Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | November 5, 2026

Backseat Driver

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”   (Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV)

 “What are you doing? Do you see what’s happening?”

Just some of the distressed pleas poured out of my heart to the Father, as I try to desperately understand His continued silence in one area of my life. I can see His hand moving in so many things I pray about, but this one burden remains. Taunting doubts try to creep in “He’s ignoring you.”

I recently had to drive my parents somewhere. We were on a two-lane highway and an oncoming truck veered over across the double lines. I saw the vehicle and started getting over onto the shoulder of the road to avoid a head on collision. My dad was in the passenger’s seat. He saw the truck and knew exactly what I was doing. But my mom was in the back seat. Her perspective was different. She couldn’t understand why I was driving off the road. A plethora of emotions ran through us all.

My dad was quick to defend me. Bringing attention to the fact that I was paying attention and responded as quickly as I did to avoid what could have been a fatal accident.

I’ve been driving for over thirty-five years and consider myself a good driver. However, once I had explained my actions to my mom it made me stop and ponder.

“Is that what I’m doing to the Holy Spirit? Am I being a back seat driver?”

I could see what was coming toward us as the driver. But in the back seat she couldn’t. I needed her to trust that I was watching out for her and to relax for the rest of the drive.

When we’re going through a painful season in life – our perspective – plays a huge role. Our feelings (our understanding) can’t be the driver.

If we’re allowing the Holy Spirit to have total control and “drive” the situation – that means we should trust that He sees everything. He sees the dangers all around us. He has a reason why He sometimes guides us to move this way or that. He puts the brakes on a situation when we’re wanting to mash the gas. He yields when our hearts cry out “please answer this prayer now.”

When my heart is heavy with unanswered prayers, I need to take that hurt and lay it at His feet daily – trusting that He sees what I do not. Otherwise, anxiety will overwhelm me into a frantic “back seat driver.”

God continually shows me a beautiful view from the backseat. I need only to sit back and enjoy it.

“Father teach us to trust that You see everything happening in our lives. Our perspective is different from Yours. You are not asleep at the wheel.”

 For His Glory,

Laura Holmes (www.ephraimministries.org)
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | November 4, 2026

Scattered Thoughts

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 (ESV)

All things Fall are now decorating our homes.  Three white pumpkins are flourishing in my backyard surprising even me.  Where did they come from?  Late November, I discarded a deteriorating white pumpkin at the end of our yard and never thought anymore about it.   Fast forward to mid-Summer and I noticed a green plant with yellow blooms growing near our fence.  A few weeks later it had birthed a tiny white pumpkin and now triplets. You never know what will grow from what you thought had been discarded.

Perhaps we’ve found ourselves greeting the inevitable return of some thoughts we threw away and never imagined would resurface.  Triggers have a way of digging up what we thought we had conquered and dismissed.  Like flashbacks from the past these seemingly quiet reminders rise up and catch us by surprise.  When we least expect it, when we leave our minds unguarded and when we don’t recall  even the scattering of a seed, we find the blossoming of thinking which never served us well.

“I’m not good enough,” loves to rise to the surface.  “My past is too complicated,” loves to slay our hope of a future.  “We just don’t have what it takes,” loves to sideline us.  “If I only hadn’t,” loves to leave us with regret.   “I should have,” loves to paralyze us with longing. Careless seeds of thought scattering where we thought they’d been discarded long ago.

Don’t know about you, but I don’t want to entertain the sabotaging of God’s best with my endless mind chatter.  Perhaps this is why God warns us to guard our minds, to capture our thoughts and not allow them to run wild entangling us in a web of deceit.  When triggers resurface, we must strategically attack them with the truths of God’s word.  By stopping them in their tracks, we extinguish mindless chatter before it has a chance to take root, bloom and multiply.

So sweet friends, “we are wonderfully made” (Psalm 139).  Let’s not doubt for a moment God’s healing redemption of our past (Psalm 103:4).  Our Creator has given us everything we need to fulfill His purposes – no deficits found in those who put their faith and hope in Him.  Regrets and shame are washed away when we trust in Him to restore our future.  Right thinking based on the truths of His word seal our minds and position us for His best.  Can’t think of a better way to handle the seeds of thoughts running through our mind.  Strategic, consistent and without doubt – now that’s a planting we want to run deep.

“Father, wrong thinking impacts our lives more than we could ever imagine – help us to seize and destroy those thoughts which don’t align with Your words.”

 

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | November 3, 2026

The Danger Of Spiritual Inertia

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25

Unless you’re a physicist or have a particular penchant for recalling your high school academics, you may not be able to recollect Newton’s First Law of Motion: “An object or body at rest remains at rest, and an object of body in motion remains in motion at constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force.” It’s also called the Law of Inertia. Now, “inertia” is not a common word in today’s vernacular, but it typically refers to the tendency to do nothing—and then to keep doing nothing.

Inaction breeds inaction. Our minds might automatically go to how this applies to our physical selves: If we don’t move our bodies in exercise, it’s easy to continue not to do so. Inertia is another reason why procrastinators procrastinate—and keep on procrastinating. Some external force (perhaps a warning from a doctor regarding diet or exercise, or maybe an encroaching project deadline) has to create in us an influence, push, reason to change, move, do.

This law is true physically…and it’s also applicable spiritually.

Whether by choice or by circumstance, it’s very easy to get into spiritual inertia mode. “I serve every weekend,” you might say to yourself. “I need a break.” Or a weekend out of town means a missed Sunday with your church fam…but when the next Sunday comes, it’s suddenly a viable option to sleep in or just watch online. Maybe you don’t “feel like dealing with people” for whatever reason (you had a bad week at work, for example), and you start thinking about how much better it would be to just stay home than go to Bible study/small group. Your mind may even start focusing on what’s “wrong” at your church—the admin “issues” or the music’s volume or the lack of leadership. And that one person in your small group well, they’ve been so annoying lately. The hisses are subtle, but relentless. Suddenly-not-suddenly, your eyes turn inward to me, myself, and I. Isolation seems like the best choice. And inertia sets in quickly.

Oh, you can hear Satan chortle with glee. It’s one of his most effective tools for making ineffective believers. “I’ll keep them from corporate worship and fellowship—this way, there’s no encouragement, connection, or exhortation,” he says. “Once they believe isolation is the ‘the best thing’ right now, I’ll help them build the walls higher and higher.” Instead of the truth of isolation, we believe we’re “protecting ourselves.” Beloved, can you see the impending peril?

We must battle against inertia! When we don’t “feel” like going to church or attending small group, we go. When the effort to have fellowship seems like more than your mind and heart could muster, we go. What’s our motivation—that “force” to knock us out of inaction into action? The Word of God delivers the jolt of truth for us. Here are just a handful of admonitions to get you started:

Hebrews 3:12-13

Proverbs 18:1

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

1 Corinthians 12:21-27

Galatians 6:1-2

Proverbs 27:17

“Lord, our enemy prowls around looking for someone to devour. Sustain in me the truth that I am not saved to be isolated, but to worship, laugh, cry, and be with my brothers and sisters in Christ.”

 

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | November 2, 2026

Vibrant In A Season Of Drought

“You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)  “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14 (ESV)

No better way to unwind after a busy day than a brisk walk. Releasing a little stress, breathing in the cool air of autumn and being mesmerized by a beautiful array of orange, yellow and red trees. Yes it’s fall in our part of the world and its absolutely gorgeous outside. Who would have ever thought after the worst drought our state has seen in nearly twenty years, we have a picture perfect fall.

Flip the calendar back to early October and we thought we would miss beauty this year. Dry leaves were hitting the ground even in September, and the stress of a drought totally impacts the production of color pigments making fall foliage very minimal if not nonexistent. Only God could orchestrate just enough rain and the right temps to burst forth the most vibrant trees while we are still in a drought.

Ever experienced a drought of your soul? A dry spell. Moments when emptiness looms large. Our once enthusiastic desire for prayer and time spent in His Word evades us. Growth becomes stagnant to the point of nonexistence. Nothing appears to be working….even God feels distant.

A drought is considered a creeping phenomenon because its impact develops slowly and can persist long after rainfall returns. The same is true in our spiritual lives. We can easily slip into a rut of meaningless disciplines we simply check off the list. Our hearts’ desires slowly transition to other more seemingly important pursuits. Allowing busyness or boredom to rule over our time with God.

Now, sweet friends we’ve probably all experienced moments when life dictated a quick prayer and a few scriptures to get us through the day. And in those seasons, God meets us right where we are, yet He longs for us to have a healthy, vibrant relationship with Him. He knows that apart from Him we can do absolutely nothing. And if we excuse away time in prayer, worship, Bible reading, and fellowship then God knows the drought will silently creep in.

So if we find ourselves parched, barren, distant from God then the best solution is to prayerfully uncover the root of how we landed in this place. Here’s just a few to consider:

  • How much intentional time are we spending with God in His Word and prayer?
  • Have hard seasons of trials and challenges clouded our perspective of God’s character?
  • Has ease shifted us from God dependence to self-dependence?
  • Are there any areas of unconfessed sin that we are clinging to rather than confessing?
  • Does our friend group draw us closer to God or further away?
  • Have our boundaries slipped to the point of sheer exhaustion?
  • What is consuming our energy, focus and devotion?

Lots to think about and pray over as we open our hearts before our God and seek His guidance in revealing where we went off course. And the sweetest thing about our God is that when we draw near to Him with sincere hearts, He is full of mercy, love and compassion. What was once dry, parched and barren can be restored to fullness and joy when we intentionally seek His guidance in examining our hearts.

Can  glorious beauty really burst forth after a season of drought? Just look around you, sweet friends, the beauty of creation is on full display. And if our God takes such delight in adorning the trees this fall then we can count on Him to restore, renew and refresh our souls – we too can be a display of His beauty.

“Father, You paint the most vibrant seasons in our lives. Ease or challenge – You use them all to strengthen us, teach us and grow us so we will reflect Your beauty to our world.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | October 30, 2026

Why Clear Vision Is Essential

“Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”  Psalm 119:18 (ESV)

Blurry, distorted and tired.  Those words describe my vision two months ago.  It started simply as an itchy eye.  One that I supposed was due to warming temperatures and early pollen. The more I rubbed my eye, the worse it felt.  Attempting to treat it myself with warm compresses and gentle washing, I found nothing truly was working.  Weeks later, I woke up with not only a very sore, red eye but there was major swelling in my sinuses.  One look in the mirror and I was finally convinced I needed to call my eye doctor.

Antibiotics and eye cream were prescribed, and I was wondering why I delayed.  Not sure how I thought my eye and vision would improve without some intervention.  What seemed insignificant ultimately resulted in a nasty infection not only to my eye but to my sinuses as well.  An ignored issue never usually resolves itself – it simply spreads.

Clear vision is essential especially when it comes to spiritual growth.  Wonder how many times we have overlooked  what God was clearly attempting to show us?  Or worse, how many times have we distorted God’s truth because we didn’t want to see what He was revealing?  Just keeping it real here but we probably could all relate to moments when we were blinded to our sins.  Failing to remove the scales of excuse and denial so we could see what God sees. One intentional, honest look into the mirror and we’d realize how much we need to behold God’s truth.

Have to admit it’s much easier for us to quick read our devotions rather than let God’s word sink deep into our soul.  Busyness, distractions and avoidance keep us from lingering long at His feet.  And sweet friends when we choose to dismiss or minimize His words it will never serve us well.

Totally love the psalmist’s words asking God for open eyes to behold the wonders in His word.  To examine closely with perfect vision and clarity what God’s truth teaches.  To lean in and slow the pace so He can lead us as we unpack the meaning, instruction and guidance found throughout the scriptures. Uncovering hidden nuggets just waiting to be discovered. Incredible faith journeys longing for us to glimpse how God worked in the lives of His people. No wonder the psalmist desired open eyes.

Blurry, distorted or clear and focused – the choice is up to us.  The next time we open God’s word, let’s determine to truly seek Him. Let’s ask Him for open eyes to see His truth. Let’s ask God to remove the blinders and enable us to see what He has for us.  Let’s ask Him to unveil the wonders of His words leaping off the page.  Can’t think of a better way to approach God’s word than asking for His help.

“Father, You desire to show us incredible wonders from Your word.  Slow our pace and teach us to gather at Your feet with open eyes – not missing a single truth.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

 

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | October 29, 2026

Rest In Him

 

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29 NIV)

God doesn’t waste anything, and so I began to write. My journey had taken me to a two-year time out. Life had fallen apart and just when I thought it could get no worse, it did. In the midst of this, it was as though God knew the heart of His daughter, had orchestrated her return and was providing every resource to clean her up and reflect His glory once again. What’s a girl to do but to put pen to paper and let others know what He taught her, how He healed her with the hopes to encourage others to draw close to Him when life withdraws its kindness. And so with list in hand, in strategic format, I have written. Sharing with others spiritual lessons taught to me. With each stroke remembering who shared with me her wisdom, the one who confronted my misguided mind or the author long-ago with Jesus.

With learnings in hand, I move forward. It doesn’t take long to be inundated with pressures. Pressures that come from all sides in an attempt to extinguish the Spirit at work. Rejection, my constant companion it seems, returns to visit. I scurry to recite the lessons learned, and return to prayer for comfort. At the end of worship, repentance and surrender, one word is heard: rest. The Lord encouraging me to rest in Him. To allow Him to hold my heart, keep it in one piece. In His hands it is sheltered, protected, healthy. I quiet myself as He works all things for His good. Trust that which is and that which isn’t. Only as Solomon found rest from battle could a temple for the Name of the Lord be built. With the Lord’s presence comes rest; we learn as Moses is unwilling to move without the Lord’s presence to accompany. The world works in a frenzy to heal and restore but the Lord says rest.

Rest knowing that I am His daughter. His beloved. Chosen. Forgiven. Redeemed. He paid the ultimate price to have me. Nothing and no one can take me from His embrace. May this fury and fire that taunts my freedom serve to refine this creation in the now. But as for eternity, may what defines me be His love and the masterpiece He has formed through sanctification.

“Father, for complete healing and wholeness, may I rest in You, safe in the center of the storm.”

For His Glory

Kathryn Hayman
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Hope, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | October 28, 2026

Your Story Isn’t Over

“But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new.  See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19 (NLT)

Your story may have taken a road you never planned, but God isn’t finished writing it.

Do you believe that?

It may be the end of a chapter, but the story is not over. You may be in the beginning of a new chapter, and you are unsure of what is ahead or you may be in the middle of a chapter that does not seem to have an ending. Consider this your reminder that He is already working ahead on your behalf.

Many times we refer to Jeremiah 29:11 as the quintessential verse to remind us of the amazing future God has for us. This is true-He does. But we need to remember that the book of Jeremiah was written to the Jewish people who had been taken captive to Babylon. They were prisoners in a foreign land. They were not experiencing the promise yet.

I want to remind you of three truths today:

  1.  God sees you in your present circumstances.

You may feel forgotten, overwhelmed, or overlooked. But your current season is not hidden from God. He sees the late nights, the difficult decisions, the tears you wipe away before your children see them, and the strength it takes to keep going. You are not forgotten by God.

  1. Your story is not over.

Jeremiah spoke these words to God’s people while they were living in exile. God was giving them hope while they waited through a difficult season. He wasn’t promising an immediate escape from their circumstances. In the same way, this verse isn’t a promise that life will suddenly become easy. It reminds us that we can trust God’s faithfulness even when we cannot see what comes next. This chapter may be hard, but it is not the whole story.

  1. Hope is still possible for your future.

Maybe you are rebuilding financially, emotionally, spiritually, or relationally. Perhaps you’re trying to discover who you are outside of the relationship you lost. God can meet you in this season and lead you forward one step at a time. Your identity is not limited to someone whose life didn’t go as planned. You are still God’s beloved daughter, with a future worth living.

God promises us He can create “rivers in the dry wasteland.”  No matter how you are feeling today, you can believe and hold onto the Truth of God’s Word. Notice the line before it states, “He has already begun(!)”  Can we live in the Truth that He is already working on your behalf and for your good even if you cannot see it or feel it today?

What would it look like to trust God with the next chapter rather than trying to control the entire story?

“Father, help us to trust you and know you have not forgotten us, even when it feels like it.”

For His Glory

Terrie Tollerson (www.TerrieTollerson.com)
TRBC Women’s Ministry

 

 

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | October 27, 2026

Shifting Blame

And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me some of the fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:11-13

In diving back into the Origin of Life events of Genesis, it was so interesting to once more observe and listen in on the events of the Fall. It was obviously a terrible moment for humanity, one that set a course of our pursuit to be like God.

God absolutely knew what happened—He knows everything, sees everything. But when the couple hid in their newly experienced shame (as if they could really hide, Psalm 139:1-2; 7-10), God gave them a chance to come clean. The rebellious action was done, and the consequences in play, but would there be ownership and repentance? Although the wife initiated the disobedience, the first question from God was directed at the husband. (There’s a whole conversation that could be had here about Adam’s failure to protect his wife—after all, he “was there” when the serpent slithered up—but we’ll forego that for now.)

Adam, he’s sly. In answer to God’s question, he managed the double-blame-game in one statement: “The woman You gave me—it’s all her doing!” Yep, Adam laid the blame on the woman and on God at the same time. “She did it, God…and if You didn’t create her in the first place, we wouldn’t be in this mess.” Eve was no better. When the Lord confronted her with what she had done, she likely clutched her proverbial pearls with one hand while pointing into the garden and dramatically saying, “It’s not my fault! That talking serpent lied to me!”

It got me thinking of my own sanctification journey of playing the “blame game” and making excuses for my sinful choices. Praise the Lord, He has refined me through my nearly 30 years of following Him. But in my sin fleshly proclivities, it’s still easy to point a finger and shriek, “Look what you made me do!” Or “I was lied to!” Or even, “Their incompetence was unacceptable—I had no choice but to let them have it!” Just being real here, but can you relate? Thankfully, as our maturity in Christ progresses, the recognition of our sin—and of our blame shifting—gets quicker. Conviction by the Holy Spirit—and the need to repent and apologize—deepens the more we’re surrendered to (controlled by) Him (Romans 8:5-6; Galatians 5:16-17).

Beloved, our sin is our responsibility. When we find ourselves shifting the blame and making excuses like our first parents in the garden, there’s a beautiful truth to hold onto: Our sin is paid for in full by our Savior Jesus Christ. We don’t have to make excuses, especially since the Lord sees and knows. And although we never find out if Adam and Eve repented or asked God for forgiveness, we can be confident that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

“Lord, forgive me for shifting the blame for my sin, for making excuses when I disobey Your commands. May I become quick to recognize my sin, repent, and continue to walk in the freedom You paid for.”

 

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Faith, Freedom, Mercy, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | October 26, 2026

Best Teacher Ever

“Behold God is exalted in His power who is a teacher like Him.”  Job 36:22

Growing up, I always had a “pretend” classroom. Even in my small bedroom there was always room for my desk, as I thrived in teaching my “pretend” students. Now a ten year old probably doesn’t have a wealth of knowledge, yet my students were always attentive and quiet. No one ever got sent to the office. No one bothered another student. No one came to class late. It was the perfect “pretend” classroom.

Did you notice the reoccurring phrase? Pretend completely characterized my classroom. Nothing real just a silly girl having the time of her life. Don’t remember but my students just may have been a group of dolls lined up in chairs which definitely explains their perfect behavior.

Pretend teaching can be fun, but when it comes to life’s classroom, we desire the real deal. We want the most experiential wisdom. We want to know what works and what doesn’t so we can avoid mistakes. We want to make wise daily decisions and not be emotional responders. We desire to gain knowledge both intellectually and spiritually. Bottom line, we want the best teacher ever – one who will never lead us astray and always has our best interest at heart.

Who is the perfect teacher you might ask?

The only one who sees all, knows all and hears all is none other than our Lord God. He possesses all knowledge and has never been taught by anyone. He alone is true wisdom, and we can trust Him to always guide us to truth. And if you even had a seed of doubt about His credentials, all you need to do is walk outside and glimpse God’s creation. Perfectly orchestrated. Divinely planned. Everything He created was meant and  intended to live in perfection and beauty. No one else could ever compare to His power or majesty. And that’s just when we look at one element of His glory.

Now one might consider if God is all wise and sovereign then does He even have time for me. My little world seems so insignificant in comparison to what it takes to keep the world operating and moving. Too many gigantic problems and challenges in the day to day for God to even have the time to enter my small sphere. Yet our God is fully capable of interacting with each of us at any given moment – He is forever present. He is never overloaded or burned out – our God is capable of handling it all perfectly and with complete orchestration to hold it all together according to His divine purposes (Colossians 1:17).

Best advice is to prioritize our relationship with the Wisdom Giver, our God. Intentionally gather at His feet. Drink deep of His wisdom found in His Words. Listen with ears void of distracting other voices. Ask God to help us to see clearly the principles and guidance He has for each day. Open up our hearts to receive His teaching and apply pivotal truths to our lives.

Giving God our full attention positions us to receive wisdom, apply truth and then cement His principles in our minds. A surefire plan for growth, knowledge and protection against the lies of our enemy. The perfect teacher is found in Him alone – may we avoid pretension and welcome real interaction with the One who always knows what is best (Isaiah 48:17).

“Father, Your wisdom is so much higher and grander than we could ever imagine. Help us to release self-dependence and daily seek Your guidance in all areas of our lives.”

 

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Growth, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | October 23, 2026

The Good Fight

sept-23“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV)

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him.  Slowly he edged around the corner of his car, feet dragging to the tune of his walker.  Captivated, I slowed my pace as I watched him grab a bucket out of his trunk that he used as a stool. Sitting down, he reached for his wheelchair and attached the wheels.  Struggle edged the roughness of his tired face, but it didn’t deter him.  Rising with the support of the walker, he flung himself onto the wheelchair and maneuvered toward the entrance to the gym.

Who are you picturing in your mind – who do you envision this man to be?  I would probably surprise you if I told you he was a man in his late 30s or perhaps early 40s.  I’ve seen him in the gym diligently working his arms, strengthening and improving what he has left despite his obvious limitations.  Not caving in or giving up, but rather pressing through the overwhelming workout it took just to get him in the front door.

How often do we persevere and press through challenges?  Do we simply accept where we are – perhaps giving up expecting nothing more because of our perceived limitations?  Or like this man, do we become creative and more determined?

Whether we are facing physical, emotional, spiritual or financial challenges we can choose to invest in strengthening our faith. Circumstances surrounding us may dance and shout defeat, but we can choose to take what’s left and entrust it to God.  With His help, we can rise above the challenges we face. God’s Word is full of examples of ordinary people who, despite their circumstances, remained faithful to Him.  They fought the good fight, they kept the faith and received the prize – isn’t that what we want?

“Father, I entrust all the uncertainties of my life into Your sovereign hands – enable me to finish well, to press through and honor You.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Growth

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