“The Spirit is the cine qua non of the Christian Life.” –Gordon Fee How do I know? How do I know what is my thought, the enemy’s thought, or God’s thought? So many women I work with struggle with this feeling and confusion. The first step in overcoming our anxious and overwhelming thoughts is recognizing where they are coming
Author: Lisa Young
You Are Not Broken Beyond Repair When this tree broke in a storm it felt like a visual representation of our family—something beautiful that had been devastated and broken by the storms of life. We lovingly cut off the broken branches. Honestly, we weren’t sure if the tree could be saved much less be beautiful again. Over the next
What if we see our fear, anxiety, and insecurity as an opportunity to grow spiritually? What if that pill, that prayer, that counseling isn’t meant to take your pain away? What if God is using your stress, overwhelm, sleeplessness…as motivation? What if it hasn’t gone away because that’s not the point? I’ve got good news! Anxiety is a universal
Acceptance has become a tricky word in our current cultural understanding. It’s hard for us to truly understand and apply God’s heart and message in situations where people have different beliefs, values, and morality. But it is no different than his acceptance of us based on grace. Speak the Truth in Love? Many well-meaning Christians find it necessary
One of the more popular phrases you will hear in Christian culture today is that Christianity is a relationship not religion. How do we move from religion to relationship? It may be helpful to understand that God never intended for it to be separate. It has always been His intention that His people serve Him out of loving relationship. So
Life in the Spirit is a joyful, fulfilling and powerful way of living. But how do we live in the Spirit while constantly bombarded by life’s demands and stress? How do we remain in Christ while living everyday on earth? Remember the three R’s! Recognize God’s Prompting Realize the Flow of the Holy Spirit Resist Fear In my early
In the Bible, God promises new life in Christ. It’s the kind of life Jesus talks about in John 10:10 (NKJV) when He says, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Other versions of the Bible talk about a rich, satisfying life—one filled with reason and fulfillment. This life has
“You’re not good enough.” Four little words. Words that hang over our head, constantly lurking in the back of our mind. Perhaps someone said these words to us so they are on continual playback. They play on our fears and tempt us to act accordingly. These four little words affect our behavior, often when we don’t even realize it.
In high school, I had the wonderful opportunity to work closely with our youth pastor as a student leader. My male counterpart, John, was a friend I dearly loved and admired. He was incredibly talented and a strong leader. Not only were we part of the planning and organization of our youth group, but we were personally discipled by
The greatest need of the human heart is forgiveness. Walking in forgiveness is necessary in order to have consistent fellowship with God and others. Without it, we are missing the enjoyment of a deep, intimate fellowship with God that both He and we desire. Without it, we carry anger toward others and ultimately toward God. Unforgiveness is a