Three Thieves of Joy

God wants His children to have joy and peace in their lives. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “…for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” In God we find an inner strength and peace that surpasses anything we could ever find elsewhere. The joy that the world gives is fleshly, superficial and fleeting at best. Only the joy that comes from God can sustain and inspire the believer to be more and do more for God. It is this same joy which flows from the heart that shows those around you that you have something they need: A relationship with Jesus … Continue reading

“You’re Not Still Nursing Her, Are You?”

Immediately after church last week a dear older woman walked up to me and said, “You’re not still nursing her, are you?” Her tone was full of accusation and condemnation and her opinion was clear: If I was still putting my fourteen-month-old daughter to breast, I was completely deranged and likely damaging my daughter as well. As a breastfeeding advocate, I should have confidently replied, “Yes, and I’m proud of it because it’s the best thing for my baby.” Instead, I found myself completely defensive. I actually felt as though nursing my daughter at her age might be wrong. I … Continue reading

When Does Satan Attack?

Does it ever seem like just when everything seems to be going great in your life, that’s when Satan attacks you? I had a day like that recently. Things were going wonderfully. I had a good time reading my Bible and praying in the morning. My husband, children and I had a fun morning spending time together as a family. We got to go to church to help with some cleaning and preparing for a special banquet which was taking place in the evening. My husband and I spent time singing together, practicing for doing special music at church. I … Continue reading

Why Should I Read the Pentateuch? Part 2

Part 1 of this series discussed the reasons why many people dread reading the first five books of the Bible, and why others do not attempt it at all. The following are a few suggestions for how to read the Pentateuch and enjoy it: 1. Read larger portions (four chapters or more) in one sitting. A mistake many people make when they sit down to read Leviticus, for example, is that they read only several verses to one chapter at a time. It is no wonder that when a month later, they are still reading the same book, they feel … Continue reading

Why Should I Read the Pentateuch? Part 1

Most of the people I know approach reading the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible, Genesis-Deuteronomy) with one of two feelings. Either they dread reading it, but do so out of a sense of obligation, or they start off determined to “just get through it”, and end up quitting somewhere in the middle of Leviticus. Genesis is usually pretty good reading, it is filled with many famous stories such as the Creation, Cain and Abel, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Esau and of course, Joseph and his coat of many colors. Even Exodus is pretty interesting with God … Continue reading

What is God Like?

As a Christian, I always think it is exciting when I find a verse in Scripture that gives me a clear picture of the Character of God. In Exodus 34, God tells Moses that He will pass by him and show him some of His glory. In fact, God says that His glory is so great that Moses will not be allowed to look on His face because the sheer magnificence of God would kill him. As God passes by Moses, He puts His “hand” over Moses’ eyes to protect Moses from seeing His face and dying. After He is … Continue reading

Why Should I Have My Devotions In the Morning?

In our heads, we all know that having personal time alone with God is vital to our Christian life. However, so often life seems to get in the way. Are you having trouble getting your time alone with God and making it count? Consider these reasons for having your devotions earlier in the day. 1. I know how hard it is to get up in the morning. However, the fact remains that for many people, if they don’t get their devotional time in the morning while the kids are still in bed, they won’t get it at all that day. … Continue reading