When we think of how it looks to "surrender it all to God," we think of the term, letting go and letting God, right? And that is good and all, but oftentimes God will use our current circumstance to bring us to a state of surrender.

God wants us to not only surrender our situation to Him, but to surrender ourselves to Him. [Tweet this!]

If you struggle with surrendering it all to God, my prayer is that these steps will help you:

1. Ask God to make you willing. Oftentimes this is the most essential step. If it just that hard to find the willingness to give it all to God, then pray and ask Him to change your heart in that area. Ask God for a willing heart and mind.
   
   
2. Be aware of your enemy. Remember that this is exactly where Satan wants you. The very last thing he wants is for you to completely surrender every area of your life to God. Pray and ask God for wisdom and discernment  to be able to recognize your enemies lies.
   
   
3. Surrender it all, little by little, step by step. A lot of times we are hesitant to surrender all control with fear that we will have to make drastic changes, and honestly, sometimes we just are not ready. But God is so kind and loving that He will move at our pace. As long as we are obedient in what He asks of us, He will lead us through step by step as we go along. 

Remember, only when we move out of God's way, can He begin to move in our life. [Tweet this!]

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5, 6)

Is there something you need to surrender to God today?

In the midst of our loneliness we often try to fill the desires of our hearts with the things of this world. But Jesus longs to fill our hearts with Himself during this season.

Even when you are feeling lonely, and feel as though you have no one, God is always with you. He thinks about you all the time. Do not give up on yourself, because God has not given up on you. It is easier to just abandon every relationship, because of all the past failed relationships. Doing this will only further discourage you and leave you feeling sorry for yourself. This is not what God wants for His daughters.

How can God help me when I am feeling lonely?

[Read the rest of this article at Whole Magazine.]

"Did you see what Sheila was wearing at church this morning?"

"Did you about what Tom did to his wife?"

I can remember many times people have tried to start conversations like that with me. Even worse, I remember starting conversations like that myself. Gossip is that “secret” sin that people try to conceal with superficial concern and erroneous motives but really it does nothing but stir up conflict because it comes from an impure place. 

Gossiping has two sides to it; first gossiping is when you say something that is true but with the wrong motives causing them to look bad to others. Secondly, gossiping is sharing information with others who were not meant to know such personal details even if without evil intent.

Now let us look at God's perspective on this gossiping. Proverbs 26:20 tells us, "Without wood fire goes out; without a gossip a conflict dies down." When you choose to not listen to gossip or to not spread it you help quench the problem. But when we listen to or partake in gossiping our words do nothing but add fuel to an already burning fire.

[Read the rest of this article at Whole Magazine.]

Growing up in the Catholic church one thing I always remembered and appreciated was the beautiful churches we attended. They looked imperial, with amazing stories woven in the walls and vaulted ceilings. But the one thing that always caught my eye was the classic stained-glass windows. When the sunlight shined through the panes of the glass a beautiful picture appeared and let out a mosaic symphony of colorful praise portraying parables and some of our great heroes from the Bible—most often Jesus. It was just glorious.

But have you ever looked through those same stained-glass windows at night? You don't see much. You might be able to catch a glimpse of each outline, but that is all.

The process to creating stained glass windows is quite painstaking, and involves soldering together individual panels of stained glass, sometimes in the hundreds. The pieces of stained glass are cut into various shapes and arranged, and the Artisan must have a good idea for how the window will look and feel when it is complete. The pieces are slowly attached to one another and then confined into a larger frame which will hold the window rigidly in place once it has been installed.

Did you know that our lives are like those stained-glass windows? Before we walked with Jesus, our windows [lives] were dark. But when we came to know our Saviour [the artisan], His light pierced through within each of His children and a beautiful picture appears with such brightness. He took the many broken pieces of our heart and soldered it together to create His version of beautiful. As we continue to grow in Christ, His light brightens, and our life's testimonies shine forth a rising beauty that intensifies through every test to testimony.

Can the people around you attest to the light shining through your life, especially when the storms hit?

When they look at your life do they see evidence that the Holy Spirit dwells inside, or has your sin and self-righteous heart created a soiled fabric that hangs, blocking His light from your witness?

Can they catch a glimpse of God's footprint's in your day-to-day conversations with your children, spouse, mother, or sister, friends. . . maybe even a stranger?

As we allow Jesus Christ to direct our marriages, our families, our relationships, and our lives, the result is a light that shines with such increasing power that every window around enlivens displaying a foretaste of what Heaven will look like.

Today, determine that you will live in God's brightness and reflect the Light in your life—that those around you will clearly see the testimony of your faith every moment they are in your presence.

The path of the [uncompromisingly] just and righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines more and more (brighter and clearer) until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day [to be prepared] (Proverbs 4:18).

Can I be honest with you? As a young girl I had no problems making friends. I could get around a crowd of girls and just fit right in. But as I got older and experienced hurt and betrayal from other women, I became less quick to fit in. I will admit that at times I still tend to pull away with the fear that a friend may hurt me.

What I looked for in my worldly friends was completely different from what I want and desire from a godly friendship. I believe that the gift of friendship was one of God's greatest ideas. I also believe that just how God picks our our husbands to compliment us, He does the same with our friends. It has been said about marriage that where one lacks the other makes up for it. I know Jesus made friendship to work the same way.

I spent a good part of my life searching for genuine friendships. I always would get sad when I would hear women say, "We have been best friends for over 15 years." I thought, wow. That would be nice to have. I had close friends, but those were all worldly friends. Things happened that caused us to go our separate ways, and with others we just grew apart. Temporal friendships don't stand a chance when they are built on a temporal foundation. The slightest disagreement can wash away even 20 years of what you thought was an unbreakable friendship if it was not built on solid foundation. God, The Rock.

[Read the rest of this article at Whole Magazine.]

We are so excited to introduce to you our new friends over at Faithfully There. I discovered their hip and edgy clothes line while perusing on Instagram recently.

The name Faithfully There came from the never ending love, grace and mercy that the Lord continues to pour out on our lives. Faithfully Their purpose is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ through fashion and outreach. 

The aim is to create fashion that encourages conversations that lead to the Gospel, thus opening up a door for sharing the Gospel to others. We pray that Faithfully There will be a vessel to inspire others to live and share the Gospel.

[Read the rest of this article at Whole Magazine.]

As Thanksgiving Day nears the rush that accompanies this season begins. But even through all of the craziness this season brings, we must never lose sight of the special meaning behind it.

Thanksgiving is more than just a holiday. It is a day of reflection. Reflecting on the goodness of the Lord and His blessings, and more importantly expressing gratitude towards Him for all that He has done and continues to do in our lives.

There are so many ways to celebrate God's goodness and His many blessings, and I wanted to share a few tips I gathered while perusing the internet.

Tree of Thanks – Take advantage of the fall leaves to build a Tree of Thanks. Send the kids to the back yard for a tree branch and some fallen leaves. Plant the branch in a pot filled with craft sand. As family members arrive for Thanksgiving dinner, let the kids give each person either a real leaf or a cut out leaf from paper and ask the guests to write something on the leaf for which they are thankful. Use either paperclips or Christmas tree ornament hangers to hand the leaves on the branch.

A Servant's Heart: Spend the Day Volunteering – Nothing will remind us more of how much we have to be thankful for than spending your day at your local homeless shelter or food kitchen serving Thanksgiving dinner.

[Read the rest of this article at Whole Magazine.]

Finding the right place, the right time, and the right way to enjoy uninterrupted time with God. 

I get it. Life gets crazy. If you're parent then you know that it can be like fighting tooth and nail to get to the feet of Jesus every day. If you're single and live with your parents or with roommates, you may also find it challenging to just spend time with God.

As Christians, our Spiritual health can be traced to how much time we are spending with God praying, worshiping and studying His word.

I don't know about you, but when I haven't spent time before God I am not the most gracious person. When we start off our day with Jesus, we become more like Him. We love more like Him. We look more like Him.

Getting in your Word, in prayer, and worship, are essential and crucial to knowing God's will and growing in your faith. But it can be hard to know exactly where to start. Make that time with God a priority even if you have to develop a balanced and realistic plan, and schedule out what you will do the night before if you have to.

[Read the rest of this article at Whole Magazine.]

I think all of us as women (and men) struggle with insecurity on some level or another; questioning and doubting ourselves. We tend to look outwardly for acceptance and affirmation to somehow establish some sort of identity. When we can't find it in others we just fake it until we make it, hiding behind the attractive facade we've created with the hopes that no one will see the insecure and broken woman behind that mask.

Insecurity is defined as, uncertainty or anxiety about oneself; lack of confidence; self-doubt; worry; unease.

I have battled with insecurities all my life, and if there is one thing I know for sure it is that if you are struggling with insecurity, you are struggling with other issues and when we get down to the nitty gritty of it all—it's root cause is rejection.   

As a young child my father cheated and then left my mother. He didn't come around a lot or made plans to see my sister and me, but never followed through. It left me feeling rejected. When it came to men and dating, I was extremely insecure. "Will he leave me too?" "Maybe, if I do this or that he will stay with me." You see that cycle?

Fast forward some years, and married, my husband had an affair a few months into our marriage. Although I had forgiven him, he was not sure he wanted to continue with the marriage. How does one get over such a betrayal, right? I was left feeling rejected, yet again, and insecurity followed not to far behind.

[Read the rest of this article at Whole Magazine.]

Learning to love like Jesus when your spouse has betrayed you.

I can imagine the look on your face, when you read that title. I know, because I was like that once upon a time. The thought of loving my husband after I had discovered his indiscretions in our marriage was the furthest thing on my mind, or my heart. Before anything let's look at what the Bible tells us love is:

Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].

— 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 [AMP]

Now that's a mouthful, huh? Love is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Well, I have failed that plenty of times.

[Read the rest of this article at Whole Magazine.]

Few challenges in life are as difficult as regaining a wife’s trust—and few are as ultimately worthwhile. Trust can be rebuilt in your marriage! With patient, loving, self-sacrificing effort, it’s possible that one day your wife will risk her heart with you again. And she may even have more respect and love for you than before.

In Worthy of Her Trust, Jason Martinkus relates how he repaired his own marriage after revelations of sexual addiction. Along with Stephen Arterburn, Jason offers exercises and tools rooted in counseling principles to help your marriage begin again. This comprehensive guide discusses: 

• How to be truly and effectively transparent 
• ·Combating the “he must not love me” myth and other untruths
• What to do about the Internet, office temptations, and travel
• Encouragement for wives who wonder if trust can ever be restored 
• The “five-minute phone call” and other daily trust-building strategies
• What meaningful forgiveness and restitution look like
• The Amends Matrix—a concrete exercise to admit past wrongs and cast a vision for a faithful future

Including insights from Jason’s wife, Shelley, Worthy of Her Trust guides you through the process of rebuilding your relationship so it is stronger than ever.

Now here are my thoughts. . .

What I liked: Overall I enjoyed the book. I highly recommend this book to an couple that has or is experiencing infidelity and sexual sin in their marriage. Jason is transparent with his transgressions and strategies helped restore their marriage. I really liked the five-minute call rule and the T-30 Journal exercise.

Here are few points Jason made that I highlighted. . .

"There can be authentic forgiveness by the violated party, but if there's no true repentance and change on the violator's part, trust will remain elusive."

Rebuilding trust requires you to be forgivable, regardless of whether she is willing to forgive."

"We can choose our own road to instant gratification and pleasure, or we can lean into God, practice faith, and allow him to be enough for us."

Purchase your copy of Worthy of Her Trust here.

Let's face it, sometimes life is just downright difficult. Then you find that you begin to fear the uncertainty of the future. So what do you do? You worry. You worry about relationships, finances, health, our families, and the list goes on.

If you are like me—a "worrier" by nature—it is probably time to rethink the way that you think! By now you have probably formed the unfortunate and unhealthy habit of focusing too intently on negative aspects of your life, and focusing less on counting your blessings. 

This is not how Jesus wants you to live your life. He wants your burdens in exchange for His peace. He wants you to take your worries and lay them all at His feet...and leave them there. When you learn to worry less and trust God a little more you begin to experience a peace that surpasses all understanding. Not a interim peace that comes from taking a hot bubble bath on a stressful day (although it helps), or from a rather large glass of wine (not too bad either) after a viciously long work day. No. It is an indelible and abiding peace that can only be found when we relinquish all control in every area of our life and allow Jesus to lead. 

[Read the rest of this article at Whole Magazine.]

Do you feel like Jesus is holding out on you? 

Know that He has a great plan for you. You may feel like Jesus is holding out on you. You may feel like he is staying away during your times you need Him the most. I don’t know Jesus’ plan for you, but I promise you that His plan is bigger than yours or mine.Trust him.

Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. - Psalm 25:5

But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! - Psalm 31:14-15

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! - (Psalm 37:7)

[Read the rest of this article at Whole Magazine.]

You are not the only one who has ever faced discouragement, despair, depression, uncertainty or has been perplexed as to why God did not work in your life in a certain way. You may be in the midst of God’s working and can’t see the big picture as He can. 

We can trust God's heart, even when we can’t trace His path. [click-to-tweet]
Today, I challenge you to open the Word of God and embrace these truths for yourself—they will offer you hope, peace, comfort and help to you over and over again! I Promise.
But you, God, shield me on all sides;You ground my feet, you lift my head high; With all my might I shout up to God, His answers thunder from the holy mountain. - Psalm 3:3

[Read the rest of this article at Whole Magazine.]

"God, why do I have to go through this?"

"Why are you doing this to me? You don't understand how this feels."

How many time have we said these things in our lifetime? For me it has been plenty of times, and each time I was going through the motions screaming at Jesus that he didn't understand—I was wrong.

Jesus does understand what life is like for each and every one us. What we are going through, is nothing new to your Father. He has been through it all. He doesn't ask anything of us that He wasn't willing to do Himself, and He promises to be with us every step of the way.

Here are 9 reasons why Jesus understands what life is like for us:

[Read the rest of this article at Whole Magazine.]

Can I be honest for a moment? Sometimes I just wasn't in the mood to throw my hands up in the air and praise God. I would have a really bad day, and everything had been going wrong that could possibly go wrong! I would have rather crawled under a rock and throw myself a pity party. And, that accomplished what, you ask? Nothing. Exactly.

It took a long time for me to realize that amazing things happen when you praise God on your mountain-tops, but you praise Him even harder in your valleys.

Paul and Silas are the perfect examples of praising God during their valleys in Acts 16:25-34 {...}

[Read the rest of this article at Whole Magazine.]

As a Believer we all know that Bible Studying time (also known as, quiet time with Abba) is one of the most important times of the day.

Over the past few years I have changed up how I study to get a more in-depth study, or if I was in a hurry; just enough fuel to keep me running through the day. It's not about how much your in your word, rather how much word is in you. There is a difference between reading the Bible and studying [meditating on the Word] the Bible, and then actually living it out; applying it to your daily life.

Today, I want to share with you the different methods of Bible studying that I have used, and some have been shared with me. Some worked for me, and others didn't, but that doesn't mean they won't work for you.


[Read the rest of this article at Whole Magazine.]

As I read the passage, it reminded me of our relationship with God. He provides us with the necessary tools so that we can bear good fruit. We have bibles, churches, Christian books galore, sermons, etc. The verse that really caught my attention was Isaiah 5:2, it states the man looked or expected that it should bring forth grapes. This tells me that the man didn't tend to the vineyard to ensure it's proper growth. He just expected that it would bear good grapes. 

When we are first saved, we have a zeal, a burning passion to share Jesus. We do all the right things, say all the right things, and we are living our great Christian life in our great Christian box. Then something happens. The fire burns out, the zeal diminishes. Our flame that once was for Jesus, becomes a cloud of black soot. Why? Because somewhere in between we stopped tending to our vineyard. We stopped watering it, we didn't care for the hedge placed around it, therefore letting outsiders destroy what we had planted.

Oftentimes we as Christians want the blessings that come with having a relationship with God, but don't want to put in the work. We won't read our Word; we won't go to church; we have direct access to God yet we don't have a consistent prayer life. 

[Read the rest of this article at Whole Magazine.]

Many around the world are remembering Dr. Maya Angelou who passed away in her North Carolina home on May 28, at the age of 86.

As Maya Angelou's wisdom poured through our timeline, I decided to share the top 10 quotes.

1. If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love.
   
2. A woman's heart should be so hidden in God, that a man would have to seek Him just to find her.
   
3. If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.

[Read the rest of this article at Whole Magazine.]

It is that time of year again where we find ourselves setting goals and making resolutions that, according to Statistic Brain only 8% are successful in achieving. I will be honest with you. I use to make diet resolutions every year and by the time February came around losing weight sounded foreign to me.

This past year has had its ups and downs. It was a year full of busy seasons, quiet seasons, and wilderness seasons (a lot of these). This year, instead of resolutions, I have chosen to make commitments to myself and God. I want to share them with you in the hopes that they will help you start off the new year right.

1. Commit to forgetting your failures.

Paul gives us the best advice for this in Phil. 3:13-14, "Forgetting what is behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus." Don't let last years failures hold you down in the new year. The more you continue to dwell on the past, the longer it will keep you from moving forward into where God is leading you. Choose this year to be the year that you stop being chained to your past and past failures.

[Read the rest of this article at Whole Magazine.]