the Lord that I received through spending time connecting with Jesus — talking to Him and using my imagination to experience His Presence in my memories and my day to day life. Hanging out with Jesus is FUN! Along the way I have gathered some props that reflect the Lord’s work in my heart that has brought healing and SO MUCH JOY! The props include a Hawaiian lei, pineapple shaped yellow sunglasses, a tiara, funny teeth, a light up microphone and bubble blowing toys. Sometimes I wear or use the items on Zoom calls when I facilitate and intercede inner healing sessions. Sometimes I wear the items when I meet with people in person. It might be an unusual attire, however, it represents the healing and wholeness that I have received from the Lord and I cannot contain the joy! It must be shared!

Recently, I had the opportunity to not only experience the joy of the Lord, but to also CHOOSE JOY in the hard places of life – health concerns of friends and family whom have been significantly impacted by infection and disease. By placing the lei around my neck and wearing my silly sunglasses, it reminded me that I can choose joy. Do not allow difficult circumstances rob you of the joy or peace that is yours. Activate the joy of the Lord as you trust Him in every situation.

Job 8:21 reminds me that joy can return despite difficult places — “He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” Let the joy of the Lord be what strengthens you in times of hardship, difficulty or trial. Rely on His strength to get you through the valley. Practice joy and appreciation each day — say “Thank you Lord for letting me partner with You in the assignment of the day — whether it is herding a frightened cat, managing a busy family life, or ________.”

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Cultivate Your Garden

Written by Vianne Satterfield

John 15:5, 8 – 9 (AMP)

“I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for (otherwise) apart from Me (that is, cut off from vital union with Me) you can do nothing. . . . My Father is glorified and honored by this, when you bear much fruit, and prove yourselves to be My (true) disciples. I have loved you just as the Father has loved Me; remain in My love (and do not doubt My love for you.)”

My husband and I planted yellow squash, cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes and strawberries in early Spring, with the hope of enjoying fresh vegetables and fruit throughout the Summer months. I do not have a “green thumb” but decided to experiment with planting a garden in big pots (as the high cost of lumber made it too expensive for a raised garden bed). I am enjoying fresh produce from my own backyard! It is amazing to me that the plants are growing and producing several times a week. We have learned ways of cultivating the garden and helping it to grow and produce good fruit or vegetables. Here are some spiritual parallels that I have learned along the way too, which I would like to share.

The plants need good soil with fertilizer, access to sunlight and consistent watering. My husband installed a drip irrigation system so that each pot gets a measured amount of water consistently. Be sure there are no kinks in your hose that can stop the flow of water. We can have “spiritual kinks” that stop the flow of the Spirit too. Is there something or a situation that has you “bent out of shape?” Take it to the Lord in prayer to resolve it so the flow can be restored.

As the plant produces more vegetables, it needed more water. So it is with our spiritual garden — we need to be planted in a good environment with regular access to the SONLIGHT of connection with Jesus, the Light of the world, and with the Holy Spirit, drinking in the Living water — especially as we are producing fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 (AMP) “But the fruit of the Spirit (the result of His presence within us) is love (unselfish concern for others), joy, (inner) peace, patience (not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Over time, each plant has grown and needed some kind of support. The cucumber needed a special trellis so that the vine could attach itself to something to help it grow. The other plants needed stakes or a metal cage to help contain and support it.

We all need support from time to time. We need community. We are not made to do the Christian life alone! Hebrews 10:24-25 (AMP) “And let us consider (thoughtfully) how we may encourage one another to love and to do good deeds, not forsaking our meeting together (as believers for worship and instruction), as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more (faithfully) as you see the day (of Christ’s return) approaching.” We can find support through a variety of small groups within churches or within our community, or through friendships. We can even find community within larger groups such as social media. There is a group for just about every kind of need or want. Be intentional about finding community and be supportive within a like-minded group.

I have appreciated support from new and “old” friends through my church, my life group, my colleagues, my family members and even Facebook. I recently learned of the terminal illness of my beloved cat, Chazzy Boy, and through Facebook, I could instantly share with many people asking for their prayer support for us. I have been priviledged to have the opportunity to pray with dozens of people through the Prophetic Heart Healing mentorship program these past several weeks. I have interceded, facilitated and received during these special prayer times, that offer so much hope, healing and breakthrough. I found community and new friends within this mentorship program and I am profoundly grateful for being able to participate, learn and grow through this group. These people have become very dear to me as we share common experiences together.

I have to wait patiently for the plants to produce. Each day I will check the garden to see the progress. I am still waiting on the green peppers to turn yellow or orange, as I cannot eat green peppers without digestive issues! Sometimes there are problems or disease that form on the plants that may stop it from producing as it should. The cucumber plant has some kind of “dust” on its leaves that have required a spray remedy. My husband has done a great job of researching to learn about and apply the remedy, so that the plant can be healthy. So too, our spiritual garden may need remedies to help it become healthy when we get sick or infected — whether it be physically, emotionally or spiritually. Sometimes we need the support of a trained professional such as a counselor or a prayer minister to help us receive emotional and spiritual health. Engaging in regular prayer with the Lord helps to alleviate and may even prevent sickness as we present our cares to our loving Lord. Often we need to wait patiently for answers to prayer and know that God’s timing is always best!

At some point, every garden needs to be weeded — to rid it of the dead or dying leaves or roots. Just as weeds suck the life out of a plant, unconfessed sin and unforgiveness can suck the life out of you; your relationships will suffer if you allow spiritual “weeds” to take over your spiritual garden. This is true for both vertical (you and God) and horizontal relationships. Scripture is clear as we are encouraged to ask God to search our hearts to see if there is anything that is offensive to the Lord. (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV) Get in the habit of regularly asking the Lord if there is anything that is offensive to Him — in your thoughts, your actions, your attitudes. Let Him show you and ask for His forgiveness. Allow Him to clean your heart and renew your mind. Let Jesus remove the dead places in your spiritual garden so that life can flow again. Let Jesus uproot bitterness, resentment and anything else that is not of Him. Thankfully, we can be forgiven and cleansed from sin and the things that weigh us down. (I John 1:9 NLT) Indeed confession and repentance is good for the soul!

A couple of times, a few of the plants fell over due to strong winds and not enough weight in the pots to keep them upright. One time, the cucumber plant fell over into the bell pepper plant, which appeared to hurt or damage the pepper plant. It was like a domino effect. Sometimes, we fall down, or get offended by others who fail or fall onto us. Offense does hurt but it is important to let go of the offense as quickly as possible so that it doesn’t grow into a root of bitterness or resentment, which can defile your life and cause all kinds of havoc spiritually and emotionally. Let the Lord set you free from offense. Do not take offense in — do not let it penetrate your heart, as offense can fester and lead to brokenness.

Lastly, enjoy the bounty of the harvest. Psalm 34:8 (AMP) “O taste and see that the Lord (our God) is good; How blessed (fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God) is the man who takes refuge in Him.” Enjoy the Presence of the Lord and the spiritual growth that the Spirit cultivates in you — to be made full and complete and overflowing, so that others can see what a “glorious garden” you have and desire it as well. Time spent with the Lord is never wasted time — it builds us up and may encourage someone else when shared.

I have personally experienced each of these parallels, and I am so grateful for how the Lord shows me spiritual things in everyday life and especially for His healing of brokenness that I have received through connecting with Jesus, so that my spiritual garden can flourish.

I would love to hear how your “spiritual garden” is growing! Share in the comments section.

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Let God Interrupt Your Day

Psalm 23:5c – 6a “. . . . My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life. . . “

While shopping at Publix the other day, I saw a friend from church, and I decided quickly to go after her, as I had not seen her in quite a while. She had come into the store, just as I finished paying for my groceries. Angela is one of those gals that you just love being around! She is delightful, fun, beautiful and it is just a joy to be with her. I asked my husband to wait a minute as I wanted to go talk with her. I had to hurry to find her as Angela weaved her cart (I am from the north) throughout the deli department. Finally I saw that it really was her and I greeted her with a big smile (under the mask of course!) We embraced and talked very briefly about her hectic day preparing for a gathering with family members from different states. I prayed a quick blessing over her and her plans and went on my way.

The Lord used that brief encounter with my friend to remind me that He pursues us with his tender love and goodness. I think He delights in spending time with us. I think He goes after us just to get a glimpse of us because He loves us so deeply. I think He wants to connect with us regularly. He created us for relationship with Him. I also think He wants more than a brief encounter with us.

I am learning about prophetic heart healing through a mentorship program through The Prophetic Heart Healing Network, based in southern California, under the leadership of Elise Tarango. I am learning to facilitate heart healing, intercede during a heart healing session and to receive the goodness and overflowing love, joy, peace and healing during a session. It has been a profound experience of connecting with the Lord in conversation with Him, trusting Him and accepting His invitations to interact. He actively engages with me. He is not just an observer nor is He passively involved. His Presence is real.

As I listened to a teaching on intercession, God interrupted my agenda and I had to answer the call to intercede. I stopped in my tracks and listened to that still small voice, while I wrote what I believe He spoke to me. I believe God is inviting us to engage with Him in a deeper way as He has so much love, joy and peace for us, as we experience Him. I think what He gave to me is for others as well. I heard that Papa God is saying that He is not just a weekend dad — He’s a good, good father that wants active engagement with us throughout our day and night. He wants to play with us, create with us, have fun with us, enjoy our company, talk with us and experience life with us. In this encounter with the Lord, I kept hearing His heart for us to be in relationship with Him — to open our hearts, hands and ourselves to receive and accept His invitation to hang out with Him. I sensed that He emphasized that we do not earn His love and that we do not need to perform or strive or do anything! He just wants to be with us! His love for us is beyond comprehension.

I sensed the Lord saying to step into an encounter with Him, as He is the One who loved us from before the beginning of time. He created time, and He created us for relationship with Him for all of eternity. There’s enough time! He has given us 24 hours each day — He is with us at all times. He is here with you now. He is waiting for you to look up, reach out and accept His invitation to talk and listen with Him.

Let Jesus interrupt your day. Let Jesus interrupt your night. Let Jesus interrupt your agenda. Accept His invitation. Take Him by the hand and let Him lead you in the dance of life.

The True Father God is not absent, uninvolved, distracted or distant. He is present, faithful and attentive. He is for you. He is with you. His love is real and everlasting.

My prayer for myself and for anyone who longs to encounter God — May we take time that You gave us to let go of control, or pride or our agenda, and just be together with You, listening to Your voice as You speak tenderly to us. May we lean into the Lord to let Him minister to us, fill us, refresh us and love us.

I pray that we answer His call and let Him interrupt our day.

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New Adventures

Written by Vianne Satterfield

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

I suppose it began with a desire to live with more purpose and intention. Maybe it was a mid-life crisis that lead me to questioning my legacy. Whatever the case, as I sat with my friend, Sue at the local pizza place, I told her, “If God really wants me to go back to work in counseling, He had better show me each step of the way, because it is too big for me to accomplish on my own!” (That conversation was pre-Covid, when eating together in restaurants was a normal experience.)

I want to be a good steward of everything I possess – every resource, whether it be a spiritual gift, talent, skill, finances, time, or energy. It became my goal to live out a specific mission statement that I felt the Lord had given to me through a time of connection with Him. It sounds great on paper, however, the reality of stepping out of my comfort zone and into a different and unknown territory — setting up a counseling practice — has been scary. I prefer to be comfortable, however, I am learning to lean into the Lord and trust Him more fully each step towards and into this new territory. Every step has had its challenges along the way, which has required me to totally depend upon the Lord for His help, guidance, wisdom, provision and courage.

The Lord has been there every step of my journey. I believe He began answering my prayer as I spoke about it with my friend, Sue. He helped me to see value in what I can offer to those needing hope and healing. He gave me the name of my business. He lead me to the attorney who would assist me in setting up the business. He helped me learn and navigate the various systems to getting my credentials in place. He lead me to a nearby office space that just happened to be available when I wanted to rent it. He helped me find office furnishings and is helping me market my practice so people can find me online. All because I said “yes” to Jesus’ request that I step outside my comfort zone and into my purposeful life — using all of my gifts, talents, abilities, time and energy to build up and encourage others by offering counseling services to adults seeking hope and healing. (Check out my professional website at vianne-satterfield.clientsecure.me)

I received education and training in counseling in the late 80’s, and worked as a counselor in a variety of settings until I stopped not long after I married. I kept my LPC license active “just in case” I needed to return to the workplace. I did not expect to ever want to return to counseling — but God works in mysterious ways! I had stepped away from the counseling field fifteen years ago, and volunteered within various intercessory prayer ministries, and wrote for my blog this past year. That had been my comfort zone until I began sensing His leading me back to the counseling field.

The Scriptures pertaining to God’s presence have been my lifeline and my experience as I have taken these steps towards my new identity as a business owner and licensed professional counselor in private practice. His Presence is real. He was there in my past. He is here now and He is there waiting for me. I am incredibly grateful for the people who have encouraged me and prayed with me throughtout this process. My husband is my cheerleader, furniture mover, desk assembler, “I.T.” guy, encourager, supporter and best friend. Momma Margie, Sue, Laurel, Joan, Deborah, Sheri and Pastor Jon listened, prayed and encouraged me when I experienced self-doubt or fear. Diane sent me texts and prayers that helped sustain me. Several others spoke courage into me and believed for me when I could not see the possibilities. Danny Matthews and the Quiet Waters team prophesied about new territories over me in November of 2019 — none of us knew what God had planned and it is now becoming reality. God is so cool — how He weaves together the tapestry of our lives to create something beautiful! I believe God wants this for all of us, if we are willing to partner with Him.

I am experiencing new ways of connecting with Jesus as I take steps towards and within the new territory. In my prayer time, I sense His presence and connection differently. It is peaceful, inviting and filled with joy. I see Him extending His hand of invitation as if He is asking me to dance with Him. I step over the threshold and accept His invitation by taking His hand and partner with Him in this new place.

I share this to encourage you on your journey with God. Let Him lead you into new places of trust. Connect with His Presence today. He is always there to help, guide, support, teach and comfort. I pray you will accept His invitation to connect with Him today. Share in the comments how your journey with God has brought you to new places of trust and adventure.

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Lost and Found

Written by Vianne Satterfield

Luke 15:8-10 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

My husband wears a special ring that is considered a ‘family heirloom,’ as it was fashioned from several other family gold rings, and has an S-shaped trail of diamonds, which represents the first letter of our last name. The ring has monetary and sentimental value, as his dad wore the ring until his death a couple of years ago.

Several months ago, while driving home from visiting his mom and sister, my husband discovered the ring was gone from his hand. He had lost weight and the ring had been too loose. We stopped and searched under the seats, around the console and we looked everywhere we could think it might be hiding! We felt sickened by the loss of the ring, especially when we phoned his mom to alert her of the lost ring. She too searched throughout her home, driveway and yard. She even searched at the local gas station where Rick had filled up prior to our departure. We retraced our steps and phoned the other businesses where Rick had been that day. The ring was gone and we felt saddened by the its loss.

I prayed and asked God to illuminate its hiding place. We searched everywhere possible, but could not find it. We gave up on finding the ring. We assumed whoever found it would either keep or sell it, as the ring was unique and valuable.

I admit I had given up on finding the ring — even though I had prayed and asked the Lord to illuminate its hiding place. God remembered and He answered my prayer, several months later. While retrieving a Patsy Cline CD that had been rattling around underneath the back seat of the vehicle, Rick found his ring! Surprisingly, it was safely nestled underneath a newspaper clipping of a memoriam of his dad’s passing, next to an “Our Daily Bread” devotional booklet, a package of scrapers, and a paint brush. The ring was hidden under a picture of Rick’s dad! I am not making this up. The family heirloom ring was covered and protected by Rick’s heavenly father.

When Rick showed me what he had found, he looked as if he had seen a ghost! We were thrilled to have found his no-longer-lost ring. We immediately called his mom to share the good news! It was as if the angels were rejoicing with us! What was lost had been found!

This experience reminds me of God’s goodness. When it looks as if there is no way for an answer to prayer, keep believing and keep looking for the WayMaker, our God, to make a way. The answer to your prayer may surprise you. I think God delights in giving good gifts to His kids by showing us that nothing is too difficult for Him. God’s timing is not our timing and His ways of doing things are often mysterious and even playful. Do not give up hope on the lost things or lost people in your life. The lost will be found. Until then, trust the WayMaker and prepare to rejoice with the angels.

I would love to hear from you. Share a time when God showed Himself to be mysterious or playful in how He answered your prayer.

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Got Jesus?

Written by Vianne Satterfield

I John 4:15-19 “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete amoung us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.”

A childhood friend, Kent, has been fighting stage four cancer for about a year, with an amazing attitude that clearly points to his reliance upon Jesus Christ as his savior, his healer, his redeemer, his peace and his reason for passionate living.

I reconnected with Kent about a decade ago thanks to social media. He was still the nerdy geeky guy I knew in elementary school, and he had become a pastor, husband, and father among other roles. We kept in contact via Facebook Messenger to share prayer requests about family members, and then when he was diagnosed with cancer he shared his own prayer need. Throughout his treatment process, Kent and his wife handled the “yuck” of cancer with such grace and peace. Each step of the way I observed that Kent was able to be at peace even as he fought the disease. His life reflected God’s love and especially the Scripture above. When Kent could no longer pastor his church, he wrote or voiced devotionals that he posted on social media or in his support group. No matter what he faced, Kent always pointed us to Jesus Christ, because having a real relationship with God through Jesus Christ is what got Kent and his family through each day. Kent lived his testimony of an ongoing, consistent love relationship with Jesus Christ, and his desire for us to love and follow Jesus as well.

Kent’s love for the Lord and for people is evident in how he lives — completely dependent upon God to take care of him. He readily described the reasons for his peace, grace and contentment — he knew and loved God wholeheartedly, and he shared that love with everyone. Kent lives for Christ. His life oozes the love, grace and peace that he experienced through a relationship with Jesus Christ. He has Jesus. Jesus is soon to have him in paradise, as Kent is nearing the end of his earthly life, yet it is only the beginning of eternal life that is promised to those who believe and accept God’s love and acceptance. I am confident I will see my friend again when it is my turn to cross over into heaven.

I thank Kent and Michele for showing us how love works, for reminding us to choose and follow Christ even through suffering and difficult places. Thank you Kent and Michele for your transparency, your testimony and your trust in the Lord that has been on display for us to imitate.

I pray for God’s comfort, peace and strength for us all as Kent completes his earthly journey. Love and blessings to Kent’s family, friends and all who love and care for Kent. To Kent: I will miss your words of encouragement, your humor and your friendship. Til we meet again. . . .

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Trusting Your Gut, Responding with Faith

Written by Vianne Satterfield

James 1:5-6 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”

Psalm 16:7-8 “I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

I am incredibly thankful for the wisdom that God generously gives — especially as I charter unknown places. I ask the Lord for guidance and help along the way and He is faithful to give it. When I take the time to quiet myself before the Lord in prayer, He “shows up,” and points me to a Scripture or gives me a knowing about a situation or circumstance. He is a generous God and He gives instruction and guidance, yet I think He also wants us to not only ask Him for wisdom, but also to receive it and follow through with what He shows. As the Scripture says, we are to believe and not doubt.

There have been times that I receive a word from the Lord or that I discern something, yet I do not fully understand it. It is best to seek the Lord for more wisdom and discernment befor proceeding, as I believe He will give clarity and understanding eventually. Several months ago, I experienced a knowing that something just wasn’t right about a business relationship. I could not clearly identify what was not right but I knew something was “off.” That’s called discernment. I held onto that weird feeling of something “not being right,” however, I did what I thought was best, rather than responding to the discernment that I initially received.

I asked for wisdom and God gave me a knowing, a gut feeling, a dream and a Scripture. HELLO! God was kind of using a megaphone to get my attention and I doubted the message He gave!

OH MY GOODNESS! God is so patient, kind and loving. He continued to give me wisdom and discerment even when I chose to avoid handling the issue. He did not give up on me. He will not give up us. He is that kind of a loving and patient God.

I am learning to trust the Lord more fully especially when I discern that something is not right — before I take the next step as the wisdom and “knowing” may serve to protect or warn me. God invites us to ask for wisdom and He does give it to us, however, it is imperative to trust the wisdom and discernment that He gives, as this is most certainly the best way.

When I could no longer ignore the lack of peace I experienced, I confronted the issue with boldness and received the clarity that I so needed in that moment. I took courage and responded with obedience, finally! I received instruction for the next step soon after I came out of alignment with the business relationship that wasn’t right. The uncertainty, confusion and lack of peace are gone. I am thankful for God’s instruction and I am learning to exercise the muscle of discernment, as He shows me the right path. His ways are better than my way. God’s ways are trustworthy.

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Order My Steps, Lord

Photo by Ali Kazal on Unsplash

Written by Vianne Satterfield

Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and do not depend on your own understanding.”

Proverbs 20:24 “The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?”

For several months I have been seeking the Lord to ask for His guidance and direction on my next assignment. I want to be a good steward of all God has given to me — whether it is time, energy, finances, skills, abilities or spiritual gifts. I acknowledge these things are given to me from God and I want to steward it by doing something meaningful and fulfills God’s purpose for my life. I know what that purpose is and I am taking intentional steps to fulfill that destiny. This process has been challenging as I have resisted God’s calling for a number of reasons — it is scary, to be honest. There have been many obstacles to overcome — mentally and learning new skills to assist me. I am sharing my thoughts and feelings as I think other people may have experienced similiar things when seeking the Lord for direction. These are some of my thoughts: “Everything is new and different! I can’t do ___.” “Why am I doing this again?” “I like being comfortable.” “I feel inadequate to do _____.”

I have needed to see myself through the lens of God’s love and grace so that I can accept my calling and fulfill His purpose for my life. I have also needed to focus on the truth of God’s Word and remind myself often of the strength He gives me (Philippians 4:13), and that He has equipped me with everything good for doing His will (Hebrews 13:21). Where God guides, He provides (Isaiah 58:11). As I had courage to talk about fulfilling my purpose, many people confirmed what God showed me. Isn’t that cool?

Has the Lord been nudging you to do or create something, to change direction, or to step outside of your comfort zone? I encourage you to seek wise counsel, fast and pray for wisdom, guidance and discernment. Be willing to step outside of your comfort zone into an unknown territory, trusting God to lead, equip and provide. Know that God’s ways are higher and better than your ways. (Isaiah 55:9) If it feels “too big” for you to do or that you don’t know how to do it — great! It’s good ground to put your complete trust in Him to guide you as you step into new territory to fulfill His plans and purpose for you. Remember to keep your eyes upon Him and His Word as He will illuminate your path and give you discernment for the next step. (Psalm 119:105) Take up courage as you listen and step forward into the next assignment by activating faith and confident trust in God who delights in fullfilling your purpose and destiny. (Joshua 1:9)

Be careful what you pray for, as God will expect you to take up courage and walk out the things He shows you! But, thankfully God gives us courage to step out in faith! When God gives you direction, trust Him and go for it!

I would love to hear how you have trusted God as you walk into new territory. Please share in the comments.

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More than “Thoughts and Prayers”

Written by Vianne Satterfield

I John 5:14-15 “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”

I began Biblical meditation and praying His Word, intentionally, after experiencing a kind and loving reply to an email I had sent about needing prayer for myself and my 19 year old sick cat. I did not know the lady very well, at the time. We sat at the same table in Bible study, and I admired how she prayed, because she quoted God’s Word throughout her prayers. In her reply to my email about my sick cat, Lucy typed a beautiful prayer filled with compassion, love and specific Scriptures that pertained to my need. This interaction may have been simple, however, it is what motivated me to know God and His Word so intimately that when given the opportunity to share with someone in need, I too could pray with the authority of God’s Word on my lips and in my heart. I received much refreshment as my faith was strengthened from that simple yet profound prayer, which occured in late 2009.

A dear friendship developed as a result which led to many opportunities to gather together with other like-minded people that meditated and prayed God’s Word into the nations, communities and church. This prayer group was unlike any other I had been associated with, as this group’s main focus was meditating on Scripture, asking the Lord for insights and praying the Word into the situation. Many wonderful friendships have resulted from praying with ASKers from all over the globe. I received mentoring from precious people who love God with all of their heart, soul, strength and mind. The mentoring came from observing their lifestyle of believing God’s Word to be true and the answer to whatever ails us! One such mentor, Martie, will stop conversations in mid sentence — to pray aloud for a situation or person, as she makes declarations of God’s promises and her confident trust in God’s ability to handle it. We might be talking about a problem or issue in our own lives, and suddenly we are taking the issue to God in prayer. It is as if this holy and sacred moment needs immediate expression and it cannot wait until later. There is no “I will pray for you” later, as she demonstrates confident trust in the One who hears our requests and launches into a conversational prayer with me. She modeled praying with people rather than praying for people. It’s a subtle difference yet is needed in our world of quick text messages of “Praying!” or sharing the praying hands emoji, which can be seen as spiritual, yet doesn’t really offer the faith strengthening quality of an actual prayer to God, the One to whom we are admonished to present our requests.

Every Christ-follower is called to pray, as this is our primary way of connecting with God, through the power of the Holy Spirit. What if Christ-followers demonstrated our belief in God’s Word by saying His Word in prayer? Wouldn’t our faith be strengthened if we gave more than “thoughts and prayers” to this world? What if we prayed boldly — prayers that depend upon the firm foundation of faith found within a real relationship with God. Praying the words of a Psalm is a powerful tool. For example, Psalm 18:2, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,” can be offered as a prayer. “Lord, I thank you for being my rock, my security, my deliverer, the One whom I trust. In times of uncertainty, I know I can trust you to handle ______, because your Word tells me it is so. I take refuge in your strength, power and security. Thank you for saving and delivering me from bondage. You are my source of all I need. May you show yourself strong and mighy for _____ who needs your help, hope and healing. I pray in the strong name of Jesus, Amen.”

I challenge you to pray in agreement with God’s Word as you pray with others, making your requests known to God, who has the authority to answer prayer.

Could it be that God is pleased to hear His children declaring their faith in His ability to meet their need? Perhaps God is pleased when we remind him of His Word — which is truth. By doing this, we’re also reminding ourselves of His truth, which reinforces Scripture memorization and builds faith as we proclaim the character of God such as His faithfulness, grace, loving-kindness, compassion and care.

I challenge myself and those who read this blog to make a point to pray with people by speaking or typing your prayer, whether it is sent by email, text messages or posted as a comment on social media platforms. This kind of interaction is far more meaningful than the quick “thoughts and prayers,” and it may even lead to further opportunity to pray with people and to mentor others in connecting to God through praying His Word.

The mentoring I received is being passed on to people in my sphere of influence so that others can encounter a real connection with God, the One who listens to our requests, answers our needs and provides relationship through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

I challenge you to practice your belief in God and His Word by praying it into situations in your life and the lives of those in your sphere of influence.

I would love to hear how praying God’s Word has affected your life. Please share in the comments below!

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Silence Fear by Speaking Truth

Written by Vianne Satterfield

Isaiah 12:2 “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.”

My husband and I, as well as several of my family members tested positive for the coronavirus in the past couple of weeks. The physical symptoms varied and the intensity of the disease was different for each one of us. Although my symptoms were relatively mild, I also experienced fear and anxiety. There was the pre-test anxiety as I played detective to determine the cause of the symptoms. Then there was the post-test anxiety as I waited for the results. The worst part of the emotional rollercoaster for me was knowing my brother had been affected more severely and was hospitalized. I physically felt the anxiety and fear — I felt queasy and shaky on the inside. The more I thought about the “what if’s” and the unknown, the more fearful I became.

Thankfully, we have recovered, and hopefully, we will not endure any long-term effects.

During this experience I found relief by resting — both physically, by much sleep, and emotionally, by laying down my fear and anxiety, and picking up God’s Word to read it and find a word that I could hang onto. This kept me sane as I tend to ruminate. I replaced the “what if” worries with the words of Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You.” I repeated aloud Isaiah 12:2 “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.”

I held onto this Scripture and claimed it as my own. I spoke it aloud over myself, my family members and anyone who I knew that was experiencing need.

Then I shared my need with my prayer buddies who texted their prayers for me and my family members.

These two actions — speaking aloud God’s truth and sharing my need with someone helped to change my outlook and it stopped the inner quaking, which was based on fear and the unknown. This enabled me to pray with bold confidence (in between naps!) that indeed my hope and salvation is in Jesus, to keep me calm and steady, to heal and set me free from ill effects and to empower me to share His Word with someone.

Do you have a community to share your need? Do you believe in the power of prayer? Come in agreement with God’s Word — speak it aloud over your situation. Declare it as if it is true — because it is! Say it! Think it! Believe it! Live it!

God is my strength. He is my defense and my salvation. Say it over your family! God is the strength, defense and salvation of my family! I will trust and not be afraid.

Share in the comments when a particular Scripture was your lifeline.

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Lessons From Adversity

Written by Vianne Satterfield

James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

This year has been filled with all kinds of adversity for most people. Believers, God’s people, are not exempt from trials of many kinds. We all have either experienced trouble or know someone who is experiencing trouble. People do not generally enjoy the process of illness, failure, loss, family problems, emotional upheaval, disappointment, etc. Yet, this passage encourages believers to have a joyful attitude when facing trials.

Joy is not our typical reaction to adversity. Frustration, upset, sadness, anger — yes, those are the typical reactions to trouble. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, therefore, it is a supernatural response that is cultivated only by being empowered by God’s Spirit. Having an attitude of joy sets us up to be able to handle the trial with faith, believing that God will sustain us, help us endure the trial, and mature us along the way.

How do we consider it “pure joy” when facing trials of many kinds? We believe God’s Word. We choose to allow God to teach us the lessons of adversity. We focus on the end of the trial, knowing that one day, ‘This too shall pass.’ We prayerfully ask God to show us what He wants to accomplish through the trial. I would rather be in alignment with God while facing trials, then not be in alignment with God while facing trials. When God allows trials to come your way, see it as an opportunity to become more refined.

When I have a joyful attitude about trials or trouble, it gives me hope that God is up to something. He is working something out! I can believe that adversity can lead to opportunity for growth both spiritually and emotionally. Adversity can lead to a closer, more intimate relationship with the Lord. Adversity can and often exposes areas in your life that need healing or refining, which ultimately lead to spiritual maturity and wholeness.

As an example, I will share from my own experience of a trial that has repeatedly occurred. (My trial is tiny in comparison to others facing difficult illnesses and loss of family members, however, my trial has exposed areas in my mind and heart that need refining and healing.) Each time the trial occurs, I learn and grow spiritually because I am willing to ask the Lord to reveal what He wants to teach me through the trial. Perhaps someone can relate to this example. For that reason, I will share it.

I have made financial mistakes or have forgotten to pay a bill that has resulted in charges or interest added to the bill. I routinely pay my bills on time, so this is an unusual circumstance. When this occurs, I would berate myself or call myself ‘stupid.’ 🙂 That had been my automatic reaction. This kind of mistake occurred again — except it was the IRS that was complaining. Uh oh. Sigh. More trial, and more opportunity to learn from adversity. I asked God what He wanted to teach me through this. I really want to pass this test! My lessons include the following:

Having self-compassion; practicing kindness and grace towards myself; accepting mistakes as part of being a human and recognizing the value of mistakes in the learning process; being present in the now, rather than living in the past (regret or sadness), or living in the future (anxiety or fear); not allowing failure to define me (I may have failed, but I am not a failure); recognize that perfection is over-rated and not possible, but rather work towards excellence in my pursuits; immediately address the issue.

I am choosing to let perseverance finish the work that God is doing in me as I count it all joy, partner with Him and learn the lessons of adversity.

As you face trials of many kinds, be encouraged that God is up to something in your life! Choose to believe God’s Word is true and prayerfully ask Him to show you what He wants to teach you. Be willing to learn and become more spiritually mature as you trust Him in your trials.

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Pivotal Prayer Moment

by Vianne Satterfield

Luke 18:35-43 “As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me! Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.”

Seventeen years ago, I sat at my kitchen table with my open Bible, pen and journal to complete an assignment from a spiritual formation small group. I had learned a different way of engaging with God’s Word. My assignment was to read the Scripture and place myself in the story to experience it by answering questions about my thoughts and emotions concerning my participation in the story. I did not know what to expect, yet I imagined Jesus being with me and asking me, “What do you want me to do for you?” My response to this question surprised me as it elicited a tidal wave of unexpected emotion. I told Jesus, “I want to love and be loved.” This was a pivotal prayer moment that changed me and the direction of my life.

I encourage you to engage with God’s Word with intentionality. Look at the characters of the story and seek to understand the passage from differing points of view. Here are some of my thoughts on this passage of Scripture.

The blind beggar did not let Jesus walk on by. He did not bow to intimidation or a victim mentality. He used his voice to boldly shout for mercy and favor from Jesus. He came near to Jesus as he accepted the invitation to talk with Jesus. The blind beggar answered Jesus’ question with clarity. He knew what he wanted and he made a statement indicating belief and faith that Jesus would do it for him. He received that which he believed Jesus would do for him. He took immediate action by following Jesus and praising God. The blind beggar received transformation, healing and a new direction as he engaged in conversation with Jesus.

I believe Jesus knows all things. He knows what we need and want. Yet, Jesus invites us into conversation and relationship with Him. He draws us near to talk and explore with Him what it is we want and need. He invites us into His Presence.

Jesus could have assumed what the blind beggar needed or wanted. He could have waved His hand and proclaim the miracle over him. He could have dismissed or ignored him. Yet Jesus stopped where He was going. He paid attention to him, he listened and he heard him. Jesus immediately responded with love and mercy to make a way for the blind beggar to receive sight.

Within a year of that pivotal prayer moment, I met and married my soul mate, Rick, who continues to show God’s unconditional love. God prepared me to receive and give love. It began with a conversation with Jesus at my kitchen table. My love story continues as does the conversations with Jesus. I praise God for the ability to give and receive love.

Be careful what you ask for, you may receive it in a way that surprises you.

What do you want Jesus to do for you?

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Stand Firm

by Vianne Satterfield

Ephesians 6:13-18 NLT “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

Taking a stand and standing on God’s promises are vital aspects of having courage to stand firm, which is not for the faint-hearted. As followers of Christ, we are exhorted by the Apostle Paul to put on the full armor of God, which gives us the weaponry needed to successfully fight spiritual battles. The spiritual weapons include the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word.

Standing firm is a stance of faith and confidence in Jesus Christ who enables us to win against our enemy. Jesus Christ is our Victor; we can be victorious and overcome the battle that is before us. When we have equipped ourselves with God’s armor, we have His strength — we can stand our ground; we can resist the devil and we can stand firm.

As we stand firm with our spiritual armor on, we are less likely to give in to the tactics of the enemy, namely fear, doubt and discouragement. I fight against these top tactics especially when faced with obstacles and challenges of various kinds. It can be frustrating but I remember to straighten my armor, pull my shoulders back and stand firm so that I can fight and pray more effectively! Fighting spiritual battles effectively requires active faith and persistence, not passivity or giving up easily.

Remember: Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. (I John 4:4) Be confident in the Lord and know that He will go with us wherever we go and whatever battle we may face. (Joshua 1:9)

I thank God for enabling us to be victorious in Christ. I ask the Lord to help us be confident while fighting the battles and to give us courage to stand for God and His ways. I ask the Lord to help us to defeat fear, doubt and discouragement. I thank the Lord for His empowerment and presence in our lives that gives us the ability to resist the evil one. I thank the Lord for the promise that He is with us and strengthens us every step of the way. AMEN

I write this blog with the hope that others can receive encouragement from believing and applying God’s Word to their lives. Today, I need this encouragement to stand firm and be strengthened. I am thankful for the power of God’s Word. Amen

I highly recommend Priscilla Shirer’s Bible study entitled, “The Armor of God,” if you want to better understand how to effectively utilize the armor of God in your daily life.

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Declare The Goodness of God

By Vianne Satterfield

When I remember who God is and express gratitude for all He has done, I can praise Him and proclaim His goodness, which is all around me as I look for Him.

Even in the midst of trial or suffering, God’s goodness is revealed. God shows Himself as mighty and strong. One of God’s names is El Shaddai, which means God Almighty or the All Sufficient One. (Genesis 17:1) Nothing is too difficult for God — there is no problem, no issue, no disease, nothing that is too hard for God. Jeremiah 32:17 “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!”

Psalm 18:2 “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”

When I am weak, I declare God as my strength. I am thankful that He is always available to be my help in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1), and I lean on Him for guidance and support.

When I sin or experience the natural consequences of mistakes, I remember God is loving and gracious. God is full of compassion, mercy and grace. He is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. (Exodus 34:6) God demonstrated His great love to mankind by sending His son, Jesus to be the sacrifice for our sin. (I John 4:10, 16) God forgives and enables me to forgive others, including myself, as I learn to practice self-compassion and grace.

When I experience disappointment, I remember God is faithful and true to His Word. He keeps his promises and doesn’t fail. “The word of the Lord is right and true; You are faithful in all you do!” (Psalm 33:4)

When I am feeling overwhelmed and do not know what to do, I remember God is generous and wise and will give wisdom to me and not rebuke me for asking. (James 1:5)

When I am hurting or suffering, I remember God as Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals. (Exodus 15:26)

When I am alone and in need of a friend, I remember God as Jehovah Shammah, God who is already there. God’s Presence is enough. (Ezekiel 48:35)

When I experience lack, I remember God as Jehovah Yireh, the Lord who provides. (Genesis 22:14) 2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”

I am thankful for God’s strength and power, His love and grace, His faithfulness and generosity, His healing touch, His presence and His provision.

What are you thanking God for today? Share in the comments section as I would love to hear from you.

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Laughter is Good Medicine

Written by Vianne Satterfield

Job 8:21 “He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”

Proverbs 15:13 “A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit.”

Proverbs 17:22 “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”

When was the last time you enjoyed a good belly laugh? You know what I mean. The kind of laughter that causes you to snort, makes your belly hurt, and perhaps produces tears? I had one of those belly-laughs while watching a video of dogs sleeping in very weird positions. It was hilarious! Animals can be very entertaining. Seeing young animals play, whether it be puppies, kittens or kids (goats or humans), is fun, relieves stress and promotes learning.

It is good for you to laugh and smile. It takes more muscles in your face to frown than it does to smile. “A broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” (Proverbs 17:22b) Gelotology, the study of laughter and its effects on the body, recognizes many benefits of laughter to include reducing stress hormones, increasing infection-fighting antibodies, improving resistance to disease and it can temporarily relieve pain. It feels good to laugh, especially a belly laugh, as laughter releases endorphins. When you laugh, it increases blood flow and stimulates many organs. Laughter is indeed good medicine!

Bursting into song and laughter has helped me to relieve my chronic muscle and joint pain — especially during chiropractic or massage therapy sessions, and sometimes it surprises them. My sudden song bursts bring laughter to others as well.

Having a good sense of humor is an important trait that will serve to increase resilience too. When we laugh at our quirkiness and the lemonade we make from life’s lemons, we bounce back more quickly, and can adjust more easily to difficult circumstances.

There are lots of things happening in our world today that produces sorrow, anger, anxiety and other negative emotion. Yet as followers of Christ, we can experience joy during hard times, especially as we remember the amazing things the Lord has done and is doing today. It is imperative that our faces show gladness and cheerfulness. When I am out in public and wearing a mask, I will smile and tell the person I am speaking with that I am smiling! Our joy can be contagious! The world needs to catch joy and laughter.

Give yourself permission to laugh at yourself or cute animals jumping around in their pajamas. Read articles from Christian satire sites such as Babylon Bee. Watch a Christian comedian on You-tube such as Tim Hawkins or Jeanne Robertson. Enjoy clean comedy such as funny guy, “Ricky Mokel,” otherwise known as Grant Turner. Find humor in everyday situations.

Smile. Enjoy laughter. It will be good for you and for those around you.

Share in the comments how laughter has served to help you experience joy and cheerfulness.

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Finding My Identity in Christ

I found a poem I wrote in 1992 about returning to the Lord, and it reminded me of the traumatic events I experienced that year. I used to describe it as “my year from hell,” as there were several circumstances that caused distress and discouragement, such as two auto accidents within a month, being victimized by having my identity stolen, my mom nearly died from heart failure, unemployment, and being in an abusive, ungodly romantic relationship. Stressful situations can be difficult to manage, especially without the guidance and support of a relationship with God. Fortunately, with the help of a few trusted friends whom guided me to God’s truth about who I am in Christ, I confessed, repented and turned back to God. I then broke off the abusive, ungodly relationship. I still had stressors and difficulties but I faced it with God’s help. Perhaps a new understanding of 1992 could be “The Year I Returned to Loving God,” rather than “My Year from H E Double Toothpicks!”

This year, 2020, has been quite challenging too. For many, this year represents challenges surrounding health, finances, and community-connections all made difficult through COVID-19, the recommendations of social restrictions, racial tensions, and trauma from natural and man-initiated events. Perhaps we can find the silver lining in this year despite its outcome. Maybe this could be your year of relying on God. For me, I am learning new things and trusting God to lead me into new territories of new assignments. It has taken courage and faith in what I am hearing from the Lord as I seek Him to guide me in writing, blogging and pursuing meaningful work.

As a result of the new things God is leading me towards, I am again reminded of who I am in Christ. Focusing anew on God’s Truth, His Word, helps to renew my mind and it encourages me to take steps of faith. Perhaps you too can benefit from seeing yourself from God’s perspective. I call these my affirmations, as they affirm my identity in Christ, empower me to walk with confidence and enable me to trust God more fully. I say these Biblically-based affirmations aloud or I will listen to me speaking them on a recording that I keep on my smartphone. Either way, God’s truth gets inside my brain and creates new places of trust as I believe His Word as truth.

Here are some of my affirmations: I belong to God and am dearly loved. I am accepted by Christ, united with Him. I am chosen and called out of darkness into light. I am His workmanship, created for good works and I have a God-given purpose. I am renewed and made holy because of Christ’s righteousness. I am forgiven and not condemned. I am being transformed by renewing my mind. I have a spirit of power, love and self-discipline. I am blessed with every spiritual blessing. I have hope because Christ dwells within me. He enables, empowers and equips me for each challenge set before me. I am given provision for my needs. I am built up in Christ, and He will complete His work in me. I have abundant grace from Christ — He is enough! I walk with confidence to approach God’s presence. I have the mind of Christ and can do all things through Him who strengthens me. I am equipped and prepared by God to do _____ that He has prepared in advance for me to do.

These affirmations are based upon the promises of God. They can be yours too as you trust, believe God and allow His grace to transform you.

What are your favorite promises of God and how has it transformed you? I would love to hear from you. Share in the comments.

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Climbing Mount Everest

I participate in a healthy weight program that provides education, support and accountability through health coaches and like-minded group members. My group coach provides creative challenges that serve to motivate me to accomplish my health and wellness goals.

One weekend, the group was given the challenge to “climb” Mount Everest. The goal was to climb to an elevation of 29,029 feet, which equaled 58,070 steps. I accepted the challenge along with a dozen other group members. I thought, “How can I walk that many steps?” At the time, my average daily step count was under 3000 steps, so the task seemed daunting to me, however, I decided to join the challenge.

Climbing Mount Everest, as a part of a group effort, made it doable. (I didn’t really climb that mountain, although the hill on Marneil Drive is pretty steep!) I felt motivated to get my steps done because I wanted to contribute to the team’s effort of reaching over 58,000 steps for the weekend. The group members live around the globe and we were in this challenge together, giving step-count updates throughout the weekend and encouraging one another to keep climbing to meet our goal.

My contribution was a mere 4% of the grand total. Someone actually recorded over 15,000 steps in one day. How does one walk 7 1/2 miles in one day?! One step at a time, I guess. Others, like myself, recorded under 10,000 steps for the three days. As a group, we climbed 194,761 steps in three days! Unbelievable! But we worked together, as a team. I walked more steps that I thought I could, and it has served as an ongoing motivation to keep climbing “mountains” to meet my health and wellness goals. Now my daily step count has nearly doubled since participating in this challenge nearly two months ago.

It was an exhilarating experience because I partnered with people worldwide to contribute towards one purpose, and as a result of working together, we exceeded our goal. In the words of Helen Keller, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

This worldwide team effort reminds me of what The Church, or the body of Christ, is supposed to be — united, working together, encouraging one another towards maturity in our walks with Christ, and sharing the good news of Jesus with the world.

The Apostle Paul exhorts the Christians in Ephesus, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:1-6

The Psalmist writes, “How good and pleasant it us when God’s people live together in unity!” Psalm 133:1

Let’s not give up on unity within the body of Christ. Remember, as followers of Christ, we have peace with God. This peace glues us together. We belong together as we follow Christ and have access to Holy Spirit’s empowerment because He dwells within us. We have hope because of Christ’s life and look forward to eternal life with Him. I pray we would be true representatives of a united Church that works together and not against each other. I pray we would be true representatives that encourage and bear with one another, build up one another instead of tearing down one another. I pray we would keep sharing our Jesus stories with the world so that His name may endure forever and his fame continue throughout all ages. AMEN.

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God: Our Redeemer, Rescuer, and Resource

Psalm 34:4 “I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”

by Vianne Satterfield

My husband, Rick, is a computer programmer and manager in the information technology field. When problems occur, he is called to participate with a group that determines the cause of the issue and find workable solutions. Sometimes he is the primary solution-giver due to his expertise or his management of a specific group. Problem solving is a big part of his job — no matter what time of day or night it is, when he gets “paged,” he has to respond quickly as people are waiting, and the problems often create great inconvenience to customers, and/or financial loss.

He told me of a time when he responded to the emergency call. As customary, he identified himself and waited several minutes while others gathered on the call. The person who asked specifically for Rick apparently did not understand that he had arrived and was ready to handle the problem. The person continued to say, “We need Rick.” My husband replied, “I am Rick; I’ve been here on the call for the past 20 minutes!” They had been waiting for someone whom they thought had the answer to the problem, and he was already there, waiting for them to tell him the problem.

It seems that we do this dance with God. We declare we need God, yet don’t realize He is with us already and waiting on us to engage with Him. Sometimes we are so focused on the problem or need that we cannot see the answer to our prayers.

As my husband recalled this to me, I heard the LORD speak to my spirit. I jotted it down in my journal in April and am now taking time to meditate on this word. Perhaps you need this truth and encouragement as you seek God for answers.

God is saying, “I am here! I never left you! You’re waiting for someone to save you. I am the One who rescues and saves. I sent my only Son to you. He is your REDEEMER, your RESCUER, your RESOURCE! Call out to Me and I will answer!”

There are numerous Scriptures that represent the truth of God as our redeemer, rescuer and resource. Here are a few to get your focus shifted to God’s truth and promises.

Psalm 106:10 “So he saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy.”

Galatians 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us — for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.”

Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”

Psalm 144:2 “He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him. . . “

Psalm 121:2 “My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

We all have problems and need help from time to time. How thankful I am that God is ready and waiting to answer my call for help. How thankful I am that I can seek Him and open my Bible app or even Google Scriptures about God.

Let’s seek Him. Let’s trust Him as our redeemer, rescuer and resource. Let’s engage with Him as He is already there waiting for us to talk with Him today.

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God’s Way is Better

Written by Vianne Satterfield

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Psalms 37:23

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6

I give Chaz, my brown tabby cat, medication to treat hyperthyroidism. I ordered the medication before I ran out of it, as it would be sent from another state. I did not expect the process to take 7 weeks before I received the refill, as it normally takes about a week.

During this 7 week “trial,” I phoned the pharmacy and the veterinarian several times, and even got the help of a cat behaviorist to be my advocate to get the medication delivered to me. I tracked the package from the shipper’s website only to discover the package had been damaged and undelivered. (Big Sigh!) I had to begin the process again, and it was a very frustrating experience to say the least. There were communication break downs along the way and a case number was assigned along with specific names of people promising to deliver the product “quickly.”

No matter what I did or to whom I called to advocate for me and my cat, it didn’t seem to make a difference. I felt stuck, frustrated and helpless. This process took so much time and energy. I just wanted to take care of my cat and I sure didn’t understand why it was so hard to do that!

One day as I was thinking about this, I realized I had not actually prayed and asked for God’s help. I had phoned a friend, a veterinarian, a pharmacy. I called for help in seemingly all the right places, except I did not ask God to handle it for me.

HELLO! I am an intercessor, a prayer group facilitator, a devotional writer, and a child of the Most High God whom has access to the throne room of God and I did not pray?! (Sigh.)

I had relied upon myself, my own understanding and my way. God used this situation to teach me about taking authority in prayer and to lean on him rather than on my own way.

I immediately started thanking God for showing me that I had been given authority in Christ, and I began proclaiming God’s intervention for me in this situation. I declared God’s goodness; I worshiped and praised Him. The feelings of helplessness and frustration left, as I trusted God to handle it.

Within a few days after praising God, praying and taking authority over this situation, I received the medication for my cat. It took 6 1/2 weeks of frustration, helplessness and trying to do it my way only to remember that God cares about every detail of our lives — even the mundane things that do not seem to matter, but because we matter to Him, we can trust Him with everything, even the small things in life.

Have you experienced God’s attention to small details in your life? I would love to hear from you in the comments section or by contacting me at VianneSatterfield55@gmail.com.

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Aroma of Victory

While walking at the mall, I smelled something sweet — I could not quite identify if it was cotton candy or cinnamon sugar, but, oh my, it really smelled wonderful. The pleasant scent caused me to search for the source of the aroma. My friend and I walked hurriedly throughout the multi-level mall, sniffing the air as we walked, searching the most obvious areas, the food court, pretzel store, and the perfume store, until finally we found the source of the smell! It was a small, hidden, flame-less, strawberry pound cake-scented candle that had been lit and placed outside the Bath and Body Works store.

We told the clerk we could smell the scent throughout the building! She said, “I guess it is doing it’s job then.”

This experience reminded me of the Scripture in 2 Corinthians 2:14-15. The Passion Translation says, “God always makes his grace visible in Christ, who includes us as partners of his endless triumph. Through our yielded lives he spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere we go. We have become the unmistakable aroma of the victory of the Anointed One to God — a perfume of life to those being saved and the odor of death to those who are perishing.”

What kind of aroma does my life have as I go everywhere? Is it a sweet smelling perfume that pleases God and those around me? Do my actions, words and life cause others to want to know the source of the aroma? How well do I represent Christ, the One who is victorious? Is my testimony one of triumph and victory as I am lead by Christ?

These are questions that come to mind as I reflect on the above Scripture, and can be answered differently depending on the quality of a relationship with Christ. You see, when Christ is the center of my life — instead of myself being the center — then, I am willing to yield myself to Him and His ways, even when life is difficult or challenging.

When my life is yielded to Christ, my actions and words imitate Him and align with God’s Word, then the sweet aroma of time spent knowing and loving God, follows me everywhere.

My friend, Kent, is a great example of having the aroma of the victory of Christ. He loves and serves God even though he is suffering with stage 4 colon cancer and the many challenges the cancer has caused. Kent is living from a place of triumph and victory because of his personal relationship with Jesus Christ despite the pain and suffering. Kent is not defeated, hopeless or joyless. He is living above the circumstances in his life because of the work of Christ in his life. He is yielding his life to Christ day by day. Kent has a strawberry pound cake kind of testimony and he shares it everywhere he goes. I want my testimony to be one of victory and triumph as I trust and yield my life to Jesus, no matter what comes my way.

How about you? Is your testimony one of triumph and victory? How has your relationship with Christ affected how you handle adversity? I would love to hear from you. Share in the comments section or contact me at VianneSatterfield55@gmail.com.

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Magnify God Despite Difficulties

Psalm 57:1-3a, 10-11 “Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. I cry out to God Most High, to God who vindicates me. He sends from heaven and saves me. . . For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”

Despite disaster, distress and desperate circumstances, David, the writer of Psalm 57, found safety and protection in God’s covering for him. David fled and “sheltered-in-place” in a cave to escape his enemy (Saul). He also had to contend with lions and hungry beasts while he sought refuge in the cave. He had many challenges but he knew God and he cried out to his Lord for mercy and help. He acknowledged God as his salvation, his only hope. David worshiped and proclaimed God’s unchanging character of love and faithfulness as he exalted God — all while experiencing the trauma of fearing for his life.

It seems to me Psalm 57 is quite relevant to today’s trouble of seeking safety from a potentially deadly enemy (a virus), and experiencing more difficulties from the isolation, loneliness and loss associated with staying home. Yet we too can experience God’s love and faithfulness as we call out to Him in prayer, believing that He hears our request and is able to help. When we know God, we know His never-changing character of love and faithfulness and can trust Him to not fail or abandon us.

David’s focus shifted from the difficult circumstances to God’s ability to provide — mercy, salvation, protection, love and faithfulness. David exalted God. He identified God as one who is above all things — God Most High. Indeed, God is bigger than what’s the matter. His name is above all other gods and all other names including all things that cause distress. When we magnify and exalt God, we are transported to another realm of understanding and can face the difficulty with courage and confidence.

David could have continued to look inward at his thoughts and emotions about his circumstances. He could have continued to look outward at his enemies, the results of the difficulties, and the bad news. Ultimately, David chose to look up and focus on God’s ability, which lead him to magnify and exalt God. He worshiped, sang and made music. There is something tangible that helps to change the atmosphere when you worship God even through pain, suffering and loss. As you do, God will be glorified and His name will be exalted.

Remember this: God loves you. He cares about you and He is always available. Call out to Him and believe He is for you and with you. Focus on Him and His ability instead of your circumstances and experience the joy and peace that can be yours as you trust Him.

As an intercessor, I feel a heavy burden to pray for people facing distress. I am thankful that I can cast all my cares onto Jesus because He cares for me and everyone. My prayer is that we would see God as our hope and salvation as we cry out to Him for mercy, and proclaim God’s great love and faithfulness even in the midst of hardship. I pray we find refuge in God, and that we worship and magnify God and not the current events. May God be glorified in our circumstances and may our hearts be steadfast because we trust God’s sovereignty.

I would love to connect and pray with you about your concerns. Contact me at VianneSatterfield55@gmail.com.

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The Powerful Truth of God’s Word

Psalm 119:41-43 “May your unfailing love come to me, LORD, your salvation, according to your promise; then I can answer anyone who taunts me, for I trust in your word. Never take your word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws.”

We live in a society that values free speech and people state their opinions face to face and on social media. This can be useful in creating dialogue and learning different perspectives, unless their speech is unwholesome, critical or is used to ridicule. People often are unaware of the power of their words! Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” We must be mindful of our words and be sure to use words that build up and not tear down others.

Unfortunately, sometimes we believe what others say about us more than what God says, or more specifically, what God’s Word says about us. This can be problematic and can lead to discouragement, distraction and derailment of our purpose. When we read and meditate on God’s Word, we fill and renew our minds with His truth. This is life-giving and a valuable use of your time that leads to spiritual growth.

It is vitally important to know, study and trust God’s Word, so that you can be ready to give an answer to anyone who may taunt you or use words to harm you. By speaking God’s Word aloud, you are declaring God’s promises over your life, and it will empower you with God-confidence to apply His truth to your life. Ask Holy Spirit to open your mind to better understand Scripture. He will give insight, new understanding and wisdom in applying it to your life.

God’s Word is a weapon of spiritual warfare. It is compared to a double-edged sword in Hebrews 4:12 and is described as the sword of the Spirit as an essential part of God’s armor in Ephesians 6:17. Learn to use God’s Word as an effective tool to fight the enemy of your soul. Use God’s Word to build yourself up and remind yourself of your identity in Christ Jesus. I routinely read aloud my list of “I am” statements that I generated from dozens of Scriptures, as a way to renew my mind and it is a mighty help during spiritual battles. God’s Word is powerful!

Sometimes when I engage in listening prayer, I receive a word from the Lord. I feel compelled to share this word, as I believe others may benefit from this too. During this encounter, I sensed the importance of laying aside distractions and spending time with Him out of a love for Him and not obligation. I believe God is encouraging us to let go of distractions, doubt, and disbelief, and to instead take up His Word which will reap a harvest of the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control) when we read, meditate and apply the truth of God’s Word. I believe God is encouraging us to walk in truth, walk in love and walk in the light of God, as we believe and act upon His written Word, in love and obedience, as we engage in intimate times with the Holy Spirit through Biblical meditation and prayer.

Embrace God’s love for you through taking up His Word, speaking it aloud and trusting His powerful truth.

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Finding Strength in God

I Samuel 30:6 “David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.“

I have been drawn to this Scripture, as this year has been filled with unusual challenges and distress of all kinds for many weeks. In this passage of Scripture, David had suffered much loss due to a war — his family had been taken captive and his army/followers wanted him dead. He feared for his life and he had no one, except God to rely upon. Scripture doesn’t say how David strengthened himself in the Lord, however, based on what I know about David’s life, I can guess how he received strength from his God.

This Scripture implies that David had a personal relationship and a lifestyle of seeking the Lord his God. He likely needed much strength, comfort, guidance and wisdom. He had much sorrow and he cried out to God. He had great difficulty ahead and no one was on his side nor did he have family to give him support or help. He had to depend on God because there was no one else who could meet the need. He wept over the loss, yet he didn’t get stuck there. He probably knew he had to receive strength and wisdom to continue to fight the battle and to get victory. He didn’t have a pity party. He met with God in prayer, cried out in lament and also called out in confidence to his God. He allowed God to speak into his life to give him counsel and direction. Then he took action. He obeyed God. He got up from his place of sorrow, dusted himself off and kept going. He didn’t give up. He didn’t let the enemy get the best of him.

David was a musician; he played the harp and he wrote songs or psalms. He had been a shepherd before he was king, and his experiences prepared him for each challenge. Perhaps David worshiped with song and harp. Maybe he remembered the many ways that God met his need in the past — conquering enemies, and overcoming giants and beasts that threatened him. He was known by God and he knew and trusted God.

I find strength in the Lord as I practice solitude and intentionally listen for instruction and insight. I turn off the TV or radio and refrain from scrolling social media feeds. I give God room and head space to occupy my thoughts. When I receive something (a song lyric, Scripture or a knowing that I have heard from the Lord), I make note of it in my journal (as soon as possible) and I give myself time to think, reflect and write. This may occur while cleaning, cooking, driving or exercising. It is surprising how often this occurs even when I am not seeking guidance, however, I have made room for God to speak into my life, and thankfully, He does.

A “quiet time” could be Scripture reading or it could be a time of quieting myself as I watch a sunset or enjoy the breeze or the fresh smell after rainfall. Enjoying nature is a wonderful way of connecting with God, who created the heavens and the earth. I find strength in the Lord through listening and solitude.

I find strength in the Lord by writing my prayer concern in my journal. Being honest about my emotions and thoughts are critical to effective communication, whether it is with humans or God. He already knows all about it, yet telling Him helps me to trust Him more fully. Then I wait, listen and think about what is good, excellent and praiseworthy — instead of the stinking thinking that keeps me stuck. Recently, one of my friends shared about his cancer diagnosis and treatment. He said, “Prayer is the best treatment option.” I agree wholeheartedly, as having a lifestyle of prayer is the best way to live.

I find strength in the Lord as I remember God’s faithfulness and goodness. I think about times that He has “given” me a Scripture at just the right time. It is like a deposit that God makes into my heart and mind and is there for me to withdraw when I need it. Years ago, as a college student, I read Psalm 147:3, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” I didn’t know then how meaningful and needed that verse would be to me, but over time, that verse served as a promise that God indeed heals brokenness and provides comfort as only He can do. I have experienced both brokenness and healing. God is true to His Word. He is faithful and good, even in the hard times.

There are countless promises of God found in His Word that provide hope, strength and encouragement. See it as a treasure hunt and you will be thrilled to discover God’s promises as you seek Him. He indeed is “Promise Keeper,” as the song lyrics say.

I find strength in the Lord through listening to and singing worship songs. I find this to be a mood-booster and a motivator as it helps me to focus on the truth of God’s Word and often stays with me throughout the day. If I get cranky or out of sorts, I know that I probably need to worship through song. Turning on my worship playlist is often the key to receiving encouragement and strength.

I find strength and encouragement from my relationship with the Lord through intentional listening, solitude, singing worship songs, reading or meditation of God’s Word and prayer.

How have you found strength and encouragement in the Lord? Share in the comments and let us learn together how to receive hope from a relationship with God.

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Thirst Quencher

Psalm 42:1-2 “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. . . . .”

Matthew 5:6 “God blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.”

The other evening, my husband and I walked 2.5 miles, and I experienced great thirst. Every step of the way home, I thought about the strawberry lemonade and coconut water that was waiting for me in the refrigerator. I could picture it in my mind and knew that soon I would be refreshed and my thirst would be quenched.

This experience reminded me of the longing for connection with God and how being in a relationship with Him by the power of the Holy Spirit, brings complete satisfaction and joy, especially when spiritually hungry or thirsty. Sometimes when I have been in a spiritual “desert or wilderness,” I have spiritual dryness especially when I miss practicing His Presence consistently or when I strive to please Him. More and more I am discovering and rediscovering that true spiritual satisfaction comes from being in God’s Presence and less from doing something for God.

There is satisfaction and fulfillment when I “eat” or meditate on God’s Word and “drink” from the well of Holy Spirit, as I sit in His Presence, whether in prayer or meditation on Scripture or singing worship songs. Perhaps my natural experience of being thirsty and dehydrated correlates to my spiritual need to drink living water, by engaging in spirit to Spirit connection, through prayer with and to Holy Spirit.

When I am physically dehydrated, I feel thirsty, weak and I have no energy. If the dehydration is severe, it can result in fainting, vomiting, seizure activity and electrolyte imbalance. Just as I need to regularly and consistently drink water daily, I also need spiritual refreshment and hydration through consistent communication with Holy Spirit. Keeping well hydrated in the spiritual sense keeps a good balance and keeps me in tune with Holy Spirit, which helps me function well and not be faint spiritually.

Communicating and connecting with Holy Spirit is vital. Without this regular connection, I could die spiritually and lose power. My power source comes from being in His Presence and time spent communing with Holy Spirit.

Sometimes I need more water when I am exercising in hot and dry conditions or when my body is fighting an infection or is ill in some way. Likewise, drinking from the well of Holy Spirit is a form of spiritual warfare as this is a weapon to help me in the battle.

God’s Word + Holy Spirit connection = true satisfaction and empowered living. This is key for the ongoing cultivation of a growing relationship with God.

What’s your spiritual thirst quencher?

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Give Thanks in All Circumstances

I Thessalonians 5:18 “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

I miss the familiar faces and places of my simple life. Yet I give thanks for all God has done.

I miss my church. I have been praying with and for the church through Zoom or attending virtual life groups during the pandemic. I have been engaging with online worship services and it’s been wonderful to connect with the pastoral staff and worship team of my church through various social media apps. I am thankful for the available technology to do this.

I miss my Sunday morning life group, chatting with new friends as we eat yummy breakfast treats, before we find our favorite seat in the new “room.” My church recently completed a remodeling project that includes beautiful furnishings in the widened hallways and an updated sound and light system in the stadium-seating worship center. It’s a beautiful place to worship and gather. Last Sunday evening, my husband and I drove to familiar places that we have not visited in 8 weeks, including our church. Yup. We drove around the parking lot, just because I miss my church! 🙂 I am thankful for the sense of belonging I experience with the people of Mount Paran North.

I miss gathering with my prayer group. We would connect, sing a few worship songs, ask for guidance in our time of Scripture meditation, and pray for one another and the body of Christ. We felt refreshed after spending quality time together in prayer and fellowship. We have been meeting via Zoom, and one new person has joined us! I am thankful for the opportunity to serve and love God with these people.

I miss meeting with friends at Folk’s restaurant after church. We would chat about our lives, our travel plans, and order a vegetable plate. I miss catching up with the servers, Dylan, Christina, Kennedy and Debbie. They knew what we would order and bring Rick’s “salad dressing” (Texas Pete) to the table, as soon as we arrived. I am thankful for the memories of shared friendship.

I miss walking at local parks. I have been walking in and around my neighborhood and have enjoyed companionship with my husband and getting better acquainted with neighbors. I am thankful for the freedom to exercise outdoors.

I miss getting together with family for the day to celebrate special occasions and to play Domino’s. I miss meeting friends for lunch to chat about life and discuss books we are reading. I am thankful for text messages, pictures to share and talking on the phone or by Zoom.

I miss my chiropractor and his office manager. His office has been closed for several weeks and is reopening soon. I am looking forward to receiving a much-needed adjustment for my off-kilter sacroiliac joint and neck. My spine needs a tune-up! I am thankful for the self-discipline to do strengthening exercises.

Despite the change, uncertainty and losses associated with the pandemic, I am thankful for God’s goodness and provision, His faithful love and care, and the hope of the development of effective treatments and a vaccine to help eradicate COVID-19, so that we can safely gather together again with friends and family without fear of spreading disease.

What are you thankful for in these circumstances?

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Trust and Worship God in the Battle

2 Chronicles 20:20 “Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.”

2 Chronicles 20:1-30 describe how King Jehoshaphat responded to the threat of a vast enemy and as a result how God defeated the enemy in an unconventional way — through worship. This story depicts their complete trust and confidence in God by their humility, prayer, fasting, praise and worship, and by following His strategy, God defeated the enemy and they won the battle.

As I meditated on this story, I identified dozens of prayer points, as it is rich with wisdom and truth that can be applied to our own lives. First of all, Jehoshaphat and his people acknowledged their powerlessness and need by humbling themselves, asking for God’s help in prayer and fasting. They recognized God as mighty and powerful and reminded God of His promises to them. They looked to God for guidance.

Secondly, they listened and trusted the strategies given to them were God-ordained. They didn’t doubt, question, wonder or fret about the strategy. They trusted in God’s ways and they had faith in God to deliver them from their enemy before it arrived. They walked in faith and had courage to face the enemy while they expected God’s presence (only because God told them He would go with them.) They believed God, His Word and acted upon it in faith.

Thirdly, they worshiped and praised God enthusiastically, with a loud voice. This prepared them to face the enemy with courage. They marched toward the enemy with singers that sang songs and praised the Lord, then they gave thanks to the Lord for his enduring love.

They had not even seen the enemy yet. They didn’t talk about the enemy or how the enemy would limit, stop, harass, or oppress them. Nope. They didn’t do any of that because their eyes were turned to God! Their response to the threat of this enemy was to turn to God, pray, fast, trust, believe, praise, give thanks and worship. THAT is how their enemy was defeated. They didn’t rely upon their own resources or own strength.

They believed that the battle was God’s battle and He would see them through. They took their positions and believed God’s Word and worshiped Him. Scripture tells us that as they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the enemy, and the enemy was defeated.

When our eyes are turned to God, our response is to worship Him for Who he is and for His enduring love. God’s strategies for battle may be unconventional yet very powerful as we trust Him and His ways.

I don’t know what battle you are facing today or will be facing tomorrow. I do know this: God is worthy of our trust and praise. Look to Him. Have faith that God will bring deliverance before you see it. And worship Him for who He is. He is holy, just, good, righteous, faithful, loving, gracious, compassionate, mighty and powerful.

Watch and see what He will do, as you trust and worship Him.

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God is Forever Faithful

Lamentations 3:22-24 “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

God is forever faithful. He never changes. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. We can count on Him. He is reliable, dependable, unfailing, steady, sure and unwavering.

The Scripture I have been meditating on lately comes from the book of Lamentations — a book filled with descriptions of grief, sorrow, anguish, affliction, hardship, distress, brokenness and lack. Despite all of the misery found in the book of Lamentations, the author has hope of salvation and restoration through God’s great love, compassion and faithfulness. It seems that the author understands that God is enough, so as he laments, and cries out, he waits for God’s intervention.

In the past couple of months, four of my friends have been diagnosed with cancer or an autoimmune illness that has brought much distress and brokenness as they sort through the diagnostic and treatment process, hoping for wholeness and healing. I can only imagine what these friends are enduring as they and their families seek treatment and answers. I feel helpless so I pray for them often and wait for God to restore their health.

I pray for these friends to not be consumed by anxiety, fear, worry, disease, anguish, and to instead know and experience God’s great, amazing love that is eternal, steadfast, and sure. I pray they will rely upon God to see them through the uncertainty and suffering. I pray they will trust in God and give testimony of His faithfulness to supply every need. I pray for effective treatments and shrinkage of tumors. I pray for God’s strength to be theirs. I pray for God to bring healing and wholeness for them.

Most of all I pray they and their families have hope each day as they experience God’s great love, compassion and faithfulness even through disease and distress.

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Trusting in God’s Strength and Power

Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy, and I will give thanks to Him in song.”

I write a journal to record my devotional time, prayer needs and thoughts, as I interact with the Lord. Many times, the wisdom and revelation that I received, turned into a word of encouragement that I shared with others. This continued for many years, and then, it became more difficult to write the words of encouragement. I fell into a pattern of only seeking the Lord when I needed something from Him! I felt anxious about not hearing from Him in ways I had before. My spiritual life seemed to get stale and I felt spiritually dry. At times, I felt a sense of desperation, as I longed to connect to God, not just to please someone else or fulfill a duty. I had fallen into the trap of self-reliance, which could only get me so far, in order to please someone or accomplish something. Seeking the Lord became a chore rather than a delight.

Can anyone relate to this?

I share this true story to remind us that as followers of Christ, we need Holy Spirit to dwell within us, to be continually filled with God’s Holy Spirit, so that we rely upon His strength and empowerment. We can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us. We must remember that our strength comes from above and relying upon Him and trusting in Him is key to this delightful relationship with God.

When I awaken in the early morning hours, I hear six simple words that echo in my mind, and it causes me to reflect on the past 10 months of my journey to renewed hope. It is this: “Let Holy Spirit reign in you!”

This is a reminder to me and all who desire an authentic relationship with the Living God. Let Holy Spirit reign in you. Allow and invite Holy Spirit to take up residence within your life. Let Him be ruler and let Him be the Leader in your mind, will and emotions. Take to Him everything that troubles you or concerns you. Ask for His guidance. Ask for His help. Ask for His provision. Ask for His direction. Ask for His comfort. Ask for His healing. I believe He will answer in a very powerful way.

On June 12, 2019, during a Wednesday evening service at Mount Paran North, I trusted Holy Spirit’s direction and I received a fresh deposit that has given me renewal, refreshment, healing and hope. This resulted in a deeper trust as I allowed Him to take up residence and let Him rule, instead of me doing things my way. The stale and spiritual dryness is gone as I have experienced anew the living waters found in an authentic relationship with the Living God, through the power of the Holy Spirit. This was just the beginning of a new chapter in my journey with God.

I trust that you will discover as I have again, that He is faithful and will do all that He does best — lead, guide, teach, help and comfort.

Let Holy Spirit reign in you!

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Trusting God During Battle

A passage of Scripture found in I Chronicles 5:18-22, describes an army ready and equipped for military service, who waged war against known enemies, and received help and victory because they cried out and trusted in God during the battle. The Bible describes them as capable, skilled, armed and trained for battle. They were considered competent warriors, yet they received help in fighting their enemies. God answered their prayers, because they trusted in him. Their enemies were defeated as it became God’s battle. These warriors then occupied the new territory, celebrating their victory.

The world is fighting a war called COVID-19, and you may be fighting other personal battles — whether they be physical, psychological, mental, financial, or spiritual, to name a few. Fighting battles can be overwhelming and exhausting, especially when they are fought without relying upon God’s power and strength. That is why prayer and worshiping God is vital to fighting battles — whether it is your own battle or someone else’s battle.

As an intercessor, I am privileged to intercede for the many needs of others. The load could become heavy if I relied upon my ability to carry the prayer requests; instead, I worship God as I intercede for others. My focus shifts from the awful need to the awesome Healer, Provider, Comforter, Way-Maker, and Source of everything. I remind God of His promises as I pray His Word, believing and trusting in Him.

We are called to be warriors, not worriers, in the place of battle. We are called to be ready and equipped for spiritual battle, to have access to God’s weapons of warfare, knowing that we can “put on the full armor of God”, as described in Ephesians 6:10-18. We can “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Ephesians 6:10.

We are called to cry out to God and trust in Him during battle. As we admit we need God’s help, we yield and submit to Him, asking for wisdom, strength, empowerment, and help. This is on-the-job-training — He equips us as we seek Him. God is able to change the circumstance and He changes us as we trust Him in prayer and worship, while fighting the battle.

Be encouraged today as you trust God in the battle.

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God’s Love Endures Forever

Psalm 136:1 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.”

We are living in unprecedented times as our lives have turned upside down due to the COVID-19 health crisis and the financial fallout. Thousands have been infected, hospitalized, near death or have died as a result of the virus. Many have lost jobs or their income has been decreased due to the change of people’s behavior, as most are following our leaders’ guidance to stay at home and practice social distancing to help stop the spread of the virus. We are faced with much change as we navigate our “new normal,” living in isolation, missing our families and friends, and doing life differently.

Although we may be facing loss, we also have much for which to BE THANKFUL. We have “extra” time to spend with our kids, our spouse, and our pets. We may have gained new technology skills, such as using video conference tools, to connect with classmates, teachers, congregations, and friends and family. We may have gained perspective — seeing life from a new viewpoint often helps to prioritize our time, finances and energy.

There is ALWAYS something for which to be thankful. If you need a jump start to get your thanksgiving juices flowing, check out Psalm 136. This psalm is chock full of the wonders of the Lord and each verse echos “His love endures forever.” When I meditate on this psalm, I can’t help but give thanks to the Lord because it describes the supremacy of God and provides examples of God as our creator, deliverer, rescuer, redeemer, sustain-er, justice-giver, guide, warrior, miracle maker, and provider.

I challenge you to open your Bible or your Bible app and just read aloud Psalm 136, and let the 26 verses encourage you today. Know that whatever it is that you are facing right now, God is able to meet every need as He is above all and He alone does great wonders. Indeed, His love endures forever.

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Connecting to God through Music

I woke up to the lyrics of the hymn, “He Giveth More Grace” floating around in my mind. I often have song lyrics that come to my mind when I awaken, however, this time it was a hymn that I haven’t heard in many years. The lyrics are not contemporary, however, the truth of this song remains. Perhaps you remember it as well. The lyrics are as follows:

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater, He sendeth more strength when the labors increase, to added affliction He addeth His mercy, to multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure; His power has no boundary known unto men. For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth and giveth again!

When we have exhausted our store of endurance, when our strength has failed ere the day is half done, when we reach the end of our hoarded resources, our Father’s full giving is only begun.

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure; His power has no boundary known unto men. For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision, our God ever yearns His resources to share; Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing; The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure. His power has no boundary known unto men. For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!

The words were written by Annie Johnson Flint, one who was well-acquainted with suffering, loss, and disappointment, yet who had a rich and vibrant understanding and experience of God’s love, grace, power, strength and provision. Hubert Mitchell wrote the music to this poem in 1941, as he too received hope and encouragement from the truth of these words, after his wife died, leaving him with 6 children to care for.

Music is a wonderful way to connect to God, especially as you sing the truths of God’s character, such as His faithfulness, grace, love and peace. When I listen to and sing hymns and worship songs, it helps me to refocus on God and receive hope. Years ago, I listened to Integrity Music “Scripture on Tapes,” which was God’s Word put to music. I had been struggling with depression and could not read the Bible consistently. It helped me to memorize Scripture, although I didn’t intend to do that, by listening to the songs and singing it repeatedly, the truth of God’s Word stuck in my mind. Now I see the incredible value of Scripture memorization through the power of music and song.

I encourage you to turn off the news and turn on the radio or your favorite worship playlist and SING aloud as you focus on the truth of God’s Word.



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Ever-Present Help

In the places of vulnerability and weakness, I find strength, hope and help within the truth of God’s Word and His presence. If I didn’t have a need, would I turn to God and if I didn’t turn to Him where would I find strength, hope and peace? The trials, suffering and weakness serve a purpose — it causes me to seek comfort, hope and healing, which I can always find through relationship with God. That has been my experience. Whatever the need, God is able to provide it. My job is to trust Him and watch what He will do to answer. God has supplied me with wisdom, understanding, counsel, insight, knowledge, revelation to know how to pray and what to say or do, comfort, and help. When I need help, I turn to God to supply it because He is faithful, trustworthy and able. He will not fail.

Psalm 46:1-2a says “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear. . “ We can find protection and safety in God. Relying upon Him to be your strength requires humility. You have to admit that you cannot solve it on your own or that you are powerless to handle the problem. It requires trusting God to listen, hear and give you wisdom or whatever is needed.

The world is experiencing much trouble in these days, yet God is our refuge and strength. We can have hope that God’s presence is available and here, even in the midst of suffering, stress, inconvenience, economic challenge, loss and confusion.

So lean into this place of finding your refuge and strength in a mighty God that is ever-present to help us now.

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The Fullness of God

I had the privilege of facilitating a life group in my home yesterday, where a few women joined me in worship and praise of the goodness and faithfulness of God. We read and chewed on a passage of Scripture that brought us life, hope and encouragement. Then we prayed the Scripture into our lives, the Body of Christ, locally and globally, and for our leaders. It was a time of refreshment and empowerment because we believe and declare what God’s Word says about us.

Ephesians 3:16-20 says, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

As believers and followers of Christ, we are The Church. We are strengthened and empowered by God’s Spirit to get a hold of the amazing and great love of Christ, that is for us and for the world. There are no limitations of this love, as it is vast and goes beyond our understanding, but we can experience and encounter love and be filled to overflowing with this love, by the power of God’s Spirit in us, as we are full of it — full of God.

As we pondered this truth, we realized that being full implies there is no room for other things that are contrary to God’s character. When we are full of God, there is no room for fear, anxiety, doubt, hate, selfishness, and despair.

So then, as we are empowered by God’s Spirit to more fully understand and experience the amazing love of Christ, we are filled with love instead of fear and hate, peace instead of anxiety and despair, faith instead of doubt, generosity instead of stinginess, and grace instead of judgment. Being The Church, we are to be carriers of God’s presence, so that wherever we go, we demonstrate all of the fullness of God. This is possible only by yielding ourselves to God’s Holy Spirit, who fills and empowers us. God’s power is at work within us and He is able to accomplish so much more than we can even fathom!

As followers of Christ, filled with God’s Spirit, let us be the ones who reach out to our neighbors to share supplies. Let us be the ones who smile at fellow shoppers looking for toilet paper (I’m trusting my few rolls will last long enough!) Let us be the one who pray for our leaders, health care providers, military personnel and each other. Let us be the ones who support President Trump and join in a National Day of Prayer on Sunday, March 15, 2020. Let us be the ones who place hope in Jesus to be our healer. Let us be the ones who believe and pray that COVID-19 would stop spreading. Let us be the ones who practice good hygiene and listen to the public health authorities. Let us be the ones who show the love of Christ because we are filled with love.

Let’s be The Church, the Body of Christ that is filled to the fullness of God, His Holy Spirit and Christ’s love, which is desperately needed in this time of uncertainty and concern as together we face a global health and financial crisis.

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Pray About Everything

Fear is an incredibly strong emotion that causes us to act irrationally, such as hoarding toilet paper or selling your stock portfolio in reaction to the unknown and potentially deadly virus. Neither of these reactions are particularly helpful to alleviate fear, they only serve to temporarily provide a sense of “safety.” Even if it is truly the “end of the world,” as we know it, we as followers of Christ need to be reminded that we have citizenship in heaven, and we will go “home” to heaven at the end of time!

If you find yourself consumed with worry and fear of the unknown, I urge you to instead consider the words of the Apostle Paul found in Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

This Scripture gives clear instruction on how to handle worry, and it demonstrates how a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, provides peace and hope. When you have a relationship with someone whom you trust, you generally talk with them about all kinds of things, because you feel safe and trust them to listen to you. As followers of Christ, we have a relationship with him and can talk with him about everything — this is prayer. When we pray, we demonstrate trust that he listens to us, that he cares about us, and that he will answer us. When we engage in these conversations with God, we get to know him more fully. Prayer builds trust and intimacy, just as conversation within relationships often build trust and intimacy.

We can pray about everything because God is trustworthy and I believe he wants us to depend on him for everything, rather than to depend upon ourselves. Trust is the hallmark of this relationship and prayer is the primary way of expressing the trust you have with God.

When the worry begins, say, “Nope. Not today!” Then begin to pray and say, “God I trust you with _______________.” He knows what we need already. He knows all about it, yet I believe he wants us to remember that we are in relationship with him, and he wants to hear from us, and relate to us! What a profound expression of love and trust!

Keep a short list of concerns. When a concern enters your mind, say aloud, “Lord, I need to talk to you about that.” Being a writer, I tend to write out my prayers in a journal. I have written my prayers for decades and if you were to read my journal, you would find prayer for all kinds of issues and for all kinds of people or things. I tell God all about it and thank him for what he has done. This serves as a reminder to me that God listens, God cares and God answers. He does give peace and hope especially as we take him at his word, believe him and actually live in Jesus Christ, rather than live in fear or worry. Living out a relationship with God through prayer has been my lifeline, my stability and my source of hope and peace.

I would love to hear how prayer and a relationship with God has given you hope and peace. Please share in the comments.

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God Sees, God Knows and God Cares

I have sensed an urgency to pray for people who are facing disease, loss or some kind of brokenness. You may be disappointed, in despair or doubt that God cares. Some have distanced themselves from God, perhaps you have walked away from a relationship with God because the heartache just doesn’t seem to lessen. Perhaps you don’t understand why God would allow suffering or you feel stuck in the “Woe is me,” or the “Why, God” or “What’s the point” as your prayers are not being answered as expected.

If this describes you or someone you know, be encouraged. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.”

One of the names of God is Jehovah Shammah, meaning the God who is there (even in the midst of loss, desolation and sorrow). God is close. Don’t believe the whispers of the enemy that say that God doesn’t care or that he has abandoned you. God is faithful. He is true to His Word. He will never leave nor forsake you.

I believe God wants you to know that He sees you, He knows all about it, and He cares for you, even when it doesn’t look like it, based upon your circumstances. I believe God wants you to know that He longs to commune with you, to bridge the gap and have a relationship with you.

As I walked through my journey to renewed hope, I experienced lots of woes, whys and what?! I learned these are just seasons and these seasons eventually turn into new seasons — seasons of wonder, seasons of knowing whose you are, seasons of wholeness and seasons of wow, look what God’s amazing love has done for me! I chose to trust God to help me through the yuck seasons and I am still trusting God to help me through the seasons of renewed hope. God is faithful!

My prayer for you is to trust God today and let Him be your companion through whatever season and be willing to look for ways that God is active in your life, as you let Him walk with you through the brokenness.

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God’s Presence Breaks Off Fear and Worry

There is fear all around us — fear of disease, fear of loss, fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of rejection, fear of ____________. We tend to imagine the worst possible scenario. We worry about our work, finances, health, family members, friends, government, leadership and more. Even the media incites worry about anything and everything. Fear and worry is all around us and if we’re not careful, it will engulf us and dictate how we live.

Worry is the world’s way of dealing with trouble. The problem with worry is that it doesn’t fix anything, it wastes time and it focuses on the problem, rather than the One who is able to provide the answers. In order to change how we deal with trouble in our lives, we need to see fear and worry as it is — worry is sin, and it is used as a tool of the enemy of our souls.

In Matthew 6:32-34, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount indicates that worries dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, our heavenly Father already knows all our needs and our job is to seek God’s ways of right living and God will give us everything we need, so don’t worry. Earlier in Matthew 6:25-27, Jesus taught that worry is a waste of time and it’s ineffective. Jesus points us to the reality that our heavenly Father cares for, values and provides for his creation — whether it is birds, flowers or humans!

I Peter 5:7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” We are not meant to carry the burden of worries and cares, as it can negatively affect our health. Carrying these burdens can result in anxiety, muscle tension, and other disease process. When we choose to let go of the weight of our worries and cares, we let go of the false sense of control that we think we possess, because in reality, we have little if any control over circumstances. That sounds scary, but this truth can be liberating, as it releases you from the burdens, and makes room for another use of your mind — to set your mind on God, our burden-bearer, the One who is capable of handling our worries.

In my journey to renewed hope, I experienced profound care and love from my heavenly Father, as I actively gave my worries and cares to God through prayer. I learned how to use my imagination for good, rather than for worry, as over the years, I had become an expert worrier. Worry was a tool that Satan used to try to consume me and stop me from living an abundant life. Perhaps you too can relate, and if so, be assured, that you can change this bad habit/sin response as you trust God to enable you to let go of worry and fear.

In one of my Holy Spirit adventures, I encountered Jesus in such a tender and loving way, as I used my imagination to “see” Jesus caring for me and my concern. When my focus shifted from my worry and fear of losing my beloved cat, to seeing Jesus as the carrier of my burden, the fear lost its grip on me, and the very presence of Jesus filled me with such peace that has stayed with me. The truth of God’s Word and the experience of God’s presence breaks off fear, anxiety and worry, as you trust and believe Him.

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Six Simple Yet Powerful Words

My pastor leads people to Christ, whether for the first time or the hundredth time, with a simple prayer, “Jesus, I give you my life.” I have repeated this prayer dozens of times as part of corporate and private worship.

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the Lent season, the six-week period of prayer and fasting leading up to Easter. As I reflect on this season, this simple prayer echos in my mind.

“Jesus, I give you my life,” is a prayer of acknowledgement and recognizing Jesus as Savior. Jesus is God’s love gift to the world. John 3:16 “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.” It is recognizing we need a Savior, because “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23). The penalty of sin is death, but Jesus took all sin (past, present and future) upon him, so we could have eternal life.

“Jesus, I give you my life,” is a prayer of surrender and submission. It is giving up our rights to holding onto whatever action, thought, word or attitude that might be holding us captive or in bondage to the world’s way. It is opening our hands, minds and hearts to God’s way of living. We let go and release it to Jesus. We let go of trying to control our lives and ask him to take the lead in our lives. We obey his Word and His leading, even when it is inconvenient or contrary to what we prefer. We surrender our will for His will.

“Jesus, I give you my life,” is a prayer of dedication. We recognize Jesus as our Lord, because we give him permission to lead, and guide our lives as he resides within us. Our lives become a reflection of the character of Christ — his love, his forgiveness, his grace, his way, not our way.

“Jesus, I give you my life,” is a prayer of dependence as we see our need for him to save, rescue, deliver, heal, provide, lead and guide. We lean on and trust God’s Holy Spirit to fill and empower us to live a life that reflects him, as we know we cannot do this without His Spirit.

“Jesus, I give you my life,” is a prayer of devotion as we love Jesus and express our love to him in prayer, connecting to him through reading and chewing on Scripture, worshiping him as a lifestyle, not just a weekend event. We do what he says and take him at his word, believing him to be trustworthy.

Jesus gave his life for you and me. Our response is to give our lives back to him. As followers of Christ, we have been marked by his amazing love, forgiveness and grace. May our lives reflect this truth as we choose Christ each and every day.

Whether you have prayed, “Jesus, I give you my life,” one time or dozens of times, I pray it will be a prayer of acknowledgement, surrender, dedication, dependence and devotion, as you reflect on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and what he means for your eternity and destiny.

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God’s Presence Comforts

“I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your Presence!” Psalm 139:7

I know God and experience His Presence as I pray and meditate on Him, and His Word. When I focus my attention upon His Presence and His love, fear goes away. His love washes over me, cleanses me and sets me free. His Presence satisfies my hunger and thirst for relationship and connection with God. Emmanuel means “God with us.” He doesn’t leave. He is constant and abides within me.

When loneliness or fear attempts to dominate, all I need to do is to fix my eyes on Jesus and visualize Him in a rocking chair and I imagine myself as a youngster crawling into His lap. I fix my eyes onto His loving face — all fear melts away — there is such love. I John 4:18 says, “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.”

God’s love is perfect. It meets every need. Experiencing God’s Presence makes me alright — it refreshes, renews, comforts and gives hope. I breathe in His Presence and thank Him for His amazing love that comforts me.

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Living out Spiritual Maturity

2 Corinthians 6:6 “We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.”

Colossians 1:11 “We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy.”

Waiting patiently can be a test of our spiritual maturity. When we are impatient, while we wait, we demonstrate an attitude of arrogance and anger — after all, the world resolves around us, right? Um no. I think we can all relate to the frustration of having to wait for someone or something, even waiting on God’s promises to be fulfilled, can be challenging.

Impatience can demonstrate immaturity and insensitivity to another person. It implies irritation, frustration and anger, that our right for whatever isn’t being fulfilled. When we show patience, we are self-controlled and others-centered. It is not all about me.

Patience is a virtue and it is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, as identified in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. There is no law against these things!”

The fruit of patience is listed between peace and kindness. If the fruit of peace has not been cultivated in our lives, we’re not as likely to have the evidence of the fruit of patience. However, if we have the fruit of patience, we’re ready to exercise kindness. So by being patient, we are declaring that we have peace and can give kindness as we wait with endurance.

We can choose to practice patience as we wait for people and as we wait for God to answer prayer, because as a follower of Christ, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered by Him as He cultivates spiritual fruit, including patience. The Holy Spirit of God empowers us to be patient while we wait. Submitting to God’s Spirit is key to spiritual maturity as evidenced by allowing Him to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit.

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My Why

I have experienced renewal and hope through my relationship with God and I wanted a way to share it, so more people might receive encouragement through an encounter with God.

I meditate on Scripture (God’s Word) and write what God shows me. I call these “words of encouragement,” as applying God’s Word “prepares and equips his people to do every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:17)

God is leading me through a process of receiving more of His love, grace and truth, in what I have called “adventures with the Holy Spirit,” because I am trusting Him as He guides me through prayer, counseling and writing about these encounters in my journal.

It is this journey of renewed hope that I intend to blog, as a way to steward well what has been entrusted to me. I am certain that God’s amazing love and His steadfast Presence is enough to bring breakthrough when you have come to a breaking point in your life.

God did it for me, He is able to do it for you.

My prayer is that many would receive hope and encouragement as you read my journey and that it would lead you to transformative encounters of new places of trust and obedience within a relationship with God.

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Identity Crisis?

At restaurants I call myself “Grace,” instead of using my real name, “Vianne,” because it’s easier to pronounce for most people.

Sometimes people express an interest in my name, as most people have never met a Vianne, so I explain how I got my name. I was named after my two grandmothers, Vi is for Violet, and Anne is for Anna. Sometimes I say, “It’s like Diane, only with a V.” For some reason, people hear “V” so they’ll call me “VeeAnn,” or “Vivian,” or “Diane.”

So at times I will assign me as “Grace,” as I sure need more grace when others mispronounce or misspell my name!

The name Anne actually means gracious or bearing grace. I have received much grace from God. I can give grace because I have received it in abundance.

I am not having an identity crisis. I am rediscovering my identity in Christ — I am someone who is filled to an overflowing abundance with GRACE, because the Spirit of God lives inside of me.

I am thankful that God knows my name. The Scripture in Isaiah 43:1 confirms it. “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.”