How Do You Love From Afar?

It is difficult for family and friends when someone we love moves away for a new opportunity but we have to be faithful in His plan and continue to love them despite the distance.

Hope Seekers - Seeking God's Hope in All Things

When a loved one moves away, they not only have to cope and adapt to the changes but we also miss them terribly and have to learn to show our love from a distance. We are lucky that we live in a time when we have many different methods to keep in touch and, although we can talk, text, or tweet to stay involved in the daily lives of the people we love, it isn’t the same as when we can give them a big hug in person. The comfort we can find is knowing that the move is part of God’s plan. If God has a place in the family and a decision to move away was approved by God, we have to have faith that the right choice was made. Our faith helps us to find contentment that He will protect our friends and family when we cannot…

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Are You Too Competitive?

Competition should be a motivator, not a deterrent. Unfortunately, some people use competition as a method of building themselves up while putting other people down. We have no control over the behaviors of others but prayer helps to encourage us when we are frustrated.

Hope Seekers - Seeking God's Hope in All Things

The important distinction when defining competition is whether it is healthy competition or not. Competition can be a motivator but it all depends on the respect between those who are competing. It is unfortunate when a rift is created between people because it is more important to compete and play games out of selfishness, rather than act with respect to promote the common good. When people’s actions are calculated to the point of being malicious or demeaning, they are only out for themselves and they alienate themselves instead of encouraging teamwork. God expects us to strive for greatness but not at the expense of tearing others down to build ourselves up.

Philippians 2:3-4: “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

We have all dealt…

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How Much Do You Give?

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

There is a stigma that God + giving = money. I have spoken to friends who do not attend church regularly (if at all) and they say that they feel incredibly awkward when the offering basket is passed around in church because they feel there is an unspoken obligation to give money, or else be judged negatively.  Now, I am not able to speak on behalf of every church but I want to encourage anyone feeling this way that most churches are not going to judge you. While God does want us to give monetarily to the church to show our appreciation for our many blessings and to support His ministry, it is unfortunate that giving money is such a sensitive subject. God wants us to give with a cheerful heart. Giving a tithe or offering is a very personal thing and requires many believers to have a one-on-one conversation with God to bring them to a place where their faith is stronger than their fear: fear of not being able to pay  bills or fear that the church will waste their hard-earned money. Committing to tithing is a big step of faith and requires lots of prayer to accoomplish but, until our faith reaches that point, there are other means by which we can give back to the Lord. Serving others, using our spiritual gifts, volunteering…there are many, many options by which we can show God that we understand the importance of giving.

Hebrews 13:16: “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

Giving of ourselves and our resources is pleasing to God. Giving acts as a “thank you” to the Lord for the many blessings He brings to our lives every day. Giving allows us the opportunity to live by Jesus’ example by spreading love and goodness in the world. The more we give, the more joy we experience. We act as a beacon of faith and hope to others. Each new opportunity to give helps us to personally grow and mature through our selflessness and it also allows our positive example to influence the people around us. We need to be kind to people who are lacking kindness in their lives. We need to help others who may be less fortunate and need a helping hand. We need to bring joy to people’s lives who have forgotten how to smile. Give freely and you will reap handsomely.

Luke 6:38: “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Many blessings are heading our way. The more we give, the more the Lord blesses us for our obedience but we understand that we do not give because we want to receive recognition. We give because we want to be obedient and to emanate Jesus’ example of serving others. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices, whether of our money, time, or effort, for the better good of the Kingdom of God. If the Lord is putting on your heart that it is time to take a leap of faith and begin tithing at your church, don’t miss out on the opportunity. God is preparing you for an amazing blessing that is on its way and giving will prepare you for when your blessing arrives. If you are not in a place in your faith where you can give of your finances, pray that God will help your faith to grow and that a new opportunity to serve others will present itself in the mean time. Find a way that you can give of your time and effort to better the lives of others. Your life will be blessed. I guarantee it.

Thank you, Lord, for opportunities to give. Thank you for showing us that it is better to give than to receive. Thank you for encouraging us to give relentlessly because we know that whatever we give will bless the lives of others, as well as strengthen our own faith and prepare us for the blessings to come. Lord, we pray that, if anyone is struggling with the difficult commitment to tithe, help their faith to grow to fully trust You with their finances. You will not let them fail. Thank you for being a trustworthy God. Amen. – Katie Ann

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What Does the Future Hold?

Perhaps once or twice we have wished we could know the future. Wouldn’t life be simplified if we knew exactly which choices to make and when to make them so that we could have an amazing life filled with complete and utter happiness? Some people desperately seek answers about their future but palm readers and tarot cards do not have the answers they seek. Truth be told, there is no way of knowing how our future will play out. Only God knows what the future holds. However, the bright side of God knowing the future is that He will guide us every step of the way.

1 John 5:14-15: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him.”

God knows the desires of our hearts and, for this reason, He brings us new blessings and experiences to enrich our lives. Sometimes we are faced with multiple options and we have to make a choice. It is in these times that our future seems unclear and our faith may be tested. Prayer helps keep our faith unwavering when we need reassurance from God. Big or small, each choice we make in our lives should be made according to God’s plan for our lives. When a choice seems difficult and we are unclear which road we should take, we need to come before the Lord in prayer and ask Him to show us His way. God will always answer our prayers; we need only to listen and follow His instructions.

James 4: 13-15: “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

Because the Lord has given us free will, we have to fight our impulse to try and figure out the future on our own, to make our own way instead of following God’s path. The road of life is full of detours and there is no way to anticipate which way the road will turn or what speed bump we may encounter next. Our future successes are reliant on our ability to be steadfast in our faith and trust God’s will. God has more than proven His love for us. We are blessed with a Heavenly Father who cares for all of our needs, in this life and the next. Our faith has afforded us only one guarantee that tomorrow will bring: salvation. The only thing that we can be sure of in our future is that we will be spending all of eternity with God.

Matthew 6:34: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Thank you, Lord, for guiding our path and for giving us direction when we don’t know which road to take. Thank you for encouraging us to live each day to its fullest and not to worry about tomorrow. Thank you for giving us the blessed assurance that we have been saved through Your Son’s awesome sacrifice. Thank you for each trial we experience because it helps to strengthen our relationship with You. We crave to be closer and closer to You. We trust Your plan for our lives. Thank you for your love, protection, and guidance. Amen. – Katie Ann

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Who Loves You?

Unconditional love is real and true. Have a blessed day and know you are loved.

Hope Seekers - Seeking God's Hope in All Things

Life is hard but be encouraged. You are loved. You have been chosen by Our Heavenly Father to be a member of His family. You are highly favored. When the world starts to get you down and you feel discouraged, know that the hard times never last forever. You have the power of Almighty God in your corner. Do not forget that, as long as you love the Lord and believe in your heart that Jesus died and rose again, you cannot fail. Trust the Lord and show others that your faith cannot be shaken. Let your light shine and we can light up this whole world as a unified family of God.

Matthew 5:14-16: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives…

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Is Guilt Controlling You?

Give your guilt to God. Don’t allow your poor choices to haunt you. You are forgiven…so forgive yourself also.

Hope Seekers - Seeking God's Hope in All Things

The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
    bring me out of my distresses.
Consider my affliction and my trouble,
    and forgive all my sins. (Psalm 25:17-18)

Guilt sneaks into our subconscious and it is difficult to concentrate on anything else. The most common time that guilt rears its ugly head is when we are the happiest. While God wants us to be aware of our mistakes, He does not want us to be tormented by them. God tells us to ask for forgiveness, not because He wants us to beg Him to forgive us so He can assert His authority over us but rather so we can accept the mistake and give it to the Lord. Jesus took all of our sins at the cross but, when we ask for forgiveness, the guilt is removed because we have learned from our poor choices. If we aren’t able to…

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Should We Fight Every Battle?

Remember: Not every fight is worth fighting. Choose your battles wisely and, if you are unsure whether to fight or not, pray first.

Hope Seekers - Seeking God's Hope in All Things

To speak up or stay silent, that is the question. We are coached throughout our lives to share our opinions. But the truth is, there are times when it is better to stay silent. Just because there is a battle, it doesn’t mean we have to join in fighting. Sometimes it is wiser to watch and listen than to fight. We can gain valuable wisdom by selecting which battles are worthy of our effort and to weed out which battles are counterproductive. Jesus was posed with many topics of debate by the religious leaders. When responding to their questioning, Jesus spoke calmly and rationally but there were also times when he deemed silence as the best response. If we allow God to work through us in times of turmoil, our silence can reveal peace to those attempting to ignite fighting and the flame can be snuffed out.

Exodus 14:14: “The

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Is There Really Power in Prayer? Part 2

When you are disappointed because your prayer hasn’t been answered, remember that God answers ALL of our prayers…but it may not be the answer we were expecting. Have faith. He knows what He is doing.

Hope Seekers - Seeking God's Hope in All Things

In Part 1 of this series of devotionals: “Is There Really Power in Prayer?” we addressed several questions that come to mind when we consider the concept that prayer has power.

“People say there is power in prayer and you are inclined to believe them because they seem so sure of themselves, but how do you know the prayer is going to work? And what if the prayers don’t work? Does that mean that prayer loses its power if it fails?”

And yet another big question comes to mind, a question that we have all asked at some point in our lives: Why didn’t God answer my prayer? The Bible tells us that anything we ask of God will come true and yet there are prayers that go unanswered everyday. We pray and we pray and we want to believe that God will make a way for our prayers to…

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Is There Really Power in Prayer? Part 1

Be faithful and pray. Believe that He has all the answers and hand over your problems to Him.

Hope Seekers - Seeking God's Hope in All Things

People say there is power in prayer and you are inclined to believe them because they seem so sure of themselves, but how do you know the prayer is going to work? And what if the prayers don’t work? Does that mean that prayer loses its power if it fails? These questions are all a matter of faith and perspective. When we pray, we aren’t crossing our fingers that we pray the correct words so the prayer works. Prayer requires faith. We have to pray with confidence that the prayer isn’t going to come true just because we prayed it but rather that God has already answered the prayer.

1 John 5:14: “And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us.”

God knows that we will pray and ask Him for things: job promotions, companionship, healing, courage…

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What Kind of Friend Are You?

Friendships are a gift from God to make our lives even sweeter. Be a blessing to the people you meet because you never know how your kindness will improve their day…and their life.

Hope Seekers - Seeking God's Hope in All Things

I am reminded of a well-known saying about friendship:

Friends bring out the best version of ourselves. Friends encourage us to work hard and make wise choices. Friends enrich our lives, and the relationships that develop help us to grow emotionally, both as individuals and as a unit. God blesses us with wonderful people who He puts into our lives who bring us joy. And, even if the friendship doesn’t last forever, the “footprints” they leave behind are happy memories of the past. It is important that we live our lives in such a way that we can be a source of love and happiness for everyone who we hold dear and that we will be an example of what it means to be a true friend.

1 Thessalonians 5:11: “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

Even though not all friendships are meant to…

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