Donna is a wife, mother, grandmother, writer, and Biblical counselor. She has been blogging through the Bible each year since 2012. She loves God's Word and sharing how freeing and practical it is. She is certified through the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors.
This year is drawing to a close and many of us are thinking about our desires and goals for 2023. By the time you read this, we may have already turned the calendar. With all the turmoil and instability over the last few years, most of us want more peace, more joy, and more confidence in the future. Are we at the mercy of the government or the economy or the culture around us if we’re to have those things? Or is it possible that the right goals and habits can play a big part? If so, what kind of goals and habits?
Maintain … is it a good thing or a bad? I think it could be either depending on what we are maintaining. The first thing that comes to mind is maintaining the status quo. That’s usually a bad thing. It makes me think of maintaining mediocrity. But I believe there are other areas where maintaining is a good or at least a neutral thing.
We’ve all been there. Maybe you’re there right now. You’re going through a trial yet God seems nowhere to be found. And you find yourself wondering why.
You believe His promise to never leave you or forsake you. You believe God answers prayers. But … silence.
Communication or the lack thereof is a problem in many relationships. How about yours? Do you ever feel like you talk to friends and family, even your spouse, but just aren’t sure you’re being heard? Do you feel you’re frequently misunderstood and when you keep trying it only leads to an argument? You’re not alone. But the answer isn’t getting angry, talking louder, or clamming up. What can we do instead?
We all want intimacy in our marriages, what the Bible calls a one-flesh relationship. We want our spouses to spend time with us, consult us about decisions, share our hopes and dreams, encourage us when we’re struggling, treat us kindly, and for there to be openness and humility. But are there things we should do or not do if we’re to achieve that kind of one-flesh marriage? And, if so, what are they?
We’ve been discussing the three components of marriage God laid out in Genesis 2.24 and other places in Scripture: leaving, cleaving, and what we’re calling “weaving,” growing in a one-flesh relationship. In the last post, we started talking about “weaving” and today we’re going to go a little deeper on the subject.
Are you faced with a problem that you don’t understand? I know I’ve got a few. There are relationship issues that haven’t sorted themselves out and some doors that are shut for no logical reason. There are questions with no obvious answers, family members who have been hurt unnecessarily, and challenges I wish weren’t there. How about you? How can we face those things without losing our faith and trust in God? And could they actually be God’s protection in some way?
Do our politicians understand that all power and authority come from God (Jn. 19.11) and He will hold those accountable who misuse it? Just as teachers have a higher accountability to teach the truth, those in authority will face a stricter judgment.
I first wrote this post a couple of years ago near the beginning of the year when many of us make fresh commitments to read more in the Bible, pray more, and in general, have a more effective quiet time. But when I came across it this morning, I thought it was worth republishing since it’s something most of us think about often.
While there is no right way or wrong way to do that, there are some things that can make our time with God more spiritually profitable and enjoyable. I’d like to share twenty-eight of them.
