Never Give Up Praying

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Do you ever feel like you pray for the same things over and over again, but those prayers don’t get answered? Sometimes, it feels tempting to just give up on praying and give in to the thought that things are never going to change.

The Unjust Judge

Jesus understood that desire to give up and stop praying and told a parable about how we’re not supposed to ever give up on prayer. He tells the story of the unjust judge in Luke 18. A widow comes to this unjust judge and asks for justice in a dispute she’s having. We don’t know what the dispute was; we just know she was determined. She kept coming to the judge over and over and over again. The judge finally gives in to her request–not because he wants to. No, he gives in because she’s driving him crazy with her constant asking.

There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people,but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

Luke 18:2-5

Keep Praying

Jesus tells this story as an example of how we are supposed to pray. We’re supposed to keep praying and never give up.

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matthew 7:7,8

Jesus knew that we struggle with consistency in prayer. Sometimes it’s hard to keep praying for something, to keep believing. And yet, so many of the miracles and work Jesus did were based on faith. Everything He taught and did came back to faith. Jesus did or didn’t do miracles according to people’s faith.

Don’t Give Up

When it comes to prayer, it’s so easy to give up, to feel like it’s not making a difference. But just as in the story of the unjust judge, it matters. If the woman had given up, she wouldn’t have gotten her answer.

We get so busy and rush from one thing to the next. We get discouraged and frustrated with our day and feel like the pressure of the world is coming at us. The best thing we can do, is take the time to pray. Take the time to tell God what’s on our heart and ask for his strength to make it through the day.

No Time to Pray

I got up early one morning

And rushed right into the day;

I had so much to accomplish

That I didn’t take time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,

And heavier came each task,

“Why doesn’t God help me?” I wondered.

He answered, “You didn’t ask.”

I wanted to see joy and beauty,

But the day toiled on gray and bleak;

I wondered why God didn’t show me;

He said, “But you didn’t seek.”

I tried to come into God’s presence;

I used all my keys at the lock;

God gently and lovingly chided,

“My child you didn’t knock.”

I woke up early this morning,

And paused before entering the day;

I had so much to accomplish

That I had to take time to pray.

– Anonymous

Whatever your burdens are today, don’t stop praying. Don’t give up on asking. God hears. I don’t know when the answer will come, but I know it’s too soon to give up. You don’t know when the breakthrough will come. It may be just around the corner, but you’ll never see it if you give up now.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out Matt’s book, Breakthrough; or read my post, What LJ Taught Me about Praying.

New Kids’ Devotional and Giveaway!

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I am so excited to announce that we have created our first kids’ devotional. This is something Matt and I have talked about for years and has finally come to fruition.

If you’ve been around Faithfully Stepping for any length of time, you know I am a huge fan of having a morning time routine. I talk about it quite a bit because I believe the best way to grow in our relationship with God is by spending time with Him every morning through prayer, Bible reading, and journaling. I believe the same is true for kids, and now they can have their own devotional.

Heroes and Villains Kids’ Devotional

Matt has created our first kids’ journal, the first of many. Heroes and Villains is an interactive devotional designed for kids ages 8-12 who love puzzles, games, drawing, and big adventures. Each of the 31 devotionals features:

A Bible story that brings Scripture to life. A lesson from a hero or villain to follow or avoid
A Scripture passage with questions to explore
A challenge to apply the lesson to everyday life
A puzzle, word search, decoder, sketch, or coloring page

This devotional is perfect for kids to do on their own or as a family devotional. It makes learning about God and His Word fun, exciting, and unforgettable.

A Great Place to Start

Our girls (ages 9 and 11) worked through the journal and finished it before we started promoting it, and they loved it. My nine-year-old came to me the morning after she finished it and was sad because she didn’t have any more devotional pages to do.

If you have a child or a grandchild that you want to get into reading God’s Word each day but don’t know where to start, Heroes and Villains is a great way to get them started. They won’t get bored with it as each day has a different activity to do as part of the lesson.

Giveaway

To make this even more exciting, Matt is doing a giveaway with this new devotional. The giveaway includes everything your child needs for an awesome morning time basket.

Heroes and Villains Devotional
Fun Multi-colored Pen
A Kids’ Bible
Colored Pencils
Lucky Charms Cereal Bars

The great thing is that you can create this same basket for your child at home. I can guarantee they will love it and be excited to do their morning time each morning! Enter to win the GIVEAWAY!

Hope in the Midst of Suffering

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I was talking with a friend recently who’s going through a difficult time. And then, this week during my morning time, I read this verse and found the words to be able to share hope with her.

He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer. He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.

Psalm 9:12 NLT

It is such an incredible relief to know that God doesn’t ignore the cries of those who suffer. God hears our cries and won’t ignore us when we are suffering.

Suffering brings about two responses in people.

1. Doubt

When we are pushed to our limits, many of us choose to doubt. We go from believing God to doubting Him and turning away from him. Our belief in his goodness and faithfulness turns to no longer trusting Him and questioning His goodness. Our belief becomes unbelief. The things we always held to no longer work for us.

We find ourselves on a path away from God for a time. That time may be for just a few days or a few weeks. But if we’re not careful, that could turn into months and even years. And then one day, we wake up and find ourselves so far away from God and church and anything to do with Christianity and we wonder how in the world we got there. It all started with doubt when we found ourselves in a time of testing or suffering.

2. Trust

The second response takes a lot more faith, and that is to trust. When the suffering comes, we choose to trust God. We trust in His goodness and refuse to believe He’s not who He said He is. We choose to let our belief in Him grow deeper, and we grow in our relationship with God during that time.

This trust leads to stronger belief and a surety of our faith in God. It’s the roots that grow deep like Paul talks about in Colossians.

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Colossians 2:6,7 NLT

Time of Suffering

Do you find yourself in a place of suffering today? Are you in pain, and you don’t know what to do or if you can make it through? Let these words from the Psalms encourage your heart. God does hear you; He doesn’t ignore your suffering. That can bring us immense comfort.

If you find yourself in a place of suffering, ask God for the faith to endure and to keep believing. Keep believing that God is good, that He is who He says He is. Remember His faithfulness.

I will never forget this awful time,
    as I grieve over my loss.
Yet I still dare to hope
    when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!^[b]
    His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lamentations 3:20-23

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my book, The Hidden Pain: When You Fear God is No Longer Blessing Your Life, or check out my post, Don’t Run When the Pruning Starts.

What’s Currently In My Morning Time Basket

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Probably my most favorite topic to talk about on my blog is a morning time routine. I am so convinced that a morning time routine is the best way to grow in our relationship with God that I have a hard time not talking about it. And of course, if I’m talking morning time routine, I have to talk about my morning time routine basket.

Thirty-to-THRIVE System

Not familiar with a morning time routine? The system Matt and I teach is called 30-to-THRIVE. It’s a thirty-minute routine for reading your Bible, praying, journaling, and reading a book. It looks like this:

First 10 Minutes

The first ten minutes is for reading your Bible or a devotional. I am currently loving the devotionals from Daily Grace Co. Of course, I’m also a fan of the devotionals that we write as well. You can find those at Manney Resources.

Second 10 MInutes

This time is used for journaling for both prayer and application for what you read. For the prayer time, I write down at least three things I’m grateful for. Then I write down things I need to confess. Lastly, I write down my requests. Then I take the time to pray through each of those things.

After that, I write down anything that stood out to me from my Bible reading time. It may be a verse, a thought, or just something that stood out to me that I don’t want to forget.

Third 10 Minutes

The last set of ten minutes is set aside for reading a book. I read something inspirational, spiritual, or a book that I can learn from.

That is the 30-to-THRIVE system in a nutshell. If you want to see this process broken down into greater detail, check out my free Morning Time Routine Course.

My Morning Time Basket

I have found the easiest thing for me to keep all my supplies in one place is to put them all in my morning time basket. That way I’m not spending time each morning trying to find my Bible or a pen or anything else I might need.

So what’s currently in my morning time basket?

1. My Bible.

I currently use this NLT Bible from Amazon. I’m probably close to getting another one sometime soon. This one is pretty marked up and ready to be saved for one of my kids to have one day. So I will start another one soon.

2. My Journal

I use this Faithfully Stepping Journal every single morning. Matt and I created them, so I’m obviously a little biased; but I love these journals. It’s exactly what I need each morning.

Each journal has a section at the top for prayer and includes sections for gratitude, confession, and requests. Next is a section for writing down anything that stood out to me during my Bible reading. Lastly, there’s a section to write down any tasks that come to mind that I don’t want to forget.

3. My Current Read

I am currently reading The Time Saving Mom by Crystal Paine and loving it. It’s so practical and exactly what I need right now. I just finished Mostly What God Does by Savannah Guthrie; that was a really good book as well.

4. My Current Bible Study

I am working on a Bible study that I hope to have out by the end of this year or early next year on the book of Job. So I have a spiral-bound notebook in my basket that I’m using for that study.

5. My Pens

Of course, you can’t have a morning time basket without pens. These Pilot G2 Gel pens are the newest pens in my basket. The other pens I have are all PaperMate gel pens in different styles and colors. I love colored pens for my morning time; it keeps things fresh because I change out the color every single morning.

6. Thank you Cards

I have a pack of thank you cards in my basket. It’s the best place to keep them because if I’m going to write a thank-you note, I usually think about it first thing in the morning with my to-do list for the day. So I get it done right then.

7. My Next Daily Grace Co. Study

I have a bible study in my basket that I’m saving for vacation in a few weeks, so it’s in my basket as well.

8. Bookmarks

I always keep a few bookmarks in my basket. I use them in the books I read as part of my morning time. I also always keep one in my Bible for underlining. I am currently loving the bookmarks from SJWonderlandz. They’re not spiritual, but they’re bookish. So I always have a few of those on hand.

9. Gratitude Journal

We made gratitude journals at the beginning of the year, and I keep mine in my basket. I don’t write in it every day; I do that in my Faithfully Stepping Journal every morning. I save my gratitude journal for bigger things–events, things I want to remember, answers to prayer, etc.

So, that’s it–a peek inside my morning time basket. Do you use a morning time basket. If so, what’s in yours?

Believe Again: Easter Hope for Everyday Faith

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Unbelief

Sometimes, we’re really hard on Thomas. I mean his nickname is “Doubting Thomas,” so it’s kind of warranted. But it’s interesting that it wasn’t just Thomas who doubted. The disciples also doubted.

After his resurrection, Jesus appears first to Mary Magdalene.

After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened. But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.

Mark 16:9-11 NLT

Mary Magdalene told the disciples that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, but they didn’t believe her. Next, Jesus appears to two of his followers as they travel. He walks with them and talks with them. They hurry to tell the others, but they don’t believe them.

Afterward he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country. They rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.

Mark 16:12,13 NLT

Stubborn Unbelief

Jesus told them exactly what would happen, and they had eye witness accounts of his resurrection. Yet, they chose not to believe. When Jesus finally shows himself to the disciples, he rebukes them for their unbelief. Not only does He call it unbelief, He calls it stubborn unbelief.

Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.

Mark 16:14 NLT

Failing to Believe

How did the people who got to actually see Jesus and hear his teaching and know Him personally doubt in the end? If their faith wasn’t strong enough; there’s no hope for my faith.

So much in the Gospels comes back to belief. Jesus healed or didn’t heal based on people’s belief. All of his healing and his teaching kept coming back to belief.

It’s not so different in our lives all these years later. God wants to work in our lives, but He still does that work according to our belief or unbelief. I wonder if far too often, God doesn’t do something in our lives simply because we fail in this area of believing.

Choose to Believe

As we celebrate Good Friday today and Easter on Sunday, it’s a good time to reflect on what Jesus did for us. But let’s take it further than that. Let’s choose not to be like the disciples who missed what was in front of them. Let’s not let the struggles and difficulties of life make us doubt God’s goodness and love. The same Jesus who died on the cross and rose for us is the same Jesus who is still walking beside us today. Let’s believe in his goodness and trust that the same God who rose from the dead is the same God who will take care of me today.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, When Everything Changed for Mary, and She Could Hope Again or check out Matt’s book, Six Days to Sunday, an Easter devotional.

Flowers and the Father’s Love

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Making Flower Arrangements

On Sunday, my family and I showed up at our local produce store and spent about ten minutes picking out several dozen flowers for our ladies’ event. After church, we put all the flowers out on a table, along with vases and decorations from the dollar store. After lunch, we all gathered around the tables and picked which flowers we wanted and went to work decorating vases and filling them with flowers.

It was really fun. In fact, I had such a great time, I did the same thing on Thursday with my kids as a part of school. We went back to our produce store and bought more flowers, and then went back to Dollar Tree for vases and ribbon. They each got to make a vase of flowers and then had to do a nature study sheet with a sketch and label for each flower they chose.

So Uniquely Different

There are now several vases of flowers scattered around our house, and I have to say I love it more than I thought I would. There’s something about choosing which flowers you love and creating your own arrangement of them that’s just so fun. Each of my kids created their own set of flowers that are similar (because we all pulled from the same flowers) and yet so completely different. And each of them is highly satisfied with their arrangement.

Every time I see one of the vases of flowers we created, it brings a smile to my face; and it fills my heart with praise and gratitude. It’s such a small thing, but it makes my heart happy.

God’s View of Us

It makes me think of how God must feel when He looks at each of us, His perfect creations. Each one of us is similar in that we are all made of flesh and blood and in God’s image, and yet, we are all so incredibly different as well.

When He made you, He didn’t make any mistakes. He made you exactly how He wanted you to be, and that brings Him incredible joy.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

Psalm 139:14 NLT

Grab Some Flowers

So this is my encouragement to you today. First, go grab some flowers from a produce store (for cheap) and gather a few friends, family members, neighbors, ladies from church, and make your own arrangements. It’s so fun! You won’t regret it.

If that doesn’t work for you, snag a bouquet of flowers from the store. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Put them out somewhere where you can see them throughout the day and be reminded of the fact that God loves you so very much. He created you uniquely different from anybody else in the world. He made you, you. And He is really proud of His creation.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, Finding Freedom from Comparing Ourselves or check out David Jeremiah’s book, God Loves You: He Always Has, He Always Will.

It’s Not How You Start, It’s How You Finish

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We spent a few hours yesterday at a track meet for one of the girls from our church. We had a great time cheering her and her teammates on. There were competitors from four different schools. Some of them would fly around the track; others would struggle and fall a lap or two behind. But they all had one thing in common. They all finished the race. Not a single competitor didn’t cross the finish line.

Finish the Race

No matter what position they came in, no matter how far behind they were, they always finished. Sometimes it would be a sole competitor running an entire lap by themself because everybody else had already crossed the finish line. And yet, when those stragglers came into view, every person–whether in the stands or runners on the field–would start cheering for them as if they were going to win the race. It was pretty amazing. Teammates and opposing teams alike would stand on the sidelines and clap and cheer them on to the finish line.

Why? Why would they do that? Even when they were dead last? Because they finished. Each runner out there and every parent in the stands knows how much hard work goes into training and then running out there and giving it your all. So when each player simply finished the race, it was like they received a standing ovation.

It’s How You Finish that Counts

There’s a powerful lesson to be learned here. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish or that you finish at all. It’s the same in the Christian race; it’s not how you start, it’s not the stumbles and falls you had along the way, it’s how you finish the race that counts.

Paul understood this principle. He often spoke of the Christian life as a race, and he was proud of the way he had run his race. He stayed faithful and finished his race, and he would receive the rewards for that.

As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near.I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.

II Timothy 4:6-8

Handicaps for Racing

There was another thing I noticed sitting there yesterday. Some runners seemed to have an unfair advantage. They were tall with lean bodies and long legs that ate up the track. Then there were others that were much shorter and had to work even harder to run as fast. They seemed to take two strides for every one stride the taller athletes took. And yet, they weren’t given any special help or conditions. They had to run just like everybody else, and they had to finish. Some of them even beat out the taller, longer legged runners.

Sometimes, we are given handicaps along our race; handicaps that make it harder for us to run. Those around us may be running just fine, but our handicap is slowing us down. Those handicaps may come in the form of financial struggles, health problems, chronic pain, addictions, mental health struggles, infertility, single-hood, divorce, loss of a loved one…the list goes on and on. And yet, in spite of those handicaps, we still have a race to run; we have to still finish.

Running with Endurance

Paul tells us what we have to do. We have to get rid of the weights that slow us down and the sins that trip us up and then run with endurance, no matter what handicaps we have.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

Hebrews 12:1

It seems like an impossible task–running this race of life with handicaps and still expected to finish. How do we do it? How do we find that endurance when life is so hard at times? Paul didn’t leave us without an answer. It comes in the next verse.

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Hebrews 12:2

Focusing on Jesus

We run with endurance, handicaps and all, by keeping our focus on Jesus and remembering that He gave everything, so that we could have eternal life. As we run, we focus on the fact that one day, we will see him face to face.

We also run with endurance by remembering the cloud of witnesses in heaven, looking down on us. They are those who have run their race ahead of ours and have finished. Now they watch us run ours, and are cheering from the grand stands of Heaven.

Finish Your Race

You may feel tired today; you may feel like your handicaps have cost you the race. Or maybe sin and its destruction has kept you from even running. It’s not too late. Paul gives us these encouraging words.

So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.^.Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

Hebrews 12:12,13

It’s time to get back in the race today. If you’re already in the race, this is your encouragement to keep going. Keep running towards Jesus; keep your eyes on the prize. Stay faithful. Remember that it’s not how you start the race, it’s how you finish.

One day, we will finish our race. We will stand before God and give account of our lives. Will we face God with regret? Or with joy, knowing we ran the race He gave us and we didn’t give up. We finished.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, The One Guarantee if You Quit.

5 Lessons from Nehemiah on Pursuing God-Given Dreams

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Do you have big dreams? Something that you believe God wants you to do, something that’s bigger than yourself?

There’s a small book in the Old Testament called Nehemiah; it goes hand in hand with the book of Ezra. Both men were contemporaries and worked together to rebuild Jerusalem when those who had been exiled to Babylon began to return to the city. Ezra was a scribe and a religious leader. Nehemiah led the charge to rebuild the wall.

Nehemiah’s Story

When the book of Nehemiah starts, we see that he has a high position in the court of Persia. He serves as the cupbearer to the king, but he has a burden to return to Jerusalem and help his people rebuild the wall to protect the city so that others can return. The king grants him leave, and he travels to Jerusalem.

He doesn’t tell everybody his plan. Instead, he slips out at night, taking only a few people with him, and inspects the wall. Only then does he gather the leaders of the city and tell him his plans, and they get to work. They are met with obstacles along the way–men who tried to get them to stop the work. But Nehemiah forges ahead. He prays and asks God for protection; then they split the people in half. Half the people continue to work on the wall; the other half stand guard.

Even despite disruptions, the wall gets rebuilt in 52 days. It’s an amazing feat and a great story. To get the full picture, you have to read the book. But there are some really good lessons to pull out of the book of Nehemiah, specifically when it comes to doing something that God has laid on your heart to do.

Lessons from Nehemiah

1. Make sure your dream is from God

Nehemiah had a passion and desire to help rebuild the wall in Jerusalem, but he acknowledges that that burden came from God. It wasn’t something he came up with on his own.

I had not told anyone about the plans God had put in my heart for Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 2:12 NLT

There are so many good things to get passionate about, to devote our time to. I believe God gives us passions and desires and dreams to help people and help make things better. When we decide to go after one of these dreams and do something about it, we just have to make sure that it’s God who is directing and leading us and not ourselves.

2. Keep It to Yourself

This is where so many of us go wrong. We get really excited about what we believe God is leading us to do, and we start telling everybody about it. The problem is, people are often discouraging. They see all the problems with your dreams and all the reasons your plans won’t succeed. True, those problems may be real, but with God’s help, you can overcome them. But if we tell the wrong people and get discouraged and overwhelmed, we may never even start the thing we know God wants us to.

Don’t tell anybody to start with; just pray about it and begin to plan. Nehemiah didn’t tell anybody when he entered the city that he was making a plan to rebuild the wall. When he made his tour of the broken down wall, it was at night for a reason.

I had not told anyone about the plans God had put in my heart for Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 2:12 NLT

3. Tell only a few safe people about your dreams

When you are ready to tell others about it, only tell people that are “safe.” Only tell those who really love you and want to see you succeed in life, who love God and won’t feel threatened by God’s plan for your life.

Nehemiah only took a few people with him on that night trip around the city. It doesn’t seem to make sense until we see what happens next. Once Nehemiah does make known his plans, here come the men that begin to oppose the work.

I slipped out during the night, taking only a few others with me.

Nehemiah 2:12 NLT

4. Don’t Give Up When People Oppose You

As soon as the people decide to follow Nehemiah and start rebuilding the wall, their enemies showed up.

Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king.

They replied at once, “Yes, let’s rebuild the wall!” So they began the good work.

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously. “What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” they asked.

Nehemiah 2:18,19

There are always going to be those who oppose what you’re doing. They won’t understand; they may even try to stop you. You have to choose to ignore those people and instead, focus on the task God’s given you.

We’ve had really good people over the years try to talk us out of what we know God’s called us to do–pastors even. That’s hard. You begin to second-guess yourself and doubt. That’s why you have to be so certain that this is God’s plan in the first place. But once you’re certain of that, you can hold your ground and go after that dream with all your heart.

5. Pray and then Do the Work

When Nehemiah hears that their enemies were making plans to come and fight them, he does two things. He prays, and he sets a guard around the city wall. He doesn’t just pray and sit back and do nothing. Nor does he make a plan without talking to God. He does both.

But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves.

Nehemiah 4:9

When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall.But from then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail.

Nehemiah 4:15,16

We have to do both as well. When attacks and criticism come (and they will), we go to God first. We pray and ask for his help and courage and strength to continue on. Then we make a plan and get to work. The best thing you can do for your critics is prove them wrong by accomplishing that dream God’s laid on your heart.

Nehemiah and his team finish the wall in record time. He completes the task God burdened him with, and he rejoices in the finished work. By following these five principles, we can do the same. We can go after the dream that God has given us and see it accomplished in our lifetime.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, Never Give Up on Your Dreams or check out Matt’s book, Breakthrough: Transforming the Death of a Dream to the Birth of a Breakthrough.

5 Ways to Deal with Anxiety

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Do you ever struggle with anxiety? Do you have a hard time sleeping because of anxious thoughts? I know I do; I think we all do at times. God, who created us, knows that we struggle with it. David wrote about it in the Psalms.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Psalm 139:23 NLT

God’s Answer for Anxiety

God understood that we have anxious thoughts, but He didn’t leave us without an answer. He gave us a solution for when we feel anxious.

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.

Philippians 4:6,7

God understood our tendency to worry, so he told us what to do. He told us to pray about it and talk to Him about it, and then thank God for all he has done for us. Then He told us what the result would be—peace. The older I get, the more I realize what a gift peace is! That’s it. The answer to our anxious thoughts—pray about it and be grateful.

That sounds great, but how do we do this practically speaking. Here are five ways to push away anxiety.

1. Go for a walk.

Sometimes, when anxiety feels like it’s crippling me, I get out the door and go for a walk. I talk to God and tell Him what’s on my heart. Then I listen. And sometimes, that’s it. And then, maybe I’ll put on my audiobook or some music; but the anxiety starts to recede. I feel like I can face the day again.

2. Listen to uplifting music that puts your focus back on God.

Listening to music that points my attention to God helps soothe my spirit and brings peace and calm. It says the words for me that I can’t say right now through the language of music.

3. Read the Bible before bed.

One of the most anxious times is at night when we go to bed. I’m not sure why it is, but nighttime is the worst for anxiety. To help with that, I read a Psalm every night before I go to bed and pick a verse to think about as I drift off to sleep. I can’t tell you what a difference it makes!

4. Talk it Out

There is something about talking out your anxiety. There is power in the darkness, but when we bring light to the darkness, shadows dissipate. When we talk out loud to God, we hear the words we’re saying. I don’t know the science behind it, but it makes a difference. Talking out loud to God brings a deep peace.

5. Gratitude

Practice being thankful. There is a direct coorelation between gratitude and worry. It’s impossible to be thankful and worried at the same time. Try it. It doesn’t work. Find ways to incorporate more gratitude into your day. I do this each morning in my Faithfully Stepping Journal. It’s also fun to create a gratitude journal; we did this at the beginning of the year.

The next time you feel anxious thoughts taking over, try one of these ideas.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, 3 Steps to Releasing Worry and Fear.

My Favorite Books of the Bible

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We all know we need to read our Bibles each day, and most of us even want to. But sometimes it’s hard to know what to read or which books of the Bible to start with. Maybe you’ve just finished reading the Bible from cover to cover, and you don’t know what to read next. Maybe it’s been a really long time since you read your Bible, and you don’t know where to begin. Or maybe it’s new to you, and you have no idea where to begin.

No matter where you find yourself, the best thing is to just start reading. While you can’t go wrong, because it’s all God’s Word, sometimes it helps to have somebody come alongside and just give some suggestions. So with that in mind, here is a list of my favorite books of the Bible by category.

My Favorite Books to Study:

Habakkuk
Ecclesiastes
I Peter and 2 Peter
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians
James
Job

These are the books of the Bible that I get the most excited about studying. I know there is so much good stuff in there, and I can’t wait to draw it out. There are also verse after verse underlined in these books that just remind me how much I love God’s Word. I need a journal and a pen when I study these books. There’s so much richness to them.

My favorite book for encouragement:

Psalms

When my heart is discouraged, I turn to the Psalms. Reading the book of Psalms is the antidote for an anxious heart. I read a Psalm every night before bed to help calm my mind before I sleep.

My Favorite Gospel

Matthew

I love all the Gospels, so it’s hard to pick. But Matthew comes out on top for me.

My Go-To Book for Wisdom:

Proverbs

When I need wisdom for a choice or decision I need to make or for a certain time in my life, Proverbs is my go-to book.

My Favorite Books that Give Me a Challenge:

Isaiah

Minor Prophets:

Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zachariah
Malachi

(Yes, Hosea is excluded. That book just makes me sad. And Habakkuk is on the list further up of my favorite books to study.) I love the challenge that each of these books present. You have to work at it, but you always find a gem in there. And when you do, it makes it so worth it.

These are some of my favorite books of the Bible to read and study. What are your favorites?

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, Simple Steps to Get Back to Reading Your Bible Each Day. If you like the idea of journaling, check out my Faithfully Stepping Journals.