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God's definition of wealth is much different from what we are led to believe in this world. For many years I was believing a lie that the wealth of this world would bring me security and happiness. The Lord has used situations in my life over the past few years to teach me that having money will never satisfy the longings of my heart. The abundant life that Jesus died to give me is found only in my relationship to Him. Does that mean that God doesn't want to bless me, of course, He does! What good Father does not want to give His children everything their heart's desire, the Bible tells us this truth over and over.  For example in Mathew 7:9-11 Jesus said, “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?     Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?      If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! God is our loving Father and He does wa...

I gave my heart to Jesus twenty years ago but for many years I struggled to die to myself and to obey the teachings of Christ. Oh, I professed with my mouth that Jesus was Lord, but truth be told it was and still is a daily decision to surrender my will and pick up my cross and follow Christ.  Surrendering to God isn't easy and anyone who says it is likely has not entered the narrow gate that Jesus talked about (Matthew 7:13). After all this time of believing in Christ,  the human in me can still love my life more than God.  It's been a constant battle to die to my flesh because for many years I identified more with my life story, my past pain, my hurts, my regrets, my disappointments and sorrows of this life. I realize now how early trauma in my life really affected my ability to see the good God had placed in me.   For a lot of my life I focused on the negative parts of my story, I saw myself as flawed and broken, which I was. Now, of course, it wasn't just negative thing...

I opened my journal today to an entry from a year ago when I was at a spiritual retreat. During the conference, I wrote these words. "Do I live by what I fear or do I live by what I trust? Am I ply-able in the hands of the master? Like the clay collapsing on the wheel. Do I will to do this? Do I allow the master to mould me?" But now, O LORD, you are our father; we are the clay, and you our potter; and we all are the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8 What a beautiful image of the master potter with his gentle hands upon the delicate clay on the potter's wheel. If you've ever watched a potter work with clay you know it takes very fine, delicate timing and movements of the hands upon that spinning wheel to create a masterpiece.  And so are our lives in the potter's hands, so fragile but so beautiful, as He forms and shapes us into His masterpiece. The clay's only job -- to surrender to the work of the master as He turns the wheel. We are that clay in God's hand...