Standing at the window watching the downpour, I realize why I love rain so much. The sound of thunder and lightning always reminds me of my mother. As a dry land farmer’s daughter from West Texas, we always asked God for “moisture” in our family. My mother wasn’t particularly specific about how it should come. Mist counted, and the fog …
By Jane Bromley We humans exist simultaneously in two realms – the physical and the spiritual. We are spirits who “wear” bodies and have souls. Our souls consist of our mind, will, and emotions. The mind is an amazing creation, and we humans, brilliant as we imagine ourselves to be, have not even come close to duplicating it. Artificial intelligence …
Anxiety was eating me alive. Like thousands of fiery ants, doubt and worry swarmed over me as I fell to my knees. At first, I’d resisted and stamped furiously against the attack. But in time, continual bombardment gnawed with such ferocity that I stopped fighting and went down. I was not unfamiliar with fear. I’d stood up to this spirit …
If I were His girl, I would awaken each day with eagerness. In first light, sleepy-eyed and tousled, I would remember that He loves me and rejoice in that knowledge. If I were His girl, I would yearn to see Him more than anyone else. With anticipation, I would consider time with Him as imperative. I’d be insistent that He …
“I recognized the spirit of fear from my experiences in Asia. Massive and arrogant, he boldly swaggered through my mind’s eye, even while our little group prayed fervently for our world. As I watched, he suddenly began to shrink, smaller and smaller, until he became microscopic. Suddenly, a single, diseased cell appeared in the scene, and this spirit of fear …
“Do not deliver the soul of Thy turtledove to the wild beast” (Psalm 74:19). How often this has been my cry of late. “The jaws of anxiety is at my neck, Lord. Don’t let it eat me alive!” I’m not the only one. As I look at the families around me, almost all have similar cries. The evil one is …
Like oil and water, fear and love don’t mix well. Where there is love, fear flees. Where there is fear, love waits. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). Our world has become a scary place: dread and foreboding fill our inbox and texts. We desire to “be anxious for nothing” and …
Standing at the window watching the downpour, I realize why I love rain. The sound of thunder and lightning ever reminds me of my mother. Not because she had a fiery personality, but because we always needed rainfall. Growing up as a dry land farmer’s daughter, we were always asking God for “moisture” in our family. My mother wasn’t incredibly …
When my heart is full, I feel I can speak to God freely and confidently. I delight in His Presence and find it easy to sing with joyful thanksgiving. I’m like a rich woman with large sums to bring to the temple’s treasury. Because I have an abundance, I hardly miss my offering. But in the days of drought, when …
“God, I feel hopeless. How do I even begin to pray?” Then, as softly and gently as a whisper, I heard His voice, “May the God of hope, fill you.” Shocked, I asked, “Can I expect an infusion of hope? Is this a promise to which I can cling?” With an eager search, I found this fragment nestled within Paul’s …
