Doubt seems to take down the best of us. When we find ourselves struggling in our Christian walk, our faith usually takes the first hit. You may be doubling down in your prayer time, reading more in your Bible, blasting those Christian songs day and night, yet amid all your effort to stay encouraged, you still feel the ache and debilitating effects of doubt. You wonder if your current situation will ever turn around, if you can overcome your obstacle, or if there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Waiting. Just reading that word can trigger all sorts of emotions. The definition of the word is “to stay where one is or delay action until a particular time.”  Let’s be honest, waiting is not fun, yet God makes us wait a LOT. I don’t know what storms you’re facing today or what season of life you’re in, but I can guess that you’re probably waiting on God to answer at least one prayer, or maybe you just got out of your waiting season (lucky!). Either way, we can all learn a thing or two about waiting on God.

Wait. This is one of the last words we desire to hear from God. In a culture obsessed with convenience and instant gratification, we go out of our way to avoid waiting. We value speed and efficiency so much that we often overlook the value of just taking a moment to wait. Could God possibly have the right idea when His plans unfold a little more slowly than we had first anticipated? There may be something to this idea of waiting, not receiving everything we want right when we want it. But what is the value of such an unpleasant situation?

Stand still and see the Lord’s deliverance! This thought emerged victorious amidst the anxious and worrisome concerns that flooded my mind. Deep within my heart, I knew I had discerned the gentle voice of God reassuring me. As some of you may know, my precious son has bravely endured painful ear infections these past six months. If things could not be any worse, my husband and I find ourselves in a season of waiting, yearning for the day our son will undergo the procedure for his much-needed ear tubes. We have fervently prayed, hoping to get an earlier appointment with the doctor as we navigate yet another round of ear infection flare-ups. I must say that enduring suffering, especially when it involves someone you love, is the hardest part of waiting. 

Waiting patiently for something is not an activity I do well…not even close. Waiting on my email to load, awful! Waiting on my food order, the pits! Waiting on God…the most challenging part of my journey of faith! We live in a hustle-and-grind culture where waiting is seen as lazy or not the best use of our time. However, when we have unanswered prayers and questions about which move to make next, the waiting we must endure seems horrific. If you’ve grown up or around the church, you probably remember being told things like not to worry, take heart, and similar cliche Christian phrases because there is a plan, a reason for this season, and even God is having you wait for something better.

At the end of May, I completed a three-day fast. It was my first ever fast from food. For over a month, I had sensed the Lord pulling on my heart to undertake the spiritual discipline of fasting. But to be honest, I was very intimidated by it. I didn’t know how I would be able to give up food for three days straight. How would I deal with the hunger? Would I have enough energy to go about my daily schedule? What symptoms would I experience? Despite my hesitation, I knew I couldn’t ignore what the Lord wanted to teach me.

Have you ever chosen a word to focus on throughout the year? It's funny how certain words can take on a whole new meaning depending on the season of life we find ourselves in. For me, “perseverance” has become a word of profound significance. Its relevance has never been more apparent, especially considering the whirlwind of challenges that have unfolded in my life during the past few weeks. 

Perseverance is a much-needed virtue in so many different areas of life. However, as crucial as this virtue is in our Christian walk, it’s the first many give up or fail to practice when a situation becomes too challenging or unmanageable. Are you one to throw in the towel when life gets tough, or do you push onward to the finish line? As women of faith, the Bible urges us to trust God wholeheartedly as we stay the course set before us, grow in godly character, and finish our race strong, but the question inevitably arises, how? How do I keep going when it seems futile? 

Are you in a spiritually dry season? Every Christian will face ups and downs in their spiritual life. At times we’ll feel like we’re on top of the mountain, with our faith stronger than ever, experiencing God’s presence like never before, and feeling secure in the journey the Lord has called us to follow.

Do you feel like you're in a spiritually dry season? As followers of Christ, we usually refer to the different stages in our Christian walk as seasons. For example, we might be undergoing a season of waiting at some points in life, while at other times, we might be experiencing a dry season. But regardless of what season we find ourselves in, there’s hope in God’s Word! 

Have you ever felt absolutely empty, like you woke up one day with a deep aching in your belly, but no matter what you did, you just couldn’t shake the feeling? Then, as you walked throughout your day, week, or month, you started to wonder, “Why is everything going wrong, and why is the Lord allowing this to happen to me?”

“You can’t control your thoughts, but you can control your actions.” Have you ever heard someone say this before or something similar? I think many people believe that their thoughts have a will of their own and can’t be controlled, and as long as what’s in their head doesn’t come out in the open, then it’s not hurting anyone else. While this line of thinking may be true in some sense— thoughts can be hard to control, and no human can actually read your mind— this isn’t the attitude taken by our Lord concerning our thoughts. 

In my twenties, my best friend gave me a purity ring. She even had our church pastor pray over the ring and give his blessing. That little ring represented so much to me, a declaration of my desire to live a pure and righteous life before God. And you know what, sister, I’m married now, but I still have the ring today! So here’s the thing: the ring itself isn’t powerful; it merely symbolizes my pursuit of purity without verbalizing it. 

When you hear the word purity do you cringe a little? Do you immediately think of sexual purity? I know I do but I want to take you down a different path of ideas of what purity in the Bible means. I want to look at 3 ways that purity is essential to our walk with the Lord?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines religion as “a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices.” Unfortunately, the unbelieving world thinks along these lines. It likes to equate dedication to God as merely a book of stories one chooses to believe and a set of rules one decides to follow. As Christians, however, we know that the Christian life involves much more than rules and regulations. We serve a living God with whom we have a genuine relationship. But, at times, even we can forget that vital truth. 

Sitting down to write this week's blog post, I felt frustrated and overwhelmed. My family has been struck by illness, leaving us all feeling exhausted and drained. But as I was lamenting the timing of it all, I felt a gentle nudge from the Holy Spirit, reminding me exactly why I'm writing about the importance of relying on our relationship with Christ during times of hardship. This year I have been learning what an authentic relationship with Christ genuinely looks like. It’s not based on formal, tidy, pretty prayers and platforms but rather the opposite.

I am the Pinterest queen! If there is a tip, a method, 10 ways to do XYZ I am all over it. However, when my soul is longing for a more grounded relationship in the Lord, I know that I need to focus more on Him and less on everything else. When my vision is blurred because of life and sis let me tell you I get it! Like I’m in the trenches with you trying to navigate life as a daughter of Christ too…I am gently prompted and sometimes given a good swift kick in the rear by the Holy Spirit to buckle down in my faith. The discipline of my faith has to be rooted in my daily actions, has to stretch me to focus more, and has to promote a loving relationship with my Heavenly Father.

In a world with so much to worry and be anxious about, where chaos and division are rampant, I find myself deeply desiring and seeking peace of mind. Thankfully, I have a relationship with Jesus, who gives me supernatural peace. Thank you, Lord! But of course, the enemy loves to sneak into our lives and steal our peace when possible. So what are some ways that we can guard our peace of mind and promote a peaceful existence? One way I’ve found is through being patient!

This year I decided to step back from the endless scrolling on social media and focus on prioritizing my spiritual health. I want to ensure I am fully present and engaged in my relationship with God without distractions. It's been a game-changer, and I feel much more centered on God and at peace. I realized that the more time I spent scrolling, the less time I wanted to spend with my Savior in the sacred moments of prayer. Apathy secretly crept into the places of my heart where adoration for Jesus once soared.

Are you feeling stuck waiting on an answer from the Lord? Do you feel like this season will never pass? I completely understand and empathize with you because I have been and continue to go through seasons of waiting where my patience is tested. My grandmother used to gently remind me that, ‘Patience is a virtue.’ I would look at her puzzled and just nod my head hoping I wouldn’t get another lecture on how impatient I was behaving. Over the years I have been known to have zero patience so let’s just say I heard my grandmother's catch phrase almost daily!