It’s only through His grace and love that I’ve been kept from breaking. Our confidence in the Lord, grounded in prayer and biblical guidance, helped us through. God is faithful. He stands by us and guides us through every season of life. Accepting His will in trials and tough seasons is hard. But we can’t stand on our own and make it through death, disaster, or severe illness. We must rely on God’s strength because He alone is faithful.

The bottom line is that any regular exercise routine always has health benefits. One would think that this would be a concern only for mature adults. However, today’s culture promotes a sedentary lifestyle for young children and teens steeped in screen-based recreation. This would not necessarily be a bad thing if it were not for the high-sugar, ultra-processed food that they choose. Poor diets and inactivity can be a harmful combination for the overall health of young people

Though we all experience life’s challenges, not everyone manages to get back up. It may take a day, weeks, or even years. But Proverbs 24:16 promises that the righteous—believers in faith through Jesus Christ—will rise again. We may fall, but we don’t have to remain fallen.

My first experience rowing a boat was on vacation in Florida. I was about twelve years old. My parents and their friends watched me from the beach as I tried to maneuver the small vessel.

While we learn to walk through stressful seasons, we sometimes stumble for various reasons: perhaps weakness, selfishness, or a lack of faith in God. We lean on our own understanding rather than depending on God’s goodness and wisdom. But God knows our every need.

Know this my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.—James 1:19-20 ESV “Lord Jesus! Why am I this angry, and why did I almost curse? " I muttered to myself as I sat at my desk, staring off into space instead of focusing on the pile of paperwork I needed to work on at my job. "This isn't who I am anymore." When I was in college, every other word out of my mouth was profan

I’ve learned that I fail when I rely on my own strength rather than God’s. I ask for grace, and when He gives it, I often don’t use it to face the trials I’m facing. I run from them. That is receiving God’s grace in vain. The mission He’s given us will have rough times. It’s going to be difficult. But that’s what makes it so awesome. The sweat, tears, and frustrations make us dependent on God’s strength.

I’ve lived with depression for a long time. I used to feel ashamed of it. Like if I were a better Christian, maybe I wouldn’t struggle the way I do. Maybe I’d be stronger, happier, or lighter. But I’ve learned that struggling doesn’t cancel out faith. Struggling doesn’t make you less than. And God doesn’t wait until we’re perfect before he calls us his. This verse in 1 John doesn’t say that victory comes from our strength or our performance. It says that our faith is the vict

I’ve experienced losing people I loved, losing things I worked hard for, and losing pieces of what I thought my life would look like. And if I’m being honest, those moments didn’t just hurt, they changed me. There were times I questioned everything, wondered why God would allow so much pressure, so much heat, and so much breaking. But then I started to see things differently. I thought about how steel is made.

In our lives, we often face circumstances and situations that we cannot fix on our own. On those occasions, we must put our confidence and trust in the Lord. He will always help us, or tell us to stand back and watch him work.

Many of us have been there, wondering when we'll ever catch a break without strings attached. We want the job promotion without our children getting suspended and without trouble in the marriage. We want great relationships without sickness and disease robbing us of time spent with our loved ones. Yet even in the tension between setbacks and victories, God is still working.

It feels like the more I’ve prayed… the more things have unraveled. Like I asked God to fix it and He said, “Let’s rebuild it”—and then started by tearing things down I wasn’t ready to lose. And if I’m honest… that part hurts.

Instead of a promise to achieve our goals, it emphasizes the inner strength we find in Christ in times of trial and hardship, as well as in times of contentment and peace. We always need to rely on Christ for our strength.

There was a period in my life when I was mentally and physically spent. My husband and I were raising two sons, one of whom has autism. I was also working at a job that required twelve hours of standing without a break and often without a meal. It was extremely stressful, and I wasn’t exactly young. I had long commutes, and my schedule was haphazard at best. However, it was necessary. Still, there were times I thought I would never make it. But God.

But the heart has other feelings. Hearts break, hearts weep, and hearts cry out for help. Hearts cling to the warm, fuzzy feelings of love, but they also hold on to profound loss, sadness, fear, and doubt. If we’re expecting our lives to look like the perfect Hallmark movie, the odds of that happening aren’t always in our favor.

In the past few months, I feel the Lord has compelled me to use my writing and speaking in new ways. I have been speaking out about our country’s lack of commitment to biblical justice, as I understand it through prayer and contemplation. I’ve been using my gifts to serve God more boldly.

Most people think it is a great month of new beginnings, new goals, and new possibilities. For me, January has been a month of fasting, self-evaluation, and regrets. The regrets from the past year come crowding in. They whisper in my ear, “You are a failure. You are not good enough. God doesn’t love you. If he did, then you would have this or that. You will never. . .”

Suddenly, uncontrollable tears streamed down my face as pent-up emotions surfaced. I reached for a tissue while tears flowed, and relief flooded me. God uncovered the dreadful memory of a critique where someone’s harsh criticism plunged me into deep despair. After forgiving her, I thought everything was well, but it didn’t erase the words stuck in my head.