Author: shbcadmin

”Rejoice with those who rejoice!”(Romans 12:15a). This isn’t a suggestion. It’s a command. When someone is so excited, so thrilled with an event in their lives, God says: rejoice WITH them, not FOR them. What if you don’t feel like it? Push your flesh out of the way and shout when they shout, laugh when they laugh, and show them how important they are in your life. It is SO-O-O wonderful to share good news with a friend who can share in your joy!

When it’s time to fight, it’s time to fight. I want to encourage those today who feel as though they can’t fight anymore. They struggle to get out of bed in the morning, their bodies hurt, their minds are being tormented by things they wouldn’t dare utter top another soul. Stand up and say “Enough is enough.” God has given you authority over everything that you are facing and anything that is holding you back. Lift your hands to a holy God who loves you more than mere words could ever say. It’s all worth the fight. Don’t give up when you’re on the brink of a breakthrough. God has plans for you if you’ll just keep fighting. (Sara Wylie)

Don’t let the enemy distract you from God’s purpose and His plan for your life and others’ lives. No, we are not responsible for saving them, but it is our responsibility to point them to the One Who saved us. As children of the Most High God who are no longer on that path, don’t sleep this life away like you haven’t been freed. Like you haven’t been redeemed from a life with no life in it! Don’t be too busy to let Jesus Christ shine in, on, and through you. In Ephesians 5:14-15, we are called to wake up and assess what’s truly important. I feel like God is asking each of us if our lives are lining up with His priorities. Are our priorities His? Do our goals look the same? Will God be smiling when we reach those milestones? Are we chasing after His beautiful heart each and every day? Our days are gifts that He alone has blessed us with. We have to ask ourselves if we are about God’s business or our own. (Sara Wylie)

I saw a sign today that read: “Live like heaven is on earth.” I instantly thought, How are we supposed to do that?? We don’t have to look very far before we see poverty, loss, kids treated badly…the list goes on and on. So are we supposed to ignore the ugly stuff, floating along with our heads in the clouds while others suffer? I don’t think that’s what God had in mind. We pray asking God to remind us of just how temporary this suffering is, then remind others of this fact as well. This too shall pass. We could all use reminders that there’s still good around us….maybe even something that looks a whole lot like heaven. (Sara Wylie)

“There’s nothing in this world that can trouble you more than your thoughts.” Those thoughts can cause you to worry, become discouraged, raise your blood pressure along with your temper, and worst of all, live way below what God has planned for you. Time to ditch those thoughts and begin to think about Him and everything that is true, honest, right, pure and lovely. Good thoughts will take you good places!!

There is nothing more paralyzing than fear. It stops us dead in our tracks.  Fear of the unknown, fear of things from your past, fear of tomorrow, fear of people, fear of speaking in  public (my personal favorite) J Fear of changing careers, fear of __________________ (add yours here)   Satan uses fear to keep us locked in a really small room inside our minds.   We can’t fully trust when we have “what if” running through our minds like a broken record.  We have to replace the enemy’s ever so convincing voice with the life giving, power filling, healing, victorious word of God. That is the ONLY thing that can and will break us free from those chains. When you can bring a Bible verse to mind that counteracts what Satan is trying to accomplish, you become stronger and stronger. His Word is life. It is truth and calm when things seem to be spiraling out of control. It’s like a breath when we feel like we are suffocating.  Memorizing some verses is SO IMPORTANT!! Don’t let anyone tell you that your fears are foolish.  If it matters to you, it matters to God.   God knows how real it is to…