Lianna Davis

He is highly honored when we choose to trust and follow Him, even when it seems like He has gone. Surely and truly, He has not left or forsaken us, but He will pull us along, that we might know Him better. We draw near to God, and He will draw near to us.

“Prepare to meet thy God” could be harrowing or comforting words. So what makes the difference?

Nehemiah was a heartfelt follower of God, exhibited in his prayer life and in the leadership decisions he made throughout the grand process of rebuilding the Jerusalem walls. God responded to Nehemiah’s genuine and God-fearing leadership with support, success, and direction.

When the Bible mentions God's horn of salvation, it means that He is not just our provider, but our defender. So what does this symbol tell us about God defending us?

Remembering the Lord during our vacations can make the experience of travel spiritually full and robust. Remember the Lord is the one who gave this time away to you and your family. Ask Him what He wants to do through your time together. Ask Him what He wants to do in your spirit while you have more time than usual to turn your thoughts and mind toward Him. God wants to use your vacation for your spiritual gain. Pray and ask God what He wants to do — offer your vacation to Him and watch Him work.

Here are some ideas for committing your vacation, in faith, to the Lord:

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In the beginning of Colossians, Paul teaches that the basis of Christian faith and love is hope. We can view hope as elemental to the gospel message, proclaimed to all who believe.

Our minds need to be changed and transformed when we first come to know Christ. But the more and harder we seek after Him, the greater the transformation we see in our minds. 

When we are disciplined by Jesus, we are being treated as sons and daughters. Have you experienced difficult times of discipline from the Lord? I have, and I have seen Scripture bear true in my circumstances:

“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).

Discipline is painful. But the fruits of discipline are sure. As one who has been there, let me share with you ten ways to be thankful for the good fruits of God’s discipline.

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Jesus is highly pleased when we seek Him by faith. He wants to be bound up closely with us. He wants our days, our hearts, our inward movements, our activities, our longings, and our thoughts to be more and more closely reflecting a Spirit-led life. Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Tammy Fullum

I want to be seeking the Lord, to be giving my relationship with Him attention and to be leaning upon His leadership of our relationship. So, I felt prompted to pray through ways I can be seeking God with my whole heart in a season of increased activity.

God must be praised. Jesus must be glorified, and He will work all things together for His glory. That is part of who God is, what He is like — the One who is eternally praised and will be praised by believers for all eternity.

Jesus came into the world, and He caused great hope for some and aroused great hostility from others. Jesus came for those who knew they were weak, poor, helpless, and hopeless without Him. He came for those who knew they were like sheep without a Shepherd. He came in love for the whole world, even while knowing that many would love their evil deeds more than Him.

Remember that He walks with you through the wilderness and reestablishes your relationship with Him through times of failure. We are loved, so longed for, by this Jesus. 

In those times of life that are low, we can feel like our lives are going nowhere, like there is no direction or path. But that is opposite of what the presence of the Lord does. He is always teaching, guiding, and leading us. He lets us taste hardship so that we can comfort others. He is ultimately bringing us home and affording us the opportunity to live for Him.