Meredith N Mills

Why can’t I just say no? 

I didn’t even want the sugary dessert. Dinner had more than satisfied my hunger. But as the cake made its way around the table, I found myself taking a piece and eating until my stomach hurt.

Several decades later, I can still feel the helplessness that overwhelmed me that day. Looking back, I now recognize I was struggling with a food addiction, though I didn’t have language for it at the time. I just knew I was no longer in control of my choices. I’d read the Bible verses calling gluttony a sin, and I’d felt the shame of defeat time and time again. But I had no idea how to change myself.

The cake eating episode brought me to a breaking point. I sobbed out a prayer that night, telling God I wanted to change. He was already my Savior, and I wanted to obey him in every area, even my eating habits. But there I was, stuck in the quicksand of my own choices. 

God met me in my place of powerlessness. He breathed hope in my heart that, while I couldn’t change myself, he was able and willing to do this work in me. Over the next several months, his Spirit began renovating my heart — teaching me to talk vulnerably with him about my struggle, to listen with my heart for his Spirit’s voice, and to rely on his strength to obey. Slowly I began building new habits as God renewed me from the inside out.

Since that experience in my teens, I’ve faced many other situations where change feels impossible. God continues to use the power of his Word and his Spirit, along with trusted friends, spiritual leaders, counselors and mentors, doctors and therapists to help me learn new patterns for obedience and wise living.

If you’re walking through struggles of your own, I invite you to join me in using the following Scriptures to pray for God’s power to help you overcome.

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“Can we skip this song?” 

My friend’s request surprised me. “Friend of God” by Philips, Craig, and Dean was one of my favorites at the time. Its lyrics herald the wonders of a God who deeply loves us, who pays attention to our everyday lives, and who listens to our prayers. To me, the song celebrated God’s astounding grace.

To my traveling companion, however, the song felt disrespectful. To call God “friend” seemed to lower him, to withhold the honor he deserves as our Master, to assume a level of equality no created being deserves.

My friend and I are not the first to disagree on this topic — and with good reason. Both concepts are woven throughout Scripture. We can easily miss the big picture if we focus on only one side of the issue.

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God has given us a beautiful gift in the Body of Christ. As we lean into community, learning to give and receive support without spiritually bypassing, we can help each other become whole through the tender love and healing power of Christ.

Are you ever overwhelmed when trying to study Scripture? Does your Bible time feel dry, more duty than delight? Do you wonder if you’re doing it the right way?

Here’s some good news—there are many great ways to study God’s Word!

In this article, we’ll look at eight Bible study practices—different approaches that allow space for personality, life season, and individual preference. Each method is unique, but they have one common goal—helping us connect deeply with God. This is the most important aspect of any Bible study practice.

We can learn a lot of facts from spending time in Scripture, but if we don’t encounter God during our Bible study, our knowledge will likely lead to pride more than love for God and others. (See 1 Corinthians 8:1.)

God longs to reveal his heart, to draw us into deep friendship with him. This is his invitation every time we open his Word.

8 Life-Giving Bible Study Methods

The Holy Spirit is our Teacher, the One who helps us understand God’s wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:9-12). I encourage you to always begin with prayer, whichever method you use.

Sometimes this abuse is intentional. Other times, well-meaning Christians use spiritually harmful methods while trying to help another person. How can we recognize harmful or unwise uses of Scripture? Understanding God’s intent for his Word is a good place to start.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year … except when it isn’t.

I’ve always loved November and December — the cooler weather, the Christmas lights and décor, the anticipation of joy to come. But this year’s been a hard one for our family. A long season of grief and loss. 

The holidays hit differently this year. 

Carols playing in the grocery store bring an ache instead of happiness. Long-enjoyed traditions stir up a confusing tangle of sentimentality and sadness. The hustle and bustle just makes me tired.

If you, too, are facing a hard holiday season, I invite you to join me in stepping back, out of the rush and the noise, so we can tend to our souls and lean close to the Savior we celebrate this month.

Here are five names of God I’m resting in this December:

1. The God Who Sees

“Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are God Who Sees’; for she said, ‘Have I not even here [in the wilderness] remained alive after seeing Him [who sees me with understanding and compassion]?’” (Genesis 16:13, AMP).

As much as I’d love a picture-perfect holiday with nothing but peace and joy, that isn’t the true essence of Christmas. When Jesus entered our world, the inn was full, his guests were lowly shepherds, and a murderous king sat on the throne. No sterile hospital or cozy house, no feast gracing an elegantly set table. Jesus came to a world that was broken.  

So when our own worlds are broken, it’s as if Jesus says to our souls, “Christmas is for you.”

We don’t have to paste on smiles or stay busy to keep the pain at bay. He invites us to slow down, bring him our emotions, and be still in his presence. He feels our grief. He knows where our hope is fading. He sees us with understanding and compassion and holds healing in his presence.

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Summer’s never quite long enough.

Though I’m not a fan of heat or humidity, I do love the slower pace of the summer months. Our family takes a break from regular extracurriculars, leaving room for more downtime and hangouts with friends. We savor these days and will them to slow down. Yet here we are, turning the page on a new school year.

Whether you have kids at home or kids in other areas of your life, I invite you to join me in praying for them as they head back to school.

Here are ten requests we can voice on their behalf.

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If you've been in church for a while, you probably can list off all of the "don't worry" verses. But if your life is still plagued by worries, anxiety, and depression, these verses can lead to shame and distance. But the Bible offers so much more than empty platitudes. After all, even Jesus felt anxious and stressed.

Too often, we use encouraging verses and others in damaging ways, instead of receiving the healing they offer. We forget about the process. We believe God wants white-knuckled obedience more than anything else. We take what he meant for good and use it to spiritually bypass the deep work he wants to do in our hearts.

Is it possible to disagree without being disagreeable? How can Christians hold different opinions without creating division? What heart attitudes promote harmony in a dissonant world?

Throughout the New Testament, God calls his people to like-mindedness.

“Live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose” (1 Corinthians 1:10).

“Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind” (Philippians 2:2).

“Let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up” (Romans 14:19).

These verses have me nodding my head in agreement. Yes, unity is beautiful — a noble calling for a holy people. I want to live this way. To build others up, to represent the gospel well, to reflect the God who is our peace.

In the everyday, though, life gets messy. 

We all operate with our own unique filters: our culture, our family background, our stories, our church affiliation, our wounds, our personalities. Even as Christians, we hold different beliefs, have different priorities, lean toward different preferences. 

How, then, can we possibly promote peace?

As humans we often gravitate to one extreme or another. Many of us are conflict avoidant. We run from disagreement or quietly smile and nod, keeping our thoughts and opinions to ourselves. Others of us are confrontational. If we disagree, we don’t mind saying so. In both situations, our natural responses can lead to division.

Here, as in many other situations, God beckons us into the middle spaces of grace where uniformity isn’t necessary for unity. He wants to reshape our hearts so we can speak up with confidence when something needs to be said, and we can listen with humility when he calls us to be quiet. We can learn to bring harmony into the situations we encounter as God weaves his peace into our souls.

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In the devotions to follow, we’ll look at twelve names of Jesus described in the “Christmas stories” of Scripture. I pray these readings will be a welcome pause amid the busyness of the season. May our hearts find joy this Christmas as we celebrate the coming of the Christ Child. 

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Life’s storms will come, both the physical and the metaphorical ones, but I’m thankful God’s heart never changes. In the wake of our storms, we can anchor ourselves to who he is and lean into his gracious presence.

When our faith is slipping, God offers to be our firm foundation (Isaiah 33:6). He stands ready with open arms to receive us in our brokenness, eager to welcome us home (Luke 15:20). He’ll never reject those who come to him (John 6:37).

“Don’t blink,” they said. “She’ll be grown before you know it.”

“Soon the moments will be memories.”

In the little years, when the days felt like decades and the nights even longer, those clichés sounded, well, cliché. Yet here we are, embarking on our little girl’s senior year. I’m not sure how we got here this quickly, but ready or not, the school year begins.

I anticipate all the emotions this year (both hers and mine.) We’ll treasure all her lasts as we step into her new firsts. I’ll ache over what’s ending, rejoice over the woman she’s becoming, and worry a little (okay, maybe a lot) over the changes ahead. 

And as best I know how, I’ll take these feelings to Jesus. 

Preparing to Pray

The longer I parent, the more I realize how much I need the help of the perfect Parent, the One who crafted my kids’ souls and fashioned their lives. The One who knows them better than I do, better than they know themselves. The One who sees below the surface to the very core of their being and loves them more — infinitely more — than I do.

I’m learning to ask our Father how to pray for them and to listen for his still, small voice in my soul as he impresses prayer needs on my heart. If you, too, have a senior in your life, I invite you to join me in waiting on God and praying however he leads. 

In addition to any specific prayer needs God may give you, here are eight prayers taken from Scripture that we can pray for the seniors we love.

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