How to Know if God is Answering my Prayer

How do you know when God answers your prayer? How do you know if it’s a yes or no from him?

Praying Specifically

Matt and I were talking with one of our friends and church members recently. She is going through a lot and needs a lot of prayer right now. We were praying with her about what to do about her living situation. I encouraged her to pray specifically, so she would know which direction God wanted her to go.

The next day, God answered her prayer so directly, it was impossible to miss. She told me with big eyes that she knew exactly what to do for her next step because God answered her prayer so directly.

That’s the thing about specific prayers—that they get specific results.

Seeing How God is Leading and Guiding

Sometimes, I think the reason we don’t get our prayers answered is that we don’t pray in a way to know if God has answered that prayer. We say things like, “I’m just praying about it,” or “I’m just praying for God’s will.” How do you know if the answer comes? How do you know God’s will?

I always encourage people to pray in a specific direction. Tell God, “I feel that you are leading me in this direction. I’m going to continue to go that direction. If you don’t want me to, then please close the door.”

When you prayer in a certain direction or specifically, then it’s easy to see how God is guiding and leading.

The Two Blind Men

God is a fan of specific prayers. Look at the two blind men who called out to Jesus in Matthew 20. Jesus stops and listens to their cries. Then he asks them a question: “What do you want me to do for you?” They respond, “We want to see.”

The directness of our prayer may not be for God’s benefit, but it’s definitely for ours. It helps direct us and guide us so we can be certain as to how God is leading in our lives. Have you ever had a prayer that you prayed so specifically that when God answered, you just knew this was the next right thing? It’s a good feeling, a really good feeling.

The next time you have a big decision to make or something you need God’s direction for, pray in a specific direction so you can know exactly which way God is leading you. It makes all the difference in knowing if God answered the prayer or not, and it takes away the confusion of knowing how God is directing you.

For More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out my post: Specific Prayers Get Specific Results, or check out Mark Batterson’s book, The Circle Maker.

When You’re Exhausted

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Exhausted. It’s a mom during a 2 AM feeding for her crying newborn. Weary. The guy working third shift to make ends meet. Tired. The college student pulling an “all-nighter” to complete a paper for a class at 7 AM. Worn out. The family that’s trying to help their loved one overcome addiction. Burned-out. The boss who can’t meet payroll. Drained. The couple who wonders if they should end their marriage.

**Today’s blog post is an excerpt from our 30-day Devotional You Are Not Alone.

Fatigue

Fatigue can make us fearful, doubtful, and depressed. It’s one thing to be physically tired. It’s another thing to be so weary at the soul level that you lie awake at night staring at the ceiling. You’re so exhausted you can’t sleep. That’s tiring.

What can you do when you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel? Take a glimpse into David’s life.

David was exhausted from being in conflict with people.
Psalm 57:6

David was weary from an all-night sob fest.
Psalm 6:6

David was worn out from waiting.
Psalm 119:81

David was tired of the toxic people around him.
Psalm 120:6

David was broken from a weary soul.
Psalm 63:1

David was tired of God’s heavy hand on him.
Psalm 39:10

Sometimes it feels like God is actively working against us. It’s in these times, we seek God’s rest.

What’s God’s answer for you when you’re exhausted? More work? Trying harder to do better?

Rest for the Weary

God’s answer is rest. He gives rest for your mind, your body, and your soul. How can we practically activate this rest?

1. Set a stopping time for your work. Your body will give you the stopping point and give out on you otherwise. God gives rest for your body. “My body rests in safety.” (Psalm 16:9)

2. Look for the natural rhythms God gives you. Don’t be a martyr. No one wins awards for making things harder on themselves. Instead, work toward peaceful healthy places and spaces in life. Who are healthy encouraging people you can be around? Where are safe places? What drains you? What fills you up? God leads you to peaceful and healthy places naturally. Look for them in your life. Don’t fight against them. “He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.” (Psalm 23:2)

Flip the Script

If you can worry, you can worship. Whatever narrative you’re telling yourself must change if you want rest.

Replace: “I’ve got to try harder” with “God is working for my best when I’m at rest.”

“God gives rest to his loved ones.”
Psalm 127:2

Replace: “People in my life are dangerous and can’t be trusted” with “God is my safe space and place.

”I“… live in the shelter of the Most High … find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”
Psalm 91:1

Replace: “Nothing ever works out for me” with “God is ever and always good to me.”

“…the Lord has been good to me.” (Psalm 116:7)

What kind of rest do you need from God today?

Taking It Further

Today’s Bible Reading: Psalm 127

What does God say about rest? (verse 2)

One of the reasons you may find yourself so exhausted is that you may be doing more of drains you than what fills you up. Take a few minutes to answer the following questions.

What drains you?

What fills you up?

Which are you doing more of—what drains you or what fills you up?

If you picked what drains you, then there needs to be a change. Write down some ways you can get more of what fills you up into your weekly schedule.

For More Encouragement

If you enjoyed this devotional, be sure to check out You Are Not Alone as well as our other devotionals.

You can also check out my post, Have You Ever Tried a Sabbath Day?

You Get to Choose

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Do you ever feel like you work really heard, yet people rarely seem to notice? If you’ve felt that way, you are not alone. Many of us feel like we put in more than our fare share of work, but we don’t get praised or thanked for it like we should. Sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking that God doesn’t notice; or worse, that he doesn’t care. He just wants us to “do more things” for him.

Two Different Sons

Jesus tells a story in the New Testament about two sons. Both sons worked for their father, but both of them had a very different story. It’s the well-known story of the prodigal son. We are all familiar with the story—how the younger son asks for his inheritance and leaves. He goes out and lives a life of luxury and partying. Then we know how he comes to the end of himself and finally comes back home. We usually focus on the prodigal son, but we often neglect the other son in the story.

Two Different Choices

The older brother in the story works for his father as well, but he stays faithful and does what he’s supposed to. When his younger brother comes back and his father requests a party to celebrate, the older brother is outraged. In fact, he refuses to come inside for the party. His father tracks him down and asks him why he won’t come to the party. Notice the older son’s answer.

All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends.Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
Luke 15:29,30 NLT

Notice the word slaved. The older brother shows how really feels about all these years working for his father. I can imagine that those words were a dagger to his father’s heart. His father didn’t want him slaving for him; he simply wanted him to enjoy the work that they did as a family.

Slaving for God

When my husband, Matt, brought these verses and words to my attention a little while ago, we sat and talked about it for a little bit. I think that we as Christians act the same way to God sometimes. We treat the work he gives us to do as toil and labor and view ourselves as slaves to the work he’s called us to…almost as if he’s a taskmaster, and we have no choice but to obey him.

Does it ever feel like you’re slaving for God? Like he’s your taskmaster, instead of your father? I think that’s what Satan tries to convince us of—that we’re just slaves, doing what God wants us to do; and we have to be miserable to make him happy.

That’s now how God views his relationship with us at all. God calls us sons and heirs. There’s a big difference between a slave and an heir! God says that he has adopted us into his family.

Choose Your Own Adventure

Read the verses below and take a moment to really think about these words:

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
Romans 15-17 NLT

I love those rich words. We are adopted as God’s own children and have all the privileges that come with being an heir of God. What do heirs receive? They receive all the privileges that come from being born into that family. In God’s case, that’s a lot of privileges!

We can choose to live like a slave or we can choose to live like a son.

The Choice is Ours

We can go through this life choosing one of two ways to live out our life in Christ—as a slave or as a son. The choice is ours. God’s already said what we are, but we have to choose to live that way.

For More Encouragement

A great song that goes along with this post is Zach Williams’ song, No Longer Slaves, or check out my post, When You Can’t Feel God in Your Life.

You Bring God Joy

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In the kids’ class that I teach at church, this past week we learned about John the Baptist. Then in my morning time this week, I was reading about him again. There’s a section in the story I can’t get away from.

It’s when Jesus comes up out of the water, and God the Father from Heaven says, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Mark writes it this way, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

Great Joy

I’ve been mulling over those words this week. Here’s what I’ve been pondering: God says to his Son, “You bring me great joy.” That’s what God sees when he sees Jesus. The Bible tells us multiple times that because of what Jesus did on the cross, when we accept God’s gift of salvation, we become sons and daughters. So does God look at you and me and think: You bring me great joy? I think he does.

If you have children, think about what they do that brings you great joy. For each of my kids it’s something different. Our eight-year-old Macey has the best laugh. When she gets going, it’s the cutest thing. It makes Matt and I smile with love and affection. Each of our kids bring us such joy. We love them so much.

God’s Joy

If we love our kids that much and they bring us such great joy, how much more does our Heavenly Father love us? How much joy must we bring to him?

We get so hard on ourselves and so down on ourselves because of our failures and mistakes, but we need to remember how God sees us. We need to remember this:

You bring great joy to God!

So when we get down on yourself and feel discouraged or worthless, remember that God sees great value in you. You bring him great joy just by being you. So be the you he created you to be and find your value in him!

For More Encouragement

A great book to read to be reminded of God’s love is David Jeremiah’s book, God Loves You: He Always Has or check out my post, Living Loved.

Our Faith Determines How God Works in our Lives

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The more I live life and the more I study God’s Word, I find that so much in life comes back to faith.

The Gospels are full of men and women who had extraordinary amounts of faith. Matthew tells us the story of two blind men who sat alongside a road who had more faith than most people. We don’t know any details about them than just those that—they were blind and they sat on the side of the road. We can assume that they were homeless, or at least outcasts. They had nothing. They could only rely on the pity of others to help them out.

Their Plan

We don’t know how old they were, how long they were blind, if they were related or just found themselves in similar straits. What we do know is that somehow they heard that Jesus was going to pass by. Whether or not they planned it or they both spontaneously decided to do it, they both began to shout. They shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us.”

The crowd around them responded the way most crowds would today. They tried to get them to be quiet. But the Bible says they only shouted louder. Well, their plan works. Jesus stops in front of them and asks, “What do you want me to do for you?”

Their Request

They respond, “Lord, we want to see.” Jesus takes compassion on them and instantly heals their eyes. After that, Matthew writes simply, “Then they followed him.” We don’t know for how long they followed him, but it was worth noting that they did.

Whenever I read this story, I am struck by their determination. It didn’t matter what anybody thought of them; they were willing to risk everything to get Jesus to heal them. Their desire to be healed mattered so much more than their pride.

I wonder how many of us let our pride or something else keep us back from getting serious with God. When was the last time we got serious with God and asked him, even begged him for something with no holds barred? When was the last time you begged God for something and wouldn’t let it go until He answered?

Our Faith

James tells just that if we’re going to come to God to ask for wisdom, we’d better come in faith without wavering.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord
James 1:5-7

Faith is so important to God. The more I read and study the Gospels, the more I am convinced that Jesus dealt with people according to their faith.

It always comes back to faith. We know this. We know that without faith, “it is impossible to please God.” Yet, we often forget and need to be reminded. God deals with us according to our faith. Our faith can be a big determining factor for how God works or doesn’t work in our lives. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my lack of faith to be the reason God doesn’t work on my behalf or my family’s behalf.

How to Increase our Faith

So how do we grow our faith? How do we know if our faith is strong enough to withstand a storm? The disciples had the same request. “Show us how to increase our faith.” Jesus answers them in an odd way. He turns to them and basically says, “If you had the tiniest amount of faith, even as small as a mustard seed, you could tell this tree to go jump in the lake, and it would obey.”

He’s exaggerating of course, but the idea is this: If you just have a little bit of faith, amazing things can happen. Why? Because it’s God we’re talking about. God can do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to Ephesians 3:20. We just have to do the first part…ask. And when we do ask, we have to ask in faith.

*Here’s a fun side note. Did you know? Mustard seed plants can grow to be twenty feet tall? Pretty amazing from such a tiny seed!

I don’t pretend to know how God works. Why he answers some prayers and leaves others seemingly unanswered. Why he meets some needs and seemingly not others. What I do know is that God will always work according to our faith, so let’s not give him any reason not to work in our lives. Let’s have the faith to believe that he’s going to come through for us in this season, just like he did in the last season. We may not see it yet, but we can believe it!

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post The Eight-Step Process of Faith. A great book on faith is The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson.

Making the Most of this Season of Life

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Summer is in full swing in the Manney home. It’s one of my most favorite times of year. Fall is still my favorite season, but summer is right behind that. Some people complain about the heat, but I am so grateful for it. I think part of it has to do with Pennsylvania winters. Though they’re pretty mild, winter lasts a long time here. So when summer finally comes, I am so ready to enjoy it.

My Favorite Parts of Summer

There are so many great things about summer that I love—cookouts, park trips, playing in the water, sitting in the sun, beach trips, vacation, iced coffee, fresh fruit…the list goes on and on. But one of the things I enjoy the most is sending my kids out to play in the pool.

We have an Intex pop-up pool in the backyard, and I am so incredibly grateful for it. I always wanted a pool and think it’s the absolute best investment ever! I love watching my kids play for hours in our pool.

Summer is about choosing to spend more time together as a family simply because you can. As a natural planner, scheduler, I have to really work to let go of expectations during the summer and just let my kids enjoy the break. They need it, and I do as well. It doesn’t come easily to me, so I have to choose to make it work.

Taking Advantage of This Current Season of Life

Take this morning, for example. After our walk, Matt told me he was going to go cool off in the pool with the kids for a few minutes. I sat outside to watch the kids swim and have fun with their dad. Of course, they begged me to come in the pool too. I had a choice. I could either sit and work on this blog post (which is what I was planning on), or I could get in the pool with them. I chose the pool. It’s summer; I’m not going to get this opportunity in a few months. I need to take advantage of the hot summer days while I can.

There are certain things you can only do in this season of life, both literally and figuratively. There are things you can only do in this stage of life you’re in right now, and there are things you can only do in the literal season we are in.

Whatever stage of life you’re in right now, take full advantage. You are only in this season of life for a period of time. God has opportunities that will only come during this stage of life. So be grateful for it, and make the most of it!

For More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out Hands Free Mama. It’s all about enjoying the time you have with your kids now while you can.

If you’re looking for a good book to read this summer, check out my summer reading list from 2022.

If you need a devotional for the summer, check out one of our 30-day devotionals, available from Manney Resources.

When Trials Knock Your Feet Out From Under You

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Have you ever been at a place in your life when you feel that you can’t tell which way is up anymore? The trials just keep coming. Life has knocked you down, and it feels like the hits just keep coming?

Job’s Humanity

I’ve been doing a study in the book of Job. Every time I read about Job, I am reminded how desperately human he was. The words that pour from his mouth show his humanness. There are so many verses in Job that are so accurate at putting grief and pain into words.

An example can be found in chapter three.

What I always feared has happened to me.
What I dreaded has come true.
I have no peace, no quietness.
I have no rest; only trouble comes.
Job 3:25,26

Don’t those words so accurately describe the feelings we have when we’re going through something that is just too much? As painful as Job’s story is, there is such beauty in his writing.

Bitterness of Soul

One of the verses that caught my attention this week comes from chapter twenty-seven.

I vow by the living God, who has taken away my rights,
by the Almighty who has embittered my soul—
Job 27:2 NLT

That phrase embittered my soul really encapsulates the feelings we go experience when we’re in the middle of a trial. The King James Version puts it this way:

As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;
Job 27:2 KJV

The word vex means “to make bitter,” and embittered means “anger or resentment at having been treated unfairly.” If we’re honest with ourselves, isn’t that exactly what we feel when God allows us to go through something that tests us to the very core of our faith? We would never say it out loud, but at night when it’s quiet and we’re all alone, those thoughts come to the surface. We feel that God has treated us unfairly, and we don’t know if we’re going to get through what we’re going through.

Reminder for Today

I don’t know what trials you’re facing today, but I know a little about what it’s like to feel like God has forgotten you, like he’s turned his back on you. God got me through that dark time in my life, and you can read about it in the book I wrote. But I’m here to remind you today that this is not the end of your story. God will get you through this.

I am here to remind you that God has not forgotten you. He sees you, and he knows what you’re going through. You are not alone. I know it doesn’t feel like it, but he’s right there with you and he’s not going anywhere. He hears you and will answer you when you cry out to him.

For More Encouragement

If you’re are in a trial right now and feel so alone, check out our devotional You Are Not Alone. It’s a thirty-day devotional with readings each day and verses to remind you that you aren’t alone even in the midst of life’s hard.

You can also read my post Handling Trials.

Our Colorado Trip and the Ark Encounter

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We just got back from our annual trip to Colorado. It’s a twenty-five-hour trip (without stops) from where we live outside of Philadelphia to Colorado. Of course, we take lots of stops. It’s a pretty long trip but so worth it. We had a great time seeing family, exploring, continuing our search for the best cup of coffee, and more. Matt and I got to do our morning time routine one morning by a beautiful lake, and that was a highlight for sure.

Seeing Family

We get to stay with my parents. We love getting to spend extra time with Grandma and Grandpa. We also got to spend time with my Grandma, who turned ninety this week. That’s always so special.

Ark Encounter

On our way home, we always stop in Kentucky to see my older sister and her family.

This year, we set aside time to visit the Ark Encounter while we were there. It was so much more than I thought it would be. It was an entire experience. Besides the actual ark we visited, there was a zoo, a playground, a restaurant, pizza and ice cream shops, a carousel and more. It was really a fantastic experience, and I highly recommend it.

Every year, before I go on vacation, I wonder if we should—if it’s worth the time, the money. It’s a huge trip across the country. Yet, every year, I am reminded that it is so worth it. It is so good to take a break from everything and just leave it all behind. It’s a change of pace and place, and that helps bring perspective, gratitude, and peace. Can’t wait for next year!

Don’t Run When the Pruning Starts

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There’s an orchard in Lancaster, PA that we love visiting multiple times throughout the year. We pick apples, peaches, and strawberries there. I saw a post from them this week about the pruning they are doing on their peach trees. It reminded me of how God works with us.

Pruning and training early in the life of the tree will help establish the desired form of the tree and make future pruning and maintenance less complicated. The rewards of proper pruning and training are abundant yields of high-quality fruit that are easily harvested.
Cherry Hill Orchards

The Pruning Process

When I read this post, it made me think of how God prunes us. I feel like this is exactly how God has worked in our personal life and ministry. The pruning in the early years of ministry really changed us and molded us and prepared us for the kind of ministry God wanted us to have.

Pruning isn’t fun. It’s often painful, but it’s how God prepares our hearts and changes us into the person he wants us to be. He does it so that we can actually produce more fruit.

He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
John 15:2 NLT

How God Prunes Us

The most common way that God prunes us is through testing and trials. He allows things into our lives to begin this work in our lives.

What I’ve seen time and time again over the years is that people run when God starts the pruning process. They get scared and take off instead of staying. They leave a ministry, a job, a relationship, a career, a church. God starts squeezing and putting the pressure on, and people get scared and run.

What Happens When You Run

There’s one thing I’ve learned about God’s pruning. If you run, the process will simply start again at another time. You may escape it for now, but then the testing and trials will start again in a different form.

The best thing we can choose to do is to stay in it. Stay in the pruning, the testing, the struggle. Don’t give up. Don’t run, even though it feels like everything inside of you is telling you to run. Stay still; allow God to work. Allow him to change and mold and shape you into who he wants you to be.

If we don’t run, if we don’t give up during the testing, we will produce fruit.

Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing
John 15:5

Choose to stick with it; don’t run during the pruning process. If we stay faithful, we will get to see what it looks like when God uses us to produce fruit.

For More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out a great video by the Skit Guys called The Chisel. It’s all about this process of pruning that God takes us through. Or read my post Peach Picking and Sticking With It.

What Matters is How You Finish

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We all know of people who started out well but didn’t finish well. You don’t have to look far for these kinds of stories. There’s a story in the Old Testament about a king who started out so well. He was a really good king until one day, he wasn’t. His name was King Asa.

Who was King Asa?

King Asa was a good king. He followed God and did what was right, and God blessed him in his reign. Everything was going really well for him, until something changed in his life. During the thirty-sixth year of his reign, King Baasha invades. Out of fear, King Asa sends money from the Temple to another king and asks for an alliance. King Ben-hadad agrees to the alliance and helps drive King Baasha out of King Asa’s land. Success right? They drove out the invading king.

Not so fast. After they drive out the invading king, Hanani (a seer), comes to see King Asa and delivers this message:

“Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the Lord your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram.
II Chronicles 16:7

What was Hanani’s message?

Hanani tells King Asa that he’s been a fool for trusting in a human instead of in God and that from now on, he will be at war. King Asa gets so irate, he throws Hanani into prison. What’s interesting to note is that the Bible says that from that point on, King Asa began to oppress some of his people.

King Asa goes on to develop a serious foot disease but still doesn’t choose to turn back to God. Just five years after these events, King Asa dies, leaving behind a tragic legacy.

King Asa started out so great, but he didn’t finish well. It doesn’t matter how we start something, it’s how we finish. We can have the best start, but it’s the finish that matters the most.

What was King Asa’s Downfall?

He stopped trusting God; it’s as simple as that. He knew better. He knew to trust God and to obey him; yet, somehow, he turned away from God and started trusting himself. That was his downfall.

So many people start out strong in their faith, but then life happens. Our feet get knocked out from under us, and life batters us. We get so bruised and battered that we lose the will to stick with it. Soon, we fall away from church, we stop meeting with our small group, and we stop reading our Bibles and even praying. Before too long, we find ourselves in a dark place, far away from God.

How do we keep from being like King Asa?

We have to continue to trust God each and every day and not lean on our own understanding of life and situations. We have to remember these familiar words from Proverbs and continue to put our trust in God and not depend on our own selves for direction in life.

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

Who do we trust?

The only way to get through this life is to trust God every step of the way and not our own selves. Jeremiah tells us that our hearts are deceitful and wicked, and we can’t trust them. We have to learn to trust God and not our own emotions, thoughts, and feelings; those can lead us away in a big way. As soon as we stop trusting God, we begin on the path to our demise.

Choose to listen to God, to listen for his voice in the midst of all of life’s craziness. Set aside time every morning to spend time with him through a morning time routine. Stay faithful to church, get involved in a small group. Most of all, continue to trust God one day at a time. If we do, we can finish strong and leave a legacy of godliness for our kids.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement on this topic, check out my post, Encouragement for the Weary Soul. Want to develop your trust in God by growing in your walk with him? Check out our devotionals and journals, available from Manney Resources.