The good news, though, is that when we hear bad things going on in the world, we can take them to the Lord in prayer. We can intercede for those who are going through bad times or even being persecuted. “Intercession” is the act of standing in the gap for someone who can’t stand up for themselves through praying to God. It’s one of the most powerful ways to go to war.
Read MoreHere’s to a new year, stretched out before us like an open landscape, the topography untouched, like a new journal waiting to be filled. This is just one exhilarating aspect for me about cross-country skiing: setting out across a wide-open vista where you can almost see the stillness lay across a snowy landscape.
Read MoreI remind myself daily that I am a work in progress and God loves me just as I am. He loves me because he is love and not because of anything I have done.
Read MoreOne of the women pictured in his church was “Grand Duchess Elizabeth”. She lived in the early 1900s and was Protestant. Saint Elizabeth converted to Orthodoxy and was married to the governor of Moscow. Her husband was killed by an assassin in 1905. This gracious woman visited her husband’s assassin in prison and asked him to repent.
Read MoreTrust is a rare quality to find in our world right now. We have more distrust with the media, politicians, healthcare providers, scientists, and theologians than one may remember. I find myself not knowing who or what to believe anymore. And yet, I have peace. I have peace because I know my Engineer will remain constant always. God is the constant I can always trust.
Read MoreUnlike beauty and skincare products, God does what He says. We can rely on Him. We can look into Scripture and see what He promises; there is no fine print or expiration date. The Word of God will be effective through all seasons of our lives. As we change, age, and mature, it will meet all our needs.
Read MoreThe articles we share at Tirzah are meant to inspire and encourage you to realize your full potential in Christ. This is a place where you don't have to be perfect and are encouraged to fully embrace who God created you to be without holding back.
Read MoreIn a season where I moved from inner cities into the mountains of Kentucky, this song resonated in so many ways with me. It’s a song about no one being left out from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As the hymn goes, even the shepherds were made aware of the moment Jesus was born. Imagine being in the middle of nowhere and angels appearing in the sky alerting you to the birth of a Savior.
Read MoreThe Word of God is replete with exhortations to not be afraid, one popular suggestion being that it is written 365 times in scripture, one verse for every day of the year. Regardless of the exact number, the implication is clear: victory over fear is possible when we fix our eyes of faith on the Lord.
Read MoreThis carol always leaves me wondering why God chose Bethlehem for his only Son to be born in. Author and Bible teacher Liz Curtiz Higgs in her book The Girls of Christmas says that at the time when the angel Gabriel visited Mary in Nazareth, Mary was barely 12 years old and Nazareth had about 100 people living there.
Read MoreThe Bible mentions slowing down by talking about a spiritual discipline involving intentional stillness, rest, and a shift from self-reliance to a trusting dependence on God’s timing and strength. Slowing down is hard for everyone.
Read MoreSuper intriguing Christmas story book to read. Easily read to young kids to understand but interesting enough to target youth/teenagers. Definitely found the history points very informational! The colors/cartoons bring life to the characters!
Read MoreWhen you look in the mirror, He says you are “wonderfully made”. God created ALL of us and every feature and element of our DNA. He is the sculptor of the mountains. God created the perfect symphony with nature. The most beautiful landscape with a sunrise and sunset. Why shouldn’t we, His followers, create beautiful things as well?
Read MoreThe fact remains that I am scared. Certain things in life, when confronted with them, scare me. Like facing my parents’ mortality. It’s like a premature grieving; after all, it is in part what necessitates their move. And yet repeatedly, we are admonished to “fear not, neither be faint-hearted” (Isaiah 7:4).
Read MoreChrist did not want to die, but the will of the Father was our salvation, with the attendant ultimate good of eternal life and a relationship with Him, and entrance into His good kingdom of righteousness, joy, peace, and power in the Holy Spirit. You may not want to be single, but God’s will for you is good: to make you more like Him by the pursuit of Him.
Read MoreWaiting is hard, even if you are generally a patient person, and patience is a fruit of the spirit which makes it even harder. The Bible tells us to be patient, it’s not easy to be patient. A Biblical waiting season is an active and purposeful period of trusting God, cultivating patience, and deepening one's faith.
Read MoreA single season can hold purpose, meaning, and in many ways is a gift, but during the holidays, those truths can feel shadowed or forgotten. For many, a dread emerges in the concern that you will be asked awkward or probing questions, or the feeling of lack can encourage temptation to “cuff” for the season. Know that this holiday season does not need a fast-forward button, in fact, it may serve in years to come as a memory you cherish greatly.
Read MoreSo, what keeps you going? How do you know and see and feel? Why do you live and eat and sleep? For everything that is ever done, there is purpose. Nothing happens through coincidence. In all of this, we all hunger for something: purpose, power, to be loved, or do something that fills the hole in your heart. You were made for something so much more: to be restored in your relationship with God as Eve and Adam were in the garden of Eden with God face to face.
Read MoreAs we approach Christmas, each of us in our own small and big ways, think of giving to others. More than the decorations and carol services it is our giving which makes the season meaningful and real because God so loved the world and GAVE his only son. (John 3:16)
Read MoreI have been single for the better part of fifteen years; in the first ten years, I felt that my interests and desires were being withheld from me. I wanted to get married at eighteen. I wanted to start having babies at twenty. Notice that was what I wanted. It seems God has different plans.
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