Do you ever feel like there’s something standing in the way of your relationship with God? One day during my morning devotionals, I was trying to pray. Maybe you’ve had similar days, when you’re trying to actively seek His presence and hear from Him, but nothing seems to happen. The…
Exodus 3:9-10 MSG “The Israelite cry for help has come to me, and I’ve seen for myself how cruelly they’re being treated by the Egyptians. It’s time for you to go back: I’m sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the People of Israel, out of Egypt.” As I…
“For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” Hebrews 10:36 I’ve left this need until the last, because it is not the easiest thing to talk about. It has been said that we should never pray for patience,…
“Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.” (Philippians 4:5, New King James Version) Gentleness. It’s listed in Galatians 5:22-23 as one of the nine attributes of the fruit of the Spirit, but I confess it’s not one I’ve thought much about until recently. When I…
Patience does not come naturally to me. It is a learned behavior. One of my earliest memories as a child is my father quoting Luke 21:19, “Karen, ‘In your patience possess ye your souls.'” The Bible is clear; we must have patience to receive the promise. “For ye have need…
“With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3, New English Translation). Humans can be exasperating at times. Other people, that is, not me. I’m levelheaded, reasonable, even-tempered. Oh,…
“Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1, New King James Version). How long does it take before God answers a prayer? Is there a point when we just give up asking? Even if we find prayer—and how to…
“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience:” (Ephesians 5:3). During our lifetime, we will face tribulation. We don’t like it, but it does make us stronger. You may have heard the saying, “Don’t pray for patience, it brings tribulation!” In order to…
“And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti” (Esther 2:17). The Book of Esther is a small book…