A Prayer for a Heavenly Perspective - Your Daily Prayer - October 20
Feeling behind while everyone else seems to be winning? This prayer can help you refocus on what really matters, break free from the pressure to measure up, and live with a heavenly perspective.
https://www.ibelieve.com/devot....ionals/featured/a-pr
5 Keys for Enduring Amid Health Challenges
Recently I watched an online church service and the pastor called forth those who needed prayer for healing. Immediately the altar was flooded with hundreds of people. In faith, I, too, joined that altar. In faith, I stretched my hand toward my computer screen, joining the throng of seekers desperate for healing. Are you currently enduring a health challenge and extending your hand to God for healing?During His time on earth, the Lord Jesus’ ministry was marked by healing. For over three years He went about healing not as an afterthought but as a primary activity central to His ministry. Whether healing Jairus’ daughter, the blind man at Bethsaida, or healing the lepers, Jesus shows us His heart of compassion toward those who are ailing. And His Word further demonstrates to us that He has no partiality in that He healed all who were brought to Him:“And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them.” Matthew 4:23-24 (ESV)This word serves as a great encouragement to us as we patiently await healing amid our health challenges. While we are waiting, we are building our endurance. Miriam-Webster defines endurance as remaining firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding. While it may not feel good to the flesh to endure, endurance enables you to stand when the winds of life blow. Currently, I am navigating several diagnoses. Doctors say one of the conditions has no cure. I know firsthand how overwhelming it can be to deal with a chronic debilitating health issue. It can leave you feeling physically and emotionally exhausted and even spiritually weary. The mental strain can cause you to become even more fatigued, creating a vicious pain loop that often feels inescapable. These cycles can shake even the strongest of us to our core. Yet, as believers in Christ, our faith in Him gives us a firm foundation on which to stand, even in the most tumultuous storm.Ephesians 6:13 spurs us on by saying, "Let us stand having done all to stand." Here are five keys to find the strength to stand and endure amid health challenges:Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/AsiaVision
https://www.ibelieve.com/slide....shows/5-keys-for-end
Faith and Fitness: 5 Ways to Stay Healthy and Motivated This Holiday Season
'Tis the season! The holidays always bring the aroma of freshly baked pumpkin muffins, gingerbread cookies, roasted turkey with all the buttered trimmings…and the not-as-appetizing thought of January fitness resolutions. Too often, we tend to binge eat our way through the holidays, thinking, “I’ll buckle down between Thanksgiving and Christmas,” which leads to, “Well, I’ll start over after this next holiday party,” which leads to, “I’ll just get serious about my fitness and nutrition in January with everyone else.”The problem with that mindset is that it is based on denial, procrastination, and typically shame or guilt. And who accomplishes anything worthwhile while laden with shame and guilt? (Spoiler alert—no one!)I’ve been guilty of this pattern and finally broke out of the habit over the last several years. The biggest lie we can tell ourselves in fitness is “I’ll start over tomorrow.” Maybe you will. But why not now? Instead of continuing to eat poorly and be upset with yourself for the rest of the day, why not make a better choice with your next choice? Why not go for a walk right now? Why not move your body today instead of waiting for tomorrow…next Monday…next year…We would never do this with sin, right? We don’t sin and tell God, “Well, I already messed up today, so I’m going to just keep sinning until tomorrow, next week, or next year.” That’s silly. So why do we do this to our own bodies and our own mental and emotional health?Here’s the truth—there is a middle ground between over-indulging for weeks or months straight, and being so strict you don’t enjoy the holidays. There is a middle ground between loafing on the couch full of cheese for weeks and running yourself into painful shin splits on a treadmill. And that middle ground has everything to do with obtainable goals and a godly mindset!So here are five ways to create—and maintain—your fitness goals as you navigate the holiday season. Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/silverkblack
https://www.ibelieve.com/healt....h-beauty/faith-and-f
The Mom Who Doesn’t Love Halloween: You’re Not Failing Your Kids.
Navigating the complex decision of whether or not to participate in Halloween as a Christian mother can be challenging, but prioritizing convictions and honoring God's calling offers peace. This article shares a personal journey of abstaining from Halloween due to its origins and encourages other mothers to seek wisdom and establish boundaries that align with their faith.
https://www.ibelieve.com/mothe....rhood/the-mom-who-do
A Prayer for Discernment in a Dark World - Your Daily Prayer - October 19
The world is getting darker—but you don’t have to stumble through it. This prayer is your guide to staying grounded, clear-eyed, and spiritually awake.
https://www.ibelieve.com/devot....ionals/featured/a-pr
