Emotions or God’s Word?

(The danger of placing emotional awareness over the Word of God)

 

 

Have you noticed a subtle shift in parenting these days? Have you noticed that for the most part, children can quite quickly name the emotions they are feeling?

“I feel sad.” “I feel overwhelmed.” “I feel anxious.”

Children are taught to name their emotions. To verbalize how they feel. And I’m not saying that this is a bad thing. In moderation, and in its proper context, it is very good and helpful.

My concern is that we are training our children to trust their emotions more faithfully than they trust God’s Word.

Do you think that quite possibly we are training a generation of children that know their feelings more than they know God’s Word?

As a parent, maybe you didn’t mean for this to happen, but it’s happening.

Most children can name their emotions and state how they feel, but can they say, “God is my strength”? “The Lord is my shepherd”? “God’s Word is truth”?

So many parents spend more time teaching their children to process their feelings than they do teaching them to follow Jesus.

It’s not because they don’t love their children. It’s not because they don’t know any better. It’s because the culture and world we live in has convinced them that emotional affirmation is of paramount importance and that naming their feelings will help them deal with life.

It’s a sad place we’ve come to in this world. We’ve begun to replace God’s truth with the world’s lies.

Don’t get me wrong, I know and believe firmly that emotions are God-given, but our feelings were never meant to be our guide. Emotions are indicators, they are not our instructors. Yes, emotions are given by God, but emotionalism is not.

God gave us feelings and God himself feels! When he walked on earth in human form, he felt happiness, he felt sadness, he felt anger. But unlike us, he was and is perfect and never let his emotions cloud his judgement or rise above God’s truth.

God’s Word is to be our guide and God’s Word is the only truth. Only scripture has the authority to lead.  NOT our emotions.

If we treat feelings like facts and the Word of God like a suggestion, then we risk the danger of raising children who are emotionally aware but spiritually fragile. Children that have soft hearts, but no anchor.

If our children grow up learning to trust in their emotions more than they trust the Word of God, we are in fact teaching them that self-confidence is more powerful than trust and faith in God and his Word.

We are setting them up for failure. We are setting them up for a weak spiritual walk, weak faith and instability.

It’s not only our children who are susceptible to this. We are too!

If we let ourselves be ruled by our emotions, if we treat Scripture like a suggestion, if we allow our feelings to have first place, our children will too.

We are leading by our example.

Before being quick to blame society and culture, take time to think about who and what is discipling you? Are you letting your emotions rule you? What kind of an example are you setting for the little eyes and ears that are watching and listening?

If we take the time to teach our children God’s Word, if we live out consistently what God teaches us, if we instil in their hearts and minds the Word of God and if we show them what it looks like to trust truth over emotions, we will give them something the world can’t offer. We will give them a firm foundation to build upon. We will give them a foundation that doesn’t shift even though their feelings do.

This is why we, as parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, have to be intentional, rooted in God’s Word, abiding in Christ, discerning, growing, trusting and leading by example.

If we allow our own feelings to sit on the throne of our hearts, our children will learn to worship the same thing. And yes, I did use worship and feelings in the same sentence. God is not the only thing (or person) we can worship. Some people have a great admiration and love for many things that are not worthy of placing on such a high pedestal. And feelings is often one of them.

This generation needs parents and mentors who are anchored in God’s truth, rooted in the Word and not tossed around by feelings.

If we want to shepherd our children’s hearts, we have to model obedience, faithfulness and trust in God. We have to teach confidence in God. We have to be willing to lay down the world’s philosophies, no matter how popular, and make the shift towards the Word of God.

We have to teach them to acknowledge their emotions, and we need to acknowledge our own, without surrendering to them. We have to be always pointing them to Christ.

This is what shapes their hearts and draws them to him. This is what steadies a family and strengthens relationships.

By all means, let them feel their feelings. This is healthy. But teach them to acknowledge them and then compare them with God’s truth.

Teach your children the promises of God. Teach them how to combat lies with truth. Teach them verses that they can quote when their feelings begin to overwhelm them. Teach them to trust the Word of God and make it a part of their daily life. Make the Bible come alive to them through storytelling, singing, scripture memory, dramatization of notable characters found in the pages of God’s Word.

Teach them that emotions are healthy and God-given but that they are not to be relied on. Teach them to express them but also to respond to them with God’s Word and his promises.

Teach them verses about Joy. About fear. About sadness. About anger. About worry. About anxiety.

The Word of God is a book of treasures and obedience to it will help you to grow strong, emotionally stable, confident and God-honouring children.

Deuteronomy 6:7 KJV - And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

 

“Feelings come and feelings go,

And feelings are deceiving;

My warrant is the Word of God--

Naught else is worth believing.

Though all my heart should feel condemned

For want of some sweet token,

There is One greater than my heart

Whose Word cannot be broken.

I'll trust in God's unchanging Word

Till soul and body sever,

For, though all things shall pass away,

           HIS WORD SHALL STAND FOREVER!”         

M. Luther 

 

2025 

What kind of a year was it?

 But did you make it through?

 

Well, it’s that time again. December is almost done, and a new year is peeking around the corner. Will it be the year we expect? Will it be the year we hope for? Only God knows the answer to the questions we play over and over in our minds as we turn the page onto a year full of unknowns.

Personally, this past year has been a year of extremes. Highs and lows. Joy and sadness. Hope and despair. But through it all, God has remained faithful.

I began the year with the word I believed God had given me as my word of the year. Change. And what a year of change it has been! Never did I imagine the things he had in store for me.

I can’t even begin to explain the changes I’ve seen in so many ways. But I am so glad that our God doesn’t change. (Malachi 3:6).

I am so glad that he remains the same, yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

Despite the struggle that 2025 has been and the hardships it has brought, there have been numerous blessings. Too many to count and some of them hidden.

Praise God for this precious promise found in Lamentations.

Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV - It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

These verses hold great hope for me as I know that no matter what happens, how my days go, or how my years pan out, God’s mercies are never-ending and he gives me a fresh start each morning.

Maybe you’ve faced a similar struggle this past year. Maybe you’ve fought some battles you didn’t plan on fighting. Maybe you feel worn and weary and in need of a rest.

Can I encourage you with this: If all you did was make it through, it’s okay.

If you look around at your peers and see all they’ve achieved, if you feel frustrated that others lives seem so blessed and others prosper when you’re finding it hard just to make ends meet, don’t despair.

God does some of his best work in the dark. In the valleys where there is little sunlight, and you feel buried underneath the weight you’re carrying, God is still working. Just as a seed has to lie in the damp, dark soil before it breaks through and reaches for the light, often, it is the same with us.

If all you did was make it through, but you’re still here, you’re still trusting in God’s faithfulness, you’re still putting one foot in front of the other, it’s okay.

You don’t have to have an amazing list of achievements beside your name.

If you were faithful in the little things, God saw it and he took notice of it and he is pleased.

I think sometimes that comparison can become such an enemy to our peace of mind. We see what others are doing on our social media feeds and we hang our heads in despair feeling worthless.

We beat ourselves up over our seeming lack of accomplishments. We wonder why we haven’t achieved our goals, financially, physically. We struggle with feeling insignificant and forgotten by God.

Can I let you in on a little secret? Comparison is often the thief of joy.

Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians against comparing ourselves with others.

2 Corinthians 10:12 KJV - For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

Comparison can often be crippling. If we spend our days pouring over what others have accomplished and look on in despair at our own accomplishments, we will most likely spiral into a defeated mindset and pretty soon, we will begin to downplay all the little things we do that really hold significance, if only we saw them through God’s eyes.

As you look back on the year gone by, don’t compare yourself to others. Don’t worry if you didn’t achieve big things.

If you are still breathing, then God’s not done with you yet!

If you made it through the past year and you are still walking with the Lord, trusting him, claiming his promises, reading his Word, fellowshipping with other believers and obeying God as you take it one day at a time, then you have achieved great things!

Weary mother, if you feel like a failure because you haven’t achieved the goals you set and yet you kept your children fed and clothed and your husband loved and cared for, you did well. God noticed. Even if no one else did. God did.

If you weren’t able to save money like you wanted to because of unexpected bills, but you gave to God’s work generously with what you had and were a wise steward of God’s providence, then you did well. God noticed. Even if your bank balance was not tipped in your favour, God remained faithful.

If you worked at your job, and gave all you had in service to God, sharing his love through your testimony and yet you felt unappreciated, God noticed.

What I’m trying to emphasize is that it’s okay if all you did this past year was simply make it through.

Our goal as a believer should be to grow in our spiritual walk and develop a closer relationship with Christ through spending time in his Word and talking to him on a regular basis through prayer.

The earthly pursuits we chase after pale into insignificance in comparison to building God’s kingdom and chasing hard after him.

Don’t be concerned with achieving great things in the world’s eyes.

Can I encourage you to look back over the past year and take a spiritual inventory.

Are you in a better place in your Christian walk than you were 12 months ago? Have you prioritized time with God? Have you learnt new truths as you studied the Word? Have you served in the church in whatever God put on your heart to do? Has it been a gradual climb?

Maybe you haven’t been able to do all the things you hoped to in the past year, but if you are growing as a Christian and serving God with all your heart, then you’ve done well. God noticed.

God is not looking for great worldly achievements. God is looking for heart growth. He’s looking for things that hold eternal value.

And God is looking for a heart of gratitude.

He puts us through the fire in order to purify us (Job 23:10) He knows that it’s the hard times that build Godly character into our lives.

Through the trials he sends, we are to praise him continually.

Hebrews 13:15 KJV - By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

We are to be thanking him for ALL things. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

I find that if I focus on all I have to be thankful for, my hardships and the days of struggle don’t play such a big part in my memory. They are pushed into the background as I pour out my worship to him.

Yes, the past year has been a year of change. A year of frustration, disappointment, hardship, pain and struggle, but I rest in the promise that God is still faithful. God is still good. (2 Thessalonians 3:3; Lamentations 3:23; Philippians 1:6)

He has taught me many valuable lessons in the past 12 months, and I have learned more than ever that I can trust him. I can trust him with ALL my days. I can trust him with my finances. I can trust him with my health. I can trust him with my relationships. I can trust him with my heart.

2026 looms ahead and already it looks to be a year full of unknowns. I see some hard things coming my way and although I’m unsure how I’m going to navigate through them, I know that as I walk, he walks beside me. If I fall, I have only to reach out my hand. If I cry, he sees my tears. If I raise my voice in worship, he hears me.

I have the promise of his presence.

I can trust my unknown future to a known God. The God who made all things. The God who already knows what lies ahead. I don’t have to fear. (Psalm 23)

So, friend, don’t be afraid of the wind. It’s not about the power of the storm, it’s about who you have in the boat with you.

Keep God close. Don’t walk away from him. Keep near him. Let him guide your steps. If you’re walking blind, keep a tight hold of his hand. When you fall, he’ll be there to pick you up.

Stay in fellowship. Meditate on his Word. Develop a heart of gratitude.

 

 

 

 

IT MAY BE SMALL, 

BUT IT’S CRAZY!

 

If you know me well, you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I am no gardener! I have a great appreciation for gardens, flowers and growing things, but give me a plant and it will not have a good life. If it can’t survive the total inattention I’ll give it, then it is destined for an untimely death.

And so, along with my lack of a green thumb, I also am very ignorant of plants, their names, their properties, their growth cycles and the like. I love to photograph plants and flowers, I admire them for their beauty and medicinal properties, but I am for the most part clueless in all aspects of botany.

Which is why, when I began to look into a certain plant mentioned in the Bible, I was blown away by the symbolism it held and possibly its misinterpretation by many in a particular passage of Scripture.

Look with me at Matthew 17.

Matthew 17:19-20 KJV - Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Raise your hand if you, along with me, always interpreted this passage as “even the tiniest bit of faith is enough”? And raise your hand if that never sat right with you?

Let’s have a quick look at the context of this passage before we go any further.

At the beginning of this chapter, we read of Christ’s transfiguration upon a high mountain. We see the appearance of Moses and Elias. And then, as the disciples and Christ come to the multitude, we read of a desperate father bringing his son, tormented by a devil who causes him to often fall into the fire and the water. He is so vexed that he calls on the Lord to have mercy on his son.

The father, in agony of heart, had first brought his son to the disciples, but found that they couldn’t cure him. At last, he brought him to Jesus, the devil was cast out and the child was cured.

Afterwards, the disciples came to Jesus, not understanding why they couldn’t cast the devil out and we are given Jesus’ interesting answer.

“Because of your unbelief. If you have faith AS a grain of mustard seed….”

Have you ever wondered about this passage? Have you ever asked yourself the question, “why?” The disciples walked with Jesus; they saw the miracles. They had faith. But why wasn’t their faith enough?

And why would Jesus say faith like or as a mustard seed if he meant only a tiny amount? Did you know that the Bible never said, “small like a mustard seed”.

It says faith AS a mustard seed. Big difference.

If the disciples already had “some” faith, just a small amount, then why did Jesus say it still wasn’t enough?

Here’s where I try my hand at botany. Bear with me. This gets good.

The mustard seed is mentioned 5 times in the Bible. In Matthew, Mark and Luke. Each time it is in reference to having faith like a grain of mustard seed.

There is some conjecture amongst scholars regarding the type of mustard plant referenced, but as we read in Luke 13, the plant grew big enough that “fowls of the air lodged in the branches”. So, most believe that it was the black mustard plant.

The mustard tree has minute seeds, only 1-2mm in diameter and an abundance of yellow flowers. This particular plant can grow to around 3 metres tall.

Here comes the interesting part.

This particular plant is INVASIVE. Once it takes root in a garden, it spreads fast. It not only crowds out and destroys other plants, but it dominates the soil and quickly becomes uncontrollable. It becomes almost impossible to get rid of.

So, in light of this information, when Jesus spoke of faith “as a mustard seed”, those listening didn’t think “tiny” as we do, they thought – uncontainable, invasive, dominating, unstoppable.

I think that this is the faith Jesus was referring to. This was the faith Jesus was pointing to.

Not a fragile, small faith.

Once this mustard seed faith is planted, it spreads into every part of your life. It is unshakeable, unwavering. It doesn’t coexist with fear and doubt. It overtakes, it uproots, it destroys the devils lies.

This is not “tiny” faith. This is aggressive, consuming, crazy, mountain moving faith.

This is the type of faith that is rooted in Christ. It overtakes every lie with God’s truth. It is an unshakeable faith. A faith not affected by circumstances.

It’s not just about the size of the mustard seed. Yes, a tiny seed can grow into an impressive tree, but it’s not just about the smallness of the seed. If Jesus had in mind only the size, then he could have used the metaphor of a grain of sand or dust. But he didn’t.

I think the mustard seed was used, not only for its size, but for its life-giving properties. It’s a living faith that grows. A living faith that produces fruit.

Maybe the disciples had a misplaced faith. Maybe they thought that more faith would give them more power. The power of faith does not lie in human strength. It hinges on a living God who stands behind our faith.

Who is the object of our faith? Genuine faith, rooted in the character and promises of God, can flourish and grow beyond all human comprehension.

This is what the world calls “crazy” faith. It is the kind of faith that moves mountains.

A faith that is invasive. Unstoppable. A faith that starts out small but grows like a mustard seed. It takes over. It spreads. It produces more faith.

True Biblical faith does not remain static. It is designed to grow and thrive. As our faith matures, we become more resilient. We become unstoppable. Unshakeable. Unwavering.

A faith that blossoms under God’s tender nurturing hand, is a faith that is strong.

It’s an incomprehensible crazy faith!

Mustard seed faith is a faith that is not stopped by difficult circumstances. It is not stopped by impossible obstacles. It pushes on. It dominates. It takes over. And it moves mountains!

 

Don’t think small, think uncontainable!

 

 

 

 

Don’t stand in his way. Ride alongside.

 (FOR WOMEN ONLY)

Many years ago, I wrote an article titled, “Western Woman”. In it, I discussed the importance of being a Godly helper and encourager to your husband. I mentioned the term, “she was a woman to ride the river with”, something often written in Western novels.

If you’re not familiar with the phrase, in a nutshell, it basically means being a woman that a man desires to have by his side. Not trailing along behind, begrudgingly, not blazing a trail out ahead, independently, but just steadily staying by her husband, day by day, being there, being present, encouraging, loving, and being his greatest cheerleader for all his ventures and plans, no matter how crazy they are.

If you’ve ever come to visit and seen my husbands shed and yard, you’ll know that this topic hits me right where it’s at. And it hits hard! I love that man, but oh the rides I’ve been on!

After a conversation with a friend, what I had written so many years ago came to my mind and in the light of some things I’ve been studying on a personal level of late, I thought that maybe it was time to share it again. I needed the gentle rebuke and sadly, I feel that I’m not the only one.

Recently, in one of our Ladies Bible Study sessions, we discussed this idea of knowing your purpose in life for the season you’re in. And in thinking of this combined with the studies I have been doing on my own, I was reminded once again of the importance of not only knowing your own purpose but also being ‘a woman to ride the river with’ when it comes to your husband’s purpose.

Do you realize that whatever God has called your husband to be or do, he has also called you to support and be a part of?

Now, at this point in your husband’s life, he may not know what his purpose is. He may have lost his way a little and is struggling to know what God would have him do. Men have a lot of pressures on them and husbands and fathers more so. They have the responsibility of leading their families and providing for them. They are and should be the main decision makers in the home and that burden often weighs very heavily on them.

I don’t care what the world says in regard to this, God laid out the chain of responsibility very clearly in the Bible and he doesn’t want us to change just because society dictates that we should!

If your husband is struggling with knowing his purpose, then get on your knees and begin to pray earnestly for him. Ask God to show him clearly what his purpose is. Remind him of who he is in Christ and that God created him for a higher purpose.

When God calls us, he also enables us. Maybe what God is calling him to do looks like an impassable mountain to him. That’s where you come in. Don’t let discouragement defeat him. Cheer him on. Let him know that you are with him and praying for him. Remind him that you trust him and that you know that with God’s strength, he can move that mountain.

I've seen too many men who have longed to climb out on what (to their wives) looked like a shaky limb, longing to try something new, excited about God’s calling, only to be held back by a wife that offers only arguments and advice on why it won't work, and why she doesn't want to be involved. 

Sure, husbands can make wrong decisions (leave that to God to deal with, you are not God!), but the wife is making an ill-fated choice when she fails to ride alongside her man, as he rides into the unknown.  He is forced to either give up the venture or go it alone, without his God-given help meet.

I reminded myself of this recently. Your husband is not accountable to you! He is accountable to God. He answers to God. That is not only daunting, but it also takes the pressure off us as wives thinking we have to somehow play the Holy Spirit when that is NOT our job!

Whatever God has called your husband to do, he wants you to be a part of it. Sometimes that simply means praying and encouraging him. It may mean creating a beautiful atmosphere in the home, raising the children, home schooling them, just being there for him so that he can focus more on his purpose. But other times, it may mean becoming an active partner and getting your hands dirty, learning a new skill, showing hospitality to others even though you may be an introvert. It may mean working alongside him and doing things you didn’t think you could do.

Don’t forget, God does not ask you to forget about your own calling and purpose. God has called you to something too. But whatever it is, it will fit in with what your husband’s calling is. The two will not conflict. God is a God of order not confusion and he wants you and your husband to work together towards a common goal. Even though your callings may be different in the way they manifest themselves, they will line up with each other.

Often times the purpose God has called your husband to may be frightening and daunting to you and you have to step out in faith, with fear and trembling. Many a man has had his dreams and passions squashed by an unwilling wife, throwing a wet blanket over the fire that burns inside him.

We, as wives, need to learn to get excited with our husbands when he learns his purpose and sets out to fulfil God’s calling upon his life. We have to stop our incessant questioning and jump up beside him, cheering him along, praying, encouraging, helping, loving.

Now, there's nothing wrong with being a little afraid and somewhat sceptical about a seemingly crazy new venture, but that's where we get on our knees before God and pray harder and ask the Lord to give us wisdom to be the help meet he made us to be and to be supportive in every way we can.

Please don’t think that I’m calling all wives to be doormats and walk with heads hung down, bottom lips drooping, resigned to a life of misery, unwillingly being dragged along behind our husbands, feigning submissiveness and giving up on any dreams they may have.

Quite the opposite! If you know your Bible at all, you will know that we, as wives, are to be submissive to our husbands and he is to love us, as Christ loved the church. But submission doesn’t mean weakness. (Ephesians 5:22-29)

We can learn to walk joyfully beside our husbands as we trust the Lord to lead him and as we pray fervently for him and for God’s guidance. The more you love your husband, and the more he loves you, the more you will trust his leading and the easier it will be for you to submit to him.

Our marriages can become stronger as we forge unbreakable bonds between each other through teamwork and shared burdens and blessings. Did you notice the word ‘shared’? We have to share in our God-given purposes and callings. We are to be building and strengthening each other as we work alongside one another, encouraging and helping. Developing common interests and goals. Learning to love what they love. Learning to get excited about what excites them. Cheering them on and rejoicing with them as they see their purpose grow and develop and change as God leads.

God has ”saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” 2 Timothy 1:9

It’s not our purpose. It’s God’s purpose. It’s his plans we are to follow.

God has a purpose for your life, and he has a purpose for your husband too. When God shows him what it is, be all in! Be present. Get on board. Hop up alongside him and ride that trail with him, determined to stay by his side, being the encourager and helper God has called you to be. Don’t bail out part way through. And when you know your own purpose, be assured that God has a way to have both of your callings working together in perfect harmony in his perfect timing.

Our ultimate goal is to bring glory to God, and what better way to do it then to show the world a united front between husband and wife, seamlessly working together, sharing in their dreams and passions, likeminded and loving every minute of it!

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 - Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

DON’T STAND IN THE WAY OF YOUR SPOUSE GROWING IN HIS PURPOSE.

 ENCOURAGE HIM TO FOLLOW AFTER GOD

 AND PURSUE THE DREAMS GOD HAS PUT IN HIS HEART!

 

 

 

 

A Bouquet of Thanksgiving

 

I think that every woman, whether she is vocal about it or not, loves flowers. Every woman appreciates a beautiful bouquet of flowers or a rose bush in full bloom. We love to breathe in the sweet aroma of a particular flower. Or maybe, you are like me, and you love the flowers that bloom from a weed, on the side of the road, bringing a splash of colour to an otherwise ugly patch of dirt.

If you could envision that every blessing was a beautiful flower and that every flower was a different colour and type, uniquely special, and that you could gather them all together and give them to God with a heart of thanksgiving, wouldn’t it be a wonderful way to end your day?

Wouldn’t it be so much better than falling into bed, weary and worn, with a frown on your face and ungratefulness in your heart, words of complaint on your lips spilling out a few short words to God, asking him to help you sleep well and bless you the next day?

Did you know that God wants your gratitude? He wants your thankfulness. The Bible tells us that it is a good thing to give thanks.

Psalm 92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD,

 and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:

So many of us are struggling through difficult times at present, and we’re finding it hard to find things to be grateful for. All we see are problems. But if we would just open our eyes, and our hearts, we would find that God blesses us over and over, and often we don’t take any notice or stop to thank him.

If you took mental notes of all the little blessings God gives you throughout your day, and then, before you lay down your head onto your pillow at night, you took time to praise and thank him for each and every one, how long would it take you? And do you think it would crowd out the complaints and the worries and the stress?

One of my favourite authors said this,

 

“Is the gratitude that flows out of your life as abundant as the

grace that flows into your life?” N. DeMoss

 

So, is it? Is the gratitude as abundant as the grace?  Are we in a continual state of gratitude to the Lord? Do our lips overflow with praise to God as we think about all that he does and gives and forgives, and heals and comforts? Are we continually thanking and praising God for his goodness? Or are we only complaining?

True gratitude is not something that comes naturally, nor is it something that is given to us at our salvation. No! It’s a choice! In order for you to experience joy, you have to make a choice. A choice to be thankful. A choice to praise. Why do you think the verse in Psalms says thanksgiving is a sacrifice?

Psalm 116:17   I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

Because oftentimes it is! Often, we find that our emotions are controlling us, and we don’t ‘feel’ like being thankful. We don’t want to give God thanks for the situation we find ourselves in, and so we have a choice to make, and it is a sacrifice. We have to set aside what we are feeling in order to open our lips and give praise to God.

The journey to joy is not by getting something that we don’t have, but rather, by appreciating and being thankful for the things we do have.

We are given daily better than we deserve because of God’s mercy and love. God’s grace is so abundant, and he never ceases to bless us if we live for him.

There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. Whether it’s a beautiful sunny day, or a shower of rain after a long dry spell, or a cup of coffee with a friend, 3 meals a day, a grandchild’s sweet little giggle, a bird’s song, a beautiful sunset, legs to walk, eyes to see, ears to hear.

We take so many things for granted, and we don’t see them for what they are. Blessings! Blessings straight from the hand of God!

Can I encourage you, and I want to join you in this endeavour, to keep your eyes and ears open throughout the day, and gather those beautiful flowers of blessings, one by one, into a lovely bouquet to lay at Jesus feet each night. Better still, stop and thank him right there, in the moment. Flower by flower. Blessing by blessing.

Gratitude to God will strengthen your faith and will bring you peace. As you praise him for his goodness to you, you will begin to feel the stresses melt away, the cares and troubles will fade from view as you focus on the good and beautiful, and life won’t feel so hard and heavy as you change your perspective and realise just how much you have to be thankful for.

Let the gratitude that flows out of your life be as abundant as the grace that flows in!

Psalm 150:6

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

 

Jillian Holmes 28.11.25

 

Illiterate or Aliterate? 

Which are you?

 

Many Christians today are not biblically illiterate; they are simply biblically aliterate.

Illiterate or aliterate. What’s the difference?

Illiterate means that you lack the ability to read and write.

Aliterate means you are able to read but you just choose not to.

So, illiterate means you can’t read and aliterate means you can, you are just unwilling.

Where am I going with this?

In today’s Christian circles and in the world around me, I see more and more a community of both believers and non-believers that are aliterate.

It’s not that they can’t read, they just don’t want to. And by read, I mean read more than a few lines on a meme, or a short summary of a news article.

I have found that in the past few years, my attention span has shortened, and I constantly fight the urge to scroll over reading a book as I lie in bed at night.

When did this change happen? I used to be an avid night reader. Well, I can tell you, it didn’t happen overnight. It was a gradual lengthening of screen time and lessening of book time.

I don’t have any trouble reading a theological study book or commentary or topical book on Christian living, and I will pour diligently over these during the day as I study and prepare lessons to teach, but as my head hits the pillow, a certain laziness creeps over me and I reach for my phone, while underneath it lies a stack of half-read books.

I am not proud of this, and I feel like the Apostle Paul writing of the fight he faced, “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Romans 7:19”

Now, I’m not saying that scrolling on your phone is sin, but I do feel that we could make better use of our time more often than not.

With the addition of technology into our lives and screens staring us in the face everywhere we look, it's hard to make the time to sit down and read a good book. To let yourself be taken to another world through your imagination, to see characters brought to life through the print on a page. To dive into the stories we find in the Bible. Or maybe to be encouraged, comforted or even rebuked and convicted by a book written by a Godly author hoping to help you in your Christian walk.

I know that with all the amazing advances in technology nowadays, we have the ability to tap away at our screens and read straight from our handy little devices, and I'm not saying that it’s a bad thing to make use of. What I'm getting at is, that even on our screens, we seem to have such short attention spans that we can't seem to sit still and focus for long enough to read anything of any length.

When was the last time you read a book? A whole book? Not just portions of a book. Maybe even an article of more than 500 words.

More to the point, when was the last time you read a book of the Bible? All the way through?

We have in our hands God's instruction book for life, and yet we flounder around looking for answers to life’s questions, when all the while the answers are sitting right in front of us, on our bedside tables, gathering dust.

I’m worried that as Christians, many are not only Bible illiterate, knowing little about the truths, concepts, doctrines and stories it holds, but they are also rapidly becoming Bible aliterate. They can read, they just don’t want to. They don’t see the need to.

Many Christians today are too content with getting fed by their pastors, their small group leaders, their social media Bible teachers that they neglect reading and studying the Word of God for themselves.

In Pauls epistle to Timothy, he exhorted him to pay attention and to make time for something important. Reading.

1 Timothy 4:13 KJV - Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

This idea of giving attendance to not only means be devoted to or taking heed but it is also defined as being given to or addicted to. That’s an interesting thought. Paul exhorts Timothy to be addicted to reading.

There are many people in the world who are addicted to reading, but the reading they desire is not the type Paul is instructing Timothy in.

We find an interesting verse in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 1:3 KJV - Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Here, reading is associated with hearing and keeping or obeying.

In Isaiah 34, we see a command to seek out the book of the Lord and read it.

In Exodus 24, we see the book of the covenant read to the people.

In Joshua, we see the words of the law read before all the congregation.

We see books read, laws read, letters read, prophecies read. I counted no less than 80 times the word read or a form of it mentioned in the Bible.

Reading is important. And more important than any other book, the Bible is to be read over and over.

Can I exhort you that the more you read the Bible, the more you’ll love the author. The more you learn of God, the more you will love him. And the more you love him, the more you’ll want to please him and the more you want to please him, the more you’ll serve him, and the more you serve him, the more you will build his kingdom.

Every year, I write down a list of all the books I’ve read and each year I try and improve on it.

Over the years, I have lost the taste I once had for secular books and so it takes me a lot longer to make it through a book as I have to think harder as I read, but what a blessing it is not only to read the pages of Scripture but also to be blessed and encouraged by great men and women of God who he has used to teach me to understand my Bible better.

Can I challenge you to resolve growing your reading attention to work at span? Force yourself to spend time in the Word of God daily. At first it may be difficult, but the more you discipline yourself to do it, the more you’ll want to do it. Your desire will grow. And as time goes on, you’ll find that there is not enough time in the day to do all the reading and studying you would like to do as God speaks through his Word.

I find it a sad state of affairs that so many people in our churches are disinterested in reading good, wholesome, Christian books or biographies of men and women from the past that have so much experience and insight into the Christian walk and can teach us so many things that help point us to Christ and becoming more like him.

Before I go any further, I just want to say that if you’ve read this far, you’ve just read 1247 words! I’d love for you to leave a comment on my page or on this blog letting me know what you’ve done to help discipline yourself to read more. We are to do this Christian life together and if we can encourage each other in this simple thing, then it’s a step in the right direction.

Just think of how many books of the Bible you could read if you only spent 10 minutes a day reading! Finishing a whole book is not accomplished in one big meal, but in many small meals over time. A nibble here, a nibble there.

And as we chew over what we read, it changes us.

We can never use the excuse of lack of time if we are guilty of scrolling on our phones. (Please know that I’m preaching to myself here)

If you have time to scroll, you have time to read!

And the best book to read is the Bible!

2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV - All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Let 2026 be the year that books come alive again.

And keep the Bible at the top of the stack!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s time to Lean In

 

There’s an interesting expression bouncing around in the world today. “Lean in.”

You hear it thrown around regularly in a variety of contexts. What it means, in a nutshell, is to embrace, to fully engage with, or to actively pursue something.

“Leaning into” something implies a proactive and enthusiastic approach to something rather than a passive, cautious or hesitant approach.

“Leaning into” something can also imply a willingness to face challenges or difficulties head-on and make the most of the situation. It’s about being bold and unreserved in your approach to a particular part of life. It’s persevering in spite of risk or difficulty.

So, how does all this relate to us in our Christian walk today?

What do you do when you’re in a season of life you don’t want to be in? You may be right now, living through a season you are not enjoying. You may be facing difficulties, unwanted, insurmountable, frightening and confusing.

You may be frustrated with the story God is writing. And in your frustration, you hear his voice saying, “lean in, my child, lean in”. Perhaps the very season you’re going through is an important season, and you’re not supposed to miss it. You’re supposed to LEAN IN.

We make our vision boards, whether figuratively or physically, and what we put on them often looks nothing like what we end up going through. We plan out our lives in neatly organized boxes of allotted times and then comes an unexpected season.

These may be seasons where we feel unnoticed, and limited and fruitless, where doors seem to shut more than they open, where we feel forgotten, our talents wasted or invisible. Or maybe they are seasons of hardship through ill health or death of a loved one, or busyness that leads to physical and mental exhaustion.

Sure, these seasons were not on our vision boards, but is complaining going to make it any better? What if these months or years have more purpose and meaning than we imagined?

What if by not leaning in, we miss something great?

What if by not willingly facing the challenge head on, making the most of the situation, being enthusiastic and boldly embracing the season, we miss what it is God is trying to teach us?

What if God wants you to lean in? What if he wants you to trust him more fully? What if he wants surrender? Surrender to his will. Surrender to what he has called you to.

What if he wants you to embrace fully the season you’re in by giving yourself wholeheartedly to the task at hand, doing the best you can, for his glory, even when you don’t know the outcome or understand how to navigate it.

What is it that God has called you to do? Lean in. In spite of the risk or the difficulty. Lean in. Despite the darkness of the path ahead. Lean in.

When David was waiting to be King, his season of hiddenness and those long years of discouragement, living life on the run, were times of growth. They were times to lean in.

While Moses was a shepherd in the desert, a hidden season, before he would lead the people out from Egypt, it was time to lean in.

Joseph, sold as a slave, forgotten in a prison for doing the right thing, used his season to lean in.

And even the Lord Jesus himself spent 30 years of his life, in obscurity. Of his thirty-three years walking on this earth, only three of them were in public ministry. No crowds. No public platform. No popularity. As far as we know, he was a simple carpenter’s son, hidden from the world until God’s appointed time. He leaned in to his season.

I think we would all do well to learn to lean in. We all too often spend whole seasons of our lives discontent, discouraged, frustrated and angry at God, all the while missing out on what he has for us in that season. We don’t actively look for the lessons. We don’t give ourselves to him to be used for his glory. We don’t lean in.

These seasons of our lives are there to refine us. To make us more like Christ. To build into us Godly character. They are there to deepen our faith. To teach us reliance on God. To grow our spiritual roots and anchor us.

Embrace the season you’re in by:

Doing the best you can with what God has given you. (Colossians 3:23)

Working wholeheartedly and walking joyfully towards his calling on your life. (Philippians 3:14)

Being patient with the process and the length of the season. God knows better than you how long he needs you to stay in it. (Psalm 27:14)

Look for the lessons along the way. Be alert to what he wants to teach you. (Proverbs 3:13)

Seek his face daily and ask him for guidance. (Proverbs 3:5,6)

Develop a heart of gratitude, taking time to thank him regularly for everything. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Be content in the season. Despite what you feel or whatever the circumstances, stay content! (Hebrews 13:5)

Trust that God knows what he’s doing and is doing what is best for you as he works to mold you more into his likeness. (Job 23:10)

Don’t let a so-called bad season of your life determine your future attitude. Use it as a growing period.

You’re not being buried, you’re being planted.

If you don’t resist God’s hand, if you lean in, you will see fruit.

Embrace the season and lean in.