Encouragement Blog

*posted every Saturday
Faithfulness and Loyalty
Hello! Nice to talk to you again! This week is all about faithfulness and loyalty. Not God to us, but us to God.  First things first, life is hard. Especially, being a believer, we have this extra-large target on our back that Satan looks to hit every single day. Sometimes, it feels like life throws everything but also nothing at you all at the same time. Let alone our enemy thinking he can squeeze in wherever he wants to try and make our lives as miserable as possible. What I... Read more...
Journal/Reflection - Philippians 4:6-7
This week, I encourage you to follow along by answering some questions based on the verses listed above. You can think about them in your head or write them down in a journal, followed by prayer and sharing your answers with the Lord. Read the small passage. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians... Read more...
What Do You Appreciate?
What do you appreciate about this life?  Maybe it's the little things that no one truly slows down to notice. Maybe it's the big things like milestones or celebrations.  Sometimes, I find myself getting overly distracted by the world, social media, how much further in life this or that person is. what I don't have, what I should get, etc. I'm sure you have some of your own as well. I get caught up in my own mind, and I start to be less appreciative of the things around me.... Read more...
What is Faith?
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1  What does that mean? In simple terms, having faith is having a deep trust in God, or in other words, being confident in who He says He is and His promises. Not leaning on our own understandings but relying and surrendering our lives to God the Father. The act of surrender is the act of placing trust. Placing trust in God for all things; His will, Word, and promises instead of our own... Read more...
He Is Risen
Jesus and forgiveness. Forgiveness is ultimately rooted in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why is it so important? Sin separates us from God, and it creates spiritual debt that we ourselves can not repay. In the Old Testament, you'll read about the different animal sacrifices people made to cover the debt of their sins. Since there was no other way for people to make up their own debt, God used the blood and death of an animal to cover it. This is a pattern of the crucifixion of... Read more...
Philippians 4:13
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." This was one of the first verses I learned. I grew up hearing it all the time. Sometimes, when hearing something over and over again, it's almost as if I stop thinking about the meaning or importance anymore. I've always thought about this verse in a surface-level way, not realizing how deep it really is. If you think about it, there isn't anything we can do without God. The little and big things all happen with His intention. He's the... Read more...
In or Out
Are you in or out?  You may be wondering what I mean by that. Unfortunately, "being" a Christian in this time and age can really mean anything. A lot of people have said they are Christian for simply believing there is a God, but what about outside of just our belief? What about the way we live?  "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have the works? Can that faith save him?" - James 2:14 I used to say I was a... Read more...
"..the Lord establishes his steps."
"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes His steps." - Proverbs 16:9 Have you ever had a dream or a goal? Of course you have! We all have dreams, and within those dreams, we make little goals every single day, even sometimes subconsciously. For example, my husband and I had a conversation the other night and started talking about our dreams, even ones that seemed silly at the moment. We began setting short-term and long-term goals not only to better ourselves but also to become better... Read more...
God's Plans
Have you ever questioned God's plans? Whether that's what happened in the past, what's happening right now, or simply the unknown of the future. I have and do to this day. This life brings a kind of uncertainty that honestly feels...uncomfortable.  Sometimes, I just want to know what the future holds. I want to know why this or that happened or is happening. Why oh why, God? So many questions we have for our Father to whom seems to be extra quiet about the answers. But what if we aren't supposed... Read more...
Who is God to You?
In the world today, people have many different ways of understanding who God is and how they view Him. A few are: 1. Maybe you view Him as someone who only tells us no, no, no, to doing things we think are "fun" and part of a fake "freedom"; worldly living. Someone you might not want to listen to or be associated with because you may think He is just a book of laws and rules, nothing else. 2. Maybe you don't believe in Him at all, possibly due to... Read more...
Anxiety
“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” Matthew 6:27 Last week, we touched on the anxiety we may get about everyday necessities and how we know that God will provide those for us because He gives us that promise. This week, I wanted to touch a little bit more about anxiety and it in a broader sense with bigger life situations. The verse above is so deep. It applies to everyone, as everyone deals with anxiety, whether it’s here and... Read more...
God Will Provide Our Every Need
It's time for a small Bible study, questions, and reflection! Feel free to grab your Bible, a writing utensil, a drink, and a snack! Let's dive in! Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7 are all a part of Jesus' sermon on the mount, where crowds were gathered. In these chapters, He teaches about multiple different things like who we are, who He is, temptations, how we should live, etc. The passage we are going to focus on is about anxiety about basic things. We all, at times, feel anxious and... Read more...